1. Computers Tools for an Information Age
Software Systems and Applications

2. Software Systems and Applications

3. Application Software
Application software refers to programs that enable the user to be productive when using the computer.
Two categories of application programs:
Horizontal applications
Vertical applications

4. Horizontal Applications
Horizontal applications– Are used across the divisions of a company and are popular with consumers.
Internet
Personal Productivity
Web Browsers
Word Processing
Spreadsheets
Address Books
Home/Education
Personal Finance
Tax Preparation
Desktop Publishing
Reference
Games
Multimedia/Graphics
Desktop Publishing
Photo Editing
3D Rendering

5. Horizontal Applications
Word Processor
Spreadsheet
Database

6. Vertical Applications
Vertical applications– Are used for a particular line of business.
Types of vertical applications:
Billing programs
Inventory tracking programs
Point of Sale software
Custom software

7. Commercial Software, Shareware, and Freeware
Most computer software is copyrighted, which means that an individual can not copy, alter, or use software on more than one computer.
Types of copyrighted software:
Commercial– Buy before using it
Shareware– Try it before you buy it
Freeware– Free software, but it can’t be copied and sold

8. Commercial Software, Shareware, and Freeware
Public domain software– Is not copyrighted. No restrictions for using, copying, altering, and selling the software.
Time-limited trial version– Program that can be installed for free but will expire when the trial period ends.
Beta version– A preliminary version of a program that is being tested.
Copy protected– A program with a protective measure that prohibits unauthorized copies.

9. Software Licenses
A software license gives the user the right to install and use the program on one computer.
Installing a program on more than one computer requires a site license.

10. Software Version
Software producers include a version number with their products.
Version numbers are used to identify the release of the program being used.
Recent releases have numbers greater than earlier releases (Recent Ver. 6.0; Earlier Ver. 1.0).
Whole numbers are major revisions (1.0, 2.0, 3.0, etc.).
Decimal numbers refer to maintenance releases or updates and fixes (1.1, 1.2, 1.3, etc.).

11. Using Application Software
Installing Applications:
Install the software on the hard drive.
Installation utilities guide you through the process.
Installation changes the registry of the OS.
Use an uninstall utility to remove a program from the hard drive.
Do not just delete a program from your files.

12. Help Menu
The help menu provides options available for using the program.

13. Using Wizards
A wizard is a series of dialog boxes that guides you through a step-by-step procedure.