GENERAL PURPOSE PACKAGES
Contents
Introduction
iv
What are General Purpose Packages, why
do we use them and what are they used for?
1
Storing Data in Your GPP
4
The Human-Computer Interface
8
Integrated Packages
13
What do you need to know about the Packages?
17
What do you need to know about Graphics?
25
What do you need to know about Spreadsheets?
29
What do you need to know about Databases?
35
Desktop Publishing
40
Presentation/Multimedia Packages
44
Creating a Web Page
50
What is an Expert System?
54
General Purposes Packages in the Workplace
56
The Law
59
GPP Questions
64
GPP Answers
74
Answers to Exercises
80
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Presentation/Multimedia Packages
•
•
•
Multimedia documents combine text, graphics, sound, animation and
even video clips.
Multimedia authoring packages and presentation packages are both used
to set up slideshows to present information using all of these types of data.
Most packages provide you with a series of templates to choose from and
many will provide you with a wizard to help you set up a presentation.
Assembling the elements of a presentation
Before you start to assemble your pages you need to gather all the materials you
are going to use, for example the sound files, the graphics and the video clips,
and store them in folders.
Once you have your sound
files, graphics, videos and
animations stored in folders
you can begin to put the
presentation together. This
involves placing the
graphics and text where
you want them, attaching
sound files and inserting
video clips and animations.
This page has a
background graphic of
the Glasgow Science
Centre tower and text boxes are being placed carefully in the foreground.
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Let us look at how the different elements of a presentation are put together.
Inserting text and graphics
There are two main ways of entering text:
•
using the keyboard
•
cutting and pasting from other documents.
There are a couple of standard ways of adding graphics:
•
from clip art files held on hard disk, CD or websites.
•
from folders of graphics that you have collected and stored on your hard disk.
Adding audio
You can attach an audio file to one or more slides in a presentation and, in
some packages, to an object on the slide. This is usually a simple matter of
pointing at the location of the audio file to link it to the slide or object. In this
example an audio file is being attached to the graphic object.
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Adding video
Video clips are an integral part of a good
multimedia presentation.
Linking a
video clip
to a presentation document is usually
a straightforward matter of opening
the folder, pointing at the file and
clicking the mouse.
Some applications have templates of
pages/slides with control buttons like
play, forward and reverse already in
place. These are ready to have video
clips linked to them.
Capturing audio
You can capture audio for your presentation by:
•
•
•
•
recording a track from a CD
playing a musical instrument,
such as a MIDI keyboard,
directly into your computer
downloading a sound file
from the internet
recording sounds directly
using a microphone and a
recording feature like this one.
Your system really needs to have a good-quality sound card to enable you to
capture good-quality sounds. To find out more about sound cards see the
Computer Systems support notes.
Capturing images
If you want to capture your own images to put into your presentation you can
use these technologies that are explained in detail in other parts of the
support notes.
•
•
•
A scanner
A digital camera
A webcam
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You can also use a
search engine on the
internet such as Google
to locate graphics.
Using hyperlinks to link slides
Linear linkage of slides
Once you have made up your slides you need to begin to link them up.
Some packages automatically link your slides to follow one after another. With
other packages you have to set up the links yourself. This graphic shows a set
of slides linked to follow one after the other.
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When you are organising the slides in your presentation you can use
hyperlinks to give the user alternative ways through the presentation.
Hyperlinks link pages together and, by clicking on them, the user can jump to
a new page.
You can give the user a menu of hyperlinks and let them choose what they
want to look at.
These hyperlinks give the user a choice of revision questions to answer.
Hyperlinks can be attached to graphics, for example buttons or arrows.
Clicking on the buttons/arrows lets users move forward or backward or
even jump to pages they are
interested in.
The hyperlink attached to this button
will take you to some credit topics.
The hyperlink attached to this
arrow moves the user forward to the
next slide.
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Exercise 19
1. List two ways of entering text into a multimedia presentation.
2. Complete this sentence using the words below.
‘Most presentations are made up of ______ that are _______ together
simply to follow on one _____ another.
linked, after, slides.
3.
4.
5.
6.
List four ways of capturing audio for use in a presentation.
Describe one way of capturing audio that you have used.
List three ways of capturing an image for use in a presentation.
Describe two ways of capturing images that you have actually used.
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Creating a Web Page
Using a wizard or a template
This is a good way to
get your web pages
started. A wizard will
step you through the
process and templates
like these ones have page
structures already set up.
All you have to do is
select the one you need.
Adding text, graphics, sound and video clips
You can enter text into your web page by:
•
•
•
using the keyboard
cutting and pasting from another document
inserting a text file.
Adding graphics, sound and video clips to your web pages makes them truly
multimedia documents and makes them attractive. Adding these to your web
page is usually a simple
process of browsing
through your folders/
directories and clicking
on the graphic or video
clip you want inserted.
Here you can see a sound
file being attached to a
web page.
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Using hyperlinks
You found out about using hyperlinks when you looked at multimedia and
presentation software. Hyperlinks are used on web pages to link pages
together and to help users find their way around your web pages.
Helping users find their way around your website
When you are linking your web pages using hyperlinks you should try to help
the users who are going to visit your site by setting up your hyperlinks so that
they have different paths through the site.
Graphic hyperlink
Text hyperlinks
This page offers the user text links, a graphics link as well as, in the main
menu on the left, links back to the ‘Welcome’ page and other courses.
