Computer software

1. **** Computer software Overview

2. **** 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

3. **** 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

4. **** 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

5. **** Computer software Computer (disk) operating systems

6. **** 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

7. **** 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.

8. **** ?? Question ?? List and discuss widespread computer operating systems for small, personal microcomputers.

9. **** 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

10. **** Computer operating systems for server computers • Unix (and variants such as Linux and Solaris) • Windows NT 4 server; Windows 2000 server; Windows 2003 server;… • ...

11. ***- ?? Question ?? Why can multitasking on computers be useful? (even though people mostly work on 1 activity at the same time)

12. ***- 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,...

13. **** 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)

14. ***- Computer software Microsoft Windows: an operating environment

15. ***- !! Task - Assignment !! Apply copy and paste in the same document managed by the same program.

16. ***- !! Task - Assignment !! Apply copy and paste between various documents managed by the same program.

17. ***- !! 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.

18. ***- Microsoft Windowstutorials • Computer-assisted learning about Windows is offered by the Windows package itself.

19. 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 ***- Evolution of Microsoft operating systems for PC’s from 1995 to…

20. ***- ?? 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?

21. ***- Computer software Utility software packages

22. ***- 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.

23. ***- Utility software packages: some categories: anti-virus • Anti-virus shielding and scanning + anti-spyware + local network and Internet firewall (checking incoming and outgoing data)

24. **** ?? Question ?? Which concrete anti-virus software protects your pc?

25. **** ?? Question ?? What is the meaning of: “keeping your anti-virus-software up-to-date”?

26. **** ?? Question ?? How do YOU concretely keep YOUR anti-virus software up-to-date on YOUR specific computer system?

27. **** ?? Question ?? How do you search for a particular file on your pc?

28. ***- 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

29. **** ?? Question ?? How do YOU concretely maintain your data backing-up system?

30. **** Computer software Application software packages

31. **** 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 • ...

32. **** Software for text editing: categories • Simple text editors • Simple word processing software • Powerful word processing software • Page-layout software / Desktop publishing software

33. ***- 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?

34. ***- 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?

35. ***- 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?

36. ***- ?? Question ?? What are the benefits of using styles for all types of paragraphs in word processing?Give 2.

37. ***- ?? 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.

38. ***- 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

39. ***- ?? Question ?? What is the relation in word processing between paragraph styles and outline view?

40. ***- !! Task - Assignment !! Learn about styles in the program that you use for word processing.

41. ***- !! 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 throughhttp://www.vub.ac.be/BIBLIO/nieuwenhuysen/courses/chapters/software-exercise-styles.doc (note: BIBLIO and not biblio)

42. ***- !! Task - Assignment - Exercise !! Choose a document with heading styles,and apply outlining.

43. ***- !! Task - Assignment !! Choose a document with chapters, using heading styles,and create a table of contents on 1 page,using styles.

44. ***- 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

45. ***- 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 • ... J

46. ***-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)

47. ***- 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!

48. ***- 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”.

49. ***- 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

50. ***- Information retrieval software: applications (Part 1) • Archives • Documentation centres • Libraries • Musea • Medical files • Marketing departments • Schools • Bibliographic databases Archived documents Documents Books / Documents Objects / Books / ... Patient’s histories Clients / Potential clients Courses / Teachers Publications / ...