OCR GCSE Computer Science (J277) · Systems software
Mini-Lesson
Systems software
This mini-lesson covers OCR J277 · 1.5 Systems software: the jobs of the operating system (user, memory, peripheral & file management, plus user accounts), utility software (defragmentation, encryption software, backup/compression), and open source vs proprietary software.
Answer the questions as you go and collect ⭐ stars. Press Start when you're ready.
Operating systems
What the operating system does
The operating system (OS) is systems software that manages the computer's hardware and provides services to other software. Its main jobs:
User interface — lets the user interact with the computer (e.g. a graphical GUI with windows & icons).
Memory management — decides which programs/data are in RAM, moving data in and out (including virtual memory).
Peripheral management & drivers — communicates with hardware (printers, keyboards) using device drivers.
File management — organises files & folders and controls saving, moving, renaming and deleting.
User management — user accounts, access rights and passwords control who can do what.
Quick check
Which OS job?
?The OS decides which programs and data are kept in RAM and moves data in and out as needed. Which management task is this?
Utility software
Utility software
Utility software are small programs that maintain and optimise the computer:
Defragmentation — on a magnetic hard disk, files can become split up (fragmented). Defrag reorganises the data so each file is stored together, speeding up access. (SSDs are not defragmented — no benefit and it wears them.)
Encryption software — scrambles files/drives so they can only be read with the key.
Backup software — makes copies of data so it can be restored if lost (full or incremental).
Compression software — reduces file size for storage/transfer.
Nail it: defragmentation reorganises a fragmented magnetic hard disk so files are contiguous — it does not delete files or add storage.
Quick check
Why defragment?
?A magnetic hard disk is running slowly because files are split across the disk. Which utility reorganises the data so files are stored together?
Sort it
OS job, utility, or application?
Tap a task, then tap what type of software does it.
🧠 OS job
🔧 Utility software
📱 Application software
Open vs proprietary
Open source vs proprietary software
Software is licensed in different ways:
Open source — the source code is available to view and edit; often free; the community can improve it (e.g. Linux, Firefox). But support may be limited and quality varies.
Proprietary (closed source) — the source code is kept secret; you buy a licence to use it but cannot edit or share it (e.g. Windows, Microsoft Office). Usually comes with official support and regular updates, but costs money.
Nail it: the key difference is whether the source code is available to view/modify. Open source ≠ always free of charge, but the code is open.
Quick check
Open source?
?Which statement best describes open source software?
Quick check
Booting up
?When a computer is switched on, which OS-related task organises files and folders and controls saving and deleting?
Match it
Match term to meaning
Tap a term on the left, then its matching description on the right.
Term
Meaning
Recap
The big ideas to know
OS jobs: user interface · memory management · peripheral management (drivers) · file management · user management