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Applications and systems software: навчальний посібник.

Contents

1. p MH JI T Kxe rp MH
2. Internet Internet M
3. large style small style XB T O JI H THB 5 5 12 12 TOK M 3 3 M 20 Application
4. T 3 JI Shielded Y Subwoofer CTOT 10 100 JI UNIT X 1 Read and translate the text SOFTWARE SUITES OFFICE PROGRAMS Software suites or simply suites are ap
5. T p CK Hep c FineReader CuneiForm MH Applications and Systens Software 9 UNIT II 1 Read and translate the text Check the meaning of the new words in your dictionary Make up your own list ETHICS amp INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS WHEN CAN Y
6. 90 150 200 330 mini tower big tower 70 75 Energy Star IBM Tep 220 110 X T
7. BCbK APPLICATIONS AND SYSTEMS SOFTWARE Ne 8 09 03 2004 p nec 2004 802 0 075 2004 05 Applications and Systems Software iM OHOB 2004 116 c 2 y HCbKHX eT
8. MS SQL Server HTML Microsoft SQL Server Web Assistant Web MS SQL SQL Server Internet Connector MM Database Front End Applications and Systens Software 13 UNIT 1 Read and translate the text Ask questions to the text Divide into groups ask each other questions and answer them PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE FREEWARE amp SHAREWARE No doubt most of the applications programs you will come across in con junction with this book will be commercial software packages with brand names such as Microsoft Word or Lotus 1 2 3 However there are a number of software products many available over communications lines from the Internet that are available to you as public domain software freeware or shareware
9. Lotus Organizer Lotus Development Corp Sidekick Borland Sheduler Microsoft Corp powe M pr H
10. p RS 232C Recommended Standard EIA 2320 Electrical Industry Association Centronics Game MIDI Adapter Multi I O Card
11. 60 X 40 Ctrl Alt Windows 95 Windows 95 98 NT Start Application key Start B lt Start gt lt Break gt System Properties lt Start gt lt M gt KOM Minimize Windows UNIT Y 1 Read and translate the text Express the key points in your oral summary THE USER INTERFA
12. T K TO E mail Tb p rp He Aero
13. Control Data Corp CDC 6600 7600 1972 Cray Research Inc 3 CT CT B 1976 1 240
14. l 1981 CT BHCHMBIM Tb B CBO B 1985 2 1200 1988 Y MP 2 670 1989 Cray Computer 3 Cb HOB Cb 1995 B HH Applications and Systens Software 59 COMPUTER TERMS AND THEIR USE ILLUSTRATION analytical
15. B T Tb FTP Applications and Systens Software 51 WWW cepBep Tb H C rp OH B M H3 UNIT XII 1 Read and translate the text GETTING STARTED WITH COMPUTERS IN COLLEGE amp GOING ONLINE You may st
16. Internet Denali HO p Me X Microsoft CD x TechNet n n Microsoft URL 16 Applications and Systens Software UNIT IY 1 Read and translate the text THE FOUR TYPES OF APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE The four types of applications software may be considered to be 1 enter tainment software 2 education and reference software 3 productivity soft ware and 4 business and specialized software The first contact many people have with applications software is with en tertainment software especially videogames Students may find use for educa tional and reference software for example encyclopedias and library searches Basic productivity tools include word processing spreadsheet database man ager presentation graphics communications desktop accessories and personal information managers integrated programs and suites groupware and Internet Web browsers Software can chang
17. Verbatim 1969 Verbatim CD RW Verbatim ISO 9000 eBepH He MHKH p 38 Applications and Systens Software T TCA
18. Ne 10 28 2004 Applications and Systens Software CONTENTS PARTI UNIT I APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE HOW TO THINK ABOUT SOFTWARE THE MOST POPULAR USES OF SOFTWARE THE TWO KINDS OF SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS amp SYSTEMS VERSIONS RELEASES amp UPWARD amp DOWNWARD COMPATIBILITY UNIT ETHICS amp INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS WHEN CAN YOU COPY UNIT III PUBLIC DOMAIN SOFTWARE FREEWARE amp SHAREWARE UNIT IY THE FOUR TYPES OF APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE UNIT Y THE USER INTERFACE amp OTHER BASIC FEATURES UNIT YI TUTORIALS amp DOCUMENTATION UNIT YII CREATING DOCUMENTS UNIT YIII ANALYTICAL AND BUSINESS GRAPHICS UNIT IX COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE UNIT X 1 SOFTWARE SUITES OFFICE PROGRAMS 2 GROUPWARE 3 INTERNET WEB BROWSERS UNIT XI 1 SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE 2 COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN 3 HYPERTEXT pp ON ON UA tA 13 16 19 23 26 30 34 38 39 40 43 47 49 4 Applications and Systens Software UNIT XII 1 GETTING STARTED WITH COMPUTERS IN COLLEGE amp GOING ONLINE 2 HOW TO BUY A PERSONAL COMPUTER 3 GETTING STARTED ONLINE COMPUTER TERMS AND THEIR USE ILLUSTRATION TEST PART II UNIT I 1 SYSTEMS SOFTWARE 2 THREE TYPES OF SYSTEMS SOFTWARE UNIT 1 THE OPERATING SYSTEM UNIT III USER INTERFACE 2 MANAGING COMPUTES RESOURCES UNIT IY 1 MICROCOMP
19. Web crp OCT Internet Internet Intranet
20. T PC98 99 OTK 3 USB 34 Applications and Systens Software CTHOCTH BHJIK M M HJIH II CHT H
