CHAPTER 2 Computer Software

LEARNING OUTCOMES At the end of this class, students should be able to: Explain the types of basic application software

Computer Software CHAPTER REVIEW Application Software Word Processing Graphics Presentation Calculations and Simulations Spreadsheets Statistical 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 course) Specialized applications Two kinds of software System software (Key Term) Application Software Use the application for which it was designed: if you want to process text, use word If you need to sort (Key Term) information, use a database (Key Term) rather than a spreadsheet Can create publications with Word; but presentation software and desktop publishing software are designed to do this type of task easier Specialized Applications (Key Term) Called special-purpose applications (Key Term) Common types Graphics Audio/video editors Multimedia creation Web authoring Virtual reality programs

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

Word Processing Software Used to create text-based documents Memos, letters, faxes, flyers and reports Newsletters, manuals, and brochures Examples of word processing programs Microsoft Word Corel WordPerfect Lotus Word Pro Open Office Writer 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 Processing Features Editing Thesaurus Find and Replace Spelling and grammar checkers Formatting Font and font sizing Character effects Bulleted and numbered lists Word wrap – automatically moves text to new line when prior line is full Enter overrides and starts new line Incorrect spelling is identified and alternatives offered Identifies poor grammar and makes suggestions Quickly locate word(s) with search or find commands Automatic update of word(s) found with new word

Graphics Presentation Software Programs that create visually interesting presentations. Examples of graphic presentation programs: Microsoft PowerPoint Corel Presentations Lotus Freelance Graphics Open Office Impress Prezi Creates interesting and professional presentation Features Slides (Key Term) Wizards Color schemes Slide layouts Special effects Design templates (Key Term) Master slides (Key Term) Combines variety of visual objects to present attractive, professional presentations Helps to keep presenter organized

Graphics Presentation Features Slides AutoContent wizard Design templates Master slide Professionally designed templates, color schemes, and styles Animations add special visual and sound effects Delivery can be slides, transparencies, or handouts Slide show – actual presentation to audience Handout notes – along with a picture of each slide, the audience receives a “notes” area to the right of each slide on which they can take notes as you give your presentation Speaker can have notes on slides that are hidden from the viewer Link parts of your presentation to another application or another part of your presentation or even to the Web

Creating a Presentation Presentation style AutoContent wizard Templates Design templates Master slide Special effects

Updating a Presentation

Calculations and Simulations Spreadsheets Statistical software

Programs that manipulate numeric data. Spreadsheet programs Spreadsheets Programs that manipulate numeric data. Spreadsheet programs Microsoft Excel Corel Quattro Pro Lotus 1-2-3 Open Office Calc Gnumeric Analyzes and graphs numeric data such as budgets and financial reports Electronic spreadsheet used to organize, manipulate and graph data; also known as worksheets (Key Term) Consist of grid of numbered rows (Key Term) and columns (Key Term)

Worksheet or spreadsheet or sheet Formulas Functions Spreadsheet Features Workbook files Worksheet or spreadsheet or sheet Formulas Functions Analytical graphs or charts Values are numbers used for calculations; labels (Key Term) are letters, numbers, or symbols used to represent text (social security number, phone number) A numeric entry (Key Term) can be a number or a formula Formulas are calculations user creates Data changes in the spreadsheet will cause all related formulas to update which is referred to as recalculation (Key Term) Functions are predefined formulas provided by spreadsheet programs What-if Allows user to create different scenarios for different results Probably one of the most powerful tools of spreadsheet Range (Key Term) is a series of cells

Usage of Spreadsheet Creating a Sales Forecast Creating a Chart Analyzing Your Data

Creating a Sales Forecast Features Worksheets Text entries Functions Cells (Key Term) Formulas

Creating a Chart Features Titling – makes the chart easier to read Chart types Chart – is based on a worksheet Data labels Legend

Analyzing Your Data

Statistical Software A mathematical science pertaining to the collection, analysis, interpretation or explanation, and presentation of data. It is applicable to a wide variety of academic disciplines, from the natural and social sciences to the humanities, and to government and business. Statistical methods can be used to summarize or describe a collection of data. Examples of statistical software are SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) , MATLAB and Minitab.