Page 14 - gyamfi series vol. 2

INFORMATION AND COMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY GYAMFI SERIES
Software: is defined as a step- by-step instruction that tells the computer how to perform operation. OR
It is a series of instructions that controls the hardware components of a computer. Software is also called
programs.
Examples of software are Microsoft word, Ms. Excel, M.S windows, M.S Power Point etc.

TYPES OF SOFTWARE
1. Operating system/ system software.
Operating system / system software is a type of software that controls and manages the basic components input
and output devices of the computer. An operating system (OS) is also a system software that manages
computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. For hardware
functions such as input and output and memory allocation, the operating system acts as an intermediary between
programs and the computer hardware, It provides an interface that helps the user to interact with the computer
system.
These interfaces are;
 Character user interface (C.U.I)
is a kind of user interface that uses only alphanumeric characters and pseudo graphics for input-
output and presentation of information. It is characterized by a low demand for I/O hardware resources
(in particular, memory).
 Graphical user interface (G.U.I)

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GUI AND CUI?

GUI AND CUI ARE TWO TYPES OF USER INTERFACES. GUI
STANDS FOR GRAPHICAL
USER INTERFACE WHILE CUI STANDS FOR CHARACTER USER INTERFACE.
IN THIS ARTICLE WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE

TWO INTERFACES AND WHICH ONE HAS ADVANTAGES OVER THE OTHER.

User Interface: User Interface comprises of everything the user can use to interact with the computer.
It is basically the means by which the user and computer system can interact using input and output
devices.

GUI: GUI stands for Graphical User Interface. This is a type of user interface
where user interacts with the computer using graphics. Graphics include icons, navigation bars,
images etc. Mouse can be used while using this interface to interact with the graphics. It is a very user-
friendly interface and requires no expertise. Eg: Windows has GUI.

CUI: CUI stands for Character User Interface. This is a type of user interface
where user interacts with computer using only keyboard. To perform any action a command is
required. CUI is precursor of GUI and was used in most primitive computers. Most modern computers
use GUI and not CUI. Eg: MS-DOS has CUI.
Examples of operating system are; window XP, window 7, window Vista, Linux, Mac OS, BIOS
Software, DOS, Assembler and compiler software, Device Driver Software and Window 98

IMPORTANCE OF SYSTEM SOFTWARE
(1).Operating system software controls the basic input and output devices.
(2).For communication among people through the internet.
(3).The operating system helps us to start or boot our computer

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