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Adding a hotspot
A hotspot is an invisible area on a page to which you attach an action of some
sort. When a user makes the pointer hover over the hotspot, or clicks on it,
an event takes place, for example it jumps to a new page, starts playing a
sound file or activates an animation or a video.
Using hotspots makes your page interactive and lets the user choose where to go
and what to find out. For example you could place hotspots on these graphics and
link them to text pages that explained what was going on in each one.
When the user clicks on the hotspot
that is marked by a circle, this text
box appears.
This is a sensor that
enables the robot arm
to identify objects
Here you see a robot arm on a
space station. Its reaction
time will have to be instant.
For further information on
Real Time Processing jump to
the systems section.
Here the hotspot, marked by a circle, is over a robot
arm that is attached to the space station.
This is one of the solar
panels that provide the
space station with energy.
The same graphic can have several hotspots attached
to it. Here the user has activated a hotspot that has
been placed over a solar panel on the space station.
Adding tables
Tables in web pages are
used to help you organise
the materials on your page.
They are an excellent way of
keeping text and graphics together.
Here you can see a table with
one row and two columns being
used to hold text and a graphic.
Here is a picture of
the Glasgow Science
Centre tower. It has
sensors that detect
wind speed and
direction. The data is
fed back to a
controlling computer
system that changes
the direction in
which the tower is
pointed.
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Exercise 20
1. How would a template help you create a web page?
2. If you have created a web page, describe how you entered text and
graphics.
3. Name two types of data that, other than text and graphic data, you can
include in a web page.
4. What are hyperlinks used for?
5. Do hyperlinks mean that users always have to go through web pages
one after another in sequence?
6. How do tables help you control the layout of a web page?
7. What is a hotspot?
8. How do hotspots help the user interact with a web page?
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What is an Expert System?
An expert system is a package that holds a body of knowledge and a set of
rules on a subject that has been gained from human experts.
An expert system helps the user make decisions by asking questions and then,
based on the user’s answers and the knowledge that it holds, offering advice. It
can even explain to the user how it arrived at its conclusions.
What is the purpose of expert systems?
Expert systems are designed to help people make decisions by making the
knowledge of a human expert available to them in a software package.
Expert systems are used to help people make decisions in a whole range
of situations.
•
•
•
•
•
In the financial world they are used by people to make decisions about
investments, risks, and complex projects.
In hospitals expert systems can help doctors diagnose illnesses and
suggest treatments.
In the oil industry they are used in exploration for oil fields.
In industry expert systems are used to help maintain and repair equipment.
In factories they are used to help manage complex production processes.
Expert systems have the following advantages.
•
•
•
•
•
They make expert knowledge available through a computer system.
They combine the knowledge of lots of experts.
They support people when they have important and complex decisions
to make.
People in remote places, for example doctors in remote hospitals, can
have expert help and advice on hand in the shape of the expert system.
People can learn using expert systems by asking questions, reading the
answers and asking the system to give feedback on the reasons for the
answers given.
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Exercise 21
Complete these sentences using the words below.
1. Expert systems are designed to help people make ________ by
making the _______of a human _______ available to them in a
software _______.
expert, package, knowledge, decisions
2. In hospitals ________systems can help doctors diagnose ________and
suggest_________. In the oil industry they are used in __________for
oil fields.
illnesses, exploration, treatments, expert
3.
4.
5.
6.
Use the internet to find other examples of the use of expert systems.
List the advantages of using expert systems.
How can people learn about a subject by using an expert system?
Are expert systems meant to take over from people and make
decisions?
7. Describe how an expert system can be used in a hospital or clinic in a
remote part of the Highlands.
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General Purpose Packages in
the Workplace
Jobs
How does the use of GPP in the workplace affect people?
Loss of jobs?
Some jobs might be lost but for most people the introduction of new systems
and packages means that their jobs change to fit in with the computer systems.
How does it change people’s jobs?
People have to work with GPP and this means they have to:
•
learn new such as like word processing, using spreadsheets, constructing
web pages.
Need for training
When a new package is introduced staff members have to attend training
courses. These can be very expensive but there are advantages, such as:
•
once trained, staff can make full use of the packages
•
the business will run more efficiently and this should make the cost of
the training worthwhile.
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No more paper?
Using computers to store all our data means that we can store data and
documents on hard disks, CDs even DVDs. Does this mean the end of paper?
Because we can store so much on CD and hard disk or even USB Flash
memory it does mean that there is less paper around, and less need for filing
cabinets to store the paper in.
But, so many people have access to printers that it is inevitable that we still
produce lots of printouts.
One big source of paper is the endless stream of junk mail that is churned out by
computer systems and posted to you, though nowadays a lot of it comes by e-mail.
A paperless world is still a long way off.
Exercise 22
1. What do people need to learn when new general purpose packages are
introduced to their workplace?
2. Training courses can be very expensive. Why are businesses prepared
to pay such a lot for training?
3. Is your printer rarely used or do you still need lots of printouts? List the
documents you need to print out.
Initial costs, replacement costs and
running costs
When you set up a computer system with all its hardware and packages you
have to remember that there are a lot of costs involved.
Initial costs
These involve paying for:
•
computer systems
•
application packages
•
training courses
•
installation of cabling and power sockets.
Replacement costs
Replacements are always needed because:
•
newer, more powerful computers are developed all the time
•
new software with advanced features is constantly coming on the market
•
new technologies, for example wireless computing, become available
•
hardware such as scanners, monitors and printers eventually wears out
and needs replaced.
