Computers Are Your Future Eleventh Edition Chapter 5: Application Software: Tools for Productivity Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 1
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Application Software: Tools for Productivity Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 3
Objectives Understand how system software supports application software. List the most popular types of generalpurpose applications. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of standalone programs, integrated programs, and software suites. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 4
Objectives Discuss the advantages of Web-hosted technology and file compatibility. Explain the concept of software versions and software upgrades. Understand how commercial software, shareware, freeware, and public domain software differ. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 5
Objectives Describe the essential concepts of application software and the skills needed to use it. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 6
General-Purpose Applications Application software is any program that gives the user the ability to complete work on the computer. General-purpose applications, such as word-processing or spreadsheet programs, enable users to complete common tasks. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 7
General-Purpose Applications Types of general-purpose application software Personal productivity programs Multimedia and graphics software Applications that work through and run from the Internet Home and education programs Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 8
General-Purpose Applications Personal productivity programs Make it easier to do work Examples Word-processing software Spreadsheet or database software Presentation software Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 9
General-Purpose Applications Multimedia and graphics software includes the use of two or more media, such as graphics plus video or audio. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 10
General-Purpose Applications Multimedia and graphics software programs Professional desktop publishing Multimedia authoring Paint, drawing, and animation Image editing 3D rendering Audio Video editing Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 11
General-Purpose Applications Codecs are algorithms that reduce file size and allow faster Internet transfer speeds. Lossless compression does not delete any information needed to reproduce the image without flaw. Lossy compression removes some information, but the loss is typically not noticeable. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 12
General-Purpose Applications Use paint programs to create bitmapped images (raster graphics), which are made up of tiny dots known as pixels. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 13
General-Purpose Applications Paint program standard file formats Graphics Interchange Format (GIF) Lossless compression of simple images Often used for Web pages Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) Lossy compression of complex images Also used for Web pages Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 14
General-Purpose Applications Portable Network Graphics (PNG) Patent-free alternative to a GIF Lossless compression, suitable for Web use only Windows Bitmap (BMP) Compression optional Files tend to be large Tag Image File Format (TIFF) Includes descriptive information with the image Used in publishing Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 15
General-Purpose Applications Drawing programs create vector graphics that can be edited and resized without distortion. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 16
General-Purpose Applications Three-dimensional rendering programs provide graphic objects with 3D effects. Image editors Are advanced types of paint programs Can change complicated bitmapped objects, including photographs Can edit, but not create, bitmapped images Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 17
General-Purpose Applications Animation programs give the user the ability to create animation from images and run the animation. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 18
General-Purpose Applications Audio software is used to capture and process sound used in multimedia presentations. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 19
General-Purpose Applications Standard sound file formats MP3 Windows Media Audio (WMA) WAV Ogg Vorbis Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 20
General-Purpose Applications Video editors enable the user to: Modify digitized videos. Save those videos in at least one of the following video file formats: Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) QuickTime Video for Windows Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 21
General-Purpose Applications Multimedia authoring systems Used to create multimedia presentations Require a large amount of disk space and memory to run properly Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 22
General-Purpose Applications Applications that work through the Internet Examples E-mail Instant messaging software Web browsers Video conferencing programs Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 23
General-Purpose Applications Web-hosted technology Share files and collaborate. Windows Office Live Google Docs Help avoid file incompatibility. Undesirable Internet software Spyware monitors your activity. Adware targets products to your interests. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 24
General-Purpose Applications Home and educational programs Computerized reference software Multimedia dictionaries Encyclopedias How-to guides Personal finance software Computer games Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 25
Tailor-Made Applications Software designed for specific businesses or users are known as tailor-made applications. Tailor-made applications normally cost more than general-purpose applications because of their development costs. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 26
Tailor-Made Applications Custom software, developed for a user s specific needs, may be necessary when an application is not available. Packaged software is developed for the mass market. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 27
Standalone Programs, Integrated Programs, & Software Suites A fully self-contained program is called a standalone program. Advantages Purchased and installed separately Function by themselves Disadvantages Take a lot of storage space Do not share resources Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 28
Standalone Programs, Integrated Programs, & Software Suites Integrated programs provide leading productivity programs in one package. Easy to learn and share the same interface Example: Microsoft Works Have fewer features than standalone programs and software suites Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 29
Standalone Programs, Integrated Programs, & Software Suites A software suite (office suite) is a bundle of standalone programs. Word processing Spreadsheet Presentation graphics Database Personal information Share common code, drivers, and graphic libraries. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 30
System Requirements & Software Versions System requirements outline the minimal level of resources that a program requires. Releases of programs are cited by a year or version number. In a version number, a decimal number indicates a maintenance release. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 31
System Requirements & Software Versions Time-limited trial versions are occasionally offered for commercial programs by software companies. Beta versions of software are sometimes available to users. Software is in the final testing stages and may contain bugs. Access is free. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 32
System Requirements & Software Versions Software is kept current through software upgrading. Small fixes to software are called patches. Large or major fixes to software are called service packs or service releases. Software can be distributed through the Internet and purchased in stores. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 33
System Requirements & Software Versions Documentation may be in print or downloaded from the Internet. Brief tutorials Read Me files Help files Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 34
Software Licenses & Registration A contract included with purchased software that permits the user to install the program on one computer is known as a software license. A contract that gives organizations the right to install copies of programs on a precise number of computers is known as a site license. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 35
Software Licenses & Registration Commercial Software Users must purchase before using Examples Microsoft Office Adobe Acrobat Apple ilife Shareware You may try software before purchasing it. If you like it, pay for it and continue using it. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 36
Software Licenses & Registration Freeware Free to users as long as users do not sell it to others Public domain software Copyright-free software Users can modify or sell Copy-protected software Internal process prohibits making unauthorized copies Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 37
Installing & Managing Application Software Installing software on a computer involves moving the software to the hard disk and properly configuring the software. Uninstalling software takes the program off the hard disk. Launching software moves it from the hard disk to memory. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 38
Installing & Managing Application Software Users can choose options to identify how they want a program to run. Defaults are software settings used by the program unless overridden by the user. Quitting or closing down an application is known as exiting. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 39
Summary System software supports application software, the programs that give the user the ability to complete work on the computer. General-purpose software includes personal productivity programs, multimedia and graphics software, Internet programs, and home and education software. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 40
Summary Types of programs available to users include standalone programs, integrated programs, and suites of personal productivity software. Office suites that incorporate Webhosted technology are gaining popularity with today s users. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 41
Summary New or updated versions of software are usually cited with a version number. Small changes to software are defined as patches, and larger changes or fixes are known as service packs or service releases. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 42
Summary Software can be categorized as commercial, shareware, freeware, and public domain software. To use their computers effectively, users should learn to install applications, start applications, select options, and exit the applications. Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Prentice Hall 43