BIS 205

Information
Technology

Lecture 4 – Application
Software

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 Lecture Objectives

After this lecture, you should be able to

• Describe the types of application software
• Discuss the role of application software in
business environment.
• Give Examples of application Software
• Discuss the difference presentation, word
processing, spreadsheet and database
programs.
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 Software….reminder

There are two types of software:

• Application software is software that has been developed to
solve a particular problem for users—to perform useful work on
specific tasks
or to provide entertainment.
• System software runs at the most basic level of your computer
and enables the application software to interact with the
computer and helps the computer to manage its internal and
external resources, as well as manage the hardware.

There are three basic components of system

software that you need to know about:
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 Application software

Application software comprises the programs that do the work

that users are directly interested in.

The availability of software depends on how it is

licensed or copyrighted by its creators or
owners.

Software can be obtained in a variety of ways: 4

 Application software options
1. Custom Software 5. Shareware
Tailor-made software crafted by an Copyrighted software that is distributed
individual or team of programmers for free for a trial period, but users must
a particular function or business then pay the software developer to
purpose. continue using it.
2. Packaged software 6. Rentalware
Copyrighted, mass-produced software Online software that users lease for a
that’s offered for sale in stores or on fee and download whenever they want
the web to a variety of users. [See next it.
slides.]
7. Web application (web app)
3. Public-domain software
Software that runs on a remote
Software that is not protected by Internet server rather than on a
copyright and thus may be duplicated by
person’s own personal computer.
anyone at will, with no fear of legal prosecution.
4. Freeware
Copyrighted software that is
distributed free of charge.
 Commercial software

Commercial (packaged) software is copyrighted --

users must get license from owner and sign a
contract in which they agree not to make copies
of the software to give away or resell.
– Software license types:
– Site licenses allow software to be used on all computers at a
specific location
– Concurrent-user licenses—allow a number of copies to be
used at one time
– Multiple-user license—specifies number of people who may
use the software
– Single-user license—limits software to one user at a time
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 Application software

• Pirated software: Software obtained

illegally in violation of copyright

• Abandonware: Software that is no longer

being sold or supported by its publisher
(but may still not be legally copied)

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 Tutorials & Documentation

• Tutorials & Documentation

– Tutorial: Instruction book or program that
helps you learn to use the product by taking
you through a series of steps
– Documentation: All information that
describes a product to users, including a
user guide or reference manual that
provides a narrative and graphical
description of the program

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Types of Application software

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Types of Application software

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 Productivity software

• Purpose is to make users more productive at

particular tasks.
– Word processing, spreadsheets, database managers
– May be bundled in office suite

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 Files

• A File is a collection of data stored in the

secondary memory. So far data was entered
into the programs through the keyboard.
• There are two types of files:
– Data Files and
– Program files

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 Data Files

Data files contain data, such as words, number, pictures, and

sounds—for example (extensions):

• Text files
• Music
• Pictures
• Videos
• Zipped files
• Maps
• Any multimedia file
Program Files
• Program files contain software instructions that
execute, or run, when the program is opened.
– Source program files: Source program files contain high-
level computer instructions in the original form written
by the computer programmer.

– Executable files: To be made useful to the computer for

processing, a source program file must be translated into
an executable file, which contains the instructions that
tell the computer how to perform a particular task. You
use an executable file by running it, as when you select
the spreadsheet program Microsoft Excel from your on-
screen menu and open it.
 Exchanging files
• Importing: getting data from another source and then
converting it into a format compatible with the
program in which you are currently working
• Exporting: transforming data into a format that can be
used in another program and then transmitting it

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 Data compression
It is a method of removing repetitive elements from a data file so
that it requires less storage space and therefore less time to
transmit. Later the data is decompressed—the repeated patterns
are restored.
• Lossless compression uses mathematical techniques to replace repetitive patterns of
bits with a kind of coded summary. During decompression, the coded summaries are
replaced with the original patterns of bits -- the data that comes out is exactly the same
as what went in. Lossless techniques are used when it’s important that nothing be lost
—for instance, for computer data, database records, spreadsheets, and word
processing files.

