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Which of the following is categorized as a system software rather than an application software?
Adobe Photoshop
Device Drivers
Microsoft PowerPoint
VLC Media Player
Device Drivers
System software is designed to provide a platform for other software to run, managing hardware resources and providing basic services to the computer system. Device drivers act as a translator between the operating system and specific hardware peripherals, which is a fundamental system-level function.
ISO/IEC/IEEE 12207:2017 Systems and software engineering тАФ Software life cycle processes
System software is designed to provide a platform for other software to run, managing hardware resources and providing basic services to the computer system. Device drivers act as a translator between the operating system and specific hardware peripherals, which is a fundamental system-level function.
System┬аLatency=sumi=1nтАЛ(Tdriver_processing,iтАЛ+Thardware_response,iтАЛ) тАФ Total time taken for hardware I/O requests handled by drivers
A device driver communicates with hardware devices via the system bus or communications subsystem to which the hardware connects. When an application requests an I/O operation, the OS kernel invokes the specific device driver, which interprets the OS instructions into command sequences that the hardware controller understands. This interaction occurs at a privilege level (Ring 0) where the driver has direct access to hardware interrupts and I/O ports.
System software provides the runtime environment for application software.
Device drivers are essential for hardware abstraction, allowing the OS to interact with hardware without knowing its internal circuitry.
Application software performs specific tasks for the end-user, such as photo editing or media playback.
Drivers operate in Kernel mode to ensure direct control over hardware components.
Hardware abstraction enables plug-and-play capability.
Drivers allow for modular hardware upgrades without rewriting the entire OS kernel.
Faulty drivers can cause system crashes (Kernel Panic or Blue Screen of Death).
Drivers represent a significant security attack surface within the kernel space.
Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) management
Keyboard and Mouse input handling
| Feature | Application Software | System Software |
|---|---|---|
Primary Purpose | User-centric task execution | Hardware management & system support |
Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft PowerPoint, and VLC Media Player are application software as they perform specific end-user tasks and run on top of the operating system.
The kernel-mode operation of drivers distinguishes them from user-mode application processes.
B is correct тАФ Device drivers are system software because they act as the interface between the operating system kernel and physical hardware.
Always remember: If a software is essential for the hardware to 'talk' to the OS, it is system software. If it is used by a person to 'do' something, it is application software.