Firmware is a type of software that is embedded directly in a piece of hardware to make the hardware work as intended. Firmware is programmed by the manufacturer and is installed on a digital device right in the factory. All computing devices have firmware. E.g. BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) 

Types of Software

System Software

• Manages Hardware/Software

• Allows Communication

• Types

  • Operating System

    • Providing Interface

      • • Graphical User Interface

        • Command Line Interface

    • File Management

    • Peripherals & drivers Management

    • Memory Management

    • Multitasking Management

    • Interrupts Management

    • User Accounts Management

  • Utility Programs

    • • System Cleanups

      • Defragmentation 

      • Antivirus

      • Firewall

Application Software

• Performs a specific task

• Example

  • Word processor

  • Spreadsheets

  • Database

  • Web Browser

System Vs. Application Software [2024]

• System software manages/maintains the hardware/software

• Applications software allows the user to perform tasks

Interrupts

• Signal to the processor

• Has priority levels

• Managed by Interrupt Handlers (IH)

• Software-based

  • • Division by zero

    • Two processes accessing the same memory location

    • Null value

    • Output/Data required

• Hardware-based

  • • Data Input (Key presses- Keyboard/Mouse)

    • Hardware Errors

    • Hardware Failures

    • New hardware connected/plugged in

    • Paper jam in printer

    • Printer out of paper

    • More examples

      • Keyboard (key pressed/released)

      • Mouse (movement/click)

      • Touchscreen (touch/gesture)

      • Camera (image capture)

      • Card Reader (swipe detected)

      • Sensor (motion/sound/pressure detected)

• Process

  • • Interrupt generated

    • Interrupt given a priority

    • Interrupt is sent to CPU

    • Interrupt is placed in a queue

    • Processor checks the interrupt queue

    • CPU stops current task to check the queue/service the interrupt (using an interrupt service routine)

    • If highest priority the interrupt is processed

Types of programming languages

• High level

  • Easier to understand, read, write & amend

  • Easier to debug errors

  • Machine independent

  • Portable

• Low level

  • Difficult to understand, read, write & amend

  • Difficult to debug errors

  • Machine dependent

  • Non-portable

  • Types

    • Machine

      • 1s and 0s

      • E.g. 011010101010

      • non-portable

    • Assembly (uses mnemonics)

      • represents code like STO, LDD, ADD, etc.

Translators

• Assembly and HIgh-level programs to machine code

  • Types

    • • Assembler

        • • assembly language to machine language

          • executables produced

      • Interpreters

        • • high level to low

          • translates line by line

          • Checks/translates one line of code and then executes it before moving on to the next line

          • Stops when an error is found

          • when corrected the program can be run from the same position // allows error correction in real time

          • useful during program writing/development

          • No executables produced

      • Compilers

        • high level to low

        • Checks all code before executing any code

        • Produces error report with all errors found for the whole code (before translating/running any of the code)

        • Produces executable file

        • Compiled programs no longer need the compiler

        • Compiling may be slow, but the resulting program code will run quickly (directly on the processor)

        • One high-level language statement may be several lines of machine code when compiled

Integrated Development Environment (IDE) (2024)

• Software that includes an editor to enter/amend code

• Include

  • •  Built-in interpreter

    • Debugging and error diagnostic features 

    • Code editor … … that allows the user to enter and amend code in their program 

    • Run-time environment … that allows a program to be run and see the outputs of their program 

    • Debugging and Error-diagnostic … to show the programmer where there are errors in the program 

    • Auto-completion … to give the user options/suggestions of key commands to select 

    • Auto-correction … to correct a command that has a minor misspelling 

    • Prettyprint … changes the colour of key commands do they are easy to identify