There are many software terms are used in the software field. Some of them are

1.Freeware

2.Shareware

3.Public Domain Software

4.Crippleware

5.Firmware

6.Open Source Software

7.Humanware

8.Proprietary Software

9.Commercial Software

1.Freeware:

These are softwares that are available for free of cost. The original author maintains the ownership (copyright) of the product, even it is supplied for free. The user does not have any rights to make modify or change anything in the software. These softwares usually comes with the license agreement that prohibits the software from being rented,sold for a profit manner. This type of softwares protects the software piracy in the computer field. The freeware license contains a restriction on selling the software.

2.Shareware:

This type of softwares are distributed for the purposes of testing and review. The author of the software encourages and allows the user to share software with one another. This type software is the very popular type of the commerical software. Loading or downloading shareware using internet does not constitute piracy.

3.Public Domain Software:

There is no copyright restrictions available for the public domain software. So this software is not subject to a license agreement. The user can modify the software without the permission of the owner of the software. This software can be downloaded and can be used immediately. The main disadvantage in this software is that it does not undergo any proper testings.

4.Crippleware:

This is a hybrid between the freeware and the shareware. It allows a person to be the software for free of the individual likes, the software they can pay to receive  a code that activates some features of the softwares.

5.Firmware:

Firmware is a software substituted for hardware and stored in ROMS, PROMS, EPROMS or EEPROMS. It refers to a sequence of instructions that is substituted for hardware. It is frequently a cost effective alternative to wired circuits.

6.Open Source Software:

This software are developed by many peoples and the source code of the software is open to the users. The source codes are avilable in editable formats, so that the user can use this code to enhance the software. This softwares are available for free and also this software is after sold commercially.

7.Humanware:

It refers to the peoples who are all either working within the computer industry or connected with it.

8.Proprietary Software:

It is also called as Closed Source Software(CSS). This type of software is owned by a single company. The company gives the full security to that software products. The user cannot use this software freely.

9.Commercial Software:

Commercial Softwares are used for the commercial purpose. This is not a free software. Commercial softwares are copyrighted and almost purchased from the software publishers. This software comes in different forms.

a.Stand-alone programs - Example: Graphics Program, etc.,

b.Software Suites - Example: MS Word, MS Excel, etc.,

We all know something about operating system. The most frequently heared and used operating systems by us are Microsoft XP,Vista,Windows 7,Linux,Mac,etc., But we doesn't know anything deeper about operating systems. Here i described in a brief about the operating system.

Operating system is a collection of programs which is used to control and co-ordinate the computer system. It also manages the functions which are performed by the computer system hardware, Input/output devices, CPU, secondary storage devices, communication and the network equipments. Generally Operating system is called as a integrated set of specialized programs used to manage the overall operations of the computer.

In memory, some portions of the operating system is always be present is called as nucleolus or kernel. The operating system includes

a.Functions

b.Device driver

c.Language Translators

d.System Utilities

a.Functions Of Operating System:

Here we see the funtioning of an operating system in different levels.

1.Memory Management:

The main memory is the important resource in a computer system and it must be properly managed for the overall system performance. This process handles the allocation and deallocation of memory spaces to the user programs.

2.Process Management:

It is the process of managing the program in execution. It is also called as CPU scheduling. We need to schedule the CPU to improve the overall efficiency of the computer.

3.File Management:

This process manage the file related activities such as file organization, naming, storing, retrievel, sharing and protection of files.

4.Device Management:

It controls all the input/output devices of a computer system and it also provides a flexible and a easy to interface of these devices. For processing the data, the computer needs the input and output devices. These processes are done under the control of device management module of an operating system.

5.Security Management:

It is the process of protecting the computer system resources and information against destruction and unauthorized access.

6.User Interface:

The user gives the instructions to the operating system and the operating system receives the information from it, this process is called User Interface.

b.Device Driver:

These are the special programs used to extend the capabilities of the operating systems in order to support the input/output devices such as keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer,etc.,

This program allows the operating system and the other programs to activate and use the hardware device. It contains all the device dependent codes.

c.Language Translators:

Language Translators is a tool, which is used to translates a programming language to the machine language. Machine Language is the language, that can be understand by the computer. Depends upon the programming language, the language translators were developed.

