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Which of the following is considered 'System Software'?
Device Drivers
Spreadsheet Application
Web Browser
Photo Editor
Device Drivers
System software acts as the interface between hardware and user applications, providing core functionality for the computer to operate. Device drivers are essential system software components that enable the Operating System to communicate with specific hardware peripherals.
ISO/IEC 12207:2017 Systems and software engineering
System software acts as the interface between hardware and user applications, providing core functionality for the computer to operate. Device drivers are essential system software components that enable the Operating System to communicate with specific hardware peripherals.
Effective┬аThroughput=Processing┬аTime+Driver┬аLatencyData┬аSizeтАЛ
A device driver acts as a translator between the Operating System's generic I/O requests and the hardware's specific machine language instructions. When an application requests an operation (e.g., printing a document), the kernel invokes the driver, which converts high-level commands into low-level electrical signals via hardware ports, often interacting with memory-mapped registers.
System software provides the platform for application software to run.
Device drivers operate at a high privilege level (Kernel Mode) to ensure direct hardware access.
Application software runs in User Mode, restricted from direct hardware modification for security reasons.
Common system software examples include Operating Systems, BIOS/UEFI, and Translators.
Hardware abstraction allows generic OS commands to support diverse hardware.
Efficient resource management between CPU and peripherals.
Malfunctioning drivers can cause system instability (e.g., Kernel Panic/BSOD).
Security vulnerabilities in drivers can lead to full system compromise.
GPU Drivers for rendering graphics.
NIC Drivers for network interface communication.
| Feature | Device Drivers | Spreadsheet/Browser |
|---|---|---|
Software Category | System Software | Application Software |
Device drivers are critical for hardware initialization upon system boot.
Options B, C, and D are application software because they are designed for end-user productivity and do not manage the computer's core hardware functionality.
A is correct тАФ Device drivers are essential system-level components that facilitate the communication between the Operating System kernel and specific hardware devices.
In competitive exams, remember that any software that enables hardware function or OS management is 'System Software', whereas anything built for user-specific tasks (word processing, browsing) is 'Application Software'.