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Trends and Types of Computer Software

This chapter discusses important trends in computer software and provides examples of major types of application and system software. It also explores popular software packages for end user productivity and collaborative computing, as well as the functions of an operating system. Additionally, it covers the uses of software programming languages and tools.

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Trends and Types of Computer Software

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  1. Chapter 14 Computer Software

  2. Learning Objectives • Describe several important trends occurring in computer software. • Give examples of several major types of application and system software.

  3. Learning Objectives (continued) • Explain the purpose of several popular software packages for end user productivity and collaborative computing. • Outline the functions of an operating system.

  4. Learning Objectives (continued) • Describe the main uses of software programming languages and tools.

  5. Section I Application Software: End User Applications

  6. Software • Types of software • Application software • System software

  7. Software (continued) • Application software for end users • Application-specific • General-purpose • Perform common information processing jobs • Sometimes known as productivity packages

  8. Software Suites and Integrated Packages • Suites are a number of productivity packages bundled together • Microsoft Office • Lotus SmartSuite • Corel WordPerfect Office • Sun StarOffice

  9. Software Suites and Integrated Packages (continued) • Advantages of suites • Cost • Similar graphical user interface • Share common tools • Programs are designed to work together • Disadvantages of suites • Large size • Many features never used by many end users

  10. Software Suites and Integrated Packages (continued) • Integrated Packages • Combine SOME of the features of several programs • Cannot do as much as individual packages or suites

  11. Web Browsers • Key software interface to the hyperlinked resources of the World Wide Web and the rest of the Internet • Internet Explorer • Netscape Communicator

  12. Electronic Mail and Instant Messaging • E-Mail • Has changed the way people work and communicate • Instant Messaging • An e-mail/computer conferencing hybrid technology • Allows real time communication/collaboration

  13. Word Processing and Desktop Publishing • Word Processing • Has computerized the creation, editing, revision, and printing of documents. • Advanced features • Desktop Publishing • Design and print newsletters, brochures, manuals, and books • Page design process • Page makeup or page composition • WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get)

  14. Electronic Spreadsheets • Used for business analysis, planning, and modeling • Involves designing its format and developing the relationships (formulas)

  15. Electronic Spreadsheets (continued) • Allows end users to perform: • What-if • Goal-seeking • Sensitivity analysis • Strength • Computation and calculation

  16. Database Management • Performs four primary tasks • Database development • Define/organize content, relationships, and structure of the data • Database Interrogation • Selectively retrieve and display information • Produce forms, reports, & other documents

  17. Database Management (continued) • Four primary tasks (continued) • Database maintenance • Add, delete, update, and correct the data • Application development • Develop prototypes of web pages, queries, forms, reports, and labels

  18. Database Management (continued) • Strength • Storage of large amounts of data • Weakness • Computation and calculation

  19. Presentation Graphics • Helps convert numeric data into graphic displays • Helps prepare multimedia presentations • Easy to use

  20. Personal Information Managers • For end user productivity and collaboration • Store, organize, and retrieve information • Information about customers • Appointments • Contact lists • Task lists • Schedules

  21. Groupware • Collaboration software • Helps workgroups and teams work together to accomplish group assignments • Combines a variety of software features and functions • E-mail • Discussion groups and databases • Scheduling • Task management • Audio and videoconferencing • Data sharing

  22. Other Business Software

  23. Section II System Software: Computer System Management

  24. System Software Overview • Programs that manage and support a computer system and its information processing activities • Serves as the software interface between computer networks and hardware and the application programs of end users

  25. System Software Overview (continued) • Two major categories • System management programs • Operating systems • Network management programs • Database management systems • System utilities • System development programs • Programming language translators & editors • CASE (computer-aided software engineering)

  26. Operating Systems • Integrated system of programs that • Manages the operations of the CPU • Controls the input/output and storage resources and activities of the computer system • Provides various support services as the computer executes application programs

  27. Operating Systems (continued) • Performs five basic functions • Provides a user interface • Allows humans to communicate with the computer • Command-driven • Menu-driven • Graphical user interface

  28. Operating Systems (continued) • Five basic functions (continued) • Resource management • Manages the hardware and networking resources of the system • Virtual memory capability

