Week 5: Software

Hi. My name is
Phelan Vendeville, and I’m a Systems Engineer in the Site Reliability
Organization at Google. I’m really excited to be your instructor for
the next few lessons. Before we jump in, I’ll kick things off by telling you a little bit about myself. My passion for technology
began in high school which was located in a geographically
isolated part of California. This isolation meant
that technology and the Internet played an
important role in bringing the outside world to students and connecting them
with ideas and opportunities by things like virtual field trips
and remote learning. For example, I
remember preparing for the SATs through digital
classroom sessions, which would have been
impossible to attend in person. After high school, I
enlisted in the US Navy as an Information Systems
Technician responsible for maintaining computer
and network systems. I continued to witness the ways technology
brings people together, whether that meant coordinating
ship movements during training exercises or connecting loved ones on long
deployments via video chat. Lots of people use technologies in various ways every day, but relatively few
understand how it works. A career in IT can
be challenging, as I can attest to personally. I can still remember the
horror I felt after blowing up the power supply of a
master chief’s computer by using the wrong
voltage switch. But a career in IT can be incredibly rewarding
when you can do things like recover
irreplaceable family photos from a failing hard-drive. As an IT support specialist, you’ll be in a position
to not only know how a given piece of
technology functions, but also how to help
fix it when it breaks. This means you’ll have a
direct impact on the flow of information going between
people. Which is pretty cool. I’m excited to teach you
about the third layer of computer architecture,
known as software. Software is how we, as users directly interact
with our computer. The operating system that we interact with is just software. The music programs,
word processors, and more that we use every
day are also software. But what exactly is it? If the hardware is the physical stuff that
you can pick up and hold, software is the
intangible instructions that tell the
hardware what to do. In the next lesson, we’re going to deep dive
more into what software is, how we install it,
and how it works.

Video games, music players, and Internet browsers are all different types of software that have completely
different functions. Think of the apps on your
phone and your laptop. We spent a lot of time interacting with this
type of software, but we may not know
how it actually works or gets added
to our systems. In the last few videos, we learned about networking
in the internet. There are tons of
applications out there that require the Internet to
work. Think about it. Your social media apps, messaging apps, and others
run off the Internet. This Internet integration isn’t just magically added
to your application, it’s built-in to
require it to function. Before we go too far into
the world of software, I want to call out
some common terms related to software
that you might hear. Coding, scripting, and programming are all terms that might seem
a little blurry. They generally refer
to the same thing, but they each have
small distinctions. Coding is basically translating
one language to another. This can be coding from
English to Spanish, English to Morse code, or even English to a
computer language. When someone builds
an application, we refer to it as
coding in application. Scripting is coding in
a scripting language. We’ll talk about scripting
languages in a later lesson, but scripts are mainly
used to perform a single or limited-range task. There are languages we
can use to build these. Programming is coding in
a programming language. Programming languages are
special languages that software developers use to write instructions for
computers to execute. Larger applications like your
web browser, text editors, and music players, are all usually written in
programming languages. When we use the term software, it generally refers to
something that was programmed. We use these terms
interchangeably, so don’t sweat the details. Now, onwards and upwards. What is software made of and who builds it? It’s
a great question. Anyone who knows
a programming or scripting language can
use it to write code. There’s a huge demand
for this skill set and it’s becoming easier for
someone to learn to code. If you’re going to
be working in IT, it’s important that you
understand how software works and how it gets
installed on your systems. You might encounter
software errors or just good
old-fashioned failures, and you need to understand
how to deal with them.

How software is built: Coding, scripting, and programming

Software is the intangible instructions that tell a computer what to do. It is the programs that we use to perform tasks such as browsing the internet, writing documents, and playing video games. Software is built by people who know coding, scripting, and programming languages.

Coding is the process of writing instructions for a computer to follow. Coding languages are used to create software programs, websites, and other applications. Some popular coding languages include Python, Java, and C++.