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Running costs
•
•
•
The cost of maintenance and repairs.
The cost of consumables like toner for a laser printer, ink cartridges for
an inkjet.
The cost of internet connections.
This can all be very expensive but worth it. Documents are produced quickly and to
a high standard, data is stored and updated easily, businesses run more efficiently.
Exercise 23
Complete this table on costs. The first row has been completed for you.
Initial costs
Replacement costs
Running costs
Buying software
packages
Replacing worn
out monitors
Cost of inkjet cartridges
or laser toner
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The Law
Data Protection
Act 1998
The need for the Data Protection Act
Data held about people on computers and networks can be hacked into and
the data can be changed, copied or deleted. People’s privacy can be invaded.
To protect the data and people’s rights the Data Protection Act was passed by
Parliament to protect people’s privacy. There is so much private information
about people held on computer systems that it is possible for mistakes to be
made and for data to get lost. There are also lots of hackers (people who try to
get unauthorised access to data) who are constantly trying to access, copy,
change or delete private information.
When businesses or organisations keep information about people on computer
systems they need to make sure that:
•
data is backed up
A system of making regular backup copies is necessary. This makes sure
that if data is lost it can then be recovered from the backup copy.
•
data is protected
Anyone who holds data on people must try to protect it from hackers.
A common way of doing this is to use IDs and passwords. This is a good
system and does restrict access to people who are authorised to see,
search through and update data. Unfortunately, it does not stop all
hackers.
•
data is checked for accuracy
When data is being entered into a system or being updated people can
make mistakes with the result that the data is inaccurate. Unfortunately,
despite the fact that businesses and organisations carry out checks
mistakes still happen and inaccurate data does get stored on computer
systems.
So, if hackers can get through and mistakes can happen, there is a need to give
people the right to access their own data.
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Everyone’s right under the law
The Data Protection Act gives everyone the right to see data that is held
about them on a computer system and to have it changed if it is wrong!
There are exceptions to the Act
If the data is held by the police, the security forces or the Inland Revenue
then access is denied.
The Data Protection Act was passed by Parliament in 1984 and updated in
1998. The important points you need to know about are as follows.
Data subject
Data subjects, the people who have data held about them, have the right to:
•
•
•
•
•
•
know if data is held about them on a computer and to have a copy of the data
know why the data is being processed and who is going to receive the data
inspect that data and to have it changed if they think it is inaccurate
ask for compensation if data is inaccurate or if an unauthorised person
has been given access to it
prevent processing of data likely to cause damage or distress
be sure that decisions made about them are not made only on the basis
of automatic computer processing.
A data subject can also apply to the courts to block the processing of data or
to correct, erase or destroy it.
Data controller
A Data controller is the person, business or organisation controlling the
collection, contents and use of personal data.
The data controller must:
•
•
•
register with the Data Protection Commissioner
apply for permission to keep personal data on computers
state what data they want to keep, what it will be used for and who has
access to it.
The data controller must keep to the following data protection principles. All
personal data should:
•
•
be processed only if the consent of the individual is given, if it is part of
a legal contract, if it is essential to a business transaction or the carrying
out of public duties
be held for the specified purposes described in the Register entry
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•
•
be accurate and where necessary be kept up to date
be relevant and not excessive in relation to the purpose for which they
are held
be adequate for the purpose specified
be processed in accordance with the rights of the data subject
be surrounded by proper security
only be transferred to countries outside the EU that have in place
adequate security measures as defined in the act.
•
•
•
•
Data user
This is an authorised user within the organisation or business who is given an
ID and password that enables them to access data. A data user in a bank
would be one of the bank’s employees.
Exercise 24
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What right do people have under the Data Protection Act?
Does this apply to all data held on them on every computer system?
How do businesses and organisations control who accesses personal data?
What is hacking?
Complete this table using the descriptions given below.
Data subjects
Data controllers
Data users
The authorised users within the organisation or business.
The people, businesses or organisations controlling the collection, contents
and use of personal data.
The people who have data held about them on computer systems.
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Copyright Designs and Patents Act
Software copyright is
protected by law for 50 years
after it is published. The
Copyright Designs and
Patents Act makes it illegal to:
•
•
•
Copyright,
Designs and
Patents Act 1988
make unauthorised
copies of software that
is copyright protected
run unauthorised
copies of software
transmit software over networks and copy it without licensed permission.
The Computer Misuse Act
This makes damaging a computer system by hacking into it illegal and
subject to penalties. This act makes it illegal to:
•
gain unauthorised access to a computer system (hacking)
•
make unauthorised
modifications to computer
materials.
What is modifying computer
material? It means:
•
•
•
Computer
Misuse Act 1990
damaging a computer
system by inserting a virus
preventing authorised access by changing or deleting passwords
making unauthorised changes to software or data.
What are the penalties? – Up to five years’ imprisonment and fines.
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Exercise 25
Complete this table using the terms given below. You can use a term more
than once.
This act is designed to make
planting viruses and hacking illegal.
This act is designed to make
unauthorised copying of software illegal.
This act is designed to make it illegal
to make unauthorised changes to
computer software or data.
This act is designed to make it illegal to
use an unauthorised copy of software.
Computer Misuse Act
Copyright Designs and Patents Act
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GPP Questions
Packages and data
1. Write out a list of the packages you need to know about.
2. Give two reasons why do people use GPP.
3. Complete this table listing the packages that handle the following types
of data.
