Legislations

Data Protection Act 1998

The Data Protection Act is compulsory. It is essential that your company fully complies with it, not just to avoid prosecution and bad publicity, but to demonstrate to customers that your company operates with due diligence and responsibility. Also, a breach of the act can lead to claims for compensation. 

The data protection act controls how your information is used by organisations, businesses or the government.

This act applies to everyone who is responsible for using data and they have to follow strict rules known as ‘data protection principles’. The user must make sure the information is used:

• Used fairly and lawfully
• Used for limited, specifically stated purposes
• Used in a way that is adequate, relevant and not excessive
• Accurate
• Kept for no longer than is absolutely necessary
• Handled according to people’s data protection rights
• Kept safe and secure
• Not transferred outside the UK without adequate protection

There is a stronger legal protection for more sensitive information, such as:

• Ethnic background
• Political opinions
• Religious beliefs
• Health
• Sexual health
• Criminal records 

Computer Misuse Act 1990

The computer misuse act was designed to frame legislation and controls over computer crime and internet fraud. The legislation was created to:

• Criminalize unauthorized access to computer systems
• Deter serious criminals from using a computer in the commission
• Making, supplying or obtaining anything which can be used in computer misuse offences.

Copyright Act 1988

When you buy software, for example, copyright law forbids you from:

• Giving a copy to a friend
• Making a copy and then selling it
• Using the software on a network (unless the licence allows it)
• Renting the software without permission of the copyright holder

The law that governs copyright in the UK is called the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

Health and Safety Act 1974

Before 1974 approximately 8 million employees had no legal safety protection at work. The Health and Safety Act 1974 provides the legal framework to promote, stimulate and encourage high standards of health and safety in places of work. It protects employees and the public from work activities.

Everyone has a duty to comply with the Act, including employers, employees, trainees, self-employed, manufacturers, suppliers, designers and importers of work equipment.

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

Rapid Application Development (RAD)

RAD is a method of designing and writing software that includes producing successive prototype versions of the software until the final version is produced. RAD fits closely with the spiral model of the System Development Cycle (See Unit 1)

This is referred to as Iterative Development. Each cycle may take 1-3 weeks.

Advantages of RAD

·        

•     End user involvement in development allows for flexibility /changes in user requirements and prevents problems caused by misunderstanding of initial requirements.
•      Prototyping means that tangible products can be seen at early stages of the project.
•      Length of development time is usually shorter compared to other models (e.g. waterfall)

Disadvantages of RAD

·        

•     Not efficient when dealing with very large-scale projects.
•      Focuses on end result rather than processing thus producing solutions which may be inefficient in the way that they use available resources.
•     Client may keep changing their minds about what they want the product to do.

Pseudo Code

Pseudo code

This is an alternate method of describing algorithms that use text instead of diagrams. It is basically just simplified code, that doesn't follow the strict rules and syntax of a programming language, but demonstrates the flow of the program and what it is supposed to do. 

There are no definite rules to writing pseudo code, but here are some guidelines:

·        

•     Describe each step of the algorithm as briefly as possible

•        Use uppercase letters with keywords and other parts of the pseudo-code which are      closer to a programming language

•        Use lowercase letters with parts of the pseudo-code that are closer to English

•         Indent code to show start and end blocks

Designing a Structured Program

Designing a Structured Program

On top of designing what data is needed how it is to be stored, you also need to design what the program will actually do with the data that is to be input in order to produce the wanted output. This is called an algorithm.

Only 3 different program constructs are needed to write a structured algorithm:

• Sequence - One statement follows another and the program executes in the sequence it is written
• Selection (if...then...else) - Next statement to be executed is dependent upon the value of an expression 
• Iteration - A section of a program is repeated many times, as in a do...while loop

Programs that are written using top-down techniques, and using only the three constructs described are known as structured programs.

To design these types of programs effectively we have two main tools:

• Program flowcharts
• Psuedo-code

Program Flowcharts- These use diagrams to show the operation of the algorithm. - Small number of symbols to represent individual steps - Flow lines show order in which steps are carried out.

Psuedo-code- Pseudo-code is an alternative method of describing an algorithm that uses text instead of a diagram. It is essentially just simplified code, that doesn't follow the strict rules and syntax of a programming language, but demonstrates the flow of the program and what it is supposed to do.

There are no definite rules about writing pseudo-code, but here are some guidelines:

• Describe each step of the algorithm as briefly as possible
• Use uppercase letters with keywords and other parts of the pseudo-code which are closer to a programming language
• Use lowercase letters with parts of the pseudo-code that are closer to English
• Indent code to show start and end blocks

What is the difference between System Software and Application Software?

What is the difference between System Software and Application Software?

System Software- Software refers to the programs that we run on our computer systems. It allows the hardware to do something useful. Without software, the hardware wouldn't know what it was supposed to do. Software is made up of a series of of instructions or computer code. It is these instructions which tell the hardware that it needs to print a document, save a file or display a web page for example.

Applications Software- Application software is all the computer software that causes a computer to perform useful tasks beyond the running of the computer itself. For example, the Microsoft Office programs.

The difference between these two software is that system software are the base of application software, as without it, application software would have no problem to run off of. Application software are designed to run specific jobs or perform a task, whereas system software run and manage a variety of tasks that run the hardware of a computer system.