Application Software – Topic 6

Flashcards covering definitions, functions, examples, and distinctions for application software, user interfaces, general-purpose programs, specialized applications, mobile apps, and software suites from Topic 6.

What are the three main categories of application software?

General-purpose applications, specialized applications, and mobile apps.

What four programs make up the core of general-purpose application software?

Word processors, spreadsheets, presentation graphics programs, and database management systems (DBMS).

Which user-interface elements make up a typical graphical user interface (GUI)?

Icons, pointer, windows, menus, toolbars, buttons, and dialog boxes.

Name three common features found on Microsoft’s Ribbon GUI.

Tabs, groups, and contextual tabs (also acceptable: galleries, spell checker, alignment, font tools).

Give two examples of popular word-processing programs.

Microsoft Word and Google Docs (others: Apple Pages, Corel WordPerfect, OpenOffice Writer).

List four typical tasks you can perform with a word processor.

Create letters/memos, apply spell & grammar checking, insert headers or footers, and format fonts or tables.

What feature in a word processor automatically moves text to the next line?

Word wrap.

Which spreadsheet program is the most widely used worldwide?

Microsoft Excel.

What spreadsheet feature lets you test the effect of different assumptions?

What-if analysis.

In a spreadsheet, what is a workbook?

A collection of one or more related worksheets stored in a single file.

Give two examples of presentation graphics programs other than PowerPoint.

Google Slides and Apple Keynote (others: OpenOffice Impress, Corel Presentations).

What presentation feature supplies coordinated colors, fonts, and effects for an entire slide deck?

Document theme.

Which DBMS applications are most widely used on personal computers?

Microsoft Access and OpenOffice Base.

What is a primary key in a database?

A field that uniquely identifies each record in a table.

What is the main purpose of an Internet browser?

To connect to remote computers, transfer files, and display web documents (text, images, multimedia).

Name three popular web browsers.

Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, and Internet Explorer (Edge).

Define specialized application software.

Programs narrowly focused on specific disciplines, professions, or tasks rather than general office work.

List the six sub-categories of specialized applications mentioned in the notes.

Graphics programs, video-game design software, web authoring programs, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and other specialized professional applications.

What are the four types of graphics programs?

Desktop publishing, image editing, illustration, and image galleries.

Which program is best known for desktop publishing?

Adobe InDesign (others: Microsoft Publisher, QuarkXPress).

What do image editors manipulate to change photographs?

Bitmaps made up of thousands of pixels.

Give two well-known image editing programs.

Adobe Photoshop and GIMP (others: Corel PaintShop Pro, Windows Photos).

What distinguishes illustration programs from image editors?

They create and edit vector images defined by mathematical equations rather than pixel bitmaps.

Provide one example of a popular illustration program.

Adobe Illustrator (others: CorelDraw, Inkscape).

What type of specialized software assists with character and environment creation for games?

Video game design software.

Name two free or inexpensive video game design tools.

YoYo GameMaker and Unity (also Stencyl).

What does WYSIWYG stand for in web authoring?

"What You See Is What You Get."

Give one widely used commercial web authoring program.

Adobe Dreamweaver (also Microsoft Expression Web).

What field of computing attempts to mimic human thought processes?

Artificial intelligence (AI).

How does virtual reality strive to immerse users?

By using 3-D computer-generated environments with interactive sensory hardware such as headgear and gloves.

List three examples of "other specialized" professional applications from the notes.

Project-management software, personal finance programs (e.g., Quicken), and accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks).

Define a mobile app.

An add-on program designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones or tablets.

Give two popular categories of mobile apps along with one example each.

Music – Spotify; Social networking – Facebook (others include video: YouTube, shopping: Lazada, games: Clash of Clans).

What are the three main app stores named?

Apple’s App Store, Google Play, and Appszoom.

Differentiate an integrated package from a suite package.

An integrated package is a single program offering multiple functions; a suite is a collection of separate full-featured programs sold together.

Why are integrated packages no longer common?

Office suites became inexpensive and offer more powerful, full-featured applications.

Name the four types of software suites.

Office (productivity) suites, cloud suites, specialized suites, and utility suites.

Provide an example of a cloud (online) office suite.

Google Docs (others: Zoho, Microsoft Office 365).

What is object linking and embedding (OLE) used for?

Dynamically sharing and exchanging data between files so updates in the source can appear in the destination.

What data-sharing method copies information but does not update with later changes?

Copy and Paste (static embedding).

List two emerging interface technologies predicted for the future.

Voice recognition and augmented reality (others: touch/interactive screens, gesture control).

What collaboration and storage advantages does Google Docs offer?

Free creation/sharing of documents and free online storage accessible with a Google account.

Explain one key difference between general-purpose and specialized applications.

General-purpose apps handle common tasks for a broad audience (e.g., word processing), whereas specialized apps target specific professional or technical needs (e.g., CAD, AI).

Which common feature allows a user to correct spelling errors across many application types?

Spell checker.

What mobile app category includes Kindle and Scribd?

E-book reader apps.

Which utility suite aims to make computing safer by combining security tools?

Norton Internet Security Suite.