General understanding

1. What is software?

2. In what two basic groups software (programs) could be divided?

3. What is system software for?

4. What is an operating system — a system software or application software?

5. What is a «driver»?

6. What is application software?

7. What is application software used for?

8. What is the tendency in application software mar­ket in the recent years?

9. What is the application of the communication soft­ware?

Exercise 8.10. Which of the following is Software:

1. Program

2. Mouse

3. CPU

4. Word processor

5. Modem

6. Web-browser

7. Operating system

8. Scanner

9. Printer

10. Display

Exercise 8.11. Which of the listed below statements are true/false. Specify your answer using the text:

1) Computer programs only instruct hardware how to handle data storage.

2) System software controls internal computer activi­ties.

3) System software is very dependable on the type of application software being used.

4) The information about memory capacity, the model of the processor and disk drives are unavailable for sys­tem software.

5) The driver is a special device usually used by car drivers for Floppy-disk driving.

6) It is very reasonable to ask for a driver when you buy a new piece of hardware.

7) Software developers tend to make their products very small and with poor interface to save computer re­sources.

8) Communication software is in great demand now because of the new advances in communication technolo­gies.

9) Application software is merely a general-purpose instrument.

10) Web-browsers is the class of software for electronic communication through the network.

Exercise 8.12. Find English equivalents in the text:

1) Программное обеспечение определяет порядок выполнения операций.

2) Прикладные программы выполняют поставлен­ную вами конкретную задачу (удовлетворяют вашу потребность).

3) Этот класс программ — самый многочисленный и перспективный с точки зрения маркетинга.

4) Системные программы предназначены для кон­кретных устройств компьютерной системы.

5) Устанавливая драйвер, вы < учите» систему «по­нимать» вновь присоединенное устройство.

6) Когда компьютер впервые включается, одна из системных программ должна быть загружена в его па­мять.

7) Развитие систем электронной коммуникации за последние пять лет стимулировало производство со­ответствующих программных продуктов возрастаю­щим числом компаний-разработчиков.

Exercise 8.13. Give definitions to the following using the vocabulary:

1) Software

2) Driver

3) Application software

4) Operating system

5) Communication software

6) Computer

7) Peripheral device

8) Operating system

Questions for group discussion:

1) What do you think is more expensive — hardware or software?

2) Has anyone in your group ever purchased software? Why do you think piracy (audio, video, computer soft­ware) still exists?