Performing

Computer
Operations
COMPUTER APPLICATION SOFTWARE
Application Software is a program or group of programs designed for end
users. Allows end users to accomplish one or more specific (non-computer
related) tasks.

Examples of Computer Application Software:

 Word processor
 Spreadsheet Presentation
 Software Database Management System
 Desktop Publisher
 Graphic Editor
 Web Browser
A. Word Processor

Word processor is a software program capable of creating, storing, and

printing documents. Unlike the standard typewriter, users using word processors
have the ability of creating a document and making any changes anywhere in
the document. This document can also be saved for modification at a later time
or to be opened on any other computer using the same word processor.

Some of Word Processor Features:

 Insert text
 Delete text
 Cut and paste
 Copy
 Page size and margins
 Search and replace
 Print

Word Processor Examples are Microsoft Word, WordPro, AppleWorks and

et c.
B. Spreadsheet

Spreadsheet is a data file made up of rows and columns that are used to
sort data and allow a user to manipulate and arrange data easily, commonly
numerical data. What makes a spreadsheet software program most unique is its
ability to calculate values using mathematical formulas and the data in the cells.

Some of Spreadsheet Features:

 Formulas
 Functions
  Charts
 Cut/Copy/Paste with single cells or ranges of cells
 Cells formatting
 Cells merging

Spreadsheet Examples are Microsoft Excel, Lot us 1-2-3, Apple Numbers,

OpenOffice Calc.

C. Presentation Software
A presentation program is a software program that helps create a
slideshow that addresses a topic. Presentation programs are often used in
businesses and schools for discussing a topic or for teaching. It typically includes
three major functions: – an editor that allows text to be inserted and formatted –
a method for inserting and manipulat ing graphic images – a slide-show system to
display the content.

Some of Presentation Software Features:

 Insert Slide
 Deletion of Inserted slides
 Allows cut and paste slides in any order.
 Allows duplication content or slide
 Allows you to display the presentation designed in a slide show system.
(View Slide Feature)
 Allows animations and/or sounds manipulations on objects in the slide.

Present ation Soft ware Example are Microsoft PowerPoint , Adobe

Persuasion, HyperCard, OpenOffice Impress and Scala Mult imedia.

Database Management System (DBMS) Software

A program that controls the organization, storage, management, and
retrieval of data in a database. Users can create tables, queries, forms and
reports.
Database Management System (DBMS) Software examples are Microsoft
Access, Oracle Database, MySQL and FoxPro

A. Desktop Publishing Software

Used to produce high-quality printed documents such as magazine,
greeting card, posters, etc. Allows you to use different typefaces, specify
various margins and justifications, and embed illustrations and graphs
directly into the text.
 Desktop Publishing Software examples are Adobe InDesign,
QuarkXPress and MS Publisher.

B. Web Browser
Web browser is a software application used to locate and display
Web pages. Example: – Internet Explorer (IE), Mozilla Firefox, Opera and
Google Chrome.

Graphic Software
Graphics software or image editing software is a program or collection of
programs t hat enable a person to manipulate visual images on a computer.
Computer graphics can be classified into two distinct categories: raster graphics
and vector graphics

Raster Graphic Editor

A raster graphics editor is a computer program that allows users to
paint and edit pictures interactively on the computer screen and save
them in one of many popular “bitmap” or “raster” formats.

Common features:
 Select a region for editing
 Draw lines with brushes of different color, size, shape and pressure
 Add typed let ters in different font styles
 Apply various filters for effects
 Convert between various image formats.

Save and Save As

To save file your file, follow the following procedures:
1. In the File Tab, hover over and click Save As (saving for the first time and
saving to another file name or another copy), click browse for you to
access the Save As dialog box and it will appear.
2. In the save as dialog box, you need to have the following information:
File name –is a name used to uniquely identify a computer file stored in
a file system.
Extension or File Name Extension
- is the ending of a file that helps identify the type of file in operating systems,
such as Microsoft Windows. In Microsoft Windows, the file name extension
is a period that is oft en followed by three characters but may also be one,
two, or four characters long. Some of the more common file extensions are
listed below, separated by the types of files the associated file extensions.
File Location or Path - defines t he locat ion of a file or folder in a comput er's file
syst em. Pat hs are also called "direct ory pat hs" because t hey oft en include one or
more direct ories that describe t he path to t he file or folder.

3. After filling in the filename, choosing the file extension and the location,
then click save.

Note:
Use Save t o updat e t he last ly preserved file with the latest content
Use Save As t o st ore a new file or t o st ore an exist ing file to a new location
with the same name or a different name.

WHAT IS A STORAGE DEVICE?

A storage device is any hardware capable of holding information either
temporarily or permanently.

There are two types of storage devices used with computers:

1. A primary storage device, such as RAM, and a secondary storage device,
such as a hard drive.
2. Secondary storage can be removable, internal, or external.