Scripting is a type of coding that is used to perform specific tasks. Scripting languages are often used to automate tasks or to create simple programs. Some popular scripting languages include JavaScript, PHP, and Bash.

Programming is the process of designing and creating software programs. Programming languages are used to create complex software applications, such as operating systems, web browsers, and video games. Some popular programming languages include Java, C++, and Python.

How software is built

Software is built by following a series of steps:

1. Requirements gathering: The first step is to gather requirements from the users of the software. This includes understanding what the software needs to do and how it will be used.
2. Design: Once the requirements are gathered, the software developer will design the software. This includes creating a blueprint for the software and determining how it will be structured.
3. Coding: Once the design is complete, the software developer will start coding the software. This involves writing instructions in a programming language for the computer to follow.
4. Testing: Once the software is coded, it needs to be tested to make sure that it works as expected. This involves testing the software with different inputs and outputs to identify any errors.
5. Deployment: Once the software is tested and debugged, it can be deployed to users. This involves making the software available to users so that they can start using it.

Coding, scripting, and programming in IT

Coding, scripting, and programming are essential skills for anyone working in IT. Software developers use these skills to build and maintain the software that we rely on every day.

If you are interested in a career in IT, it is important to learn at least one coding language. There are many different coding languages available, so you can choose one that is a good fit for your interests and career goals.

There are many resources available to help you learn to code. You can find online courses, tutorials, and books. You can also find coding bootcamps and other programs that can teach you to code in a short period of time.

Once you have learned a coding language, you can start building your own software applications or contributing to open source projects. You can also apply for jobs as a software developer or web developer.

Conclusion

Coding, scripting, and programming are essential skills for anyone working in IT. By learning a coding language, you can open up many new career opportunities and build your own software applications.

____ is translating one language to another.

Coding

Great job! Coding is translating one language to another.

When writing code, a(n) ____ is usually used to perform a single- or limited-range task.

script

Nice work! Scripts are used as a way to perform a single or limited task.

Tutorial on Types of Software in IT

Software is a collection of instructions that tells a computer what to do. It is essential for the operation of any computer system. There are two main types of software: application software and system software.

Application software is designed to perform specific tasks, such as word processing, web browsing, or playing games. Some examples of application software include:

• Microsoft Word
• Google Chrome
• Minecraft
• Adobe Photoshop
• Spotify

System software is responsible for managing and controlling the computer system itself. It includes the operating system, device drivers, and utilities.

• The operating system is the core software that manages the computer’s hardware and resources. It provides a platform for application software to run on. Some examples of operating systems include Windows, macOS, and Linux.
• Device drivers are software programs that allow the operating system to communicate with hardware devices. For example, a device driver for a printer would allow the operating system to send print jobs to the printer.
• Utilities are software programs that perform specific tasks, such as managing files, diagnosing problems, or optimizing performance. Some examples of utilities include antivirus software, disk defragmenters, and backup software.

Another type of software that is important to mention is middleware. Middleware sits between application software and system software and provides services to both. For example, a web server is a type of middleware that allows web applications to communicate with the internet.

How to choose the right software

When choosing software, it is important to consider the following factors:

• Compatibility: Make sure that the software is compatible with your computer system.
• Features: Make sure that the software has the features that you need.
• Price: Software can range in price from free to thousands of dollars. Choose software that fits your budget.
• Ease of use: Choose software that is easy to use and understand.
• Support: Choose software that comes with good support, in case you have problems using it.

Conclusion

Software is an essential part of any computer system. There are many different types of software available, so it is important to choose the right software for your needs.

