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
o A.k.a commercial software
o 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
 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 Freeware
o Open-source software
o Shareware
Application Software (cont.)
• Freeware?
o Software for which there is no fee
o 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 A variation of freeware
o 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?
o The making of illegal copies of commercial
software
o Punishable under the law.
Application Software (cont.)

• Vertical market software

o Software that is written especially for a
particular type of business
• Groupware
o A.k.a collaborative software
o Any kind of software that lets a group of people
share information or track information together.
Application Software (cont.)

• SOHO
o Abbr. for small office/home office
o 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
o 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
Task-Oriented Software (cont.)
• Database management software
o Manages a collection of interrelated facts
o Able to store, update, manipulate, retrieve, report the
data in a variety of view
o Also able to print it in as many forms.
• Graphics software
o Enable users to manipulate images
o 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
o 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.
 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.

Email to fuadmisbah@segi.edu.my