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COMPUTER SOFTWARE
Section 1 “Application SW: End-User Applications”
CHAPTER 4
Lecture-5/ T. Nouf Almujally
What is a Software?
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It is the general term for many kinds of programs
used to operate and manipulate computers and their
peripheral devices.
Types of Application & System Software
Application Software
1- Based on the
function performed
Application Software
General
Purpose
2- Based on how
developed
Custom
Function-Specific
Application
Application Software
Commercial
Off-the-Shelf
(COTS)
Open-Source
Application Software Based on the function performed
1- General Purpose Application programs
Programs that perform common information processing
jobs for end users , Also called productivity packages
Examples:
E.g., word processing, spreadsheet
Database Management
Graphics programs
Web browsers, email
groupware
Application Software Based on the function performed
2- Function-Specific Application Software
Thousands of these packages support specific end-user
applications in business and other fields.
Examples:
Application to automate business processes
Web-enabled electronic commerce
Accounting ,financial, manufacturing applications
Enterprise Resource Planning
Data mining , Knowledge management systems
Application Software Based on the way they developed
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Custom
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Software applications developed within an organization for use by that organization
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The organization the writes the program code is also the organization that uses the
final software application.
Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS)
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Many copies sold
•
Minimal changes beyond scheduled upgrades
•
Purchasers have no control over specifications, schedule, or evolution, and no access to
source code or internal documentation
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Product vendor retains the intellectual property rights of the software
Open-source Software
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Developers collaborate on the development of an application using programming
standards which allow anyone to contribute to the software
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As each developer completes a project, the application code becomes available and
free to anyone who wants it
Software Suites and Integrated Packages
software suites:
• Popular general-purpose application software
• The most widely used productivity packages are bundled
together as software suites, such as Microsoft Office.
Advantages
1. Cost less than buying
individual packages
2. All have similar GUI
3. Programs designed to
work well together
Disadvantages
1. Many features not used
2. Takes a lot of disk
space (bloatware)
3. Can be very costly
Components of Top Software Suites
Integrated Packages
•
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The drawbacks of SW suites are one reason for the use
of integrated packages.
Integrated packages combine the functions of several
programs into one package.
•
E.g., Microsoft Works, AppleWork
Advantages
1. Many functions for
lower price
2. Uses less disk space
3. Frequently pre-installed
on PCs
Disadvantages
1. Limited functionality
Web Browsers
Software that supports navigation through
point-and-click hyper-linked Web resources of
the internet, intranet and extranet.
Becoming the universal software platform
from which end users launch:
Information searches
E-mail
Multimedia file transfer
Discussion groups
Other Internet-based applications
Sometimes called the “universal client”.
Search Engines
Browsers are used to gain access
to Internet search engines
Google, Ask Jeeves, Look Smart, Lycos,
Overture, Yahoo!
Using search engines to find information
has become an indispensable part of
Internet, intranet, and extranet
applications
E-mail, Instant Messaging, Weblogs
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E-mail
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Sending and receiving messages and attachments via the
Internet, intranet, or extranet.
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Instant messaging (IM)
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Receive electronic messages instantly.
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E.g.: Microsoft hotmail, Yahoo, Microsoft Outlook Express.
E.g.: ICQ, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger.
Weblog or blog
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It is a Web site of personal or noncommercial origin that uses
a dated log format updated daily or frequently with new
information about a particular subject or range of subjects.
Word Processing and Desktop Publishing
•
Word Processing
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Word processing packages computerized the process of
editing, creation, revision, and printing of documents by
electronically processing text data.
•
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E.g., Microsoft Word, Lotus WordPro, OpenOffice Writer.
It allows the user to convert documents to HTML format for
publication as a web pages.
Desktop Publishing (DTP)
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Produce printed materials that look professionally
published.