When you write content, create a piece of art, or engineer something, your work is protected for
your use and distribution. There’s usually
some other caveats depending on the laws
in your country. But in general, copyright is used when creating
original work. Software that’s written is
also protected by copyright. Software developers can choose what they do with
their software. For commercial software,
it’s common to let someone else use their software if
they pay for a license. For non-commercial software, a popular option is
making it open source. This means that developers will let other developers share, modify, and distribute
their software for free. Score, some amazing
software efforts have been developed and advanced
because of open source. One major example is
the Linux kernel, which is used in the Android OS, and in enterprise and
personal computers. Hundreds of millions of devices are running Linux at
this very second. LibreOffice, GIMP, and Firefox are other examples
of open-source software. Open-source projects are
usually contributed by developers who work
on the project for free in their free time. These massive software
development efforts were essentially built by a
community of volunteers. How great is that? In an IT environment, you’ll have to pay
special attention to the types of software you use. Some may require you to pay
multiple licenses to use it, others might be free
and open source. It’s important to check
the license agreement of any software before
you install it. We’ve talked about some of
the basics of software, but now let’s shift to
the two types of software you’ll encounter
categorized by function. Application software
is any software created to fulfill
a specific need, like a text editor, web browser, or graphic editor. System software is software used to keep our
core system running, like operating system
tools and utilities. There’s also a type of
system software that we haven’t defined
yet called firmware. Firmware is software that’s permanently stored on
a computer component. Can you think of a firmware that we’ve talked about already? If you thought of the
BIOS, you’re right. The BIOS helps start up the
hardware on your computer, and also helps load up
your operating system, so it’s important that it’s
in a permanent location. I should also call out
software versions. These are important
because they tell us what features were added to a specific software iteration. You’ll encounter lots
of software versions while you work with software. Developers might sometimes use a different standard when
distinguishing a version, but in general, the majority of versions follow a
sequential numbering trend. You might see something
like this, 1.2.5 or 1.3.4. Which of these do you think
is the newer version? It’s 1.3.4 because it’s a
larger number than 1.2.5. You can read more about software versioning in the
supplemental reading. You’ll have to work with
all kinds of software. Fortunately, it basically
all works the same way. Once you learn how one
piece of software works, you’ll understand how
others might function.

Tutorial on Revisiting Abstraction in IT

Abstraction is a fundamental concept in computer science. It is the process of hiding unnecessary details and focusing on the essential aspects of a problem or system. Abstraction allows us to simplify complex problems and make them more manageable.

There are many different ways to apply abstraction in IT. For example, we can use abstraction to:

• Hide the implementation details of a system. This allows us to use the system without having to understand how it works internally. For example, when we use a web browser to access a website, we don’t need to understand how the browser works or how the web server works. We just need to know how to enter a URL and click “Go.”
• Create reusable components. Abstraction allows us to break down complex systems into smaller, more manageable components. These components can then be reused in different systems. For example, a software library is a collection of reusable components.
• Create higher-level interfaces. Abstraction allows us to create higher-level interfaces that are easier to use than lower-level interfaces. For example, a graphical user interface (GUI) is a higher-level interface that is easier to use than the command line interface (CLI).

Benefits of abstraction

Abstraction has many benefits, including:

• Simplicity: Abstraction makes complex systems simpler to understand and use.
• Reusability: Abstraction allows us to reuse components in different systems, which saves time and effort.
• Maintainability: Abstraction makes systems easier to maintain and update.
• Portability: Abstraction makes systems more portable, meaning that they can be run on different hardware and software platforms.

Examples of abstraction in IT

Here are some examples of abstraction in IT:

• Operating systems: Operating systems abstract away the details of the underlying hardware, such as the CPU, memory, and storage. This allows us to use the operating system without having to understand how the hardware works.
• Programming languages: Programming languages abstract away the details of the underlying machine code. This allows us to write programs in a high-level language that is easier to read and write than machine code.
• Databases: Databases abstract away the details of how data is stored on disk. This allows us to access and manage data without having to understand how it is stored physically.
• APIs: APIs (application programming interfaces) abstract away the details of how a system works. This allows us to use the system without having to understand how it works internally.

