Application Software - Lecture notes 3 PDF

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Summary

Chapter 3: Application softwareApplication softwareApplication software, also known as applications, or apps for short, cover a wholerange of programs that can run on almost any device, from your desktop computerand your laptop to your Smartphone and tablet. Really, an application is pretty muchanyt...

Description

Chapter 3: Application software Application software Application software, also known as applications, or apps for short, cover a whole range of programs that can run on almost any device, from your desktop computer and your laptop to your Smartphone and tablet. Really, an application is pretty much anything that runs on a device to complete a task. Application software is generally more intuitive than full-blown software, with a simple user interface (UI) and crucially, built with the end user’s best interests at heart Application software (app or application for short) is computer software designed to perform a group of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities for the benefit of the user. Examples of an application include a word processor, a spreadsheet, an accounting application, a web browser, a media player, an aeronautical flight simulator, a console game or a photo editor. Application software has a variety of uses: 1. To make business activities more efficient 2. To assist with graphics and multimedia projects. 3. To support home, personal, and educational tasks. 4. To facilitate communications Application software is available in a variety of forms: 1. Packaged software 2. Custom software 3. Web-based software 4. Open source software 5. Shareware 6. Freeware 7. Public domain software

The role of system software

System software serves as the interface between the user, the application software, and the computer’s hardware. To use application software, such as a word processing program, your computer must be running system software- specifically, an operating system. Each time you start a computer, the operating system is loaded from the computer’s hard disk into memory. Once the operating system is loaded, it coordinates all the activities of the computer. This includes starting application software and transferring data among input and output devices and memory. While the computer is running, operating system remains in the memory.

Working with application software To use application software, you must instruct the operating system to start the program. Personal computer operating systems often use the concept of a desktop to make the computer easier to use. The desktop is an on-screen work area that has a graphical user interface An icon is a small image displayed on the screen that represents a program, a document, or some other object. A button is a graphical element that you activate to cause a specific action to take place. One way to activate a button is to click on it. To click a button on the screen requires moving the pointer to the button and then pressing and releasing a button on the mouse (usually the left mouse button). The pointer is a small symbol displayed on the screen that moves as you move the mouse. Common pointer shapes are an I-beam ( ), a block arrow ( ), and a pointing hand ( ). A menu contains a list of commands from which you make selections. A command is an instruction that causes a program to perform a specific action. To start a program, you can click its program name on a menu or in a list. This action instructs the operating system to start the program, which means the program’s instructions load from a storage medium (such as a hard disk) into memory. Once loaded into memory, the program is displayed in a window on the desktop. A window is a rectangular area of the screen that displays data and information. The top of a window has a title bar, which is a horizontal space that contains the window’s name.With the program loaded, you can create a new file or open an existing one. A file is a named collection of stored data, instructions, or information. A file can contain text, images, audio, and video. To distinguish among various files, each file has a file name.

Business software: Business software is application software that assists people in becoming more effective and efficient while performing their daily business activities. Business software includes programs such as word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation graphics, note taking, personal information manager software, PDA business software, software suites, project management, accounting, document management, and enterprise computing software.

Word processing software: Word processing software, sometimes called a word processor, allows users to create and manipulate documents containing mostly text and sometimes graphics. Millions of people use word processing software every day to develop documents such as letters, memos, reports, fax cover sheets, mailing labels, newsletters, and Web pages. Word processing software has many features to make documents look professional and visually appealing. Some of these features include the capability of changing the shape and size of characters, changing the colour of characters, applying special effects such as three-dimensional shadows, and organizing text in newspaper-style columns.

Spreadsheet software Spreadsheet software allows users to organize data in rows and columns and perform calculations on the data. These rows and columns collectively are called a worksheet. Most spreadsheet software has basic features to help users create, edit, and format worksheets. Data is organized vertically in columns and horizontally in rows on each worksheet. Each worksheet usually can have more than 16,000 columns and 1 million rows. One or more letters identify each column, and a number identifies each row. Only a small fraction of these columns and rows are displayed on the screen at one time. Scrolling through the worksheet displays different parts of it on the screen. A cell is the intersection of a column and row. The spread sheet software identifies cells by the column and row in which they are located. For example, the intersection of column B and row 6 is referred to as cell B6. Cells may contain three types of data: labels, values, and formulas.

