What are the 4 Characteristics of System Software?
System software is considered the most important type of software. It is designed for the easy interaction of hardware and software. Many types of system software are used in computers to make the use of computers easy.
The operating systems of the device you are using to access it stands as one of the widely utilized forms of system software. Moreover, there is also some other system software that you may know or use in your daily life, such as a compiler or a debugger.
In this article, we will earn more about system software and the characteristics of such software.
What is the difference between system software and application software?
Application software, which can also be called an application or an app, is software that provides its users with functionality or a set of functionalities.
For example, you are most probably using a web browser to read this blog which is an application software.
Moreover, data management software like Excel and Google Sheets are also examples of application software. Also, application software is programmed with high-level language that is easier to program with for humans.
On the other hand, system software serves as a platform for creating connectivity between you and the computer.
For example, Windows, an operating system, serves as a platform for your computer’s hardware and other software to perform their functions.
Similarly, a compiler helps compile and convert the code written in high language into a low language code.
It is necessary for computers as computers can’t understand languages other than low-level languages, such as binary. Unlike application software, the system software is written in low-level languages, which makes it hard to code.
So now that you have an understanding of the difference between application software and system software, let’s move on to learn about the characteristics of software used in a computer system.
What are the characteristics of system software?
Four essential characteristics of software are developed for a computer system. These four characteristics make it a system software.
- Fast Speed
As you know, system software is mainly used at the heart of the computer, so it’s a necessary characteristic of software to be fast. Lags and buffer issues in this software can’t be tolerated.
You may use Windows regularly; it is a widely used operating system, and smooth working of it is extremely important. Otherwise, it will be very hesitant to use as it is impossible to perform anything on a computer without Windows.
- Hard to Manipulate
System software should be ideally encrypted so it becomes next to impossible to manipulate the software. It can be done using programming languages not usually used to write such software.
If the system software is not programmed to be encrypted enough, then the manipulation will become easy. Easy manipulation can lead to easy rooting or jailbreaking, which is not good for other software and programs.
- Low Language Source Code
Low-level languages are used to program system software which is necessary for two main reasons. The first reason is the same as discussed in the above pointer. However, the second reason is a lot more important.
A computer can only understand a language like binary, a low-level language. It is more complicated for humans, but it is easy to understand for computers as it only uses the combination of 0 and 1 to write the codes.
- Versatility
Versatility is an important characteristic of software programs for the core of computer systems. It means a system software should be able to interact with the hardware powering it, like CPU and other software written in high-level languages.
It is necessary because while interacting with the hardware, like the processor, the input and output occur in binary. On the other hand, while serving as a platform for other software, such as an application, the input and output happen in a high-level language.
So, when there is a need for interaction between the hardware and other software in the computer, the platform, which is the system software, will have to deal continuously with both high and low-level languages.
What are the types of system software?
There are multiple types of system software. So let’s discuss some popular types of system software.
- BIOS
Basic Input/Output System is a very important system software which makes your computers operable. In the software stack, it comes right after the hardware. It helps in making your input and output commands operational.
For example, every time you press a key on your keyword, the command goes through the BIOS to execute your command. It is an example of an input command.
Similarly, when you hit print on your computer to print whatever is on your screen, the command is processed through the BIOS to get executed.
- Assembler
Assembler is crucial system software for all the application software to perform their functionalities. It takes instructions in high-level languages from the application software and converts them into low-level language prompts so that your computer’s processor can understand them.
- Boot Loader
Boot program works as an operating system loader software. It boots the OS in the primary or secondary memory of your device. With the help of a boot loader, you can boot different OSes in your system.
- Device Driver
The layer above the BIOS is called the drivers layer. Here lies the driver software for your hardware, such as the webcam driver, keyboard driver, mouse driver, etc. The importance of this software can be understood by the fact that a missing driver can make your hardware completely useless.
- Compiler
Moving onto tools that are not specific to the system but still are system software. A compiler is similar software and helps to compile the source code that a programmer writes and turns it into machine language code.
Now that you know the software characteristics, let’s explore the characteristics of IoT as well!
What are the characteristics of IoT?
The four main characteristics of IoT are connectivity, data collection, and automation, and scalability. An IoT device is designed in a way that it can easily be connected to the internet.
It allows the IoT device to communicate and share data with other devices and systems. Moreover, collecting data is also an important characteristic of IoT. Most of the actions made by an IoT device are based on data.
In addition, the sole purpose of IoT devices can be understood by its third characteristic, automation. An IoT device can perform tasks based on predefined conditions or user inputs.
Lastly, the IoT device should support scalability through its implementation. It is an important characteristic of IoT as it has the potential to transform the future. With these four characteristics, a device becomes an IoT device.
Conclusion
In conclusion, these are the characteristics of software to identify it as system software. Moreover, understanding these characteristics will help you to boost your programming career and understand the world of computers and technology in a better way.
