Software Usage
Using Application Software
Productivity applications include word
processing, spreadsheet, database, desktop
publishing, and presentation software.
Entertainment software is designed for viewing
or playing music, videos, and photos.
Lesson 8
Media-editing software is designed for creating
and modifying graphics, animations, video,
music, and other media.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Related applications are often packaged
together and distributed in a software suite.
Examples of software suites are:
Microsoft Office Apache OpenOffice
Lesson 8
Apple iWork Adobe Creative Suite
Google Docs CorelDraw Graphics
Suite
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Word-Processing Software
Word-processing software is used to produce
written documents.
Examples are Microsoft Word, Apple Pages,
Lesson 8
Google Document, and Corel WordPerfect.
You can enter and reorganize text, correct
errors, insert graphics, and format the
document before producing a final version.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Word-Processing Software (continued)
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Word-Processing Software
(continued)
– Writing and Editing Features
A feature called word wrap keeps text within the
document margins without requiring you to press
Lesson 8
the Enter key.
The spelling checker feature compares the
spelling of one or more words to the words in its
electronic dictionary, flags the ones that might be
misspelled, and offers possible corrections.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Word-Processing Software
(continued)
– Formatting Features
Formatting refers to the appearance and
arrangement of elements on a page.
Lesson 8
Basic formatting features allow you to make
headers larger than other text, insert bulleted
lists, apply color to text and other elements, and
change the margins of the page.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Word-Processing Software (continued)
– Collaboration Features
Word-processing software provides features that make
it possible to collaborate.
For example, one or more people can review a
Lesson 8
Microsoft Word document and insert personalized
comments or mark their changes.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Desktop Publishing Software
Desktop publishing (DTP) software is similar to
word-processing software but includes more
sophisticated features.
You can arrange text and graphics on a page to
Lesson 8
create and print high-quality documents such as
brochures, magazines, newspapers, and books.
Examples of DTP software are Adobe InDesign,
QuarkXPress, and Microsoft Publisher.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Desktop Publishing
Software (continued)
– Layout Features
When you work with
DTP software, you use
frames, which are
Lesson 8
movable rectangular
areas on a page in
which you enter text or
graphics.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Desktop Publishing Software (continued)
– Text Features
DTP software lets you thread, or link, frames that
contain text so you can display part of an article on one
page, for example, and then continue the article on the
Lesson 8
next page.
– Graphics Features
DTP software includes tools for resizing shapes,
cropping photos, and creating, editing, and enhancing
graphics.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Presentation Software
Presentation software such as Microsoft PowerPoint, iWork
Keynote, LibreOffice Impress, and Prezi is used to
organize and present text, graphics, and other media as a
slide show.
Presentation software provides layouts, which are pre-set
Lesson 8
arrangements for slide content, including text and graphics.
Layouts provide placeholders used to enter and edit text,
headings, bulleted lists, numbered lists, tables, charts,
pictures, and videos.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Presentation Software (continued)
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Presentation Software (continued)
Presentation software often includes premade
designs, called themes in PowerPoint, which
provide a coordinated set of colors, fonts,
backgrounds, and effects.
Lesson 8
You can include transitions between slides, such
as an effect that fades from one slide to the next.
You can animate text, shapes, photos, and other
objects.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Spreadsheet Software
A spreadsheet is an arrangement of text and numbers in
a rectangular grid or table.
You can use spreadsheet software to organize data in
such a way that you can calculate, analyze, interpret,
Lesson 8
and present it.
A typical spreadsheet application displays a grid of
columns and rows that can contain text, numbers, and
formulas.
Excel calls this grid a worksheet, or a sheet for short.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Spreadsheet Software (continued)
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Spreadsheet Software (continued)
When you start Excel, you create a file called a workbook.
The columns in a worksheet are identified by letters and
the rows are identified by numbers.
The point where a column and a row intersect is called a
Lesson 8
cell.
Each cell has a name, called the cell reference (or cell
address), which is represented by its column letter and row
number.
The active cell is the currently selected cell.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Spreadsheet Software (continued)
– Calculation Features
The main purpose of spreadsheet software is to perform
calculations.
A formula is a mathematical expression that provides a
result.
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Spreadsheet Software (continued)
– Calculation Features (continued)
Spreadsheets are especially useful when you need to
perform what-if analysis, which is a way to explore how
changing numbers and other input values affect
Lesson 8
calculated results.
