Application Software: Essentials for knowledge workers

Lesson 6

The differences between horizontal and vertical applications

The most popular types of horizontal applications

Differences between commercial software, shareware, freeware, and public domain software

The concept of software versions

The advantages and disadvantages of standalone programs, integrated programs, and suites

The concepts and skills of using application software

The advantages of the Web integration

What You Will Learn

What is application software?

Software programs that enable the user to be productive when using the computer

Two categories of application programs:

Horizontal applications

Vertical applications

What’s the difference between horizontal and vertical applications?

Horizontal applications- Used across the divisions of a company

Word processors

Spreadsheets

Databases

Vertical applications- Used for a particular line of business

Billing

Tracking inventory

Point of Sale

Horizontal Applications

Vertical Application

What are the types of application software?

Personal productivity

Word Processing

Spreadsheets

Address Books

Multimedia/Graphics

Desktop Publishing

Photo Editing

3D Rendering

Internet

Web Browsers

E-Mail

Home/Education

Personal Finance

Tax Preparation

Desktop Publishing

Reference

Games

What are system requirements?

The minimum performance capabilities of a computer system needed to run a program

Platform- PC or MAC

Microprocessor

Drive- 3.5 Floppy or CD-ROM

Ram

Available hard disk space

Minimum System Requirements

• IBM Compatible PC with a 486 PC processor or better (Pentium® recommended)

• Microsoft Windows® 95

• 12 MB RAM (16MB recommended)

• Hard disk space (standard installation approx. 100MB)

• CD-ROM drive (2x or better)

• Mouse or other pointing device

What is copyrighted software? Software programs that an individual can not copy, alter or use on more than one computer

Types of copyrighted software:

Commercial- Buy before using it

Shareware- Try it before you buy it

Freeware- Free software but can’t be copied and sold

Non-copyrighted software- Public domain software- No restrictions for using, copying, altering and selling

What is a software license?

A copyrighted program gives the user the right to install and use the program on one computer

Installing a program on more than one computer requires a site license

Using an application program

1. Install it on the hard drive- Installation utilities guide you through the process; Installation changes the registry of the OS

2. Register it- This enables the software producer to notify you of bugs and updates (maintenance releases)

3. Read the documentation or help screens- This informs you on how to use the program

4. Use an uninstall utility to remove a program from the hard drive- Do not just delete it from your files

What is a software version?

Software producers include a version number with their products

Version numbers are used to identify the release of the program being used

Recent releases have numbers greater than earlier releases (Recent Ver. 6.0; Earlier Ver. 1.0)

Whole numbers are major revisions (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc.)

Decimal numbers refer to maintenance releases or updates and fixes (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc)

What’s the difference between standalone programs, integrated programs and software suites?

Standalone programs are individual applications that are designed for a single purpose; Examples: photo editing, encyclopedias and games

Integrated programs are several individual programs combined into one program. Examples: accounting software (databases & spreadsheets), publishing software (word processing & graphics editing)

Software suites are two or more individual programs that are integrated with each other, that is, data entered in one program can be inserted in the others. Example office suites (word processor, database, spreadsheet, and presentation)

What is a software suite? Integrated programs that include two or more individual programs

Integrated by using a management tool to enable access to any of the components

Popular office suites offer a word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation and other programs

Uses object linking and embedding (OLE) to insert data from one program to another

SHORT CUT ICONS

Click to view features TITLE DESKTOP_________

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START BUTTON

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OPEN PROGRAMS

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Understanding Windows

TITLE START MENU

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ALL PROGRAMSBUTTON

SYSTEM AREAFOLDERS, SETTINGS,HELPMOST FREQUENTLY

USED LIST

USER LOG OFF

SHUT DOWN/RESTART

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PINNED ITEMS LIST

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Understanding Windows

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ICONS

RE-SIZING TABSTATUS BAR

ADDRESS BAR

TOOL BAR

MENU BAR

TITLE BARCONTROL ICON

SIZING BUTTONS

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Click to view features

Understanding Windows

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TOGGLE SWITCH

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Click to view features

Understanding Windows

TITLE DIALOG BOX

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CHECK BOX

TEXT BOX

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LIST BOX

SPINNER

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Click to view features

Understanding Windows

Working with documents Creating new documents- Start a new blank document or choose a template (formatted model)

Opening an existing document- Loads an already created document into memory; Enables updating or editing the document

Saving the document- Transfers the document from computer memory to a storage device; Enter a filename for the document

Exiting the application program- Closes the program and gives reminder to save work

Shutting down system- Turns computer off properly; Do not turn power off without going through the shutdown process

What is web integration?

Applications that enable the user to create documents that are compatible with the formats used on the Internet

Most common format is Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML)

Users can create websites, personal web pages or e-mail using a word processor or publishing program

THE

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