Type of data
Package
Text
Numbers
Graphic
Audio
Photographic
Animation
Video
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
What is text used for in a graphics package?
Give an example of the use of graphic data in a database.
Describe an expert system.
What is an animation?
Why can files that store animations be quite large?
Why are video files often stored on DVD?
Describe the difference between an ASCII file and an RTF file.
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HCI
1. Complete this sentence: ‘This graphic is an example of a _____. It is
made up of a series of _____.’
2. What is the Human–Computer Interface (HCI)?
3. What is a Graphical User Interface (GUI)?
4. What is an icon?
5. List three pieces of hardware that you have used by clicking on an icon.
6. What does ‘WIMP’ stand for?
7. Why is a WIMP-based HCI so popular?
8. What is a template? Give an example of a template that you have used
or know about.
9. What is a wizard? Give an example of a wizard you have used or know about.
10. Describe what ‘online help’ is and give an example of what you would
use it for.
11. What does ‘customising your HCI’ mean?
12. List two simple ways of customising the HCI on your desktop.
13. List two examples of keyboard shortcuts that you have used.
14. What advantage is there in using keyboard shortcuts?
Integrated packages
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Describe an integrated package.
Why do people purchase integrated packages?
List two advantages of using an integrated package?
‘The applications in an integrated package have a common HCI.’ What
does this mean?
Which of these is an advantage of an integrated package?
(a) its ability to handle 3-D graphics
(b) the speed with which it can display video clips
(c) the ease with which you can transfer data from one package to another.
Complete this sentence: ‘When you set up a dynamic link between two
files a change to the data in the source file … .’
Give an example of the use of a dynamic link.
Describe a static link between two files.
List three differences between an integrated package and an integrated
suite of packages?
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Spreadsheet
Look at this spreadsheet carefully.
The spreadsheet is set up to calculate the cost of a range of hardware that is
arranged alphabetically in column A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
What is the address of the cell containing the amount of the ‘Total Cost’?
Write out the formula to calculate the total cost.
Another piece of hardware – a laser printer – the Samsung ML-2152
costing £527 has to be added to its correct position in the list. What has to
be done to the spreadsheet to make room for it?
You cannot see all the details in the ‘Make and Model’ column. What
needs to be done to improve this display?
Column C must display the figures as pounds sterling. What has to be
done to the cells in that column to achieve this?
Write out the formula that should be used to find the cost of the most
expensive item.
What could be done to the spreadsheet to make sure that the discount
rate in cell B18 was not changed accidentally?
How would charting the data help the users of the spreadsheet?
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9.
A 10 per cent discount is given if any item is >£1000. Write out the
formula, which will be replicated down column D, to calculate the
discount amount for the desktop using absolute and relative reference
where it is appropriate.
Database
This is a display from a database held by a dentist’s surgery.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
There are two records displayed on the screen. What could the dentist do
to display more records?
The dentist wants the database to hold information on the date of the
next appointment. What needs to be done to the database to do this?
A new patient joins the dental practice. What should be added to the file
to hold the new patient’s information?
The dentist wants to see the record of a patient called William Wallace.
How can this be done using the database?
How can the dentist get a list of all patients in alphabetical order even if
there are some people who have the same surname?
The dentist wants a list of all patients who have had more than two
fillings and more than four crowns fitted. Describe the search that needs
to be carried out to get this list.
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7.
8.
9.
The dentist wants to keep note of the total number of treatments each
patient has. What needs to be added to the database file to hold this
information?
The dentist wants printouts cards with just the patients’ names and
addresses on them. How can he do this?
Is there any way the dentist can change his database file so that he can
find any patient without having to carry out complex searches?
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Word-processing: Highloch Walking Holidays
To:
Date:
Dear
Holiday Booking Form
Thanks for applying for a place on our waking vacation in the Scottish
Highlands. Your vacation in _____________ will include a trip to Fort
William and Ben Nevis as well as a fine walk in the Cuillin Mountains on the
Isle of Skye.
The dates of your vacation are _____________.
Your accommodation has been reserved in one of the serf-catering Highland
Hideaway Chalets. We hope you will enjoy your stay with us as well as the
lovely Scottish scenery.
Yours sincerely
A McFarlane
Highland walking tours
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The words in italics are spelt wrongly. What feature of the wordprocessing package needs to be used to correct it? How does it work?
Explain how the alignment of some of the text needs to be changed.
The person who is creating the letter prefers to use the word ‘holiday’
instead of ‘vacation’. He wants to change every occurrence of ‘vacation’
to ‘holiday’. Explain how this can be done efficiently.
The person who created this letter used standard paragraphs to help him.
Explain how the use of standard paragraphs helped put the letter together.
What is the advantage of placing the heading and the graphic of the hill
in a table?
How would creating a template help set up standard letters like this in
the future?
Which package would be used along with the word-processing package
to produce this letter?
The manager sees an article in a magazine about walking in the
Highlands. How could he get the text of the article into his computer
without having to type it in?
Web page
1.
Explain the advantage of using a template like this to make the web
page on the right.
Template
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2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
There are two types of hyperlink in this web page. What are they?
Explain what hyperlinks do.
How does attaching an audio file improve a web page?
What is the job of the table in this web page?
How can the web page be set up so that when a user moves the pointer
over one of the graphics it links to another page with more robot
graphics and data?
