IT Fundamentals/2014/Applications

Applications are computer programs or sets of programs designed to permit the user to perform a group of coordinated functions, tasks, or activities. Applications cannot run by themselves, but are dependent upon system software to execute. This lesson covers productivity software, collaboration software, utility software, and common file types.

Objectives and Skills

Objectives and skills for the applications software portion of IT Fundamentals certification include:

• Identify common programs, applications and their purpose
  • Types
    • Productivity Software
      • Word processing
      • Spreadsheet software
      • Email software
      • Basic database software
      • PDF viewers/creators
      • Presentation software
      • Desktop publishing software
      • Personal Information Manager
      • Remote desktop software
    • Collaboration Software
      • Online workspace
      • Document storage/sharing
      • Screen sharing software
      • Video conferencing software
      • Instant messaging software
      • Email software
    • Utility Software
      • Anti-malware
      • Software firewalls
      • Diagnostic/maintenance software
      • Compression software
    • Specialized Software
      • CAD
      • Graphic design
      • Medical
      • Scientific
      • Financial
      • Gaming
      • Entertainment
    • Open source vs. commercial
  • Platforms
    • Mobile
    • Desktop
    • Web-based
  • Common file types
    • Documents
      • txt
      • rtf
      • doc/docx
      • xls/xlsx
      • ppt/pptx
      • pdf
    • Audio
      • mp3
      • wav
      • flac
      • aac
      • m4a
    • Images
      • jpg
      • gif
      • tiff
      • png
      • bmp
    • Video
      • mpg
      • mp4
      • flv
      • wmv
      • avi
    • Executables
      • exe
      • msi
      • app
      • bat
      • scexe
    • Compression formats
      • rar
      • tar
      • zip
      • dmg
      • iso
      • 7zip / 7z
      • gzip / gz
      • jar

Readings

1. Wikipedia: Productivity software
2. Wikipedia: Collaboration software
3. Wikipedia: Utility software
4. Wikipedia: Filename extension

Multimedia

1. YouTube: Choosing the Right Application
2. YouTube: Installing and Uninstalling Software

Activities

1. Use the built-in text editor to create and edit text files:
   • Windows: Review Microsoft: Open Notepad. Use Notepad to create a text file and save it under Documents.
   • OS X: Review Apple: Mac Basics: TextEdit. Use TextEdit to create a text file and save it under Documents.
   • Linux: Review Wikipedia: gedit. Use gedit to create a text file and save it under Documents.
2. Review Wikipedia: OpenOffice and How To Geek: OpenOffice vs. LibreOffice. Download and install an open source office software suite. Then review LibreOffice.org: Documentation. Use the open source software suite to create a short document, spreadsheet, and presentation. Save the files under Documents.
3. Use screen sharing software to collaborate with other users:
   • Windows: Search the Internet for information on Chrome Remote Desktop, Microsoft Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, or similar applications. Use one of these applications to share your desktop with another user.
   • OS X: Search the Internet for information on Chrome Remote Desktop, Microsoft Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, or similar applications. Use one of these applications to share your desktop with another user.
   • Linux: Search the Internet for information on Chrome Remote Desktop, Microsoft Remote Desktop, TeamViewer, or similar applications. Use one of these applications to share your desktop with another user.
4. Use video conferencing software to collaborate with other users:
   • Windows: Search the Internet for information on Google+ Hangout, Skype, or similar applications. Use one of these applications to set up and join a video conference to collaborate with other users.
   • OS X: Search the Internet for information on Facetime, Google+ Hangout, Skype, or similar applications. Use one of these applications to set up and join a video conference to collaborate with other users.
   • Linux: Search the Internet for information on Google+ Hangout, Skype, or similar applications. Use one of these applications to set up and join a video conference to collaborate with other users.
5. Use file compression software to compress and uncompress folders and files:
   • Windows: Review Microsoft: Compress and Uncompress Files. Create a Zip file and compress the text and document files created above. Compare file sizes between the compressed and uncompressed versions.
   • OS X: Review OS X Daily: How to Zip Files in Mac OS X. Compress the text and document files created above. Compare file sizes between the compressed and uncompressed versions.
   • Linux: Review Ubuntu.org: File Roller. Use the Archive Manager to create a new .gz or .zip file and compress the text and document files created above. Compare file sizes between the compressed and uncompressed versions.

