Chapter 03: Basic Application Software

Application Software Application software is end user software that is used to accomplish a variety of tasks Two categories Basic applications (focus of this chapter) Specialized applications Two kinds of software (as discussed in Chapter 1) System software (Key Term) – works with end users, application software, and computer hardware to handle the majority of technical details Application Software (Key Term) – is end user software that is used to accomplish a variety of tasks Two categories of Application Software Basic Applications (Key Term) – focus of this chapter Specialized Applications (Key Term) – focus of next chapter

Basic Applications Basic applications are also called general-purpose Common types Word processors Spreadsheets Database management systems Presentation graphics Use the application for which it was designed: if you want to process text, use Microsoft Word If you need to sort (Key Term) information, use a database (Key Term) rather than a spreadsheet (Key Term) Publications can be created with Microsoft Word, but presentation software and desktop publishing software are designed to perform this type of task more easily Return

Specialized Applications Also known as special-purpose applications There are thousands of programs more narrowly focused on specific disciplines and occupations Includes: Graphics programs Audio and video editors Multimedia authoring programs Web authoring programs Virtual reality programs … and more Specialized Applications (Key Term) (will be presented in Chapter 4) Called special-purpose applications Common types Graphics Audio/video editors Multimedia creation Web authoring Virtual reality programs Return

Common Features Graphical User Interface (GUI) Icons Windows Menus Toolbars Common features of software User interface (Key Term) GUI – graphical user interface Mouse and pointer (Key Term) Window (Key Term) Menus (Key Term) Dialog Box (Key Term) Pull-down menu or drop-down menu bars – these are commands presented on the menu bar (Key Term) Toolbars (Key Term) Buttons (Key Term) Standard toolbars

Toolbars Quick access to commonly used commands Contains buttons that provide shortcuts Examples Standard Toolbar in Microsoft Office Excel 2003 Review the common toolbar commands with students Open New Save Print Print Preview

Microsoft Office 2007 & 2010 Office 2010 is the latest version of Microsoft Office Office 2007 introduced a new interface Ribbons Tabs Galleries See changes from the manuscript, pg. 63 for the graphic/screenshot. Microsoft Office 2010 is the newest version of Microsoft Office Redesigned interface intended to make it easier for users to find and use all the application’s features New design includes: Ribbons (Key Term) – replace menus and toolbars by organizing commonly used commands into a set of tabs Contextual Tabs (Key Term) – tabs that appear automatically when needed and anticipate the next operations to be performed by the user Galleries (Key Term) – simplify the process of making a selection from a list of alternatives. New interface is the first major change in over a decade and promises to greatly improve user functionality and efficiency.

Making IT Work for You Speech Recognition Allows your voice to control application software For best results, use your voice along with your mouse and keyboard Train the software Control a program Dictate a document

Word Processors Used to create text-based documents Memos, letters, and faxes Newsletters, manuals, and brochures Word processing programs Microsoft Word Corel WordPerfect Apple Pages One of the most flexible and widely used software tools One of the first programs used by PC end-users Used by most end-users

Word Processor Features Word Wrap Editing Thesaurus Find and Replace Spelling and grammar checkers Formatting Font and font sizing Character effects Bulleted and numbered lists Word wrap (Key term) automatically moves text to new line when prior line is full Enter overrides and starts new line Editing (Key Term) Thesaurus (Key Term) – provides synonyms, antonyms, and related words for a selected word or phrase Find and Replace (Key Term) – quickly locate and replace selected words Spelling checker (Key Term) - Incorrect spelling is identified and alternatives offered Grammar checker (Key Term) - Identifies poor grammar and makes suggestions Formatting (Key Term) Font (Key Term) – design of the characters Font Size (Key Term) – the height of a character Character Effects (Key Term) – enhance the appearance of a character and include bold, italic, shadows, and colors Bulleted and number lists (Key Terms) – make a sequence of topics stand out for easy reading