Jobs and costs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
How do people’s jobs change when computers are introduced into the
workplace?
The cost of training people to use packages can be very high. Why is it
worth the cost?
‘There is really no need to have a printer. You can store and display all
your data on the computer system.’ Do you agree with this statement?
Give reasons for your answer.
Paying for packages and training courses are examples of:
(a) initial costs?
(b) running costs?
(c) long-term costs?
Buying the latest version of a web page authoring package is an example of:
(a) initial costs?
(b) replacement costs?
(c) running costs?
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The Law: Check your knowledge of the
Data Protection Act
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Why is the Data Protection Act needed?
Why are IDs and passwords needed?
How do backups help protect data?
What right does everyone have under the Data Protection Act?
What exceptions are there to people’s rights to inspect data held about them?
A ‘data subject’ is:
(a) the person or organisation that collects data about people and stores
it on a computer system
(b) the person whose details are stored on the computer
(c) a person who is authorised to view and update personal data.
A ‘data user’ is:
(a) the person or organisation that collects data about people and stores
it on a computer system
(b) the person whose details are stored on the computer
(c) a person who is authorised to view and update personal data.
A ‘data controller’ is:
(a) the person or organisation that collects data about people and stores
it on a computer system
(b) the person whose details are stored on the computer
(c) a person who is authorised to view and update personal data.
The Data Protection Act lays down principles that the data controller
must keep to. Indicate which of the following are true or false principles
under the Act.
Principle
True or False?
(a) The data controller must
get the consent of the people
whose data is stored on his system
(b) All data must be accurate and kept
up to date.
(c) Data can be transferred anywhere in
the world to be processed.
(d) Data must be protected by adequate
security measures.
(e) Data controllers can store as much
information about a person as they like.
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10. ‘The Computer Misuse Act was designed to make it illegal to copy
software without licensed permission.’ True or false?
11. What does the Computer Misuse Act mean by ‘modifying computer
materials’?
12. Complete these sentences:
The Copyright Designs and Patents Act makes it illegal to make copies of …
The Copyright Designs and Patents Act makes it illegal to transmit …
The Copyright Designs and Patents Act makes it illegal to run …
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GPP Answers
Packages and data
1.
2.
Word processing, database, spreadsheets, graphics, multimedia/
presentation packages, desktop publishing packages, web page authoring
packages, expert systems.
They help increase productivity; keeping data up to date is
straightforward; they enable you to produce documents that help
communicate with other people; documents are easily altered; they
reduce costs, in the long term.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Type of data
Package
Text
Word processing, DTP, presentations
Numbers
Spreadsheet
Graphic
Graphics (drawing, painting)
Audio
Multimedia
Photographic
Graphics, multimedia, web page authoring
Animation
Graphics, multimedia, web page authoring
Video
Graphics, multimedia, web page authoring
For labelling graphics.
To store people’s photos as well as their names and addresses.
An expert system stores and processes the knowledge of an expert and is
used to help people make complex decisions.
An animation is a series of drawings displayed quickly one after another
to produce the effect of movement.
Because the computer has to store information about every graphic that
is displayed. There can be as many as 24 graphics displayed every
second.
Because they are too large to store on a CD.
An ASCII file stores only text, without any formatting information such
as paragraphing, styles and fonts. A rich text format (RTF) file stores the
text and the formatting information.
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HCI
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
‘This graphic is an example of a toolbar. It is made up of a series of
icons.’
The HCI is the part of the computer system that we humans use to
control, and communicate with, the computer system.
It is an HCI that is based on graphical displays such as icons, windows
and dialogue boxes.
It is a graphic that represents a file, a folder, a piece of hardware or a
software package.
Likely answers are: ‘printer’, ‘floppy disk drive’, ‘removable hard drive’,
‘CD-writer’, ‘scanner’, ‘digital camera’.
Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers. (or Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pulldown-menus.)
Because it is so user friendly.
A template is the skeleton of a document with much of the format of the
document already in place, such as headings, colour, fonts, tables and
text boxes. An example is a template for an invitation card.
A wizard is a sort of tutorial that guides you through a complicated task. A
popular use of wizards in general purpose packages is to take you, step by
step, through the process of setting up a document or labelling a chart.
‘Online help’ is a collection of information about the features of your
software packages that is part of your package. You would use it to find
out how to perform a task, for example how to display the formulae in
a spreadsheet.
It means making changes to the HCI to fit
your personal taste.
Some likely answers are: ‘changing the size
and shape of your icons’, ‘changing the speed
of the pointer’, ‘changing the appearance of
the desktop: its colour, the screensaver being
used’, ‘changing the keyboard settings, such as
the cursor blink rate’.
Obvious shortcuts are Ctrl-P to print, Ctrl-S to
save, in fact any on an edit menu like this one:
Using keyboard shortcuts is a direct and quick
way to get tasks done. This is because you can
avoid using a series of menus, which slows you
down.
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Integrated packages
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
An integrated package combines three or four applications – usually:
‘graphics’, ‘spreadsheet’, ‘database’ and ‘word processor’.
Because an integrated package costs a lot less than a series of
individual packages.
•
They make it easy to transfer data between packages.
•
They have a common HCI that makes them easier to use.
This means that each of the programs in the integrated package have very
similar icons, menus and keyboard shortcuts. This makes it easier to:
•
learn how to use them
•
move between one application and another.
(c)
‘When you set up a dynamic link between two files a change to the data
in the source file causes the linked file to update automatically.’
