COMP 100 Lecture Notes

computer without software is like Jacquard loom without its punched cards
hardware provides mechanism
software directs the mechanism toward some purpose
software includes programs and data
a program is a set of instructions, data is information (like names and addresses) that the program manipulates.
Every program is an implementation of an algorithm, the abstract description of how the program accomplishes its task. We will examine algorithms in more detail later in the quarter, but for now it is sufficient for us to think of an algorithm being a kind of plan or design for the program. In this sense they are similar to recipes or blueprints.
Software can be classified into three categories

application software : the programs you use directly to produce documents, play games, communicate, etc
system software : the operating system, which controls hardware resources and interacts with you
translation software : used by programmers to translate their programs into 0's and 1's.

A programmer writes a high-level language instruction to print the absolute value of data stored at memory location denoted by X.

if X < 0 then print -X else print X;

A compiler will translate it into assembly language.

LOAD X COMPARE zero JUMPLT NEGATE PRINT X JUMP DONE NEGATE: LOAD zero SUBTRACT X STORE abs PRINT abs DONE: HALT

An assembler will translate the assembly language into machine language.

0000000000001010 0111000000001011 1011000000000101 1110000000001010 1000000000001001 0000000000001011 0101000000001010 0001000000001100 1110000000001100 1111000000000000
The machine language program is then stored in a file so it can be run later.

Word processing - Word in Office 2007
Spreadsheet - Excel in Office 2007
Presentation - PowerPoint in Office 2007
Database - Access in Office 2007
Personal Information Management (PIM) - Outlook (webmail to you) has calendar, contacts, to-do tasks along with email
Integrated applications - Microsoft Works as example, packages basic features of most/all of the above into one program
Software suite - collection of the above, Microsoft Office as example (same functionality, lower cost than buying all separately)
Personal financial software - Quicken, Money, TurboTax, TaxCut
educational pricing see the Otterbein bookstore's Software Shop (has link to JourneyEd)

Photo editing: Adobe Photoshop is the most well-known (and expensive, educational price $300); we have Corel Paint Shop Pro in our lab (educational price $60)
Audio recording and editing: there are so many; which software have you used? (I use Roxio Easy Media Creator, Audacity is supposed to be good and is free)
Video recording and editing: there are so many; which software have you used? (Windows Movie Maker?)
There sure are a lot of different file formats for audio (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_file_format)!
There sure are a lot of different file formats for video (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_video)!

What kinds of gaming and entertainment software have you used?
Educational software: all types, how about combining gaming and learning?
Course Management Software like Blackboard and Moodle is used in education but not strictly educational

You run the software application using your browser
Documents you create are "remotely hosted" - stored on the server of the application provider
There are many examples
Google Docs is one (docs.google.com)
Most income tax software can be used this way
Consider the benefits...
Consider the risks...

Which computers or operating systems will your application work correctly on?
A software program is not universal, and its binary codes work only on certain types of systems.
These include Windows, Macintosh, and Linux (or UNIX).
Older programs may not run on new versions of same operating system. Operating System requirements are usually explained on the packaging when you buy software.

when application is updated, decision is made whether to support older data file formats
if data file is created using old version of application, you may or may not be able to open and use it under newer version

retail: producer of the software sells it and you buy it
shareware: producer of the software lets you try it for free, with the request that you pay if you want to keep using it. Variations on this "request" are to place a time limit on free use, or make the free version less functional than the bought one
freeware: producer of the software lets you use and distribute it for free. There are variations here too, but they are beyond the scope of the course.

licenses

When you buy or download software, you don't really own it! You are only buying a license to use it! The licensing agreement typically appears when you install the program (you have to accept to complete the installation). Ever read one of these?
Do you know what software piracy is? Are you a software pirate?
Do you know what the term intellectual property means? What is its purpose?
Do you know what the fair use doctrine is?
Have you heard of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 (DCMA)? It is sweeping copyright legislation intended to protect intellectual property rights in our technological society.
DCMA prohibits one from writing (and sharing) software that circumvents copy protection on a storage medium.