21. T Tb H UNIT YIII 1 Read and translate the text ANALYTICAL AND BUSINESS GRAPHICS A nice feature of spreadsheet packages is the ability to create analytical graphics Analytical graphics or business graphics are graphical forms that make numeric data easier to analyze than when it is in the form of rows and col umns of numbers as in electronic spreadsheets Whether viewed on a monitor or Applications and Systens Software 31 printed out analytical graphics help make sales figures economic trends and the like easier to comprehend and analyze The principal examples of analytical graphics are bar charts line graphs and pie charts Quite often these charts can be displayed or printed out so that they look three dimensional Spreadsheets can even be linked to more exciting graphics such as digitized maps The key features of spreadsheet software are summarized in the accompa nying box Database Software A database is a computer based collection of interrelated files Database software is a program that controls the structure of a database and access to the data In its most general sense a database is any electronically stored collection of data in a computer system In its more specific sense a database is a collec tion of interrelated files in a computer system These computer based files are organized according to their common elements so that they can be retrieved easily
22. 866 MS DOS 1251 Windows X p UNIT 1 Read and translate the text CREATING DOCUMENTS Creating a document means entering text using the keyboard Word proc essing software has three features that you will not encounter with a typewriter the cursor scrolling and word wrap The cursor is the movable symbol on the display screen that shows you where you may enter data or commands next The symbol is often a blinking rectangle or I beam You can move the cursor on the screen using the keyboard s directional arrow keys or an electronic mouse Scrolling is the activity of moving quickly upward or downward through the text or other screen display A standard computer screen displays only 20 22 lines of standard size text Of course most documents are longer than that Us ing the directional arrow keys or a mouse you can move scroll through the display screen and into the text above and below it Word wrap automatically continues text on the next line when you reach the right margin That is the text wraps around to the next line You do not need to press a carriage return key when you reach the right margin as you would on a typewriter Applications
23. p nyc 5 DIN T X T AT 6 KOHT miniDIN Hx H PS 2 T X X86 Enhanced IBM XT 101 104 QWERTY
24. Web MMe IDC Denali HTML Web crp HTML Microsoft H Denali Denali Web cTp ActiveX Internet Information Server Denali Internet
25. pH H Typ X B p X Microsoft Cherry HHH Applications and Systens Software 23 BH M BH Typ B BOJIH UNIT YI 1 Read and translate the text TUTORIALS amp DOCUMENTATION How are you going to learn a given software program Most commercial pack
26. hypertext Applications software that allows users to ink information in large documents constructing associations among data items as needed icon In a GUI small pictorial figure that represents a task function or program integrated software Applications software that combines several applica tions programs into one package usually electronic spreadsheets word proc essing database management graphics and communications macro Software feature that allows a single keystroke or command to be used to automatically issue a predetermined series of keystrokes or commands 62 Applications and Systens Software menu List of available commands displayed on the screen move command Software command that allows users to move any high lighted or blocked items in a document to any other designated location network piracy The use of electronic networks for unauthorized distri bution of copyrighted materials in digitized form packaged software Also called software package an off the shelf pro gram available on disk for sale to the general public page description language Software used in desktop publishing that de scribes the shape and position of characters and graphics to the printer painting programs Applications programs that simulate painting using a mouse or tablet stylus like a paintbrush and that use co ors A powerful com puter system is required to use these programs personal finance software Applicat
27. 386 486 Te 3 UNIT IX 1 Read and translate the text COMMUNICATIONS SOFTWARE Communications software manages the transmission of data between computers It also enables users to send and receive electronic mail In the past many microcomputer users felt they had all the productivity they needed without ever having to hook up their machines to a telephone One it the major themes of this book however is that having communications capabilities vastly extends your range This great leap forward is made pos le with communications software Two types of communications software ici communications software and electronic mail software Applications and Systens Software 35 Data Communications Software Data communications software manages the transmission of data be tween computers For most microcomputer users this sending and receiving of data is made via a modem and a telephone line A modem is an electronic device that allows computers to communicate with each other over telephone lines The modem translates the digital signals of the computer into analog signals that can travel over telephone lines to another modem which translates the analog signals back to digital When you buy a modem you
