Chapter 4

Computer Software

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright 2010 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Learning Objectives

Describe several important trends occurring in computer software Give examples of several major types of application and system software Explain the purpose of several popular software packages for end user productivity and collaborative computing

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Learning Objectives

Define and describe the functions of an operating system Describe the main uses of computer programming software, tools, and languages Describe the issues associated with open source software

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Case 1: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

General Electric
500,000 suppliers in 100 countries, with 14 different languages Needed to coordinate contracts, compliance initiatives, certifications, and interactions Was using homegrown Global Supplier Library Switched to a Software-as-a-Service vendor

Better capabilities for same cost

Suppliers can manage their own data
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Case 1: Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

H.B. Fuller Company

Current payroll system was expensive and going nowhere Gave up control to avoid the headaches of trying to fix the existing software Configuration rather than customization allows company to maintain its lean core Standardization leads to more agility IT must be involved in the process Must have a way to backup necessary data, in case SaaS provider goes out of business
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Case Study Questions

What factors should companies take into consideration when making the decision between developing their own applications, purchasing them from a vendor, or taking the SaaS route?
Make a list of factors and discuss their importance to this decision

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Case Study Questions

What risks did GE take on when they contracted with a small, less experienced vendor?
What contingencies could have been put in place to prevent any problems from arising?

What should companies do if no configuration option perfectly fits with their needs?
Should they attempt to customize, or select the least-worst alternative? When would they do each?
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Types of Application & System Software

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Application Software

General Purpose

Custom

Application Software Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Open-Source

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Business Application Software

Function-Specific Application Software Thousands of these packages support specific end-user applications Customer Relationship Management Enterprise Resource Planning Supply Chain Management Web-enabled electronic commerce

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Software Suites, Integrated Packages

Most widely used productivity packages are bundled as software suites
Advantages
1. Cost less than buying individual packages
2. All have similar GUI 3. Programs work well together

Disadvantages
1. All features not used 2. Takes a lot of disk space (bloatware)

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Components of Top Software Suites

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Integrated Packages
Integrated packages combine the functions of several programs into one package
E.g., Microsoft Works, AppleWork
Advantages
1. Many functions for lower price

Disadvantages
1. Limited functionality

2. Uses less disk space

3. Frequently preinstalled on PCs

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Web Browsers

Software that supports navigation through point-and-click, hyper-linked Web resources Becoming the universal platform from which end users launch Information searches E-mail

Multimedia file transfer

Discussion groups Other Internet-based applications
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Search Engines

Browsers are used to gain access to Internet search engines

Google, Ask Jeeves, Look Smart, Lycos, Overture, Yahoo!

Using search engines to find information has become an indispensable part of Internet, intranet, and extranet applications

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E-mail, Instant Messaging, Weblogs

E-mail
Sending and receiving messages and attachments via the Internet, intranet, or extranet

Instant messaging (IM)

Receive electronic messages instantly

Weblog or blog
A personal website in dated log format Updated with new information about a subject or range of subjects
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Word Processing/Desktop Publishing

Word Processing
Create, edit, revise, and print documents E.g., Microsoft Word, Lotus WordPro, Corel WordPerfect

Desktop Publishing
Produce printed materials that look professionally published E.g., Adobe PageMaker, Microsoft Publisher, QuarkXPress
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Electronic Spreadsheets

Used by virtually every business for analysis, planning, modeling

Worksheet of rows and columns Can be stored on local computers or a network

Requires designing format and developing the relationships (formulas) Most help you develop charts and graph displays of spreadsheet results
Supports what-if questions
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Presentation Graphics

Convert numeric data into graphics

Common presentation graphics packages

Microsoft PowerPoint, Lotus Freelance, Corel Presentations

Top packages can tailor files for transfer in HTML format to websites

Are used to create multimedia presentations of graphics, photos, animation, video

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Personal Information Managers

Software for end user productivity and collaboration Stores information about clients Manages schedules, appointments, tasks Most have ability to access the Web and e-mail Some support team collaboration by sharing information with other PIM users e.g., Lotus Organizer, Microsoft Outlook
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Groupware