There can be many examples of this. They are all valid answers
provided they include the idea of the automatic updating of the data in
the linked file when the data in the source file is changed.
Here the data in the linked file does not automatically update when the
source file is altered.
An integrated suite of packages will:
•
cost more than an integrated package
•
have many more features in each application than an integrated package
•
demand more space on backing storage than an integrated package.
Spreadsheet
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
C12
=SUM(C6:C10).
Insert a row above row 9.
Alter the width of the column.
Change the cells attributes to display currency.
=Max(C6:C10)
You could use cell protection to prevent accidental loss of this important
piece of data.
It displays the data in a visual way as a chart, making it easier for them
to understand.
If(C6>=1000,D6=(C6*$B$18),0)
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Database
This is a display from a database held by a dentist’s surgery.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Change the layout or format of the records so that the data are displayed
in columns.
She needs to add a field to hold the appointment data.
A new record needs to be added to the file to hold the data on the new patient.
She can search on two fields, on the Surname field for ‘Wallace’ and on
the Firstname field for ‘William’.
He can sort the records in the file on two fields: on the Surname field
and, in case there are two people with the same surname, on the
Firstname field as well.
He needs to search on the Fillings field for ‘> 2’ and on the Crowns
fitted field for ‘> 4’.
He needs to add a calculated field that will contain a formula to add up
the total of treatments.
He can alter the output format by selecting the fields he needs and
positioning them the way he wants them to be displayed.
He can add a field to the database that holds a keyword, usually a
number, which uniquely identifies each patient without having to use
complex searches.
Word-processing: Highloch Walking Holidays
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
The spellchecker. It goes through the document comparing each word
with the correct spellings it has in its dictionary. When it finds an error, it
asks the user if he or she wants to make the change.
It is right-aligned, this means it is lined up with the right margin. It needs
to be left-aligned.
By using search and replace.
A standard paragraph is a paragraph of text that is saved on backing
storage and inserted into a document whenever it is needed. It came in
useful when putting this letter together because there was no need to type
it in. It was already saved on backing storage.
It helps you control the position of the text and graphics, and keep the
text beside the graphic.
Creating a template would mean that you saved a document that had
already set out the format and styling of the letter. This would save you
lots of time because, to produce another similar letter, all you would
have to do is change the content.
A database package.
He could scan it in as text using OCR software.
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Web page
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
The template provides you with the structure of the web page already in
place: in this case the banner headline space, the area for the menu
down the left side and the main area for the text and graphics content.
There are text-based and graphics-based hyperlinks.
They link web pages together and allow the user to move between pages
by clicking on the hyperlink
It makes the web page more attractive and interesting. Anyone opening
up the web page can hear music, sound effects or a voiceover.
It is to help control the positioning of the text and graphics.
A hotspot could be set up over the graphics. Once the pointer goes over
the graphic a link is activated to another web page.
Jobs and costs
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
They have to learn how to do their job using a computer system. This
means they need training in the use of hardware and software packages.
A single day’s training can cost hundreds of pounds. There is no doubt
that it is worth every penny to the business or organisation that has to
pay the bill because once people are trained to use the system properly
they become much more efficient and productive.
There is no doubt that a lot of information is stored on computer
systems, avoiding the need to use paper. However, it is so easy to print
off attractive documents using our inkjets and laser printers that the
paperless world is a long way off.
Initial costs
Replacement costs
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The Law: Check your Knowledge of the
Data Protection Act
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
To protect people’s rights to see data held about them on computers and
to make sure that it is accurate.
To make sure that only people with authorisation are allowed to see the
data on the computer system.
Backups are taken and stored in a safe place so that, if data is lost, it can
be quickly recovered.
Everyone has the right to see data held on them on a computer system,
check that it is accurate and have it changed if it is not.
People do not have the right to inspect data held on them by the police
or the security forces.
(b) the person whose details are stored on the computer.
(c) a person who is authorised to view and update personal data.
(a) the person or organisation that collects data about people and stores it
on a computer system.
9. Principle
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
True or False?
The data controller must get
the consent of the people whose
data is stored on his system.
All data must be accurate and
kept up-to-date.
Data can be transferred
anywhere in the world
to be processed.
Data must be protected by
adequate security measures.
Data controllers can store as
much information
about a person as they like.
True
True
False
It can only be transferred to
places that have suitable
security systems in place.
True
False
They can only store data
that is needed for the purposes
of the business or organisation.
10. True
11. Inserting a virus, preventing authorised access by changing or deleting
passwords, making unauthorised changes to software or data.
12. Complete these sentences:
The Copyright Designs and Patents Act makes it illegal to make copies
of software packages without licensed permission.
The Copyright Designs and Patents Act makes it illegal to transmit and
copy licensed software without permission.
The Copyright Designs and Patents Act makes it illegal to run
unlicensed copies of software.
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Answers to Exercises
Exercise 1
1.
2.
3.
This depends on the packages available to you at home and in school.
• They enable us to complete our tasks quickly and efficiently.
• They help us keep data accurate and up-to-date.
• They make changing or adapting documents easy.
• Using these applications you can produce a whole range of different
types of documents that you can use to communicate ideas and
information to people.
• They help increase productivity.
Because the documents are stored electronically it is a simple matter to
delete data, insert data or add to data. The most likely examples are
word processing and graphics, but a document from any package will do.
Exercise 2
1.
2.
A database package.
Complete this table matching applications to the problems.