28. Multiprocessing goes beyond multitasking which works with only one microprocessor In both cases the processing should be so fast that by spending a little bit of time working on each of several programs in turn a number of pro grams can be run at the same time With both multitasking and multiprocessing the operating system keeps track of the status of each program so that it knows where it left off and where to continue processing But the multiprocessing op erating system is much more sophisticated than multitasking Multiprocessing can be done in several ways One way is coprocessing whereby the controlling Applications and Systens Software 83 CPU works together with specialized microprocessors called coprocessors each of which handles a particular task such as display screen graphics or high speed mathematical calculations Many sophisticated microcomputer systems have coprocessing capabilities Another way to perform multiprocessing is by parallel processing whereby several full fledged CPUs work together on the same tasks sharing memory Parallel processing is often used in large computer systems designed to keep running if one of the CPUs fails These systems are called fault tolerant systems they have several CPUs and redundant components such as memory and input output and storage devices Fault tolerant systems are used for ex ample in airline reservation systems Operating system functions are summarized belo
29. Public domain software is software that is not protected by copyright and thus may be duplicated by anyone at will Public domain programs usually de veloped at taxpayer expense by government agencies have been donated to the public by their creators They are often available through sites on the Internet or electronic bulletin boards or through computer users groups A users group is a club or group of computer users who share interests and trade information about computer systems You can duplicate public domain software without fear of legal prosecution Beware Downloading software through the Internet may introduce some problems bad code called viruses into your system Freeware is software that is available free of charge Freeware is distributed without charge also usually through the Internet or computer users groups Why would any software creator let the product go for free Sometimes developers want to see how users respond so they can make improvements in a later version Sometimes it is to further some scholarly purpose such as to cre ate a standard for software on which people are apt to agree because there is no need to pay for it An example of freeware is Mosaic mentioned earlier Freeware developers often retain all rights to their programs so that tech nically you are not supposed to duplicate and distribute it further Still there is no problem about your making several copies for your own use
30. Compaq Epson Hewlett Packard IBM and NCR AT amp T Most troublesome were low cost PCs There are several sources for inexpensive new computers such as student discount sources computer superstores and mail order houses Applications and Systens Software 55 Where to Buy Used Buying a used computer can save you a minimum of 50 depending on its age If you dont need the latest software this can often be the way to go The most important thing is to buy recognizable brand names examples being Apple and IBM or well known IBM compatibles Compaq Hewlett Packard NCR Packard Bell Tandy Toshiba Zenith Obscure or dis continued brands may not be repairable Among the sources for used computers are the following e Retail sources A look in the telephone book Yellow Pages under Computers Used will produce several leads Authorized dealers of IBM Ap ple Compaq and so on may shave prices on demonstration demo or training equipment e Used computer brokers There are a number of used computer bro kers such as American Computer Exchange Boston Computer Exchange Damark and National Computer Exchange Individuals Classified ads in local newspapers shopper throwaways and in some localities free computer newspapers magazines provide listings of used computer equipment Similar listings may also appear on electronic bulle tin board systems BBSs One problem with buying from individuals is that they may not f
31. Like Mac OS Windows contains windows which can display multiple applications Note It s important to realize that Windows 3 3 represents ver sions 3 0 3 1 and 3 11 is different from Windows 95 discussed shortly which is not just an operating environment but a true operating system Microsoft s Windows 3 X is designed to run on IBM style microcomput ers with Intel microprocessors the 386 and 486 chips Earlier versions of Windows could not make full use of 386 and 486 chips but later versions can To effectively use Windows 3 X one should have a reasonably powerful micro computer system This would include a 386 microprocessor or better much more main memory than is required for DOS a minimum of 4 megabytes and a hard disk drive Microsoft released Windows 3 0 the first really useful version in May 1990 and promoted it as a way for frustrated DOS users not to have to switch to more user friendly operating systems such as Macintosh Indeed Windows has about 80 of the Macintosh features Although Windows is far easier to use than DOS its earlier versions have not been as easy to use as the Mac operating system This is because Windows sat atop the 11 year old command driven DOS operating system which required certain compromises on ease of use In deed the system had something of a split personality In handling files for ex ample after passing through the Macintosh style display of icons the user had to