Database software A database is a collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and use of that data. In a manual database, you might record data on paper and store it in a filing cabinet. With a computerized database, computer stores the data in an electronic format on a storage medium such as a hard disk. Database software is application software that allows users to create, access, and manage a database. Using database software, you can add, change, and delete data

in a database; sort and retrieve data from the database; and create forms and reports using the data in the database. With most popular personal computer database programs, a database consists of a collection of tables, organized in rows and columns. Each row, called a record, contains data about a given person, product, object, or event. Each column, called a field, contains a specific category of data within a record.

Presentation Graphics Software Presentation graphics software is application software that allows users to create visual aids for presentations to communicate ideas, messages, and other information to a group. The presentations can be viewed as slides, sometimes called a slide show, that are displayed on a large monitor or on a projection screen graphics and Multimedia Software. Presentation graphics software typically provides a variety of predefined presentation formats that define complementary colors for backgrounds, text, and graphical accents on the slides. This software also provides a variety of layouts for each individual slide such as a title slide, a two-column slide, and a slide with clip art, a chart, a table, a diagram, or animation. In addition, you can enhance any text, charts, and graphical images on a slide with 3-D and other special effects such as shading, shadows, and textures. When building a presentation, users can set the slide timing so the presentation automatically displays the next slide after a preset delay. Presentation graphics software allows you to apply special effects to the transition between slides. One slide, for example, might fade away as the next slide is displayed.

Graphics and Multimedia software In addition to business software, many people work with software designed specifically for their field of work. Power users such as engineers, architects, desktop publishers, and graphic artists often use sophisticated software that allows them to work with graphics and multimedia. This software includes: ➢ computer-aided design ➢ desktop publishing ➢ paint/image editing ➢ photo editing ➢ video and audio editing ➢ multimedia authoring ➢ Web page authoring.

Software for home, personal and educational use: Software Suite (for Personal Use)

A software suite (for personal use) combines application software such as word processing, spreadsheet, database, and other programs in a single, easy-to-use package. Many computer vendors install a software suite for personal use, such as Microsoft Works, on new computers sold to home users.

Personal finance software Personal finance software is a simplified accounting program that helps home users and small office/home office users balance their check books, pay bills, track personal income and expenses, track investments, and evaluate financial plans.

Desktop publishing software Personal DTP software helps home and small business users create newsletters, brochures, advertisements, postcards, greeting cards, letterhead, business cards, banners, calendars, logos, and Web pages. Personal DTP programs provide hundreds of thousands of graphical images. You also can import (bring in) your own digital photographs into the documents. These programs typically guide you through the development of a document by asking a series of questions. Then, you can print a finished publication on a color printer or post it on the Web.

Chapter Review Q1. What Are the Categories of Application Software? Application software consists of programs designed to make users more productive and/or assist them with personal tasks. The major categories of application software are business software; graphics and multimedia software; home, personal, and educational software and communications software. Q2. How Do You Work with Application Software? Personal computer operating systems often use the concept of a desktop, which is an on-screen work area that has a graphical user interface. To start an application in Windows Vista, move the pointer to the Start button on the taskbar and click the Start button by pressing and releasing a button on the mouse. Then, click the program name on the menu or in a list. Once loaded in memory, the program is displayed in a window on the desktop. Q3. What Are the Key Features of Widely Used Business Programs? Business software assists people in becoming more effective and efficient while performing daily business activities. Business software includes the following programs.

Word processing software allows users to create a document by entering text ornumbers and inserting graphical images, edit the document by making changes to its existing content, and format the document by changing its appearance. Spreadsheet software allows users to organize data in rows and columns, perform calculations, recalculate when data changes, and chart the data in graphical form. Database software allows users to create a database, which is a collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and use of that data. Presentation graphics software allows users to create slides that are displayed on a monitor or on a projection screen. Note taking software enables users to enter typed text, handwritten comments, drawings, and sketches. A personal information manager (PIM) is software that includes an appointment calendar, address book, notepad, and other features to help users organize personal information. Project management software allows users to plan, schedule, track, and analyze the events, resources, and costs of a project. Accounting software helps companies record and report their financial transactions. Document management software provides a means for sharing, distributing, and searching through documents by converting them into a format that can be viewed by any user. Q4. What Are the Key Features of Widely Used Graphics and Multimedia Programs? Graphics and multimedia software includes the following. Computer-aided design (CAD) software assists a professional user in creating engineering, architectural, and scientific designs. Desktop publishing (DTP) software enables professional designers to create sophisticated documents that contain text, graphics, and colors. Paint software allows users to draw pictures, shapes, and other graphical images with various on-screen tools. Image editing software provides the capabilities of paint software and also includes the capability to modify existing images. Professional photo editing software is a type of image editing software that allows photographers, videographers, engineers, scientists, and other high-volume digital photo users to edit and customize digital photographs. Video editing software allows professionals to modify a segment of a video, called a clip. Audio editing software lets users modify audio clips, produce studio-quality soundtracks, and add audio to video clips. Multimedia authoring software allows users to combine text, graphics, audio, video, and animation into an interactive application. Web page authoring software helps users create Web pages and organize and maintain Web sites. Q5. What Are the Key Features of Widely Used Home, Personal, and Educational Programs?