Lesson Summary

• Productivity software, or office productivity software, is application software dedicated to producing information, such as documents, presentations, worksheets, databases, charts, graphs, digital paintings, electronic music and digital video.
• Existing office suites contain wide range of various components. Most typically, the base components include a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program.
• Popular office suites include Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Microsoft Office and Google Docs.
• Collaborative software, or groupware, is application software designed to help people involved in a common task to achieve goals. It can be divided into three categories depending on the level of collaboration: communication, conferencing and co-ordination.
• Communication can be thought of as unstructured interchange of information. Examples of communication tools are synchronous conferencing, asynchronous conferencing, e-mail, faxing, voice mail, wikis, web publishing, and revision control.
• Conferencing refers to interactive work toward a shared goal. Examples of conferencing are Internet forums, online chat, instant messaging, telephones, video conferencing, data conferencing, and application sharing
• Co-ordination refers to complex interdependent work toward a shared goal. Examples of co-ordination include electronic calendars, project management systems, online proofing, workflow systems, knowledge management systems, enterprise bookmarking, prediction markets, extranet, social software, online spreadsheets, and client portals.
• Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer.
• Utility software is a type of system software used to support the computer infrastructure, distinguishing it from application software which is aimed at directly performing tasks that benefit ordinary users.
• A filename extension is a suffix, separated from the base filename by a dot or space, used to indicate the file's content format or usage.

Key Terms

7zip / 7z

A compressed archive file format that supports several different data compression, encryption and pre-processing algorithms.

aac (Advanced Audio Coding)

An audio coding standard for lossy digital audio compression designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, which generally achieves better sound quality than MP3 at similar bit rates.

anti-malware software

Utility software used to detect and remove malicious software.

app

A file extension used to indicate application bundles (folder hierarchies) on OS X.

avi (Audio Video Interleave)

A multimedia container file extension and format developed by Microsoft.

bat (batch file)

A file extension used to indicate a command script file in DOS, OS/2, and Windows.

bmp

A file extension used to indicate a bitmap image

CAD (Computer Aided Design)

The use of computer systems to assist in the creation, modification, analysis, or optimization of a design, particularly for manufacturing.

CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing)

The use of computer software to control machine tools and related machinery in the manufacturing of workpieces.

collaborative workspace

An inter-connected environment in which all the participants in dispersed locations can access and interact with each other just as inside a single entity.

compression software

Utility software used to reduce resource usage, such as data storage space or transmission capacity requirements.

database software

Productivity software used to capture and analyze data.

desktop publishing software

Productivity software used to generate layouts and produce typographic quality text and images comparable to traditional typography and printing.

diagnostic software

Utility software used to locate problems with the software, hardware, or any combination there of in a system, or a network of systems.

dmg

A file extension indicating an Apple Disk Image file format, commonly used by the Mac OS X operating system.

doc/docx

A document file format used for word processing files.

email software

Productivity and collaboration software used to access and manage a user's electronic mail.

exe

A common filename extension denoting an executable file for DOS, OpenVMS, Microsoft Windows, Symbian or OS/2.

flac (Free Lossless Audio Codec)

An audio coding format for lossless compression of digital audio.

flv

A file extension used to indicate Flash Video files.

gif (Graphics Interchange Format)

A bitmap image format that was introduced by CompuServe.

graphic design software

Specialty software used to create and combine words, symbols, and images to create a visual representation of ideas and messages.

gzip / gz

A file format and software application used for file compression and decompression on Unix and Linux systems.

instant messaging software

Collaboration software used to share real-time text transmissions over a network or over the Internet.

iso

An optical disk archive file.

jar (Java Archive)

A package file format typically used to aggregate many Java class files and associated metadata and resources (text, images, etc.) into one file to distribute application software or libraries on the Java platform.

jpg

A file extension and commonly used method of lossy compression for digital images, particularly for those images produced by digital photography.

m4a

A file extension used to indicate MPEG 4 audio-only files.

Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack

A set of add-ins that allow Microsoft Office 2000, XP, and 2003 to open, edit, and save files using the file format of Office 2007 and later versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

mp3 (Moving Picture Experts Group Layer 3 Audio)

An audio file format that uses a form of lossy data compression, accepted as the de facto standard of digital audio compression for the transfer and playback of music on most digital audio players.

mp4 (Moving Picture Experts Group Layer 4)

A digital multimedia file format most commonly used to store video and audio, but can also be used to store other data such as subtitles and still images.

MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group)

A working group of authorities that was formed by ISO and IEC to set standards for audio and video compression and transmission.

mpg

A file extension used for MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 audio and video compression files.

msi

A file extension used to indicate a Microsoft Windows Installer (software installation) file.

office suite

A collection of bundled productivity software intended to be used by knowledge workers.

pdf (Portable Document Format)

A document file format used to present documents in a manner independent of application software, hardware, and operating systems.

personal information manager

Productivity software used as a personal organizer.

png (Portable Network Graphics)

A file extension used to indicate a raster graphics file format that supports lossless data compression, created as an improved, non-patented replacement for Graphics Interchange Format (GIF).

ppt/pptx

A document file format used for presentation software files.

presentation software

Productivity software used to display information in the form of a slide show.

rar (Roshal ARchive)

A file extension used to indicate a proprietary archive file format that supports data compression, error recovery and file spanning.

remote desktop software

Productivity software used to run a personal computer's desktop environment remotely on one system while being displayed on a separate client device.

rtf

A document file format developed by Microsoft for cross-platform document interchange.

sc.exe

Utility software used to control services running on Microsoft Windows.

screen sharing software

Collaboration software used to display a personal computer's desktop environment remotely on a separate client device.

security software

Any computer program designed to enhance information security.

software firewall

Utility software used to control incoming and outgoing network traffic based on an applied rule set.

spreadsheet software

Productivity software used to perform the organization, analysis and storage of data in tabular form.

tar (tape archive)

A file format and the name of a program used to create and manage tape archives on Unix and Linux systems.

tiff (Tagged Image File Format)

A file format for storing raster graphics images, popular among graphic artists and the publishing industry, the specification of which is controlled by Adobe Systems.

txt

A document file format used for text files.

VTC

An abbreviation for Video Teleconference.

video conferencing software

Collaboration software used to allow two or more locations to communicate by simultaneous two-way video and audio transmissions.

wav (Waveform Audio File Format)

An audio file extension developed by Microsoft and IBM for audio bitstream files.

wmv (Windows Media Video)

A video file extension created by Microsoft which can contain video in one of several video compression formats.

word processing

Productivity software used to perform the composition, editing, formatting, and sometimes printing of any sort of written material.

xls/xlsx

A document file format used for spreadsheet files.

zip

An archive file format that supports lossless data compression, supported by Microsoft Windows.

Review Questions

1. Productivity software, or office productivity software, is application software dedicated to _____.

   Productivity software, or office productivity software, is application software dedicated to producing information, such as documents, presentations, worksheets, databases, charts, graphs, digital paintings, electronic music and digital video.
2. Existing office suites contain a wide range of components. Most typically, the base components include _____.

   Existing office suites contain a wide range of components. Most typically, the base components include a word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation program.
3. Popular office suites include _____.

   Popular office suites include Apache OpenOffice, LibreOffice, Microsoft Office and Google Docs.
4. Collaborative software, or groupware, is application software designed to _____.

   Collaborative software, or groupware, is application software designed to help people involved in a common task to achieve goals, such as email, calendaring, text chat, wiki, bookmarking, shared document storage, screen sharing, and video conferencing.
5. Communication can be thought of as _____. Examples of communication tools include _____.

   Communication can be thought of as unstructured interchange of information. Examples of communication tools are synchronous conferencing, asynchronous conferencing, e-mail, faxing, voice mail, wikis, web publishing, and revision control.
6. Conferencing refers to _____. Examples of conferencing include _____.

   Conferencing refers to interactive work toward a shared goal. Examples of conferencing are Internet forums, online chat, instant messaging, telephones, video conferencing, data conferencing, and application sharing.
7. Co-ordination refers to _____. Examples of co-ordination include _____.

   Co-ordination refers to complex interdependent work toward a shared goal. Examples of co-ordination include electronic calendars, project management systems, online proofing, workflow systems, knowledge management systems, enterprise bookmarking, prediction markets, extranet, social software, online spreadsheets, and client portals.
8. Utility software is system software designed to _____.

   Utility software is system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer.
9. Utility software is a type of system software used to support the computer infrastructure, distinguishing it from application software which is _____.

   Utility software is a type of system software used to support the computer infrastructure, distinguishing it from application software which is aimed at directly performing tasks that benefit ordinary users.
10. A filename extension is _____.

    A filename extension is a suffix, separated from the base filename by a dot or space, used to indicate the file's content format or usage.

Assessments

• Flashcards: Quizlet: IT Fundamentals - Applications
• Quiz: Quizlet: IT Fundamentals - Applications

See Also

• Lumen Learning: Computer Applications for Managers

References

Type classification: this is a lesson resource.

Completion status: this resource is considered to be complete.

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