Software Technologies

Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................ 1
Platform Dependency................................................................................................. 1
Operating Systems..................................................................................................... 1
Drivers........................................................................................................................ 2
Application Software................................................................................................... 3
Graphical API.............................................................................................................. 4
Sound API................................................................................................................... 4
Television.................................................................................................................... 5
Conclusion.................................................................................................................. 5
Sources....................................................................................................................... 6

Introduction
In this article we will be discussing many different software technologies that
allow us to see, hear and communicate with the digital world.

Platform Dependency
Platform dependent refers to applications that only run under one operating
system. An example of this is Windows running on an x86 microprocessor.
Whereas platform independent refers to any software that can run on any
hardware or software platform. Most of the time any programs that are
written in java language can be used on almost every platform.

Operating Systems
An operating system is one of the most important software types that run on
a computer. It manages a lot of components within the computer such as the
memory, processes, software and hardware. It allows you to talk to the
computer without having to learn its own language. Without this component
the computer will not work. The operating system collects all the information
from the CPU, storage and many different applications and the operating
system makes sure that each program gets what it needs. Operating

systems are already loaded onto any computer you buy but it is possible to
upgrade or even change these. The three most common operating systems
are: Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X and Linux. Many operating systems
GUI (Graphical User Interface) has a different look and layout to each other.
There are special operating systems that are designed specifically for mobile
devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, PDAs and smartphones.
Much like the Windows operating system, a mobile operating system is the
software platform on top of which other programs can run on. The OS is
responsible for the functions such as the keyboard and the synchronization of
emails and text messages. It also determines what 3rd party apps can be
used on your device. When you buy your device the manufacture will have
already chosen the operating system. The three most popular mobile
operating systems are the Android OS created by Google Inc. Many of the
different updates for the OS made by Google are named after desserts
(Cupcake and Ice Cream Sandwich.) Bada which was created by Samsung
Electronics and Samsung is the sole owner of this OS as it is not coded in
such a way that other companies or people can duplicate or modify it. This
OS allows features such as multi-point touch and 3D graphics. The third most
popular OS is BlackBerry (Research in Motion) just like Bada this OS is
proprietary and is developed by Research in Motion for the company
BlackBerrys handheld devices. This OS can be synched with Microsoft
Exchange and Lotus Domino which makes it popular with corporate users.

Drivers
To use a sound card the OS needs a specific device driver (a low level
program that handles the data connections between physical hardware and
the OS.) If you are missing some drivers you can download them from the
internet but you need to know the exact type and update you need. DOS
(Disk Operating System) often had to use universal middleware driver
libraries (such as the HMI Sound Operating System) which had drivers for
most common sound cards, since DOS itself has no concept of a sound card.
Some programs had the drivers source code embedded in the program for
the sound cards that were supported. Microsoft Windows uses drivers that
have been written by the sound cards manufacturers. Many of the
manufacturers supply their drivers on discs or to Microsoft for inclusion on
the Windows installation disc. Sometimes the discs are supplied by the

individual vendors for download and installation. Bug fixes and updates
would be more available faster when downloaded over the internet from the
vendors site. The graphics driver is a program that controls how the
graphics components work with the rest of the software. The drivers act as a
relay system that handles the information going to and from the graphics
card and the applications. There usually a program that allows you to change
the hardware settings on the graphics card. A conflict can exist when you
have more than one graphics card driver installed on the system. The device
driver will determine the performance of the graphics card. An old driver will
not perform to the standards that a new driver can and newer drivers may be
needed to play more recent games or newer computer applications.

Application Software
C# is a type-safe object orientated language that allows developers to build
a variety of secure applications that run on the .NET Framework. You can use
this coding language to create Windows client applications and database
applications. C# syntax is highly expressive but simple and easy to learn and
it also simplifies many of the complexities within the C++ coding language.
C++ is another example of coding (programming) language and is more
complex than C#. C++ is an extension of the C language. This type of
language consists of both high level and low level features. This
programming language is one of the most popular which is utilized with
system and application software and embedded firmware. The main feature
of C++ is its pre-set classes which are data types are instantiated multiple
times. Objects can be defined as instances created at run time. The .NET
Framework includes a virtual execution system called the common language
runtime (CLR) and a unified set of class libraries. The CLR is the commercial
implementation by Microsoft of the common language infrastructure (CLI) a
standard that creates execution and development environments in which
languages and libraries work together seamlessly.

Graphical API
There are two types of graphics application programming interfaces:
OpenGL, and DirectX. Both are used to create complex 3D and 2D shapes
and objects for placement into a game. They are also used in gaming to give

a more realistic visualization to how the game will look both up close and far
away allowing the creators to get high quality graphics quickly.
OpenGL is an API that is widely used in many different areas of graphical
processing it allows 2D and 3D shapes to be drawn from a single strand of
code or script. It works by taking points, lines and simple shapes to create
more complex shapes by turning them into pixels using a graphics pipeline.
Once they have been made the programmer then needs to dictate every
step those shapes will take. Unlike other APIs the user needs to render every
single object whereas others will do this for you.
DirectX is another API which implements several of its family applications
such as Direct3D and DirectMusic. Now they all come under the name
DirectX (X stands for Xbox) which was created by Microsoft. It can handle all
of the interfaces or APIs while running games and designing them. Most
consoles now implement DirectX which means you can use this API to create
games for most platforms. It has been used to create more advanced APIs so
that better shaders and shapes can be used in future games.

Sound API
Two of the more well-known sound APIs are OpenAL and Java Sound API.
OpenAL (Open Audio Library) is a software interface for audio hardware. It
consists of a number of functions that allow a programmer to create the
objects and operations to produce a high quality audio output which is used
to submerge the listener and create sounds on a 3D map. OpenAL maintains
a large amount of state information. This state controls how the sound
sources are rendered in the output buffer.
The Java sound API provides the lowest level of sound support on the Java
platform and it provides a great amount of control over the sound operations.
The Java sound API supplies the means of installing, accessing and
manipulating system resources like audio mixers, MIDI synthesizers and
sound format converters. A more complex level API is the Java Media
Framework which has an interface that captures and plays back time-based
audio.

Television
Conditional access is a technology used to control access to digital television
(DTV) services to authorized users. The CA system provider provides the
equipment and software to the broadcaster who then integrates the CA
system into his equipment. Conditional access is not designed specifically for
digital TV. It can be used for digital radio broadcasts, digital data broadcasts
and non-broadcast information and interactive services.
The SMS (Subscriber Management System) is a subsystem of the CA that
manages the subscribers information and requests entitlement
management messages (EMM) from the subscriber authorization system
(SAS). The EMM contains general information about the subscriber and their
subscription. The set-top box houses the security module that decrypts the
transmitting signal. It also converts the digital signal to an analogue so an
older TV can display the programs.
Interactive television or Enhanced television are things from tuning the
machine on and off to changing the sound levels. Nowadays they are capable
of performing more complex tasks such as displaying the television guide on
screen or that it can hold and maintain an internet connection which allows
them to stream online videos from a server (such as Netflix) onto their TV by
creating an on demand feature.

Conclusion
In this article we have covered some of the main software technologies in the
industry is some detail and have spoken about how they can be
implemented in the computer and TV systems we have at home.

Sources
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