ion's share of the market provides extremely powerful control over the market's evolution. (Open Resources, 1999, P1)There are several types of software including system software, application software, and even game software to mention just a few. System software would include the Operating systems (OS) and other programs designed to control the basic functions of a computer. The OS is the most critical piece of software on a computer, could be considered the infrastructure of computer software and even technology as a whole. It is what allows programs to run on, and interact with the underlying hardware. Modern day operating systems not only act as a conduit to the hardware, but will also manage those resources for the programs. This allows application developers to worry more about features of the software and less about interaction with the various computer parts. An application or any program running on the computer is not required to know anything about the hardware. It simply makes requests to the OS for a resource, which in turn the OS retrieves and manages for the application. For example, instead of writing hundreds of lines of code to handle all the different models of sound cards to play a sound, the developer only writes code necessary to ask the OS to play a sound.As with application software the OS has come under the battle of development theories. Microsoft currently controls the desktop—personal home computer—market with its Windows operating system. There is some competition, such as Apple’s Macintosh and IBM’s OS/2, but none come close to the market share of MS Windows. Because of the overwhelming success of Windows, and Microsoft’s very closed form of development it has come under a great deal of scrutiny from the US, and other governments. So mush so it has been ruled a monopoly by a US Judge.. . .determined that Microsoft was so dominant that it could sell its OS for below m...