Besides entering formulas, you can use functions,
which are predefined formulas that perform common
calculations.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Spreadsheet Software (continued)
– Charting Features
Spreadsheet software includes tools for creating charts to
show trends or relationships in data.
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Database Software
A database is a collection of data organized into tables.
You use database software to enter, organize, update,
retrieve, and produce reports on the electronic data in a
database.
Lesson 8
All the data is stored in one or more tables, which are
composed of rows and columns, similar to
spreadsheets.
Each column in the table is a field, which is a single
characteristic of a person, place, thing, or event.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Database Software (continued)
A row in a database table represents a record.
Each record is a group of related fields.
Every table must include a primary key field, which is a
field that uniquely identifies each record in a table.
Lesson 8
One purpose of the primary key is to prevent duplicate
entries.
Database software that works with related tables, such
as Microsoft Access, is called relational database
software.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Database Software (continued)
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Database Software (continued)
– Data-Entry Features
When you enter records into a table, you can use a
table datasheet, which is similar to a spreadsheet, or
you can design and use a form.
Lesson 8
– Data-Retrieval Features
Toextract meaningful data from a database, you can
create a query, which is a request for specific data that
meets set criteria.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Database Software (continued)
– Comparing Spreadsheets and Databases
Spreadsheets Databases
Are best for using numerical Are best for long-term data
data to make calculations or a
storage and manipulating
quick analysis
Lesson 8
data efficiently
Enable users to enter data and Offer advantages such as
see results quickly
entering data once instead
Are easier to learn
of twice when relating tables
Have more formatting features
Automatically update forms,
than databases
Have more sophisticated reports, and queries when
mathematical functions data is updated
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Database Software (continued)
– Comparing Spreadsheets and Databases
(continued)
Example:
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Entertainment Software
Entertainment software includes applications
that let you download and listen to music or
the radio, watch movies and television
Lesson 8
shows, and play games.
Some applications provide access to more
than one type of digital media; others
concentrate on a single type of media.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Entertainment Software (continued)
– Music and Video Applications
Music applications, such as Windows Media Player and
iTunes, are used to build a collection of digital music
and arrange it into lists of songs called playlists.
Lesson 8
Video player software such as QuickTime, RealPlayer,
and the VLC media player can be used to play videos in
a variety of file formats, organize videos into playlists,
and set preferences.
Radio applications such as Pandora, Spotify, and
iHeartRadio work like online radio stations.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Entertainment Software (continued)
– Game Software
Some game applications are electronic versions of physical
games, such as Solitaire or Scrabble. They are called casual
games because they require little time commitment to learn
and play.
Lesson 8
Other games are more involved, requiring users to devote
time to learn the intricacies of the rules and options to
complete a game. These types of games are referred to as
long-play games.
Genres of long-play games change frequently as technology
changes.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Media-Editing Software
You often need to edit music, video, and image files to
suit your purposes.
You could use a video camera to record yourself
making sushi, select a music file to play at the
Lesson 8
beginning of the video, and take photos of the finished
product to display at the end of the video.
To fine-tune each component, you use graphics
software, music-editing software, and video-editing
software.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Media-Editing Software (continued)
– Graphics Software
The three major types of graphics software are paint,
photo-editing, and drawing software.
Microsoft Paint provides tools for painting the screen,
Lesson 8
which involves manipulating pixels by filling them with
color.
You can use paint software to create a graphic on a
Web page or any other object displayed on a computer
screen.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Media-Editing
Software (continued)
– Graphics Software
(continued)
Basic photo-editing
Lesson 8
software includes
features for improving
digital photos by
adjusting brightness and
contrast, and cropping
out parts of the photo.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Media-Editing Software (continued)
– Graphics Software (continued)
Drawing software approaches a graphic as a set of
geometric objects, including lines and closed shapes.
3-D graphics software uses mathematics to represent 3-D
Lesson 8
objects, and allows users to rotate and view them from
many angles.
Computer aided design (CAD) software is used by
professional designers to create models of products,
buildings, and other objects; engineering and technical
drawings; and blueprints for architectural projects.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Media-Editing Software (continued)
– Music-Editing Software
Music-editing software such as Apple GarageBand, Music
Maker Jam, and Finale are designed for people who want
to record and edit their own music.