E.g., Adobe InDesign , Microsoft Publisher, QuarkXPress
Electronic Spreadsheets
Used by every business for
analysis, planning, modeling
Ex. Microsoft Excel , Lotus 1-2-3, OpenOffice Calc
Worksheet of rows and columns
Can be stored on local computers or a network server
Developing a spreadsheet requires designing the
format and developing the relationships (formulas)
Most help you develop charts and graph
displays of spreadsheet results
Supports what-if questions
Presentation Graphics
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Presentation Graphics software packages help you:
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Convert numeric data into graphics such as line chart, bar
chart or pie chart.
Produce a multimedia presentation of graphics, photos,
animation and video clips as well as publishing it to the
World Wide Web.
Ex. Microsoft PowerPoint, Lotus Freelance, OpenOffice
Impress.
Personal Information Managers (PIM)
Is a SW for end user productivity and collaboration,
and a popular application for PDA handheld devices.
Stores, organize and retrieve information about customers.
Manages schedules, appointments, tasks
Most have ability to access the Web and e-mail
Some support team collaboration by sharing information with
other PIM users (such as contact lists, schedules)
e.g., Lotus Organizer, Microsoft Outlook
Groupware
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Software that helps workgroups collaborate to accomplish group
assignments.
It support collaboration through e-mail, discussion groups & databases,
scheduling, task management, data, audio and videoconferencing etc.
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E.g., Lotus Notes, , Microsoft Groove , Novell GroupWise.
Groupware products rely on the Internet, intranet and extranet to provide
the collaboration on a global scale by virtual team located anywhere.
Collaborative capabilities are also being add to other SW to give it
groupware-like features.
• Microsoft Word keeps track of who made changes to the document.
Software Alternatives
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Many businesses are finding alternatives to
acquiring, installing and maintaining application
SW purchased from SW vendors or developing
their own SW in-house with their own SW developer
employees.
• Application Service Providers.
• Cloud Computing.
• Software Licensing.
• Open Source Software.
Application Service Providers (ASP)
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Application service providers (ASPs)
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Companies that own, operate, and maintain application
software and computer system resources (servers, system
software, networks, and IT personnel) required to offer the
use of the application software for a fee as a service over
the Internet.
Advantages of using ASP:
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The low cost.
Shorter time to get Web-based application set up and
running.
The pay-as-you-go fee structure.
Reduce the need for much of the IT infrastructure that
usually needed to support application software.
Cloud Computing
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Is a style of computing in which software and virtualized
hardware resources are provided as a service over the
Internet.
Users need not have knowledge of , expertise in, or control
over the technology infrastructure.
Provide common business applications online that are accessed
from a web browser, while the SW and data are stored on the
servers.
Ex. Google Apps.
Cloud computing help the organization to lower the costs of
HW, SW and services by simply paying a provider only for
what they use.
Software Licensing
SW purchased as COTS or accessed via an ASP must
be licensed for use.

When company buys a software application, they have not
purchased rights of ownership. Rather, they purchase a license
to use the software under the terms of the software licensing
agreement

Software usually licensed to protects the rights of the vendor:
Intellectual property rights, Copyright and trademark.
Open Source Software
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Generically, open source refers to a program in which the
source code is available to the general public for use and/or
modification from its original design free of charge, i.e., open.
Open source code is typically created as a collaborative
effort in which programmers improve upon the code and share
the changes within the community.
When programmers can read, redistribute, and modify source
code, the software evolves.
Produces better software than the traditional commercial
(closed) model, in which only a very few programmers can see
the source.
The proprietary approach to software development has
hidden costs that often outweigh its benefits.
Open Source Software
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Open source software is not…
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Shareware , Public domain software or a Freeware.
OSS Is copyrighted & distributed with license terms
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Sometimes carries a fee for packaging, distribution, or
support.
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Example of an open source software:
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OpenOffice.org
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Developed by Sun Microsystems.
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Can be used for any purpose: personal, commercial, educational.
Questions ..
Resources ..
Read from Chapter 4 (Section 1)