ITGS Application Software, pt. 3

ITGS Business Software Alliance (BSA) and Federation Against Software Theft (FAST) –Represent software companies and work to reduce illegal copying Lobby the government for stricter copyright enforcement Rewards given for people who turn in copyright infringement cases

ITGS Custom, or “bespoke” software –If off-the shelf software from a store doesn’t meet an organization’s requirements, they can hire a software development company to produce software tailored to their specific needs This is most useful to organizations with very specific needs not catered to by mainstream software Very expensive

ITGS Reasons companies and people still pay for commercial software (vs. Open Source): –Better technical support –Ability to integrate software with other products (MS databases with Office) –Easier to find staff with relevant experience and training

ITGS Open source vs. closed source –Source code: the instructions that make up the program –Programmers write source code in languages such as C, Java, or Basic, which are readable to humans –A translator program then converts the source code into binary code, which can be executed by the computer Commercial software companies consider their source code to be hugely valuable business assets Free (FOSS) and open source programmers openly encourage users to download, view and change their source code

ITGS FOSS isn’t always free –Some companies sell FOSS along with hardware, installation, documentation and technical support services. Red Hat enterprises sells Linux to mainframe users, offering technical support and software updates for paid subscriptions

ITGS Commercial software companies make money by selling upgrades and new versions Security in Open Source –Because the code is examined by so many people, security problems are spotted, then fixed –Security bugs in commercial software are only known to the developers –Because the code is available, malicious users can use it to spot and exploit security problems Transparency in Open Source –Because all can examine the software, the way it works can be verified For example, source code could prove that voting software counts votes correctly

ITGS Cloud computing –Applications are web-based, stored on a server of on the internet (‘in the cloud’) The system is accessed via a web browser No data is stored on the user’s computer, but on a remote Internet server –Advantages: Software and data are available from any location with internet access Upgrades to cloud software are automatically available on all computers immediately –Disadvantages: Users rely on the cloud computing provider having adequate security to prevent data from falling into the hands of unauthorized users Users rely on the cloud computing provider to have adequate backup procedures to prevent loss of data

ITGS User interfaces –Graphical user interface (GUI) - used by most modern operating systems Uses visual buttons, menus, icons and windows to represent different parts of the computer, including the hardware, software and data –Usually controlled by a mouse or another type of pointing device

ITGS User interfaces –Command Line Interface (CLI) The user interacts with the computer solely by typing commands –Some of the earliest interfaces –Most modern operating systems have a command prompt (also called a terminal) built in »PC: type ‘cmd’, press enter »Mac: Applications>Utilities

ITGS User interfaces –Menu driven Interface (MDI) Let the user make decisions from a series of predetermined options that may be spread across multiple screens or menus –ATMs, restaurants, etc.

ITGS Ways to get help –Read-me files Included with software files, these detail last minute changes or known problems which have not been included in the printed documentation. –Web: FAQ’s (frequently asked questions) Tutorials –Wizards: Can guide users through a complex task by breaking it into steps and asking a series of questions