1. Microsoft Excel is a commercial spreadsheet application written and distributed by Microsoft for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X.

It features calculation, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications. It has been a very widely applied spreadsheet for these platforms, especially since version 5 in 1993, and it has almost completely replaced Lotus 1-2-3 as the industry standard for spreadsheets. Excel forms part of Microsoft Office. The current versions are 2010 for Microsoft Windows and 2011 for Mac OS X. Microsoft Excel has the basic features of all spreadsheets,using a grid of cells arranged in numbered rows and letter-named columns to organize data manipulations like arithmetic operations. It has a battery of supplied functions to answer statistical, engineering and financial needs. In addition, it can display data as line graphs, histograms and charts, and with a very limited threedimensional graphical display. It allows sectioning of data to view its dependencies on various factors for different perspectives (using pivot tables and the scenario manager).It has a programming aspect, Visual Basic for Applications, allowing the user to employ a wide variety of numerical methods, for example, for solving differential equations of mathematical physics, and then reporting the results back to the spreadsheet. It also has a variety of interactive features allowing user interfaces that can completely hide the spreadsheet from the user, so the spreadsheet presents itself as a so-called application, or decision support system (DSS), via a custom-designed user interface, for example, a stock analyzer, or in general, as a design tool that asks the user questions and provides answers and reports. In a more elaborate realization, an Excel application can automatically poll external databases and measuring instruments using an update schedule, analyze the results, make a Word report or Power Point slide show, and e-mail these presentations on a regular basis to a list of participants.

2. a)-The first use of the word "computer" was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations, or computations, and the word continued with the same meaning until the middle of the 20th century. From the end of the 19th century the word began to take on its more familiar meaning, a machine that carries out computations

Computer History Computer History Year/Enter Inventors/Inventions 1936 Konrad Zuse - Z1 Computer John Atanasoff & Clifford Berry ABC Computer Howard Aiken & Grace Hopper Harvard Mark I Computer

Computer History Description of Event First freely programmable computer. Who was first in the computing biz is not always as easy as ABC. The Harvard Mark 1 computer.

1942

1944

1946

John Presper Eckert & John W. Mauchly 20,000 vacuum tubes later... ENIAC 1 Computer Frederic Williams & Tom Kilburn Manchester Baby Computer & The Williams Tube

1948

Baby and the Williams Tube turn on the memories.

1947/48

No, a transistor is not a John Bardeen, Walter computer, but this invention Brattain & Wiliam Shockley greatly affected the history The Transistor of computers. John Presper Eckert & John First commercial computer W. Mauchly & able to pick presidential UNIVAC Computer winners. International Business Machines IBM 701 EDPM Computer John Backus & IBM FORTRAN Computer Programming Language IBM enters into 'The History of Computers'. The first successful high level programming language.

1951

1953

1954 1955 (In Use 1959)

Stanford Research Institute, The first bank industry Bank of America, and computer - also MICR

General Electric ERMA and MICR Jack Kilby & Robert Noyce The Integrated Circuit

(magnetic ink character recognition) for reading checks. Otherwise known as 'The Chip'

1958 1962

Steve Russell & MIT The first computer game Spacewar Computer Game invented. Douglas Engelbart Computer Mouse & Windows ARPAnet Intel 1103 Computer Memory Faggin, Hoff & Mazor Intel 4004 Computer Microprocessor Alan Shugart &IBM The "Floppy" Disk Robert Metcalfe & Xerox The Ethernet Computer Networking Scelbi & Mark-8 Altair & IBM 5100 Computers Apple I, II & TRS-80 & Commodore Pet Computers Dan Bricklin & Bob Frankston VisiCalc Spreadsheet Software Nicknamed the mouse because the tail came out the end. The original Internet. The world's first available dynamic RAM chip. The first microprocessor. Nicknamed the "Floppy" for its flexibility. Networking. The first consumer computers. More first consumer computers. Any product that pays for itself in two weeks is a surefire winner.

1964 1969 1970

1971

1971

1973

1974/75

1976/77

1978

1979

Seymour Rubenstein & Rob Word Processors. Barnaby

WordStar Software 1981 IBM The IBM PC - Home Computer Microsoft MS-DOS Computer Operating System Apple Lisa Computer From an "Acorn" grows a personal computer revolution From "Quick And Dirty" comes the operating system of the century. The first home computer with a GUI, graphical user interface. The more affordable home computer with a GUI. Microsoft begins the friendly war with Apple. CONTINUED

1981

1983

1984 1985 SERIES

Apple Macintosh Computer Microsoft Windows TO BE

3.b) - Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a software. Utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure (including the computer hardware, operating system, application software and data storage) operates. Due to this focus, utilities are often rather technical and targeted at people with an advanced level of computer knowledge - in contrast to application software, which allows users to do things like creating text documents, playing games, listening to music or viewing websites.