Web page authoring package
Producing an online catalogue for
a website.
Word processing package
Producing a series of memos for an office.
Spreadsheet – possibly a database Storing the results of the school sports
competitions.
Database
Storing the personal details of all pupils
in a school.
Desktop publishing package
Producing the school magazine.
A desktop publishing package
and/or a graphics package.
Producing a poster advertising the
school disco.
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Exercise 3
1.
2.
3.
If you do not have any animations available, you can always search the
internet for animations, download one or two then check the file sizes.
They display a series of still graphics very quickly to produce the
animated effect.
Because they need to store the data on large numbers of still graphics.
Exercise 4
1.
2.
3.
It is a widely accepted way of structuring the data file for, in this case,
word-processing documents.
The fact that they are standard means that they are used all over the
world. This means that once a document has been saved in the standard
format it will be read by any computer system running that format, no
matter where in the world you send it.
Because it is storing less data than the RTF file: it does not store the
formatting information.
Exercise 5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Human–Computer Interface
Windows, Icons, Menus, Pointers (or Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pulldown menus)
Show your printouts to your teacher.
This depends on what you are doing. The most likely answers will be a
drawing toolbar or a word-processing toolbar.
It presents you with rows of icons to help you use the features of your
package without having to open lots of menus.
Exercise 6
1.
This will vary from package to package.
Here is the help info from Excel.
Move or copy a formula
(a) Select the cell that contains the formula you want to move or copy.
(b) Point to the border of the selection.
(c) To move the cell, drag the selection to the upper-left-hand cell of the
paste area. Microsoft Excel replaces any existing data in the paste area.
(d) To copy the cell, hold down ‘Ctrl’ as you drag.
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2.
‘Online help’ is a collection of information about your software package
that you consult when you need to find out about a feature of your
software. An online tutorial is a program that teaches you about your
software package. It explains the features of your package, demonstrates
them then gives you exercises to do.
Exercise 7
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
A template is the skeleton of a document with much of the format of the
document already laid out.
It speeds up the production of documents. Because the structure is
already in place, all you have to do is call up the template and then fill
in the content.
This will vary from package to package. Here is some info on templates
from Word:
• A template determines the basic structure for a document and contains
document settings such as AutoText entries, fonts, key assignments,
macros, menus, page layout, special formatting, and styles.
This is a practical exercise that will depend on the wizards available to
you in your software. Your teacher will help you choose a couple of
wizards to use.
A wizard steps you through a complicated process that otherwise you
would find quite difficult.
You will use a simple key press such as Ctrl-H.
There are lots of things you can do to change the HCI: change the
appearance of the icons in your folders, alter the cursor speed, alter the
blinking of the cursor, change the colours of the desktop. Experiment
with these changes until you have the desktop that suits you. You may
find in some schools there are restrictions on the number and type of
changes to the HCI you can make. Check with your teacher.
Exercise 8
1.
2.
3.
4.
• Integrated packages make it easy to move data from one application
to another.
• The different applications in an integrated package a have a common
HCI. This makes it easier for the user to move between packages
without having to master a completely new set of menus and icons.
• They are cheaper than having to buy a series of individual packages.
Each application in the package will have fewer features than the
equivalent individual package.
This will depend on the software available to you.
In an integrated package all the applications, for example the wordprocessing package, the database, the spreadsheet will have similar icons
and menus.
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
The most common method is simply to highlight some data then copy
and paste it into whatever document you want, for example highlight
some cells in a spreadsheet, copy them then paste them into a wordprocessing document.
Integrated suites are collections of applications usually produced by the same
software company that have a common HCI and use standard file formats.
Each of the packages in the suite has a full set of features and so is a
much more powerful piece of software.
This is because each of the applications is a fully developed software
package in its own right and is much more powerful than the equivalent
part of an integrated package.
Using dynamic links between documents makes the process of updating
linked documents easier. All you have to do is change the data in the source
document and the data in the linked document changes automatically.
Exercise 9
1.
2.
3.
• ‘When you amend a paragraph of text you make a change to it.’
• ‘When you insert a word into a sentence you place it somewhere in
the sentence.’
They are used to hold information – such as page numbers and dates –
that will be displayed at the top or the bottom of each document.
This is a practical task that your teacher will help you with.
Exercise 10
1.
2.
3.
4.
Bold, italics, underlined.
It is an efficient way of changing text that is repeated throughout a
document.
They are paragraphs of text that are saved on backing storage and can be
called up and inserted in a document whenever needed.
This is a practical task. If you need help with setting up a table you can
either ask your teacher or use online help.
Exercise 11
1.
The completed set of instructions is as follows.
• Compose a standard letter with no personal details such as names
and addresses on it; mark out the points in the document where the
personal data has to be inserted.
• Save the standard letter to backing storage.
• Set up the link between the standard letter file and the file with the
personal data that has to be inserted, indicating which fields in the
data file are to be used and where they are to be inserted in the letter.
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2.
3.
4.
5.
• The system then takes the data from the data file, inserts it into the
standard letter then sends it to the printer. It is usually then sent to the
printer straight away, though the user can choose to perform the
merge and send the merged document to the printer later.
Because he can automate the process of producing the letters. He can use
a database file to personalise 50 copies of a standard letter that is saved
on his hard disk.
This feature enables you to set up the structure of a document with its
main features such as headings, fonts, sizes, text boxes already in place.