32. Sometimes called a database manage or database management system DBMS data base software is a program that controls the structure of a data base and access to the data The Benefits of Database Software Because it can access several files at one time database software is much better than the old file managers also known as flat file management systems that used to dominate computing A file manager is a software package that can access only one file at a time With a file manager you could call up a list of say all students at your college majoring in English You could also call up a separate list of all students from Wisconsin But you could not call up a list of English majors from Wisconsin because the relevant data is kept in separate files Database software allows you to do that Databases arc a lot more interesting than they used to be Once they in cluded only text The Digital Age has added new kinds of information not only documents but also pictures sound and animation It s likely for instance that your personnel record in a future company database will include a picture of you and perhaps even a clip of your voice If you go looking for a house to buy you will be able to view a real estate agent s database of video clips of homes and properties without leaving the realtor s office Today the principal database software packages are dBASE Access Paradox Filemaker Pro for Windows FoxPro for Windows Q amp
33. but they usually look much more so phisticated using for instance different texturing patterns speckled solid cross hatched color and three dimensionality Examples of well known pres entation graphics packages are Microsoft PowerPoint Aldus Persuasion Lotus Freelance Graphics and SPC Harvard Graphics In general these graphics are presented as slides which can be projected on a screen or displayed on a large monitor Presentation graphics packages of ten come with slide sorters which group together a dozen or so slides in minia ture The person making the presentation can use a mouse or keyboard to bring the slides up for viewing Some presentation graphics packages provide artwork clip art that can be electronically cut and pasted into the graphics These programs also allow you to use electronic painting and drawing tools for creating lines rectangles and just about any other shape Depending on the system s capabilities you can add text animated sequences and sound With special equipment you can do graphic presentations on slides transparencies and videotape With all these op tions the main problem may be simply restraining yourself 2 Translate the following sentences into English CK
34. DG and DEC minicomputers use VAX VMS Pen based computers have their own operating systems PenRight PenPoint Pen DOS and Windows for Pen Comput that en able users to write scribbles and notes on the screen These oper titing systems are not compatible with one another That is in general an operating system written for one kind of hardware will not be able to run on mother kind of ma chine Microcomputer users may readily experience the aggravation of such in compatibility when they buy a new microcomputer Should they get an Apple Macintosh with Macintosh Systems Software which won t run IBM compatible programs Or should they get an IBM or IBM compatible such as Compaq Dell or Zenith which won t run Macintosh programs And if the latter should they buy one with DOS with Windows Windows 95 OS 2 Windows NT or 78 Applications and Systens Software Unix Should they also be concerned with an operating system such as NetWare that will link several computers on a local area network Should they wait for a new operating system to be introduced that may resolve some of these differ ences Before we try to sort out these perplexities we should see what operating systems do that deserves our attention We consider Booting Housekeeping tasks User interface Managing computer resources Managing files Managing tasks Booting The operating system begins to operate as soon as you turn on or boot the
35. Function keys are used to issue commands These keys are used differ ently depending on the software A grammar checker allows users to improve their prose for both style and accuracy GUIs are easier to use than command driven interfaces and menu driven interfaces they permit liberal use of the electronic mouse as a pointing device to move the cursor to a particular icon or place on the display screen The function represented by the icon can be activated by pressing clicking buttons on the mouse Groupware improves productivity by keeping users continually notified about what colleagues are thinking and doing and vice versa Help screens provide a built in electronic instruction manual Hypertext goes beyond the restrictive search and retrieve methods of tra ditional database systems and encourages people to follow their natural train of thought as they discover information Hypertext is used to link Web pages The function represented by the icon can be activated by pointing at it with the mouse pointer and pressing clicking on the mouse The use of icons has simplified the use of computers Integrated software packages offer greater flexibility than separate single purpose programs Macros increase productivity by consolidating several command key strokes into one or two Menus are used in graphical user interface programs to make software easier for people to use If piracy is not controlled people may not want
