Computer Concepts

Module 8A and 5
Software, Programs and Apps
Carey/Pinard/Shaffer/Shellman/Vodnik, New Perspectives Collection, Microsoft® Office 365® & Office 2019, 1st Edition. © 2020 Cengage. All Rights
Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.
Technology for Success: Computer Concepts

Lesson Objectives
• Categorize the different types of software
• Use software for everyday tasks
• Explain how apps are used in daily
computing life
• Explore common features of productivity
apps

Categories of Software
Categories
of
software
System software:
Operating system
Utilities
Application software:
Productivity (business
and personal)
Graphics and media
Personal interest
Communications

Use Software for Everyday Tasks
• Explain the purpose of access control technologies in digital rights
management
• Acquire legitimate software
• Install software
• Update software
• Explain how to troubleshoot software

Digital Rights Management
• Issues with copyright law led to the development of digital rights
management (DRM)
o A strategy designed to prevent illegal distribution of movies, music, and other
digital content, including programs and apps
o Access controls
o License agreement

Acquiring Legitimate Software
Table 8-1: Program and App Types
Type Description
Retail Meets the needs of a wide variety of users, such as an operating system or productivity
suite
Custom Created with a company or set of users’ unique needs in mind to perform functions
specific to a business or industry
Shareware Copyrighted and distributed for free for a trial period, after which you must send payment
to continue using the program
Freeware Copyrighted and provided at no cost, but the developer retains all rights to the product
Open source Provided for use, modification, and redistribution, without restrictions from the copyright
holder
Public domain Donated for public use and has no copyright restrictions
Software as a Service (SaaS) Copyrighted software that is distributed online for a monthly subscription or an annual fee
Native app Created and optimized to run on a specific device or platform/operating system
Students to fill-in the blanks and match terms and
definitions in Moodle
Activity–SW-Software

Install Software
• Registration: typically optional, allows for
syncing of accounts across multiple devices
• Activation: usually required upfront or after a
trial period
• To uninstall an app, use the uninstaller tool
that comes with the operating system
o Uninstalling unused apps frees up storage
space

Update Software
• Can provide additional functionality or
address security or other issues
• Mobile apps typically update
automatically
o Some SaaS programs allow for automatic
updates as well
• Types of updates
o Patches
o Service packs
o Upgrades

Troubleshooting Software
• When a crash occurs, try the following
troubleshooting steps:
o Note any error messages that are
displayed
o Save data while working to avoid losing it
o Restart the program
o Reboot and try running the program again
o Check for software updates
o Search reliable Internet sources for known
solutions
o Scan for viruses or malware
o Uninstall and reinstall the app

Apps in Daily Computing Life
• Describe the categories
• Describe the types of apps and discuss their advantages

Categories of Apps
• Application software: programs that help
you perform specific tasks when using
your computer or device
o Productivity apps: allow one to create
documents for business and personal use
o Graphics and media apps: allow one to
interact with digital media
o Personal interest apps: give one tools to
pursue interests
o Communications apps: provide tools for
sharing or receiving information
• Device management apps: provide tools
for maintaining a computer or device

Types of Apps
• Local applications: installed on the
computer’s hard drive
• Portable apps: run from removable
storage, such as an external hard drive or
from the cloud
• Web apps: programs accessed over the
Internet, in a browser
• Mobile apps: apps that you access on a
smartphone or tablet
• Native apps: apps written for a specific
operating system
What are the advantages of each of these types of apps?

Common Features of Productivity Apps
• Understand the features of common productivity suites
• Use word processing software for basic word processing functions
• Use spreadsheet software to manage basic workbooks
• Use presentation software to create and share basic presentations
• Use database software to manage basic databases
• Use graphics software to create or edit images, photos or video

The Features of Common Productivity Suites (1 of 2)
Productivity Suite
• Versions to install on a computer, mobile device, or run in the cloud in a
browser
o Web and mobile versions are often simpler and contain the most basic and
popular features
• Some are free, and some require you to purchase a license or subscription
• Storing documents in the cloud allows for collaboration