Lesson 8
These applications can be used to compose and record
songs; change the volume, speed, and sound quality of
recordings; add sound effects; and mix voices and
instruments.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Media-Editing Software (continued)
– Video-Editing Software
When you use video-editing software such as Windows
Movie Maker, Apple iMovie, or Camtasia Studio, you work
with video segments called clips.
Lesson 8
You arrange clips in sequence on a timeline or storyboard,
add transitions between clips, insert titles, and zoom in and
out to direct the viewer’s attention.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Application Software
(continued)
Media-Editing Software (continued)
– Video-Editing Software (continued)
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools
Utility programs are tools you use to maintain your data
files, software, and hardware.
File utilities include software that helps you manage
files, convert files from one format to another, and
thoroughly delete files.
Lesson 8
Disk management utilities help the operating system
store files efficiently on a disk, and remove unnecessary
files.
Software utilities include software updating tools, virus
and other malware scanners, and system monitors.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
File Compression Software
File compression software reduces the size of
a file by removing redundant data.
You compress files before attaching them to an
Lesson 8
e-mail so they can be transferred more quickly.
When you receive a compressed file, you use
the file compression software to expand the
file to its original size.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
File Compression Software (continued)
File compression software determines which redundant
data to remove according to sophisticated algorithms,
which are sets of rules a program follows in calculations
or other problem-solving steps.
Lesson 8
The algorithm for compressing a text file identifies
patterns in the text and substitutes the text for a code.
This type of compression is called lossless
compression because the original file is reconstructed
without losing any data.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
File Compression Software (continued)
Files containing graphics or music do not include much
redundant data.
For graphics or music, compression software uses a lossy
compression method, which removes data identified as
unnecessary.
Lesson 8
For example, the multiple shades of a background color
might be reduced from thousands of variations to only a
hundred variations.
When the file is restored, you are unlikely to notice the
difference in shades.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Disk Management Software
Disk management software is used to
maintain your hard disk by keeping it free of
problems that could prevent you from
accessing your data.
Lesson 8
Three types of disk management utilities
should be used regularly: a disk cleaner, a
disk scanner, and a defragmenter.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Disk Management
Software (continued)
A disk cleaner
identifies files you can
safely delete to free up
Lesson 8
disk space.
A disk scanner scans
for disk errors, such as
parts of corrupted files,
and then repairs them.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Disk Management
Software (continued)
A defragmenter
optimizes the way files
are stored on the disk
Lesson 8
by rearranging the
clusters on a disk so
they are adjacent
instead of fragmented.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Malware and Antivirus Software
When you connect to the Internet, your computer is
vulnerable to harm from people who might attempt to
access confidential information or damage your files.
Malware, short for malicious software, includes
Lesson 8
computer viruses, worms, Trojans, bots, and spyware.
Viruses copy themselves and trigger computer code
that can infect your computer and damage your files
and system settings.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Malware and Antivirus Software (continued)
Viruses are often transmitted through e-mail attachments
or downloaded files, and spread when you open the
infected attachment or file.
A worm is harmful computer code that spreads without
Lesson 8
your interaction.
A worm slips from one network connection to another,
replicating itself on computers.
A Trojan is malware that hides inside another program,
such as a downloaded browser toolbar.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Malware and Antivirus Software (continued)
When the toolbar is installed, the Trojan infects the
operating system, allowing a hacker to access your
computer.
Attackers who access your system through a Trojan
Lesson 8
might install a bot, short for robot, which is a program
that runs repetitive tasks.
Bots can control your computer to perform illegal
activities such as sending massive amounts of spam
(electronic junk mail).
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Malware and Antivirus Software (continued)
Spyware can install itself or run on your computer
without your consent or control.
Spyware monitors your computing actions to collect
information about your browsing habits to pass along
Lesson 8
to advertisers.
A special type of spyware called adware changes your
browser settings to open pop-up ads, which are
windows that appear while you are viewing a Web
page and advertise a product or service.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Malware and Antivirus Software (continued)
Common symptoms of malware are when your
computer runs much slower than normal,
messages appear unexpectedly, programs start
or close on their own, and the operating system
Lesson 8
shuts down suddenly.
To defend against malware, you install and run
antivirus software on your computer and keep it
up to date.
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
Using Software Tools (continued)
Malware and Antivirus Software (continued)
Lesson 8
Morrison / Wells / Ruffolo CLB: A Comp Guide to IC3 5E
