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Computer software
Overview
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Computer software:
summary/overview/abstract (Part 1)
The following presents an overview of various aspects and
types of computer software:
• Computer (disk) operating system(s)
• Graphical user interfaces
• The popular family of Microsoft Windows operating
systems in particular
• Utility software packages
• Local area network software
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Computer software:
summary/overview/abstract (Part 2)
• Application software packages
(excluding software to build presentations with slides,
software to create web sites, because these are discussed
in more detail in other chapters)
• General evaluation criteria in the case of software
packages
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Computer software:
summary/overview/abstract (Part 3)
• Computer file formats in general
• Computer file formats for text only
• Computer file formats for graphics/images
• Computer file formats for documents with text and
images
• Compression, archiving and conversion of computer files
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Computer software
Computer (disk) operating systems
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Computer operating systems:
functions
• A computer operating system brings many basic
functions to a computer:
»Process management
»Memory management
»File input/output
»Device input/output
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Computer operating systems
are NOT user interfaces only
• Do not confuse a user interface
with a computer operating system.
• An operating system often comes with a particular
interface for the use of many functions, which causes this
confusion.
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?? Question ??
List and discuss widespread
computer operating systems
for small, personal microcomputers.
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Computer operating systems
for microcomputers
• For microcomputers with Intel compatible CPU
»DOS; DOS + Windows 3.x;
Windows 95; Windows 98; Windows 98 SE;
Windows ME,…
»(OS/2)
»Windows NT 4 Workstation; Windows 2000 Professional;
Windows XP;…
»Linux,…
• Apple operating systems
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Computer operating systems for
server computers
»Unix (and variants such as Linux and Solaris)
»Windows NT 4 server;
Windows 2000 server;
Windows 2003 server;…
»...
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?? Question ??
Why can multitasking on computers
be useful?
(even though people mostly work
on 1 activity at the same time)
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Multitasking:
uses
• Switching among programs
the ability to load several programs and easily and quickly
switch among them
• Running tasks in the background
for instance:
»downloading data,
»printing,
»monitoring disk space,
»receiving electronic mail,...
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Computer operating systems:
evolution
• More user-friendly interfaces
• Increasing power
• Bigger in size because of more sophistication
• More Web enabled
• (Parallel evolution for application software)
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Computer software
Microsoft Windows: an operating environment
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!! Task - Assignment !!
Apply copy and paste in
the same document
managed by the same program.
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!! Task - Assignment !!
Apply copy and paste
between various documents
managed by the same program.
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!! Task - Assignment !!
Apply copy and paste between
different programs.
For instance:
copy a result from Microsoft Windows Calculator
(such as a long number)
into a document of Microsoft Word.
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Microsoft Windows
tutorials
• Computer-assisted learning about Windows is offered by
the Windows package itself.
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Evolution of Microsoft operating
systems for PC’s from 1995 to…
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Windows 95
Windows NT 4 (also for servers = multi-user)
Windows 98
Windows 98 SE
Windows ME
Windows 2000 (also for servers = multi-user)
Windows XP (also for servers = multi-user)
Windows 2003 (for servers = multi-user)
Windows Vista
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?? Question ??
How can you rename a collection of files in a folder,
in 1 action, with the operating system that you use?
In which case is this useful?
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Computer software
Utility software packages
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Utility software packages:
definition
• Not a well defined term
• One meaning is:
Software which helps to run the computer system,
but which is not directly useful on the application level.
• Operating systems include utility programs;
others can be installed besides these or can replace these.
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Utility software packages:
some categories: anti-virus
• Anti-virus shielding and scanning
+ anti-spyware
+ local network and Internet firewall
(checking incoming and outgoing data)
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?? Question ??
Which concrete anti-virus software
protects your pc?
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?? Question ??
What is the meaning of:
“keeping your anti-virus-software up-to-date”?
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?? Question ??
How do YOU concretely
keep YOUR anti-virus software up-to-date
on YOUR specific computer system?
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?? Question ??
How do you search for a particular file on your pc?
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Utility software packages:
some categories: file management
• Making space by searching and deleting files that are not
used or that are not useful
• Compression / decompression of files
• Archiving / de-archiving of files
• Checking disk integrity/quality
• Backing up data
• Transferring files and settings to another computer
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?? Question ??
How do YOU concretely
maintain your data backing-up system?
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Computer software
Application software packages
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Categories of
application software packages
• Text editing...Word processing...Desktop publishing
• Spreadsheet
• Presentation creation
• Graphics (bitmap/pixels and vector/object or mixed)
• Multimedia authoring + distribution
• Data communications (basic layers + applications)
• Portable document software
• Database management systems
• ...
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Software for text editing:
categories
• Simple text editors
• Simple word processing software
• Powerful word processing software
• Page-layout software / Desktop publishing software
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Design of documents on paper:
a brief checklist
(Part 1)
• Is the general appearance attractive (not messy)?
• Does the text look well (not squashed up)?
• Do the pages have a basic shape?
• Is there adequate white space?
• Is the line length short enough?
• Are letters in CAPITALS avoided?
• Is underlining of letters avoided?
• Are fonts chosen well?
• Is the character size OK?
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Design of documents on paper:
a brief checklist
(Part 2)
• Is the typography consistent throughout the document?
• Are colours used well?
• Are illustrations/graphics/pictures used well?
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Design of documents on paper:
a brief checklist
(Part 3)
• Is it easy to see the main points?
• Are there a sufficient number of chapter and sub-chapter
headings?
• Are the headings informative?
• Is the number of heading levels not too high?
• Are the differences in heading levels well supported by
differences in formatting of chapter numbers and
characters?
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?? Question ??