The Features of Common Productivity Suites (2 of 2)
Popular Productivity Suites
Table 5-3: Popular productivity suites
Microsoft Office Apple iWork G Suite OpenOffice
Operating system
supported
Windows, macOS
or web apps
macOS, iOS, or web
apps
ChromeOS or web
apps
Windows,
Linux, macOS
Word processor Microsoft Word Pages Google Docs Writer
Spreadsheet Microsoft Excel Numbers Google Sheets Calc
Presentation Microsoft
PowerPoint
Keynote Google Slides Impress
Database Microsoft Access Base
Email Microsoft Outlook Apple Mail Gmail
Online version Office Online iWork for iCloud G Suite
Cloud storage Microsoft OneDrive iCloud Google Drive

Presentation Software
• Can help organize content and create professional-looking digital slide shows
o Each slide has a specific layout based on its content, and each layout has
predefined placeholders for these items
o Can be customized
• Add main points as a bulleted list,
SmartArt, graphics, or images
• Provide design ideas
• Display presentations in different
views

Word Processing Software
• Create documents, a collection of one
or more pages
• Format text, images and other elements
by changing size, style, color, and
special effects
• Specify a document’s margins and the
page orientation
• Specify styles for a document’s title,
headings, paragraphs, quotes, and more

Spreadsheet Software
• Let you interact with numbers, charts,
graphics, text, and data
• Can perform calculations on data stored in
a grid of cells and recalculate values
automatically when the data changes
• Worksheets are laid out in a grid of rows
and columns; they use letters to identify
each column and consecutive numbers to
identify each row
• A cell is the location formed by the
intersection of a column and a row

Database Software (1 of 2)
• A collection of data organized in a manner that allows access, retrieval, and
reporting of that data
o Add, update, and delete data
o Filter, sort and retrieve data from the database
o Create forms and reports
• Database applications
o Track contacts, schedules, possessions, or collections
o Process orders, track inventory, maintain customer lists, or manage employee
records
o Store customer relationship management data

Database Software (2 of 2)
Manage Databases
• Control access to the database by regulating who can use it and what parts
they can see
• Ensure data integrity and minimize data entry errors by controlling how data
is entered, formatted, and stored
• Prevent users from inadvertently changing or deleting important data
• Manage database backup plans regularly
• Establish security to protect data from hacker attacks

Graphics Software (1 of 3)
• Create, view, manipulate, and print many types
of digital images
• Types of Graphics Apps
o Paint apps draw pictures, shapes, and other
graphics with various on-screen tools
o Photo and image editing apps provide the
capabilities of paint apps and let you enhance
and modify existing photos and images
o Video editing apps allow you to modify a clip
and typically include audio editing capabilities
o Drawing apps let you create simple, two-
dimensional images, typically vector graphics

• Digital images are stored either in bitmap,
sometimes called raster, or vector format
o Bitmap images are based on pixels
o Vector graphics use mathematical formulas to
define their appearance
o Most clip art images are stored as vector
graphics

Table 5-11: Popular graphics formats
Name Extension Description
Bitmap .bmp Uncompressed file format that codes a value for each pixel. Files can be
large.
TIFF (Tagged Image File
Format)
.tiff Large image format commonly used for print publishing because it
maintains quality. Avoid using on webpages because of the large file
sizes.
JPEG (Joint Photographic
Experts Group)
.jpg A compressed image file format usually used to save photos taken with
digital cameras. Useful for images on webpages and in documents,
because they have high quality and small file sizes.
GIF (Graphics Interchange
Format)
.gif A proprietary compressed graphics format that supports images with
animation and transparent backgrounds.
PNG (Portable Networks
Graphics)
.png An open compressed format that has replaced GIF in many cases.
Supports images with transparent backgrounds. Low resolution images
that you can edit without losing quality. Great for use on webpages.
Raw data .raw Uncompressed and unprocessed data from a digital camera, Usually used
by professional photographers.

Software alternatives
What if you do not have the required app to carry out a task?
1. Identify the exact nature of the task and the required outcome
2. Source and evaluate options / software alternatives
Source software options and alternatives for the following tasks:
• Minor photo-editing for social media (mobile phone)
• Note-taking software for college/uni (tablets and/or laptops)
Students to complete individually or in small groups
and share the results with the class

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