System Sorter

Two kinds of software

All the software on a computer falls into two groups. System software runs and manages the computer itself, and its most important part is the operating system, helped by small utility programs. Application software is everything a user runs to do a task, such as a web browser, a word processor or a game. This module teaches the difference, the jobs the operating system does, and what utility programs are for, then drills the skill of sorting any named program into the right group.

Software words

Learn these before you sort any program. The exam wants you to place software correctly and to say what the operating system does.

System against application

The first decision in any classification question is which of these two groups a program is in. It depends on what the software is for.

How to classify software

To sort a program, ask what it is for. If it runs or looks after the computer itself, it belongs in the first group. If a user runs it to get a job done, it belongs in the second. Then remember the first group has two parts: the main controller that runs the hardware and starts your programs, and the small helper programs that keep the machine tidy and safe. Tie each job of the main controller to a real example rather than just naming it.

Match the operating system job

Which is application software?

Which of these is application software rather than system software?

• A web browser used to visit websites.
• The operating system.
• A disk defragmenter.
• A printer driver.

Pick the application software

Select the TWO programs that are application software.

• A word processor
• A computer game
• The operating system
• An antivirus utility

Count the applications

Here is a list of five programs: a web browser, a computer game, the operating system, a spreadsheet, and a printer driver. Count how many of the five are application software. What is the answer?

Order what the OS does

Put the steps the operating system takes when you open a program in order, earliest first.

• The user clicks the program icon
• The OS loads the program from storage into memory
• The OS gives the program processor time to run
• The OS handles the program input and output

Complete the software facts

Software that runs and manages the computer is _____ software, while software a user runs to do a task is _____ software. The main system program that controls the hardware is the _____ system. Small programs that keep the machine tidy and safe, such as backup and compression, are _____ programs.

Match the utility to its job

Spot the true software facts

Tap the TWO statements that are true about software classification.

• The operating system is system software
• A web browser is application software
• A computer game is part of the operating system
• System software never manages the hardware

Sort the software

Read each case and choose the best answer.

• A user opens a spreadsheet program to add up some figures. What kind of software is the spreadsheet?
• While several programs run at once, something decides which one uses the processor at each moment. Which operating-system job is this?
• A program runs in the background making a safe spare copy of the user files each night. What kind of software is this?

Explain software classification

Explain how software is classified and what the operating system and utility programs do.

• Explain the difference between system software and application software
• Give one example of each kind of software
• Explain two jobs the operating system does, each with an example
• Explain what a utility program is and give one example