Type A: Theoretical Questions (Page No.

61)

1. Differentiate between hardware and software.

Sl. no Key Hardware Software

1 Type Hardware is a set of physical parts of Software is a program or set of
computers which actually executes the instructions which are to be
executed by CPU to do the intended
instruction. task.

2 Developmen A Hardware is manufactured in A software is developed,

t factories. engineered by software
development companies.

3 Dependency A hardware cannot do any task A software cannot execute without

without a software. hardware.
4 Tangible A hardware can be touched being a Software being digital can be
physical electronic device. seen but cannot be touched.

5 Categories Input Devices, Output Devices, Storage Programming Software,

Devices, Internal components of CPU Application Software, Operating
and motherboard. Systems.
6 Virus impact Hardware remain unaffected by Software is affected by virus being
viruses. primary target.
7 Digital A hardware can be only physically Software can be transferred
Transfer transferred. electronically.

8 Replacement If hardware gets damaged, it is If Software get damaged, it is

replaced with new one. reinstalled.

2. How can computer software be classified?

Ans- It can be classified as “System software” and “Application software”.

System software refers to the programs required for the computer to operate and it provides a
platform for application software. Without system software, computer hardware will not be able to
perform its functions. For examples OS, utilities, device drivers, translators etc.

Application software, on the other hand, is the software whose intent is to help user to perform a
specific task. Examples of "application software" are web browser which helps user access internet,
Adobe Photoshop — used for editing and creating images and photos. In the same way MS Word,
MS Excel, MS Power-point, Notepad, MS Paint etc. are commonly used Application software.

3. What are two categories of system software?

System software is a software that provides platform to other software.
It's two main categories are :
a. Operating systems
b. Language processors
4. What is an operating System? What is its role?

Ans- An operating system (OS) is a type of system software that manages computer's hardware and
software resources. It provides common services for computer programs. An OS acts a link between
the software and the hardware. It controls and keeps a record of the execution of all other programs
that are present in the computer, including application programs and other system software. Its
most important tasks are:

1. Memory Management
2. Processor Management
3. File Management
4. Security Management
5. Error-detecting Aids
6. Scheduling etc.

5. Give examples of (i) OS (ii) Language processors.

(i) Examples of Operating systems: Apple macOS, Microsoft Windows, Google's Android OS, Linux
Operating System, and Apple iOS etc.

(ii) Examples of Language processors: Assembler, Compiler, Interpreter.

6. What is application software? What are the three categories of application software?

These are also called end-user programs. They are designed to help the computer user perform a
certain type of work. Eg. for text manipulation, we have word processing software such as MS Word
and for tabulation of numbers, we have spreadsheets etc. Application software is not able to run
without the system software.
These software has been categorised as:

(1) General Purpose Application Software,

(2) Specific Purpose Application Software,

(3) Customised-Software/Bespoke Software.

7. What is system software? What role does it play in the functioning of the computer?

The set of files and programs that help in operating the computer hardware and computer system
itself is called system software. These are low level programs that interact with the computer at a
very basic level. System software includes operating system (OS), device drivers for different devices,
utility programs, language processors etc.
Its main roles are:

1. Providing a user interface

2. Managing programs
3. Task manager
4. File management
5. File compressors
6. Scheduling utility
7. Backup utilities
8. File management utilities
9. Defragmentation
10. Disk clean-up
 8. Write short notes on the following:

(i) Word processor: A word processor (WP) is a software or computer program that provides for
input, editing, formatting, and output of text, often with some more additional features.

Examples of word processor programs are:

 Electric Pencil (1976)

 WordStar (1978)
 WordPerfect (1979)
 Microsoft Word (1983)
 WordPad (1995)
 LibreOffice Writer (2011)

(ii) Electronic Spreadsheet: An electronic spreadsheet can be used to automatically perform

numerical calculations. Spreadsheet programs are usually set up in the form of a table with rows and
columns. Each row and column intersect to form a cell in which data may be stored. These data may
be a text, a number, or a formula that combines data from other cells. It has immense value in
preparing and tracking budgets, calculating expenses, estimating job costs, and conducting other
numerical analyses. Examples of electronic spreadsheet are:

 Microsoft Excel (Web, Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)

 Google Sheets (Web, iOS, Android)
 LibreOffice Calc (Windows, Mac, Linux, Android)
 Smartsheet (Web. Android. iOS)

(iii) DBMS: Stands for "Database Management System." In short, a DBMS is a database program.
Technically speaking, it is a software system that uses a standard method of cataloguing, retrieving,
and running queries on data. The DBMS manages incoming data, organizes it, and provides ways for
the data to be modified or extracted by users or other programs.

Some DBMS examples are MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft Access, SQL Server, FileMaker, Oracle,
RDBMS, dBASE, Clipper, and FoxPro.

(iv) Presentation Software: Presentation software is a category of application software that is

specifically designed to allow users to create a presentation of ideas by stringing together text,
images and audio/video. The presentation tells a story or supports speech or the presentation of
information. Some Presentation software are:

 MS Power-point
 Google Slides
 CustomShow
 Zoho Show
 Slidedog
 Keynote etc.