Chapter 3 Application Software

Chapter 3 The Application Software

Overview • Definition • Categories

Software • A.k.a program • A set of step-by-step instructions that directs the computer to do the required tasks and produce the desired result • 3 types of software o

Operating system  Manages the computer hardware for other computer programs  Interacts directly with the computer  E.g. Windows XP, Windows Vista, Mac OSX

o

Utility software  Assist operating system in file management tasks  E.g. anti-virus software, disk-scan and editors

o

Application Software  E.g. text processors, spreadsheets, graphic software, database management software, etc.

Application Software • Used to solve a particular problem or to perform a particular task • Applied by users to do real-world tasks o

E.g. keep track of inventory, design a car engine, draft minutes for meeting, play games.

• May either be custom-designed or packaged.

Application Software (cont.) • Custom-designed application software o

Used by large organizations  They pay computer programmers to design and write custom software that is specifically tailored to the organization’s needs.  Extremely complex and time-consuming to produce.

Application Software (cont.) • Packaged software A.k.a commercial software Software that is packaged in a container (box or folder) and is sold in stores or catalogs o May contain one or more disks containing the software o Some are available for downloading on the internet (for a fee, of course) o Documentation is sometimes included o o

 Documentation = user manual/user guide.

Application Software (cont.) • What is user-friendly software? o

It means that the software is supposed to be easy for a beginner to use or the software can be used with a minimum of training.

Application Software (cont.) • Categories of application software o o o

Freeware Open-source software Shareware

Application Software (cont.) • Freeware? o o

Software for which there is no fee Normally distributed in a machine-readable format that is unreadable by humans  You can use it, you can read the codes, but you can’t make changes to it

o

Freeware is copyrighted  The author retains ownership and may place restrictions on its use  Software that is not copyrighted is called public domain software. They may be used, or altered without restrictions  E.g. software developed by universities and research institutions using government grants.

Application Software (cont.) • Open-source Software o o

A variation of freeware A software that is freely distributed in a format that enables computer programmers to make changes to it  The source code is available and programmers can understand how it works and modify it  If there’s a bug, it can be fixed faster  Most commonly run under Linux OS.

Application Software (cont.) • Shareware o

Freely distributed but only for a trial period  After the trial period ends, if you want to continue to use it, you have to pay a nominal fee to register it with the author  Incentives are usually added by the authors such as free documentation, supports and/or updates to encourage people to register.

Application Software (cont.) • Software piracy? The making of illegal copies of commercial software o Punishable under the law. o

Application Software (cont.) • Vertical market software o

Software that is written especially for a particular type of business

• Groupware o o

A.k.a collaborative software Any kind of software that lets a group of people share information or track information together.

Application Software (cont.) • SOHO o o

Abbr. for small office/home office A software designed for small businesses.

Task-oriented Software • • • • • • • •

Word processing Desktop publishing Electronic spreadsheets Database management Graphics Communications Personal information managers Office suites

Task-oriented Software (cont.) • Word processing software o

Allows user to create, edit, format, store and print text and graphics in one document

• Desktop publishing software o

Better than word processing software at meeting high-level publishing needs to produce professional-looking newsletters, reports and brochures.

Task-Oriented Software (cont.) • Electronic spreadsheets A software made up of columns and rows of numbers, automatically recalculates the results when a number is changed o Enable users to try various combinations of “what if?...” numbers and obtain the results quickly o

Task-Oriented Software (cont.) • Database management software Manages a collection of interrelated facts Able to store, update, manipulate, retrieve, report the data in a variety of view o Also able to print it in as many forms. o o

• Graphics software o o

Enable users to manipulate images Presentation graphics software: able to produce graphs, maps and charts and can help people compare data, spot trends more easily and make decision more quickly.

Task-Oriented Software (cont.) • Communications software o

Enable computers to communicate with each other via phone lines or other means

• Personal information Manager (PIM) o

A program that typically include and appointment calendar, address book, task manager, notepad and calculator.

Task-Oriented Software (cont.) • Office Suites A group of basic software applications designed to work together o Typical suite application is mail merge. o Integrated application combines basic word processing, spreadsheet, and graphics capabilities in a single program. o

Discussion In pairs, – Find an example (with minimum requirements) for each of the categories of Application software and Task-Oriented Software. 2. Explain SOFTWARE PIRACY.

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