Conclusion

Abstraction is a powerful concept that allows us to simplify complex problems and make them more manageable. It is used in many different areas of IT, including operating systems, programming languages, databases, and APIs.

Additional thoughts

Abstraction is not only useful for simplifying complex problems, but it is also essential for creating reusable and maintainable code. When we write code that is abstract, we are making it easier to reuse that code in different contexts and to maintain and update it over time.

Abstraction is also important for creating portable code. Portable code is code that can be run on different hardware and software platforms. By abstracting away the details of the underlying hardware and software, we can write code that is more likely to be portable.

Overall, abstraction is a powerful and essential concept in IT. It allows us to simplify complex problems, create reusable and maintainable code, and write portable code.

Earlier in this course, we talked about how programs
are instructions that are given to a CPU. We can send binary code or
bits to our CPU, then they’ll use an instruction
set to run those commands. But these CPUS might be from
different manufacturers and may have different instructions. There might even be all kinds of different
hardware components like video cards and hard drives that also have
their own special interfaces. So how do we write a program that
the hardware can understand? Well, one way would be to write a program
for each possible combination of CPU and hardware using the native languages and
interfaces of these components, but there are potentially millions of
possible configurations of hardware. So how do we get anything to work with
all this complex and diverse hardware? Well, thanks to the efforts
of computer scientists and the principle of abstraction,
we can now use programming languages to write instructions that can
be run on any hardware.

Recipe for Computing in IT

Ingredients:

• A computer
• A programming language
• A compiler or interpreter
• A problem to solve

Instructions:

1. Choose a programming language. There are many different programming languages available, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. Some popular programming languages for IT include Python, Java, C++, and C#.
2. Install a compiler or interpreter. A compiler or interpreter is a program that translates your code into machine code that can be executed by the computer.
3. Write your code. Once you have chosen a programming language and installed a compiler or interpreter, you can start writing your code. Be sure to follow the syntax of the programming language you are using.
4. Compile or interpret your code. Once you have written your code, you need to compile or interpret it. This will translate your code into machine code that can be executed by the computer.
5. Run your program. Once your code has been compiled or interpreted, you can run it to solve your problem.

Example:

Here is a simple example of a Python program to print “Hello, world!” to the console:

print("Hello, world!")

To run this program, you would first need to install the Python interpreter. Once you have installed the Python interpreter, you can save the above code as a file with the .py extension (e.g. hello_world.py). Then, you can run the program by typing the following command in a terminal:

python hello_world.py

This will print “Hello, world!” to the console.

Recipes for IT professionals

Here are some examples of how programming can be used to solve common IT problems:

• Automate system administration tasks. Scripting languages such as Python and Bash can be used to automate tasks such as backing up data, deploying software updates, and provisioning new servers.
• Develop web applications. Web applications are programs that run on a web server and can be accessed by users through a web browser. Programming languages such as Python, Java, and Ruby can be used to develop web applications.
• Create mobile applications. Mobile applications are programs that run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Programming languages such as Java, Kotlin, and Swift can be used to develop mobile applications.
• Develop desktop applications. Desktop applications are programs that run on personal computers. Programming languages such as C++, C#, and Java can be used to develop desktop applications.
• Develop data science applications. Data science applications are used to analyze data and extract insights from it. Programming languages such as Python and R are popular for data science applications.

Conclusion

Programming is a powerful tool that can be used to solve a wide range of problems in IT. By learning to use programming languages, you can automate tasks, create new applications, and even build entire operating systems.

If you are interested in learning to program, there are many resources available online and in libraries. You can also find many online courses and tutorials that can teach you the basics of programming.