What are the benefits
of using styles for all types of paragraphs
in word processing?
Give 2.
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?? Question ??
Besides the general benefits of using styles,
what are the more specific benefits
of using heading styles for heading paragraphs
in word processing?
Give 4.
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Software for word processing:
the advantages of paragraph styles
• In comparison with more manual formatting,
styles offer a way to format paragraphs that is
easier, faster and more consistent.
• Using heading styles allows
»outlining = outline view
»automatic sorting of paragraphs
»automatic creation of a table of contents
»saving a document as a file in HTML format, which is
formatted automatically according to the heading levels in
the original document
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?? Question ??
What is the relation in word processing
between paragraph styles and outline view?
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!! Task - Assignment !!
Learn about styles
in the program that you use for word processing.
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!! Task - Assignment - Exercise !!
Create a document with chapters, using heading styles.
For instance, select some document that you have to write anyway,
or that you have already written;
take the chapter titles (that is: the headings),
and format these with heading 1, 2, 3…styles;
assign different fonts and sizes and colours to the styles.
In case that you do not have a text available,
then use the file that should be available from the WWW through
http://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/nieuwenhuysen/courses/chapters/software-exercise-styles.doc
(note: BIBLIO and not biblio)
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!! Task - Assignment - Exercise !!
Choose a document with heading styles,
and apply outlining.
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!! Task - Assignment !!
Choose a document with chapters,
using heading styles,
and create a table of contents on 1 page,
using styles.
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Portable document software:
What is it?
(Part 1)
Ideally, this type of programs
• allows the distribution of a formatted document,
while maintaining the visual integrity of the document
• is independent of computer platform,
(computer, operating system, application software, or
fonts) that is used
»to create the document, and
»to view (read, search, ...) the document
• compresses the document
J
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Portable document software:
What is it?
(Part 2)
• allows printing the document
• allows searching for character strings in the document
• allows zooming in,
without loss of details in the characters
• allows copying text fragments
• allows integration with a WWW browser
• allows hyperlinks / WWW links in the document
• ...
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***-Examples
Portable document software:
some programs
• Adobe Acrobat !
»Viewer software is available free of charge
»Software to create PDF files is NOT free of charge.
A free trial has been possible through the WWW at
http://www.adobe.com/
• (Catchword RealPage)
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Portable document software:
applications
• On-line help documents coming with software.
• Electronic publications on CD-ROM and on-line,
in particular when a version printed on paper also exists!
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Database systems:
definition
A database (management) system is a program or set of
programs, providing a means by which a user can easily
store and retrieve data in the form of “databases”.
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Information retrieval software:
related terms
• Software for
information storage and retrieval
(ISR software)
• Text(-oriented) database management systems
(Text-DBMS)
• Text information management systems
(TIMS)
• Document retrieval systems
• Document management systems
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Information retrieval software:
applications (Part 1)
• Archives
Archived documents
• Documentation centres
Documents
• Libraries
Books / Documents
• Musea
Objects / Books / ...
• Medical files
Patient’s histories
• Marketing departments
Clients / Potential clients
• Schools
Courses / Teachers
• Bibliographic databases
Publications / ...
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Information retrieval software:
applications (Part 2)
• Meeting calendars
Meetings = conferences
• Product information
Product descriptions
• Laboratories
Recipes
• Personal documentation
Documents
• Patent office
Patents
• Co-operating
information networks
Documents / Persons /
Institutes / Events / ...
• ...
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Text-information management
systems: characteristics and definition
The information in the database is text oriented.
Therefore, several features are required:
»ability to store relatively long blocks of texts
»ability to retrieve items in which specific words or terms
occur anywhere
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Text-information management:
from free-form to structure
Free form text information without structure
Text database with information (each record)
is further structured in fields, sub-fields,
with links/relations among records...
(Ideally, each fields is repeatable
= can be multi-valued,
= can occur more than once in each record.)
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Functions of
database management software
• Input / edit using keyboard or batch input
• Indexing of the database(s)
• Browse or Search
data from database
• Output
(Sort / Display / Print to file / Print to paper)
+
• Export / Import
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Hierarchy
in the use of a database
Database
structure
Input / Editing
Searching / Output
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Computer software
File formats for text only
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File formats for text only:
examples
Type
Normal file name extension
• Files containing unformatted
ASCII text
.TXT
• Files with text coded by the
Hypertext Markup Language
.HTML or .HTM
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Computer software
File formats
for documents with text and images
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Documents with text and images:
available file formats (Part 1)
• Many! Too many?
• Examples:
»formats of the various programs for word processing and
page design, in their various versions (DOC,…)
»Rich Text Format (RTF)
»PostScript (PS)
»Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)
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Documents with text and images:
available file formats (Part 2)
»bitmap-related format, primarily for graphics, but they can
also show characters:
BMP, GIF, JPG/JPEG, PCX, PNG, TIFF...
»SGML, HTML, XML... considered here together with the
graphics files that they link to
»…
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Computer software
File
compression, archiving and conversion
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File compression, archiving and
conversion
• Compression
to make files smaller
• Archiving
to keep related
files together
• Conversion
for transfer
via computer networks
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?? Question ??
Which benefits are offered
by compression of files?
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Data compression:
benefits
JStorage capacity required on magnetic or optical disks is
smaller
JIn data communication:
»transmission times are shorter
»transfer of less bits  less network congestion
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Essential skills
in computer use
Task
Software used
• File management
• Operating system
• Finding files on a computer
• Operating system
• Text editing and formatting
• Word processing software
(e.g. Word for Windows)
• “Copy and paste” from one
document to the same
or to another document
• Operating system
+ applications software
• Printing
• Operating system
+ applications software
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