• Lossy compression techniques permanently discard some data during compression.

Lossy data compression involves a certain loss of accuracy in exchange for a high
degree of compression. Examples of two lossy compression file formats are .jpeg
and .mpeg, used for graphics files and sound files.
 Word Processing Software

Word Processing uses computers to create,

edit, format, print, and
store text.
– Microsoft Word best known
– Others: Corel WordPerfect, Apple iWork
Pages, Google Apps, Zoho Writer
– Word processing allows you to delete,
insert, and replace text
– Additional features: creating, formatting,
printing, saving
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 Word Processing Software

Formatting Documents with the Help of Templates

– Formatting: determining appearance of a document
– A template is a preformatted “form” that provides
basic tools for structuring a final document—text,
layout, page design, etc.
– Every word processing program comes with standard
templates (for letters, memos, etc.)

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 Word Processing Software

Examples of
Word
templates
 Word Processing Software
• Output: Printing, Faxing, or Emailing Documents
– Print individual pages, the whole document, or several copies
– You can fax or email finished documents
– Previewing: gives you a look at how document will look when
printed, before you print
• Saving documents: store a document as an electronic file
on, e.g., hard disk, CD or flash drive. [SAVE your work
often!!!!!!!!!!!]
– Word processing allows formatting of documents in
HTML (for the web)

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 Spreadsheet Programs
A spreadsheet program uses rectangular grids for laying out linked,
usually financial, data in a very organized fashion.

• Spreadsheets are used to create tables and financial schedules.

– Enter data and formulas into rows and columns on screen
– Microsoft Excel, Corel Quattro Pro, Lotus 1-2-3, Apple iWork Numbers
• Organized into columns and rows on a worksheet
– Labels are descriptive text
– Cells are where a row and a column meet
– Cell address is the position of the cell
– Range is a group of adjacent cells
– Values are numbers or dates entered into a cell
– Cell pointer shows where data is to be entered

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 Spreadsheet Programs

Formulas, Functions, Recalculation, What-If Analysis

– Formulas are instructions for calculations
• Define mathematically how one cell relates to another
• Example: @SUM(A5:A15) sums the values of the cells A5,
A6, A7, and so forth up through cell A15
– Functions are built-in formulas, such as SUM()
– Recalculation is the process of re-computing values
– What-if analysis allows users to see what happens to
totals when one or more numbers change in cells
• Worksheet templates—custom-designed for particular
work
• Multidimensional spreadsheets—link one to another
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 Spreadsheet Programs

Analytical Graphics: Worksheet and workbook data

can be displayed in graphic form.
– Spreadsheet programs allow you to automatically create graphs
– Graphical forms make numeric data easier to analyze
– Examples of types of analytical graphics:
• Column charts
• Bar charts
• Line graphs
• Pie charts
• Scatter charts

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Presentation Programs

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 Database Software

A database is a collection of data that is organized so that

its contents can easily be accessed,
managed, and updated.
• Database: Structured collection of interrelated files
in a computer system.
• Database software sets up and controls the structure of a
database and access to data.
• Principal microcomputer databases: Microsoft Access, FileMaker
Pro
• Benefits of databases:
– Data redundancy is minimized.
– Data is integrated and stored in a structured fashion.
– Data in databases has more integrity.
– Data may include text, numbers, and graphics. 25
 Database Software
The main type of microcomputer database program is the
relational database.

Relational database: Data organized into related tables

– Each table contains rows (records) & columns (fields)
– Key is field used to sort data
• Most frequent key field is social security/ID number
• Tables with the same key field are linked together
– Querying and displaying records
• Database software offers a quick way to locate records
– Saving, Formatting, Printing, Copying, Transmitting
• Can save results, format them in different ways, print as reports, copy to
other documents, & transmit as email
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Questions

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