Remember that in the 1950s, computer scientists used punch
cards to store programs. These punch cards represented bits that the CPU would read and then perform a series of instructions based on
what the program was. The binary code could
have looked like this, and the instructions will
be translated to this, grab some input data from
this location in memory. Using the input
data, do some math, then put some output data
into this location in memory. But storing programs
on punch cards was a long and tedious task. The programs had to be kept on stacks and stacks
of punch cards. Computer scientists needed
a better way to send instructions to a
machine, but how? Eventually a language was invented called
assembly language, that allowed computer
scientists to use human readable
instructions assembled into code that the
machines could understand. Instead of generating
binary code, computer scientists
could program using machine instructions like this. Take integer from register 1, take integer from register 2, add integer from
register 1 and register 2 and output to register 4. This example makes it look
like a human could read it, but don’t be fooled. Let’s take an example of
saying something simple like, hello world in
assembly language. It looks pretty robotic, don’t get me wrong that’s still an improvement over its
binary code cousin. But assembly language was still a thin veil
from machine code. It’s still didn’t let
computer programmers use real human words to
build a program, and a program that was written
for a specific CPU could only be run on that
CPU or family of CPUs. A program was needed that could run on many types of CPUs, enter compiled
programming languages. A compiled programming
language uses human readable instructions and sends them through a compiler. The compiler takes the
human instructions and compiles them into
machine instructions. Admiral Grace Hopper invented this to help make
programming easier. Compilers are a key
component to programming and helped pave the road that led us to today’s modern computing. Thanks to compilers, we can
now use something like this, and it would be the
same thing as this. Computer scientists
have developed hundreds of programming
languages in the past couple of decades
to try and abstract the different CPU instructions
into simpler commands. Along the way, another
type of language emerged that was interpreted
rather than compiled, interpreted languages aren’t
compiled ahead-of-time. A file that has code
written in one of these languages is
usually called a script. The script is run by an interpreter which
interprets the code into CPU instructions
just in time to run them. You’ll learn how to write code using a scripting
language later in this program as an IT
support specialist, scripting can help you by
harnessing the power of a computer to perform
tasks on your behalf, allowing you to solve a problem once and then move on
to the next thing. Programming languages are
used to create programs that can be run to perform
a task or many tasks.

[MUSIC] In high school, I wasn’t really sure what
I wanted to do yet, but when I joined the US Navy, one of the options for
job was an information systems technician. Information technology and
the Navy can be pretty exciting. You get to be very resourceful if you’re
out on a deployment in the desert. Perhaps, you have to use the tools that
you have at hand to get the job done. So I remember being in a server room
in a tent with the sand blowing in and we’d occasionally have to take out the
servers and then reverse the vacuum and blow the dust and sand out of the server
to make sure that they kept working. So obviously I can’t go into too much
specifics and details but in the Navy, one of my favorite technology moments was
when the command came down that we needed to do this thing and I had to
write a program to actually do it. And I’ve never written a program before. And I was like, okay, I mean, I’ll try. And so I did the research,
I did the learning, I figured it out, I wrote the program it ran, and
it did the thing that I wanted it to do. And I was so satisfied. That was an amazing experience. I made this thing from nothing and it actually performed the action that
I wanted it to, which was pretty cool. [SOUND]

Managing Software in IT

Software management is the process of installing, updating, and removing software on IT systems. It is an important task because software is constantly changing, and it is important to keep software up to date to protect systems from security vulnerabilities and ensure that users have the necessary tools to do their jobs.

Here is a tutorial on how to manage software in IT:

1. Create a software inventory. This will help you to track all of the software that is installed on your IT systems. You can use a software management tool to create a software inventory, or you can manually create a spreadsheet.
2. Develop a software deployment plan. This plan should outline how you will install, update, and remove software on your IT systems. You should also identify the people who are responsible for each task.
3. Use a software management tool. A software management tool can help you to automate the process of installing, updating, and removing software. This can save you time and effort, and it can help to ensure that software is installed and updated correctly.
4. Test new software before deploying it to production systems. This will help to identify any potential problems with the software before it is used by users.
5. Keep software up to date. Software updates often contain security patches that can help to protect your systems from attack. You should also keep software up to date to ensure that you are getting the latest features and bug fixes.
6. Remove unused software. Unused software can pose a security risk, as it can be exploited by attackers. You should regularly review your software inventory and remove any software that is not being used.