36. Shareware is copyrighted software that is distributed free of charge but requires users to make a contribution in order to receive technical help docu mentation or upgrades Shareware too is distributed primarily through com munications connections such as the Internet Is there any problem about making copies of shareware for your friends Actually the developer is hoping you will do just that That s the way the pro 14 Applications and Systens Software gram gets distributed to a lot of people some of whom the software creator hopes will make a contribution or pay a registration fee for advice or up grades Though copying shareware is permissible because it is copyrighted you cannot use it as the basis for developing your own program in order to compete with the developer Proprietary Software amp Types of Licenses Proprietary software is software whose rights are owned by an individual or business usually a software developer The ownership is protected by the copyright and the owner expects you to buy a copy in order to use it The soft ware cannot legally be used or copied without permission Software manufacturers don t sell you the software so much as sell you a license to become an authorized user of it What s the difference In paying for a software license you sign a contract in which you agree not to make copies of the software to give away or for resale That is you have bought only the com p
37. and asks prompts you to enter a command systems software Software that enables applications software to interact with the computer and helps the computer manage its internal resources time sharing Operating system software feature whereby a single com puter processes the tasks of several users at different stations in round robin fashion Timesharing and multitasking differ slightly With time sharing the computer spends a fixed amount of time with each program before going on to the next one With multi tasking the computer works on each program until it encounters a logical stopping point as in waiting for more data to be input undelete Data recovery software utility feature that allows the user to undo the last delete operation that has taken place Unix Operating system for multiple users with built in networking capa bility the ability to run multiple tasks at one time and versions that can run on all kinds of computers user interface Also called shell part of the operating system that allows users to communicate or interact with it There are three types of user inter faces for both operating systems and applications software command driven menu driven graphical user Applications and Systens Software 109 utility programs Systems software generally used to support enhance or expand existing programs in a computer system virus Hidden programming instructions that are buried within an applica tions or sy
38. and some of it s terrific and some of it s awful For a sample of the best try Yahoo s What s Cool list http www yahoo com Entertainment COOL L mk For less than useful in formation try Worst of the Web ttp turnpike net metro mirsky Worst html COMPUTER TERMS AND THEIR USE ILLUSTRATION antivirus software Software utility that scans hard disks floppy disks and microcomputer memory to detect viruses some antivirus utilities also de stroy viruses applications software Software that can perform useful work on gen eral purpose tasks 106 Applications and Systens Software back up Operating system housekeeping or utility feature that makes a duplicate copy of the contents of a disk backward compatible Refers to the compatibility of applications with various versions of systems software users can run the same applications on the later versions that they could run on earlier versions bit number Measure of how much data a computer chip and software written for it can process at one time booting Refers to the process of loading an operating system into a com puter s main memory from floppy disk or hard disk command driven interface Type of user interface that requires users to enter a command by typing in codes or words copy Operating system housekeeping feature that duplicates or copies files and programs from one disk to another data compression Software utility that removes redundant elements gaps
39. available for designing homes These programs include libraries of options 48 Applications and Systens Software such as cabinetry furniture fixtures and in the landscaping programs trees shrubs and vegetables A variant on CAD is CADD for computer aided design and drafting software that helps people do drafting CADD programs include symbols points circles straight lines and arcs that help the user put together graphic elements such as the floor plan of a house Examples are Autodesk s AutoCAD and Intergraph s Microstation CAD CAM for computer aided design computer aided manufacturing software allows products designed with CAD to be input into an automated manufacturing system that makes the products For example CAD and its com panion CAM brought a whirlwind of enhanced creativity and efficiency to the fashion industry Some CAD systems says one writer allow designers to elec tronically drape digital generated mannequins in flowing gowns or tailored suits that dont exist or twist imaginary threads into yarns yarns into weaves weaves into sweaters without once touching needle to garment The designs and speci fications are then input into CAM systems that enable robot pattern cutters to automatically cut thousands of patterns from fabric with only minimal waste Whereas previously the fashion industry worked about a year in advance of de livery CAD CAM has cut that time to 8 months a competitive e