Software that helps workgroups collaborate on group assignments

E-mail, discussion groups, databases, audio, and video conferencing E.g., Lotus Notes, Novell GroupWise, Microsoft Exchange Windows SharePoint Services and WebSphere both allow teams to create websites for information sharing and document collaboration
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Software Alternatives

Outsource software development and maintenance Application service providers (ASPs)

Companies that own, operate, and maintain application software and computer system resources Use the application for a fee over the Internet Pay-as-you-go Use expected to accelerate

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Cloud Computing

Software and virtualized hardware resources are provided as a service over the Internet
No technology knowledge, expertise, or control needed Often confused with grid computing Pay-for-use avoids capital expenditures Sharing perishable and intangible computer power improves utilization rates Capacity can be scaled upward almost instantly Immediate access to broad range of applications Contracts can generally be terminated at any time
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Software Licensing
COTS and ASP software is licensed, which involves Intellectual property rights Copyright and trademark

Trade secrets
Traditional contract law, including Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) You dont buy software You buy a license to use the software Licensed to protect vendors property rights
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Case 2: Power Distribution & Law Enforcement

XML is becoming increasingly popular as an open standard for sharing data across organizations

A power consortium is implementing an XML-based settlements system that drives costs out of power distribution

In Ohio, almost 1,000 police departments now have access to digital records kept by neighboring law enforcement agencies

The Ohio Law Enforcement Gateway Search Engine is an Internetbased tool that can securely comb through numerous crime databases with a single log-in and query

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Case Study Questions

What is the business value of XML to the organizations described in the case?

How are they able to achieve such large returns on investment?

What are other ways in which XML could be used by organizations to create value and share data? Look for examples involving for-profit organizations to gain a more complete perspective on the issue

What seem to be important elements in the success of projects relying on extensive use of XML across organizations, and why? Research metadata to inform your answer
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Categories of Group Software

System Management Programs

Manages hardware, software, network, and data resources of computer systems Operating systems, network management programs, database management systems, system utilities Helps users develop IS programs and procedures, and then prepare them for processing Includes language translators and editors, CASE, and programming tools

System Development Programs

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Interface Between End Users & Computer

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Operating Systems
Integrated system of programs that
Controls the input/out, storage resources, and activities of the computer system Provides support services as the computer executes application programs

Manages the operations of the CPU

The operating system must be loaded and activated before other tasks can be accomplished
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Operating System Basic Functions

Command-driven Menu-driven Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)

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Popular Operating Systems

Windows
GUI, multitasking, networking, multimedia Microsofts operating system NT, XP, 2003 Different versions manage servers

Standard, enterprise, data center, Web

Unix
Multitasking, multi-user, network-managing Portable - can run on mainframes, midrange, and PCs
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Popular Operating Systems

Linux
Low-cost, powerful, reliable, Unix-like operating system Open-source

MAC OS X
Apple operating system for the iMac GUI Multitasking Multimedia
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Open Source Software

The basic idea

When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify source code, the software evolves This can happen at astonishing speed Produces better software than the traditional commercial (closed) model The proprietary approach to software development has hidden costs that often outweigh its benefits

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Open Source Software

Open source software is not

Shareware Public domain software Freeware A viewer or reader made freely available without source code

OSS
Is copyrighted & distributed with license terms Sometimes carries a fee for packaging, distribution, or support
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Open-Source Licensing Characteristics

The License
The program must include the source code and allow distribution in source code as well as compiled form Shall not restrict any party from selling or giving away the software as a component of an aggregate software distribution containing programs from several sources Must allow modifications and derived works, and must allow them to be distributed under the same terms as the license of the original software

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Open-Source Licensing Characteristics

The License (continued)

May restrict source code from being distributed in modified form only if the license allows the distribution of patch files with the source code for the purpose of modifying the program at build time

Must not discriminate against any person or any group of persons

Must not restrict anyone from making use of the program in a specific field of endeavor