Software for home, personal, and educational use includes the following. A software suite (for personal use) combines application software into a single, easy-to-use package. Personal finance software is an accounting program that helps users balance their checkbooks, pay bills, track personal income and expenses, track investments, and evaluate financial plans. Personal DTP software helps home and small business users create newsletters, brochures, advertisements, postcards, greeting cards, letterhead, business cards, banners, calendars, logos, and Web pages. Personal paint/image editing software provides an easy-to-use interface and includes various simplified tools that allow you to draw pictures, shapes, and other images and to modify existing graphics and photos. Q6. How is software distributed? Application software is available in a variety of forms. Packaged software is mass produced, copyrighted retail software that meets the needs of a variety pf users. Custom software performs functions specific to a business or industry. Web based software refers to programs hosted by a web site. Open source software is provided for use, modification, and redistribution. Shareware is copyrighted software that is distributed free for a trial period. Freeware is copyrighted software provided at no cost by an individual or a company that retains all right to the software. Public domain software is free software donated for public use and has no copyright restrictions. TRUE OR FALSE 1. Open source software has restrictions from the copyright holder regarding modification of the software’s internal instructions and redistribution of the software. (101) 2. Public-domain software is available to the public for a fee. (101) 3. The desktop is an on-screen work area that has a graphical user interface. (102) 4. A menu contains a list of commands from which you make selections. (103) 5. Business software includes programs such as word processing, spreadsheet, and presentation graphics. (104) 6. A font is a name assigned to a specific design of characters. (106) 7. In a spreadsheet program, a formula performs calculations and displays the resulting value in a chart. (107) 8. Legal software assists in the preparation of legal documents and provides legal information to individuals, families, and small businesses. (117)

9. All communications software is considered to be application software. (120) 10. Antivirus programs, personal firewalls, and file managers are all examples of utility programs. (121)

CHECK YOUR SKILLS MCQs 1. The title bar of a document window usually displays the document’s _______. (103) a. file name b. file size c. file path d. all of the above 2. A feature, called _______, allows users of word processing software to type words continually without pressing the ENTER key at the end of each line. (105) a. wordwrap b. AutoCorrect c. AutoFormat d. clipboard 3. When using spreadsheet software, a function _______. (107) a. depicts data in graphical form b. changes certain values to reveal the effects of the changes c. is a predefined formula that performs common calculations d. contains the formatting necessary for a specific worksheet type 4. _______ combines application software such as word processing, spreadsheet, presentation graphics, and other programs in a single, easy-to-use package. (110) a. A software suite b. Shareware c. Packaged software d. Custom software 5._______ software provides a means for sharing, distributing, and searching through documents by converting them into a format that can be viewed by any user. (111) a. Database b. Document management c. Portable Document Format d. Word processing 6. _______ helps home and small business users create newsletters, brochures, advertisements, postcards, greeting cards, letterhead, business cards, banners, calendars, logos, and Web pages. (117) a. Blogware b. Note taking software

c. A personal information manager d. Personal DTP software 7. A(n) _______, which can be used to upload and download files with other computers and on the Internet, is integrated in some operating systems. (120) a. FTP program b. e-mail program c. Web browser d. chat client 8. _______ is the delivery of education via some electronic method such as the Internet, networks, or CDs/DVDs. (123) a. A template b. E-learning c. Online help d. Distance learning 9. The operating system is the most common type of ------------ software. a. Communication b. Application c. System d. Word-processing 10. The software tools that enables a user to interact with a computer for specific purposes are known as a. hardware b. Networked software c. Shareware d. Applications 11. A computer cannot boot if does not have the ------a. Compiler b. Operating system c. Loader d. Assembler 12. Software refers to a. The physical components that a computer is made of

b. Firmware c. Programs’ d. None of the above 13. Application software a. Is used to control the operating system b. Is designed to help programmers c. Performs specific task for computer users d. Is used for making design only. 14. It is the set of programs that enables your computer hardware device and application software to work together. a. Management

c. Utility

b. Processing

d. System software...