A primary storage device is a medium that holds memory for short

periods of time while a computer is running. Although it has a much lower
access time and faster performance, it is also about two orders of
magnitude more costly than secondary storage

RAM (random access memory) and cache are both examples of a

primary storage device. The image shows three different types of storage
for computer data. Primary storage's key differences from the others are
that it is directly accessible by the CPU, it is volatile, and it is non-removable.

A secondary storage device is a non-volatile device that holds data

until it is deleted or overwritten. Secondary storage is about two orders of
magnitude cheaper than primary storage. Consequently, a hard drive or
an additional, slower SSD may use as secondary storage to a primary,
faster, PCIe SSD.

Off-line storage is a subset of secondary storage, as they both serve

the same purpose and do not interact directly with the CPU.
Examples of secondary storage:

1) Hard Disk Drive:

A hard disk drive (somet imes abbreviat ed as a hard drive, HD, or
HDD) is a non-volat ile data storage device. It is usually inst alled internally in
a comput er, attached direct ly t o t he disk cont roller of t he comput er's
mot herboard. It cont ains one or more platters, housed inside of an air-
sealed casing. Dat a is written to the platters using a magnet ic head, which
moves rapidly over t hem as t hey spin. Int ernal hard disks reside in a drive
bay, connect ed t o t he mot herboard using an ATA, SCSI, or SATA cable.
They are powered by a connect ion t o t he comput er's PSU (power supply
unit ). Examples of dat a t hat may be st ored on a comput er's hard drive
include t he operat ing syst em, inst alled soft ware, and t he user's personal
files.

2) Solid-State Drive
Short for solid-state drive, an SSD is a storage medium that uses non-
volatile memory as a means of holding and accessing data. Unlike a hard
drive, an SSD has no moving parts which gives it advantages such as faster
access time, noiseless operation, higher reliability, and lower power
consumption. The picture shows an example of an SSD made by Crucial.
As t he costs have come down, SSDs have become suitable
replacements for a standard hard drive in both desktop and laptop
computers. SSDs are also a great solution for netbooks, net tops, and other
applications that don't require a lot of storage.

3) USB Thumb Drive

Alternatively referred to as a USB flash drive, data stick, pen drive,
memory unit, keychain drive, and thumb drive, a jump drive is a portable
storage device. It is often the size of a human thumb (hence the name)
and connects to a computer via a USB port. Flash drives are an easy way
 to store and transfer information between computers and range in sizes
from 2 GB to 1 TB.
Unlike a standard hard drive, the flash drive has no movable parts; it
contains only an integrated circuit memory chip that is used to store data.
Flash drives usually have plastic or aluminum casings surrounding the
memory chip. The picture shows a SanDisk Cruzer Micro 16 GB flash drive.

4) SD Card
Short for Secure Digital card, the SD card is one of the more common
types of memory cards used with electronics. The SD technology is used by
over 400 brands of electronic equipment and over 8000 different models,
including digital cameras and cell phones. It is considered the industry
standard due to the wide use.

Types of SD cards:
The three versions of the SD card, along with their physical
dimensions, are shown below.

 SD - 32mm x 24mm x 2.1mm.

 MiniSD - 21.5mm x 20mm x 1.4mm.
 MicroSD - 15mm x 11mm x 1.0mm

5) CD
Abbreviated as CD, a compact disc is a flat, round, optical storage
medium invented by James Russell. The first CD was created at a Philips
factory in Germany on August 17, 1982. The picture is an example of the
bottom of a standard compact disc and is the side the disc player reads.
The opposite side of the disc has a label to help indicate what is on the disc.
 6) DVD Short for digital versatile disc or digital video disc
a DVD or DVD-ROM is a disc capable of storing a significant amount
more data than a standard compact disc. DVDs are widely used for storing
and viewing movies and ot her data. The picture of the Matrix DVD movie
disc is an example of a DVD movie. DVD-ROM drives that utilize these discs
were first sold in 1997.

7) Floppy Diskette
Alternatively referred to as a floppy or floppy disk, a floppy diskette is
a type of storage media, capable of storing electronic data, like a
computer file. The floppy diskette was first created in 1967 by IBM as an
alternative to buying hard drives, which were extremely expensive at the
time.

8) Tape Drive
A tape is a magnetically thin coated piece of plastic wrapped
around wheels capable of storing data. Tape is less expensive than other
storage mediums, but it is a much slower solution because it is sequential
access and is often used for backing up large amount s of data.

Today, t ape has most lybeen abandoned for fast er and more reliable
solut ions like disc drives, hard drives, and flash drives t hat are all direct access and
cloud st orage. The image is an example of magnetic t ape t aken by KENPEI and
shared under t he creat ive commons.
Which storage devices are used today?
Most of the storage devices mentioned above are no longer used with
today's computers. Most computers today primarily use an SSD to store
information, as well as the ability to use USB flash drives and access to cloud
storage. Most desktop computers and some laptops include a disc drive that is
capable of reading and writing CDs and DVDs.

What storage device has the largest capacity?

For most computers, the largest storage device is t he hard drive or SSD.
However, networked computers may also have access to larger storage with
large tape drives, cloud computing, or NAS devices.