Overview
of the Mac 27
MACINTOSH SOFTWARE
The types
of
files stored
on
a diskette is a potentially
confusing issue.
It
is
important
to
realize the differences
among
the three types
of
files: system files, application files,
and
documents. The system files
are
a set
of
programs
that
manage
the overall operation
of
the computer. The tasks involved in
this system management include:
• System startup
• System
file
maintenance
•
User
disk
file
maintenance
• Application opening routines
• Peripheral device control
Whenever the
computer
is powered on, a diskette
that
contains the system files (usually called a system diskette) must
be inserted in the disk drive. A diskette
that
does not contain
these files will not be able
to
start
up the system.
System programs are executed automatically by the com-
puter
system.
As
a result, it
is
not
necessary for an
operator
to
understand
exactly how the system
programs
are used
or
what
they
are
used for. The
computer
manipulates these programs as
necessary, only when they
are
needed.
The
second category
of
files
is
called application files
or
simply applications. These types
of
files are used to perform
specific functions with the computer. Applications differ from
system programs in the fact
that
an
application
cannot
be used
unless the system programs
are
already active. Also, applica-
tions
are
only executed when the
operator
requests them.
Unlike system programs, applications
are
not directly under
the
control
of
the computer.
Word
processors, graphics
pro-
grams, games, and financial record programs are all examples
of
applications.
BASIC, Pascal,
FORTRAN,
and
Care
examples
of
high-
level
programming
languages. A high-level programming lan-
guage enables its user
to
write a
program
using near-English
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