Here are some additional tips for managing software in IT:

• Use a software repository to store and manage software. This will help to ensure that software is installed from a trusted source and that it is properly configured.
• Use a software distribution tool to deploy software to your IT systems. This will help to ensure that software is installed correctly and that users have the necessary permissions to use it.
• Use a software patch management tool to keep software up to date. This will help to ensure that your systems are protected from the latest security vulnerabilities.
• Use a software inventory management tool to track all of the software that is installed on your IT systems. This will help you to identify any unused software or software that is out of date.

By following these tips, you can effectively manage software in your IT environment and protect your systems from security vulnerabilities.

True or false: When managing software, you should only be worried about how to install software.

False

Right on! Managing software includes many tasks such as installing, updating, and removing software.

Program, software, and applications are
terms that are synonymous with each other. For now, we’ll go ahead and use the term
software to refer to any of these. There are certain types of software that
perform specific functions like drivers, which allow us to interact
with our hardware. There are applications that we use for
our day-to-day job functions. And there are utilities that we use like
a calculator, settings, and other tools. With the seemingly endless options for
software, how do we know which ones to use? How do we deal with them in a workplace
setting and in our personal lives? Software is always changing. Developers are releasing updates. Software companies change,
features are added, and so on. This constant change is
completely out of our control and it can cause a lot of
headaches in the IT world. Let’s say the company that builds your
payroll system pushes out a software update that causes settings to change,
or even worse, completely breaks the compatibility
with your own company. It can happen. You should always test new software
before letting your company use it. Another thing to worry
about is old software. When you run old software on your machine,
you risk being exposed to cyber security attacks that take
advantage of software bugs. A software bug is an error in software
that causes unexpected results. For now, know that software updates
usually contain critical security updates and new features and have better
compatibility with your system. A good guideline is to update
your software constantly. Another problem that plagues the IT world
when it comes to software is software management. If you’re setting up a computer for
someone, you want to make sure that they’ll have all the necessary tools
they need to hit the ground running. That means you’ll need to install all
the software required for their job. That may also mean that sometimes you want
to remove software that isn’t required for the job. We may not realize if a piece of software
we installed is malicious software, which causes harm to your computer. It’s always a good idea to check if
software comes from a reputable source before you install it. A common industry practice is to not
allow users to install software without administrator approval. This prevents users from installing
unwanted software because they’re actually blocked with an error message that says
they need an administrator to enter their login credentials. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves,
let’s cover the basics of software management, which include installing,
updating, and removing software.

Installing, Updating, and Removing Software on Windows in IT

Installing, updating, and removing software on Windows is a common task for IT professionals. It is important to be able to do these tasks effectively and safely to ensure that systems are properly configured and secure.

Installing software

To install software on Windows, you can use the following steps:

1. Download the software installation file from the software vendor’s website.
2. Double-click on the installation file to start the installation process.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the software.
4. Restart your computer if necessary.

Updating software

To update software on Windows, you can use the following steps:

1. Open the Windows Update settings.
2. Click on the “Check for updates” button.
3. Windows will download and install any available updates.

Removing software

To remove software on Windows, you can use the following steps:

1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Click on the “Programs and Features” option.
3. Select the software that you want to remove and click on the “Uninstall” button.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to remove the software.

Tips for installing, updating, and removing software on Windows

• Always download software from trusted sources.
• Be careful about what software you install, and only install software that you need.
• Keep your software up to date to protect your systems from security vulnerabilities.
• Remove unused software to free up disk space and improve system performance.

