This week we learned about software. I found this topic easy to understand. One of the most important concepts presented was the difference between application software, operating systems and utility programs. Application software is used to run programs to accomplish a specific task. Notepad or Firefox are examples. Operating systems (OS) are programs which directly communicate with the computers hardware and are loaded after the BIOS. Applications software usually runs on the OS. Examples of OS's are Mac OS 10, Windows 7 and Linux Mint. Utility programs run on the OS but are not used to accomplish a task, instead they keep you OS running the way you want it. Examples might be a firewall or a anti-virus.
Horizontal and vertical applications are important concepts to understand. A horizontal application is a normal off the self program used by all. A vertical app is something like a point of sale program used to fill a very narrow niche need. These tend to be commercial programs.
Another important concept was that of a EULA which is a End User License Agreement. Its long and can put you in jail if you don't read it; which no one actually does. It says what the program can be used for. There are a few difference types of licensing models which are commonly used. Some of which are CPU based, site based and server based. CPU based you pay for a license for each CPU in your computer. Examples of this might be a CAD program which are really expensive. Site based is when a company usually has the program stored on a server which is access by all. An example of this might be a OS loaded through the network to RAM in a corporate or school environment. Server based can be used for site but also across the internet. Example of this might be MySQL server.
Overall I found this section easy to understand. Peace out till next week! :)
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