  29. Operating Systems (continued) • Five basic functions (continued) • File management • Controls the creation, deletion, and access of files of data and programs • Keeps track of the physical location of files

  30. Operating Systems (continued) • Five basic functions (continued) • Task management • Manages the accomplishment of the computing tasks of end users • Multitasking • Multiprogramming • Timesharing

  31. Operating Systems (continued) • Popular Operating Systems • Windows • 95, 98, ME • NT • 2000 • XP

  32. Operating Systems (continued) • Popular operating systems (continued) • UNIX • Linux • Mac OS X

  33. Network Management Programs • Perform functions such as • Automatically checking client PCs and video terminals for input/output activity • Assigning priorities to data communication requests from clients and terminals • Detecting and correcting transmission errors and other network problems • Sometimes functions as middleware that allows diverse networks to communicate with each other

  34. Database Management Systems • Controls the development, use, and maintenance of databases. • Helps organizations use their integrated collections of data records and files • Allows different user application programs to easily access the same database • Simplifies the process of retrieving information from databases

  35. Other System Management Programs • Utility Programs • Perform miscellaneous housekeeping and file conversion functions • Data backup • Data recovery • Virus protection • Data compression • Data defragmentation • Performance monitors and security monitors

  36. Programming Languages • Allows a programmer to develop the sets of instructions that constitute a computer program • Machine Language • First generation language • Written using binary codes unique to each computer

  37. Programming Languages (continued) • Assembler Language • Second generation • Requires language translator programs called assemblers • Allows a computer to convert the instructions into machine instructions • Frequently called symbolic language

  38. Programming Languages (continued) • High-level Languages • Third generation • Uses instructions, called statements, that use brief statements or arithmetic expressions • Uses translator programs called compilers or interpreters • Syntax and semantics

  39. Programming Languages (continued) • Fourth-generation Languages (4GLs) • More nonprocedural and conversational than prior languages • Natural languages • Ease of use gained at the expense of some loss in flexibility

  40. Programming Languages (continued) • Object-Oriented Languages (OOP) • Ties data elements to the procedures or actions that will be performed on them into “objects” • Easier to use and more efficient for programming GUIs

  41. Programming Languages (continued) • HTML, XML, and Java • Important for building multimedia Web pages, websites, and Web-based applications • HTML (Hypertext Markup Language) • A page description language that creates hypertext or hypermedia documents

  42. Programming Languages (continued) • XML (eXtensible Markup Language) • Describes the contents of web pages by applying identifying tags or contextual labels to the data • Makes the web site more searchable, sortable, and easier to analyze • Java • Designed for real-time, interactive, Web-based network applications • Applets

  43. Programming Software • Helps programmers develop computer programs • Two basic categories • Programming language translators • Programming tools

  44. Programming Software (continued) • Language Translator Programs • Assembler • Translates symbolic instruction codes into machine language instructions • Compiler • Translates high-level language statements • Interpreter • Translates and executes each statement in a program one at a time

  45. Programming Software (continued) • Programming Tools • Programming editors and debuggers • Provides a computer-aided programming environment or workbench • Diagramming packages • Code generators • Libraries of reusable objects & code • Prototyping tools • CASE

  46. Discussion Questions • What major trends are occurring in software? What capabilities do you expect to see in future software packages? • How do the different roles of system software and application software affect you as a business end user? How do you see this changing in the future?

  47. Discussion Questions (continued) • Why is an operating system necessary? Why can’t an end user just load an application program in a computer and start computing? • Should a Web browser be integrated into an operating system?

  48. Discussion Questions (continued) • Are software suites, Web browsers, and groupware merging together? What are the implications for a business and its end users? • How are HTML, XML, and Java affecting business applications on the Web?

  49. Discussion Questions (continued) • Do you think Windows 2000 and Linux will surpass Unix and Netware as operating systems for network and Web servers? • Which application software packages are the most important for a business end user to know how to use?

  50. Real World Case 1 – Intuit Inc. • Why has Intuit’s success improved under Bennett’s leadership? • What are several things Intuit could do to successfully compete with Microsoft and others in the future?

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