The Need for Different Types of System Software*

• What are safety critical systems?

  A system which cannot be allowed to fail.
• What are failsafe systems?

  Where manual overrides are in place should failure occur.
• What are fault tolerant systems?

  Systems that can continue to function properly even if some of their components fail. Redundant systems may be used to be brought online if a part of a system fails.
• It is hard to develop software which is fault tolerant, well tested and will keep operating once problems occur.
• What is a use and example of a scenario of using presentation software?

  Use: Creating and delivering presentations from a distance from the audience. Example: Using presentation software like PowerPoint to create a slideshow for a business meeting.
• What is a use and example of a scenario of using desktop publishing software?

  Creating and designing brochures, flyers, and newsletters for a business or organization. An example would be for companies who need the format set up fast.
• What is a use and example of a scenario of using spreadsheet packages?

  Use: Organizing and analyzing data. Example: Creating a budget spreadsheet to track income and expenses.
• What is a use and example of a scenario of using database packages?

  Use: Database packages are used to group related database objects together, such as tables, views, procedures, and functions, into a single unit. Example scenario: A database package can be used to create a set of procedures and functions that handle customer orders.
• What is a use and example of a scenario of using drawing packages?

  Drawing packages come in two main types bitmap and vector. Vector images and made-up of lines and shapes. Because they mathematically defined, they can be dynamically resized without loss of quality. Vector images tend to be used in diagrams for use in publications.
• What is the search engine?


  A software program that searches a database of internet sites or documents for a specific keyword or phrase.
• What is search engine indexing?

  A search engines collect information about web pages using automated bots called web spiders, looking for keywords to be transmitted back to the search engine provider.
• What is a page rank algorithm?

  It places the web pages in order of being accessed based on key words being inputted into the search engine and user searches.
• Critical safety systems need to be tested using simulations and automated testing techniques.
• You can query and sort in a database package.