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DAVJ277 1.5

J277 GCSE CS 1.5 Operating Systems and Utility Software

QuestionAnswer
What is the purpose of operating system software Operating system software is responsible for providing an interface between the software and the hardware and managing the hardware and software.
What are the functions of an operating system? FUMPU—be able to discuss each Provide a user interface. Memory management and allow multitasking. Peripheral management with drivers. File management User Management—Username and password/access levels.
Name 3 types of user interface Graphical: easy to use, visual and intuitive. Command line: text based, less resource heavy, automate processes with scripts, used by network administrators. Menu: single option chosen at each stage. Natural language: speech input. Not always reliable.
What is memory management? Allocates memory(RAM) to applications so users can use more than one program at once. Enables multitasking. Removes data from memory that is no longer needed To free up memory (RAM) for other data / programs If RAM is becoming full the operating system will switch data in RAM that isn’t currently in use to virtual memory (on HDD) in order to free up more space in RAM.
What is multitasking? The operating system allows more than one program to run at once – this is known as multitasking The operating system manages the requests from each program for memory and processor time and allocates memory and processor time (time slices) to each one Enables user to be more productive—can use more than one application at once—eg. copy from browser and paste into word processing software.
What is a device driver? Software that Translates commands from the operating system into hardware specific commands that a device understands. E.g. A printer driver tells the printer how to print a document from the operating system.
What facilities does an operating system provide for user management? Allocating accounts to users Providing security with usernames and passwords. Managing access rights to files—only authorised users can access certain files.
What facilities does the operating system provide for File management? Access permissions for files (read and write) Allocating files to folders Opening files in associated programs. Moving, saving, deleting and renaming files. Presenting a folder structure to the user.
Encryption software - what is the purpose? Scrambles data using a key .. So it cannot be understood if intercepted/stolen Protects data from being read by hackers. The scrambled data is known as ciphertext
What is the purpose of defragmentation software? Files saved on disk are deleted over time creating gaps on the disk. New files fill up the gaps, but may need more space resulting in fragments of the file being spread out. Defragmentation moves free space together and moves files together— Means faster access to files.
What is the Compression utility Reduces the size of a file.
Why do we use a compression utility File takes up less disk space. File will be quicker to download over the internet/takes up less bandwidth. However - some compressed files must be extracted before they can be read.
What is meant by utility software? Which three types of utility software are in this spec? Software which has a specific purpose ……. usually related to the upkeep/maintenance of the computer. You need to describe purpose and use of: encryption software, defragmentation, data compression for this specification.
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