Additional tips for IT professionals

• Use a software management tool to automate the process of installing, updating, and removing software on multiple systems.
• Use a software repository to store and manage software. This will help to ensure that software is installed from a trusted source and that it is properly configured.
• Create a software inventory to track all of the software that is installed on your systems. This will help you to identify any unused software or software that is out of date.

By following these tips, you can effectively install, update, and remove software on Windows in IT.

True or false: When using a 64-bit OS, you should install 64-bit applications.

True

You got it! Remember with CPU architecture, you want to use the same application and OS architecture for better compatibility.

Get ready because in this video we’re going to
install a program called Git. Git is a version
control system that helps keep track of
changes made to files and directories like how some word processors today have a revision history feature. If you didn’t like
something you wrote you can just go back to a
previous version. We’re going to be using Git in later courses but for now we’re just going to
go ahead and install it. First, we’re going to grab the install program
from Git’s website. We’re going to download
the 64-bit executable. Remember from an earlier
lesson that we’re using a 64-bit CPU architecture
so we should install 64-bit applications
for better compatibility. Next up you’ll see the
fileextension.exe. This is a little different than the texture image
file extensions we’ve seen up until now. Exe is a file extension found in Windows for an executable file. We’ll learn more about
this in a later Lesson 2. For now, just
double-click on this and it’ll ask us if we want
to install the file. That’s it. Now you
can start using it. Some program installations
might ask you to reboot. Make sure to do that since there might be some
system files or processes that also need to restart for your new
software to work correctly. To verify that you now
have Git installed you can navigate to add
or remove programs. From here you can see what applications are
installed on the machine and there it is,
Git Version 2.14.1. Let’s say you had an
older version of Git installed and you wanted to
update it to the new version. Luckily, Windows makes it
easy for us to do just that. We can install it just
like we did and it’ll ask if you want to upgrade
to the newest version. To remove software from
Windows you can just search for the Add or
Remove Programs setting. From there select the
application you want to remove and you’ll see
a button to uninstall. Let’s go ahead and click this, and run through an
uninstall of the software. It asks us for an
administrator password. We have safety guards
in place to prevent unauthorized users from installing or
uninstalling software. We’ll learn more about
this later but for now, since I’m an administrator, I’m just going to
enter my password and uninstall the software. Once you uninstall the software, restart your computer
so we can do the necessary cleanup to
completely get rid of it.

Installing, Updating, and Removing Software on Linux in IT

Installing, updating, and removing software on Linux is a common task for IT professionals. It is important to be able to do these tasks effectively and safely to ensure that systems are properly configured and secure.

Installing software

To install software on Linux, you can use the package manager that is specific to your distribution. For example, to install Git on Ubuntu, you would use the following command:

sudo apt install Git

To install software from a third-party repository, you can use the following command:

sudo apt install <package_name> <repository_url>

For example, to install the latest version of Firefox from the Mozilla repository, you would use the following command:

sudo apt install firefox-latest https://deb.mozilla.org/debian/ buster main

Updating software

To update software on Linux, you can use the following command:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This will update all of the software packages on your system to the latest version.

Removing software

To remove software on Linux, you can use the following command:

sudo apt remove <package_name>

For example, to remove Git from your system, you would use the following command:

sudo apt remove Git

Tips for installing, updating, and removing software on Linux

• Always use the package manager to install, update, and remove software. This will help to ensure that the software is installed correctly and that you are getting the latest version.
• Be careful about what software you install, and only install software from trusted sources.
• Keep your software up to date to protect your systems from security vulnerabilities.
• Remove unused software to free up disk space and improve system performance.

Additional tips for IT professionals

• Use a software management tool to automate the process of installing, updating, and removing software on multiple systems.
• Use a software repository to store and manage software. This will help to ensure that software is installed from a trusted source and that it is properly configured.
• Create a software inventory to track all of the software that is installed on your systems. This will help you to identify any unused software or software that is out of date.

By following these tips, you can effectively install, update, and remove software on Linux in IT.

