CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTER

APPLICATIONS
Computer Application/Application software
An application program (app or application for short) is a computer program designed to
perform a group of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities for the benefit of the user.

Recall is as the non-physical parts of the computer. A computer uses to get the job done. They
are the instructions given to the computer.Software needs to be accessed before it can be used.
There are many terms used for process of accessing software including running, executing,
starting up, opening, and others.

Types of Software
The three basic types of software are:
 Commercial - prepackaged and is available from software stores and through the
Internet.
 Shareware - developed by individual and small companies that cannot afford to market
their software worldwide or by a company that wants to release a demonstration version
of their commercial product.
 Open source software - created by generous programmers and released into the public
domain for public use.
Software can be used as follows:
 Switch on the computer.
 Open the application software
 Input data
 Processing
 Store/Output
 Close file
 Close the application
 Turn off the computer.

Classification of Computer software

Computer software is classified as follows:
•System Software - Software that handle the running of your computer's hardware.
•Application Software - Software that has been developed to solve a particular problem, or
perform specific task for the user. System Software controls the location and usage of hardware
resources and enables the application software to run.

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System software
This is the type of software that enables the computer to manage its resource. It is further divided
into;
 Firmware - system software fixed into hardware components e.g. BIOS.
 Network - type of computer software that enable computers to communicate over a
network
 Utility– used to manage computer files, diagnose and repair computer problems e.g.
antivirus, compilers, diagnostic tools etc
 Operating systems – provides the interface between the user, the hardware and the
application software
Application software – This is the type of software that solve specific problems or perform
specific tasks. It is divided into;
 Off – the – shelf application software – programs developed by software engineers and
made available in the market for sale. Normally sold in bundles called program suites e.g.
the Microsoft Office programs suite.
 In – house –developed packages –also referred to as tailor –made – application software.
Designed or tailored t solve problems specific to an organisation.

Example of operating system: Ms DOS, PC DOS, UNIX, Linux, Windows etc.

Stating the applications in a computers

Here we will learn how to Open and Close an application. An application, sometimes called a
program, performs a certain task. There are literally hundreds of applications and it would be
impossible for us to know them all. The good news is that applications Open (start) and Close
(end) in the same manner.

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An application is defined as a computer program designed to help people perform a certain type
of work (or recreation!). Examples of applications include word processing programs,
spreadsheets, media players, and even games.

Open an Application via the Desktop

Let‘s review a few concepts we covered on a previous lessons. The Desktop is the image you see
when your computer powers on. Located on your Desktop are Icons and these Icons are graphic
images that when clicked will Open or ―start‖ a program. Placed on your Desktop is an Icon to
a commonly played card game called Solitaire. We will use this application to practice Opening
and Closing an application.

Click on the Solitaire Icon to open the application.

Close an Application
After clicking on the Solitaire Icon, the application will Open or start. A screen similar to below
will appear.

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 On the screen in the upper right corner is a red X : . Click on the to close the
application. Closing the application will stop or end the program, putting it away.

Open an Application via the Start Menu

Earlier we opened the Solitaire application by clicking the Solitaire Icon on the Desktop. Now,
let‘s use the Start button to open the Solitaire application. The Start button is located in the
lower left corner of the Desktop and looks like this:

Click on the Start Button located on your Desktop. The Start Menu will appear. The Start
Menu allows for accessing your applications, getting help, or changing options on your
computer. Slowly move your mouse to the All Programs.

The All Programs menu will expand showing you the programs in your computer. The All
Programs menu may vary from computer to computer as each computer could have different
programs loaded. In the list of programs, look for the menu option that says Games and looks
like:

Notice there is a triangle beside the word Games. The triangle is referred to as an arrow and
indicates there are more menu options. If you move your mouse to the arrow the other options
will appear. Move your mouse to the arrow and the Games Menu appears. The list of games
may be different from computer to computer.

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Slowly move your mouse over to the list of games and down (not diagonally - straight over and
then straight down!) to Solitaire. Once your mouse is on Solitaire click your mouse to open the
application. Solitaire should open as you saw earlier. Once again, you can close the application
with the X in the upper right hand corner.

Important!
It's a good idea to close any open applications before you shut down your computer!

Interesting bit
Many of the games on the computer will help strengthen your mouse skills, so it is like mouse
practice!

Computer - Applications
Business
A computer has high speed of calculation, diligence, accuracy, reliability, or versatility which
has made it an integrated part in all business organizations.

Computer is used in business organizations for −

 Payroll calculations
 Budgeting
 Sales analysis
 Financial forecasting
 Managing employee database
 Maintenance of stocks, etc.

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