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Open-Source Licensing Characteristics

The License (continued)

The rights attached to the program must apply to all to whom the program is redistributed, without the need for execution of an additional license Must not be specific to a product Must not contaminate other software by placing restrictions on any software distributed along with the licensed software

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Examples of Open Source Software

Open Office
Can be used for any purpose: domestic, commercial, educational, or public administration

Mac OS X
Based on a form of UNIX

Advanced GUI
Supports multi-tasking and multimedia Integrated Web browser, e-mail, instant messaging, search engine, digital media player, and more Includes software development tools

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Application Virtualization

An umbrella term for software technologies that improve portability, manageability, and compatibility of applications Works by insulating applications from the underlying operating system

Benefits No need for multiple platforms for multiple applications Energy savings from not having servers running at low capacity

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Other System Management Programs

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Other System Software

Utilities
Miscellaneous housekeeping functions Example: Norton utilities includes data backup, virus protection, data compression, etc.

Performance Monitors
Programs that monitor and adjust computer system to keep them running efficiently

Security Monitors
Monitor and control use of computer systems to prevent unauthorized use of resources
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Application Servers

Provide an interface between an operating system and the application programs of users
Middleware
Helps diverse software applications exchange data and work together more efficiently
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Programming Languages

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Machine Languages

First Generation Languages

The most basic of programming languages Strings of binary codes unique to each computer Requires specific knowledge of the internal operations of the CPU being used Must specify the storage location for every instruction and item of data used

Difficult to work with, and error prone

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Assembler Languages

Second Generation Languages

Developed to reduce difficulties in writing machine language programs Uses assemblers to convert the programs into machine instructions Symbols used to represent operation codes and storage locations Alphabetic abbreviations, call mnemonics, and other symbols represent operation codes, storage locations, and data elements
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High-Level Languages

Third Generation Languages

Uses brief statements or arithmetic expressions Statements translated into machine language by compilers or interpreters Less efficient than assembler language and requires greater translation time Machine dependent Examples: BASIC, COBOL, FORTRAN
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Fourth-Generation Languages

Fourth-Generation Languages
Variety of programming languages that are nonprocedural and conversational
Programmers specify the result wanted; the computer determines the sequence of instructions that accomplish the result Simplifies the programming process Natural language; very close to English

Sometimes called fifth-generation (5GLs)

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Object-Oriented Languages

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Object-Oriented Languages

Most widely used software development languages

Easier to use and more efficient for graphicsoriented user interfaces Reusable: can use an object from one application in another application Examples: Visual Basic, C++, Java Most object-oriented languages provide a GUI that supports visual programming

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Web Languages

HTML XML

A page description language that creates hypertext documents for the Web Describes Web page content by applying identifying tags or contextual labels to the data Object-oriented programming language that is simple, secure, and platform independent Java applets can be executed on any computer

Java

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J2EE versus .Net

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How Web Services Work

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Language Translator Programs

Translate instructions written in programming languages into machine language

Assembler

Compiler Translates highlevel language statements

Interpreter

Translates assembler language statement

A compiler that translates and executes each statement in a program, one at a time

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Programming Tools

Help programmers identify and minimize errors while they are programming
Graphical programming interfaces Programming editors Debuggers

CASE Tools
A combination of many programming tools into a single application with a common interface Used in different stages of the systems development process
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Case 1: Wolf Peak International

Wolf Peak International

A small company which designs and manufactures eyewear for safety, sports, driving, and fashion Outgrew the capabilities of QuickBooks Spent a lot of money to implement a new accounting system Nobody knew how to extract financial or operational data used to make critical business decisions Successfully implemented SAP Business One software, replacing the failed accounting system

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Case Study Questions

What problems occurred when Wolf Peak upgraded from QuickBooks to a new accounting software package?
How could these problems have been avoided?

Why was SAPs Business One a better choice for Wolf Peaks management than the new accounting software? Should most SMEs use an integrated business software suite like SAP Business One, instead of specialized accounting and other business software packages?
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