40. based manufacturing system CAM that makes the products copyright Body of law that prohibits copying of intellectual property without the permission of the copyright holder cursor Also called a pointer the movable symbol on the display screen that shows the user where data may be entered next The cursor is moved around with the keyboard s directional arrow keys or an electronic mouse custom written software Applications software designed for a particular customer and written for a highly specialized task by a computer programmer 60 Applications and Systens Software database Collection of interrelated files in computer system that is ated and managed by database manager software These files are organized so that those parts with a common element con be retrieved easily database software Applications software for maintaining o database It controls the structure of a database and access to the data data communications software Applications software that manages the transmission of data between computers default settings Settings automatically used by a program unless the user specifies otherwise thereby overriding them desktop accessory Also called desktop organizer software package that provides electronic counterparts of tools or objects commonly found on a desk top calendar clock card file calculator and notepad desktop publishing DTP Applications software that along with a mi crocomputer mous
41. browsers have caught people s imaginations he states A browser cuts a path through the tangled growth and even creates a form of memory so each path can be retraced We cover the Internet in detail elsewhere Here let us consider just a part of a part of it one that you may find particularly useful Applications and Systens Software 41 The World Wide Web The most exciting part of the Internet is probably that fast growing region nr subset of it known as the World Wide Web The World Wide Web or simply the Web consists of hundreds of thousands of intricately interlinked sites called home pages set up for on screen viewing in the form of colorful maga zine style pages with text images and sound To be connected to the World Wide Web you need an automatic setup with an online service or Internet access provider who will then give you a browser for actually exploring the Web The reverse is also true If you buy some Web browsers they will help you find an access provider A Web browser or simply browser is software that enables you to browse through and view Web sites You can move from page to page by clicking on or select ing an icon or by typing in the address of the page The accompanying drawing explains what the parts of a Web electronic address mean There are a great many browsers including some unsophisticated ones of fered by Internet access providers and some by the large commercial online ser vice
42. computer users group in your area What is the overall purpose of the group Software support Hardware support In what ways is support available Does it cost money to be a member How many members are there How does the group get new members If you were plan ning to join a users group would you be interested in joining this group Why why not 4 Industry observers believe that although only 196 of today s computer users have actually purchased something over the Internet this number will in crease in the future Do you think that more people will teleshop in the future What do retailers think about the future for teleshopping Do you think retailers have a reason to be concerned Why why not How do you think the Web fig ures into the future of shopping over the Internet 5 Research the state of the art in copy protection for software What are software companies doing now to prevent the unauthorized copying of copy righted software Do you think these companies should do more Why why not If you were the owner of a software company what would you do to help ensure that users obtain your software through legal channels Applications and Systens Software 75 PART II UNIT I 1 Read and translate the text SYSTEMS SOFTWARE The Power Behind the Power Concepts You Should Know After reading this chapter you should be able to 1 Explain the difference between applications software and systems software 2 Explain the th
43. describe external utility programs later in this chapter language translator is software that translates a program written by a programmer in a language such as C for example a word processing applica tions program into machine language Os and Is which the computer can un derstand UNIT II 1 Read and translate the text THE OPERATING SYSTEM Preview amp Review The operating system manages the basic operations of the computer These operations include booting and housekeeping tasks An other feature is the user interface which may be a command driven menu driven or graphical user interface Other operations are managing computer re sources and managing files The operating system also manages tasks through multitasking multiprogramming time sharing or multiprocessing The operating system OS consists of the master system of programs that manage the basic operations of the computer These programs provide resource management services of many kinds handling such matters as the control and use of hardware resources including disk space memory CPU time allocation and peripheral devices The operating system allows you to concentrate on your own tasks or applications rather than on the complexities of managing the com puter Different sizes and makes of computers have their own operating systems For example Cray supercomputers use UNICOS and COS IBM mainframes use MVS and VM Data General minicomputers use AOS and
