Cambridge O Level Computer Science · Syllabus 2210 · Software
System Software
What is System Software?
System software is software that provides the services the computer requires: it manages the hardware and provides the platform on which other software runs. It includes the operating system and utility software.
This definition is part of the Software chapter in Cambridge O Level Computer Science.
System Software in context
System software provides the services that the computer itself requires. It manages the hardware, keeps the machine usable, and provides the platform that other software runs on. The two categories the syllabus names are the operating system and utility software. System software is not written to do a job for the user; it is written to keep the computer in a state where a job can be done at all.
Application software provides the services that the user requires. It performs the tasks a person actually wants done — writing a letter, editing a photograph, keeping accounts, browsing the web, designing a part, playing a game. Application software cannot reach the hardware on its own: it depends on the system software beneath it, and requests every file, every allocation of memory and every use of a device through the operating system.
An operating system is system software that manages the computer's hardware and resources and provides a platform on which application software can run. It is not one job but nine, carried out at the same time and constantly interacting: managing files, handling interrupts, providing an interface, managing peripherals and drivers, managing memory, managing multitasking, providing a platform for running applications, providing system security, and managing user accounts. Every one of those functions exists because a shared machine with limited resources needs someone to be in charge of them.
Common mistakes with System Software
- 2. Defining application software as "software the user installs". Why it fails A user can install anti-malware, a compression tool or a device driver — all system software. A manufacturer can pre-install a browser and a media player — both application software. Who installed it is irrelevant. Fix Ask what the software is for. Services the computer requires, or services the user requires? See section 4.1 C.
- M1. "The operating system is application software." Why it fails Application software provides the services the user requires. An operating system provides the services the computer requires, and applications run on it. Putting it in the wrong category inverts the whole layer model. Corrected model An operating system is system software. It manages the hardware and resources and provides the platform on which application software runs. Exam-safe sentence "An operating system is system software, because it provides the services the computer requires and gives application software a platform to run on." Show the retrieval checkHide the check Check: Which category does an operating system belong to, and what is the test?Answer: System software. The test is whose requirement it serves — the computer's, not the user's.
- M2. "All system software is an operating system." Why it fails It ignores the second half of the category. Backup software, anti-malware, compression tools, storage-management tools, encryption utilities and device drivers are all system software and none of them is an operating system. Corrected model System software has two parts: the operating system and utility software. Every operating system is system software; not all system software is an operating system. Exam-safe sentence "System software includes the operating system and utility software such as backup, anti-malware, compression, storage-management and encryption programs." Show the retrieval checkHide the check Check: Name three pieces of system software that are not operating systems.Answer: Any three of: backup software, anti-malware, compression tools, storage-management tools, encryption utilities, device drivers.
Questions students ask about System Software
What is the difference between system software and application software?
System software provides the services the computer itself requires: it manages the hardware and provides the platform other software runs on, and includes the operating system and utility software. Application software provides the services the user requires, performing tasks such as word processing, browsing or games, and it depends on the system software beneath it for every file, memory allocation and device it uses. Who installed the software, or where it came from, decides nothing — only what it is for.