Now that you know how to install,
update and remove software on Windows, let’s do the same for Linux. Let’s navigate back to
the Git download page. Under the Linux page, you’ll actually
see many different ways to install Git, this is because the different Linux
distributions use different package installers. Since we’re using Ubuntu, we’re just
going to use this command apt install Git, apt is the command we use in
Ubuntu’s package manager, and the install option will
let us install something. Let’s go ahead and
run this in our terminal. We’re getting an error that
says permission denied. Like Windows,
when we install something on a machine, we need to tell the computer that
were authorized to install software. Right now, we can preface this command
with another Linux command sudo, which stands for super user do. It asks us for a password. So let’s add that in. We’re getting a lot of output. It’s just asking if we want to continue
installing this application, and since we do, I’m going to say,
y and Enter. To update a package, you do the exact
same thing as we just did and install a newer software version. To remove a package,
we could also use a command pretty similar to the install command except this
time we want to remove a package. This asks us if we want to
continue with these changes. Let’s go ahead and
type y and Enter, that’s it. Now you know how to install, Update and
remove software on Linux and Windows. Nice work

Software Automation in IT

Software automation is the use of software to automate tasks that would otherwise be performed manually. This can save IT professionals a significant amount of time and effort, and it can also help to improve the accuracy and consistency of tasks.

There are many different ways to automate software tasks. One common approach is to use scripts. Scripts are small programs that can be used to automate repetitive tasks. For example, you could write a script to automate the process of installing and configuring a new piece of software on multiple machines.

Another approach to software automation is to use a software development kit (SDK). SDKs provide developers with the tools they need to create custom automation solutions. For example, you could use an SDK to create a custom automation solution for managing your company’s IT infrastructure.

Software automation can be used to automate a wide variety of tasks in IT. Some common examples include:

• Installing and configuring software
• Patching and updating software
• Backing up and restoring data
• Monitoring systems and networks
• Troubleshooting problems

Software automation can be a powerful tool for IT professionals. By automating tasks, IT professionals can free up their time to focus on more strategic and value-added work.

Here are some of the benefits of software automation in IT:

• Increased efficiency: Software automation can help IT professionals to be more efficient by automating repetitive tasks. This can free up their time to focus on more strategic and value-added work.
• Improved accuracy: Software automation can help to improve the accuracy of tasks by eliminating human error. This is especially important for tasks that are complex or time-consuming.
• Consistency: Software automation can help to improve the consistency of tasks by ensuring that they are performed in the same way each time. This can help to reduce errors and improve the quality of work.
• Reduced costs: Software automation can help to reduce costs by eliminating the need for manual labor. This can be a significant savings for large organizations with complex IT infrastructures.

If you are an IT professional, you should consider using software automation to improve your efficiency, accuracy, consistency, and reduce costs. There are many different tools and resources available to help you get started.

____ makes processes work automatically.

Automation

That’s right! With the help of automation, we can make processes work automatically.

You’re doing awesome. By now you’ve learned
what software is, how it integrates
with our computer, and how we manage it. It was easy to install, update, and remove
software on one machine. But what if you had to do
that for multiple machines? It would take up a lot of time. If only there was a
way we could have it done automatically for us. Spoiler alert, there is. We use software to
help us with this. There are lots of
tools out there that help make managing
computers easier. We use automation for this. Automation makes processes
work automatically. You can even use the tools
of automation like programs and scripts to help you with
troubleshooting issues. Instead of reading hundreds
of lines of log files manually to discover when a particular error
occurred on a computer, you could write a script
to read the log for you and print out only
the relevant line. Software has many uses, including making processes
more efficient and easier. You made it all the way
through software, nice work. Next, you’ll meet Marty Clarke. She’s your instructor for troubleshooting and
will talk to you about how good customer service
is critical to IT support. In the meantime, work hard, soak up a ton of knowledge, and have some fun along the way.