There are 3 categories of Language Translators are available. They are

i.Compiler

ii.Interpreter

iii.Assembler

i.Compiler:

It is used to convert the high level language into the machine language. It translates the source code into the object code. Each high level language program requires a separate compiler.

ii.Interpreter:

It executes the source code in line by line manner without looking at the entire program. It also executes the statements immediately before translating the next statement.

iii.Assembler:

It is used to convert assembly language program into the machine language program, before the program execution.

d.System Utilities:

These are the set of programs, which is used to maintain the computer system. The common functions of system utilities are

1.File Management

2.Backup

3.Data Recovery

4.Virus Protection

5.Disk Management

6.Firewall

7.Disk Cleanup

8.Disk Defragmentation

I think that this article is useful.

We know that in Market a lot of Operating systems are available. Microsoft was the monopolist kings in  OS field for a long. Their Disk Operating System (MS DOS) caught early market. Then they introduced the MS Windows with more graphic facilities. A number of versions for the same came in OS market and some of them are still favourites of  some people. The latest version is Windows 7.

As a challenge to MS Windows there came Linux as a free operating System and is gaining market putting Microsoft in to trouble. Here I  give a very small information about that OS which even frightened the monopolies in IT World , Microsoft.

Linux is an Operating System originally developed by Linus Tolvalds. He was a student in Finland when he developed the operating system. Now this operating system is used in Super computers, servers, computers  , PDAs and so many more.

Linux had began as Minix. Actualyy Minix  was an educational version of Unix. The developer of Minix was Andrew Tannenbaum. Linux grew as a cheap UNIX that ran on Intel based Personal Computers. Unix was not free software on that days.

Actually Linux is Just an OS kernel produced under the direction of Linus Tolvalds. Linux comes with a set of utilities like web servers and compilers. It has the GNU C compiler namely GCC. But we may confuse because Linux has more than one versions.

Many organisations collected versions of all the programs with Linux kernel . Then it was tested again to know the working  condition. If it works well it is released and is called a distribution of Linux. The main Linux distributions at present are RedHat , SUSE ,  Linux Mandrake , Knnopix , Ubuntu , Debian etc. According to the choice of the user any one of this distribution can be used.

St : Sir, We use to say there are two major divisions hardware and software in computer studies, could you please explain me about this in detail?

Te : Sure Kanna, I’ll explain you.

As you said hardware and software are two major sections in computer studies and they are closely inter-connected and inter-related with each other.

I feel I shall explain it with an analogy for your better understanding

Let us take an example of a car.

Driving the car is an activity

Assembling, designing and servicing a car is another activity

We call a person one who drives as DRIVER

We call a person one who services a car as CAR MECHANIC

Similarly, Designing, Assembling and Servicing a computer is hardware engineering and a person one who does this activity is HARDWARE ENGINEER

And making a computer to do some useful work by way of writing computer programs is called as software engineering and a person one who does this activity is SOFTWARE ENGINEER

So if you want to compare this with the car analogy Assembling and servicing the car is identical to Hardware Engineering and Driving the car is identical to software engineering

St : Sir, could you say, Among these two sections which is more valuable and worth to study?

Te : Actually Kanna, each and every branch of study has its own value and merit.

We cannot comment that this is valuable and this is not valuable and we cannot compare the two branches of study directly.

As I said earlier both the branches are closely inter-connected, inter-related and inter-dependent upon each other and one is useless without the other.

But here I would like to point out a statistical information, regarding the monetary benefits. Some higher positions in software industry pay much more than the hardware industry.

But this information should not be mis-understood for degrading the value of hardware engineering. It has its own value and merit and there is an excellent growth in hardware industry also.

St : Sir, If one wishes to learn computer, which division he/she should opt for hardware or software?

Te : A computer learner must learn both hardware and software.

But specialization can be done in any one of the branch according to the preference of the student.

St : Sir, Is it not compulsory that one should learn both hardware and software to be good computer professional.

Te : Of course Kanna, one should learn both hardware and software.

Again I will illustrate this point with the same car example, so that you shall understand what is the significance of both the branches of study.

To be continued...