Once you save this document as a template you can call it up at any time
and simply add content to produce a document. The fact that you can
create a template means that you can add to the templates that come
supplied with your package.
Text is scanned into the system and then the OCR software compares the
shapes of the text scanned in with those it holds in memory. When it gets
a match the text is entered usually as ASCII code into a word-processing
document where it can be edited and saved.
It avoids the need for typing at the keyboard.
Exercise 12
This depends on the graphics packages available to you.
Exercise 13
This is a practical task that your teacher will help you with. Tasks 5 to 9 are
Credit level.
Exercise 14
1.
The labels that a fully labelled chart should have are:
Chart title, X-axis label, Y-axis label, series label, labels for individual
data items, legend.
Exercise 15
The tasks in this exercise are mainly practical in nature. Your teacher will help
you and check your work.
2.
3.
4.
= sum(C6:C12)
= (C6/C13)* 100
This formula will give you the correct percentage of grade 1s.
= (C8/C13)* 100
This formula will give you the correct percentage of grade 3s.
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9.
To replicate the formula successfully you have to use a combination of
absolute reference and relative reference. It should look like:
= (C9/$C$13)* 100
Exercise 16
1.
2.
3.
They make your search more specific and return information that is
directly relevant to your search.
The conditions help the search eliminate information that is not relevant.
Scottish and Islands and Inner Hebrides NOT Mull NOT Coll.
Exercise 17
This is a practical exercise. Your teacher will help you with this. Tasks 6 and 7
are Credit level.
Exercise 18
This is another practical task that your teacher will help you with.
3.
5.
Importing a graphic means inserting a graphic from a file that you have
prepared earlier either using a graphics package, downloaded from the
internet or captured using a digital camera.
Cropping a graphic lets you select parts of the image and cut out others
giving you the ability to select the parts of the graphic that suit your purpose.
Exercise 19
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
You can type it in or insert a text file.
The completed sentence is:
‘Most presentations are made up of slides that are linked together
simply to follow on one after another.’
• Recording a track from a CD
• Playing a musical instrument directly into your computer
• Downloading a sound file from the internet
• Recording sounds directly using a microphone
Ask your teacher to help you to capture a sound and then write down a
description of how you did it.
Using:
• a scanner
• a digital camera
• a webcam.
Ask your teacher to help you to capture an image then write down a
description of how you did it.
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Exercise 20
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
It would provide you with the structure of a page. All you would have to
do is add the content: the text and graphics.
This answer will vary according to the package you used. Ask your
teacher to check this answer.
Video clips and sound files.
Hyperlinks are used to link pages together.
No, hyperlinks can be set up to let users have different paths through the
web pages, depending on what they are interested in.
They are used to control the positioning of text and graphics.
It is an area on a web page with a link to another page hidden in it.
When you move your pointer over the hotspot the link is activated and
the linked page will open up.
Hotspots let the user interact by linking them to more web pages with
information on the topics they are interested in.
Exercise 21
Complete these sentences using the words below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Expert systems are designed to help people make decisions by making
the knowledge of a human expert available to them in a software
package.
In hospitals, expert systems can help doctors diagnose illnesses and
suggest treatments. In the oil industry they are used in exploration for
oil fields.
Show the results of your internet search to your teacher.
• They make expert knowledge available through the computer system.
• They support people when they have important and complex
decisions to make.
• People in remote places can have expert help and advice.
• People can learn using expert systems.
By asking questions, reading the answers and asking the system to give
feedback on the reasons for the answers given.
No. They are designed to support people who have complex decisions
to make.
The medical staff in the hospital can use the expert system to supplement
their own knowledge and expertise. This may help balance up the fact
that they are in a remote location and do not have access to the
specialists that may be available in the city hospitals.
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Exercise 22
1.
2.
3.
They need to learn new skills such as word processing, using
spreadsheets, constructing web pages.
Because once people are trained they will be able to make full use of the
computer hardware and software and the business will benefit by
becoming more efficient and productive.
Most people still use printouts from all of the general packages we have
looked at.
Exercise 23
The lists in this table are by no means exhaustive. You might be able to think
up other suitable items. Show your completed table to your teacher.
Initial costs
Buying software packages
Replacement costs
Replacing worn
out monitors
Running costs
Cost of inkjet cartridges
or laser toner
Buying hardware
Replacing printers,
computers and all sorts
of peripherals with the
latest improved models
Cost of printer paper
Paying for the installation
of cabling
Electricity bills
Replacing software with
the latest version
Paying for training costs
for internet access
Telecommunication bills
Staff costs
Exercise 24
1.
2.
3.
4.
They have the right to see data held about them on computer systems
and have it changed if it is wrong.
Except for data held on police, medical and security forces computers.
They use IDs and passwords to control access to data.
Hacking is accessing computer systems without proper authority.
5.
Complete this table using the descriptions given below.
Data subjects
The people who have data held about them on
computer systems.
Data controllers
The people, businesses or organisations controlling the
collection, contents and use of personal data.
Data users
The authorised users within the organisation or business.
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Exercise 25
Complete this table using the terms given below.
Computer Misuse Act
This act is designed to make
planting viruses and hacking illegal.
Copyright Designs and Patents Act
This act is designed to make
unauthorised copying of software illegal.
Computer Misuse Act
This act is designed to make it illegal
to make unauthorised changes to
computer software or data.
Copyright Designs and Patents Act
This act is designed to make it
illegal to use an unauthorised copy
of software.
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