44. document in one and a spreadsheet in another Finally the GUI permits liberal use of the mouse The mouse is used as a pointing device to move the cursor to a particular place on the display screen or to point to an icon or button The function represented by the icon can be acti vated by pressing clicking buttons on the mouse Or using the mouse you can move drag an image from one side of the screen to the other or change its size Microcomputer users first became aware of the graphical user interface in Apple Macintosh computers although Apple got the idea from Xerox Later Microsoft made a graphical user interface available for IBM and IBM compatible computers through its Windows program Now most operating sys tems on microcomputers feature a GUI 2 Read and translate the text MANAGING COMPUTES RESOURCES Suppose you are writing a report using a word processing program and want to print out a portion of it while continuing to write How does the com puter manage both tasks Behind the user interface the operating system acts like a police officer directing traffic This activity is performed by the supervisor or kernel the cen tral component of the operating system The supervisor which manages the CPU resides in main memory while the computer is on and directs other pro grams to perform tasks to support applications programs Thus if you enter a command to print your document the operating system will select
45. efficiently are multitasking multi programming time sharing and multiprocessing Not all operating systems can do all these things Tasking is the execution of two or more programs by one user concur rently not simultaneously on the same computer with one central processor You may be writing a report on your computer with one program while another program searches an online database for research material How does the com puter handle both programs at once The answer is that the operating system directs the processor CPU to spend a predetermined amount of time executing the instructions for each pro 82 Applications and Systens Software gram one at a time In essence a small amount of each program is processed and then the processor moves to the remaining programs one at a time process ing small parts of each This cycle is repeated until processing is complete The processor speed is usually so fast that it may as if all the programs are being executed at the same time However the processor is still executing only one in struction at a time no matter how it may appear to the user Multiprogramming is the execution of two or more programs on a multiuser operating system As with multitasking the CPU spends a certain amount of time executing each user s program but it works so quickly it seems as though all the programs are being run at the same time Time sharing is a single computer s processing of the ta
46. floppy disk or connect a computer to a student use printer to print out their pa pers Or if a friend has a compatible computer you can ask to borrow it and the printer for a short time to print your work You should however take a look around you to see if your present sys tem is appropriate for your campus and your major The fit with your campus Some campuses are known as IBM or IBM compatible schools others as Mac Macintosh schools Apple Us and Commodores still found in elementary and high schools are not used much at the college level Why should choice of machine matter The answer is that diskettes gen erally can t be read interchangeably among the two main types of microcomput ers Thus if you own the system that is out of step for your campus you may find it difficult to swap files or programs with others Nor will you be able to borrow their equipment to finish a paper if yours breaks down There are some conversion programs but these take time and may not be readily available Most campuses favor either Macintoshes or IBMs and IBM compatibles You should call the dean of students or otherwise ask around to find which system is most popular Applications and Systens Software 53 The fit with your major Speech communications foreign language physical education political science biology and English majors probab y don t need a fancy computer system or even any system at all Business engine
47. for desktop publishing personal finance project management computer aided design drawing and painting and of hypertext I think of it as map to the buried treasures of the Information Age That s how one writer described a particular kind of software named Mo saic when it first came out Mosaic is designed to help computer users find their way around the Internet The global network of networks the Internet is rich in information but can be baffling to navigate The developers of Mosaic had tried to remove that difficulty Indeed they had hoped their program might be the first killer app killer application of network computing That is it would be a breakthrough development that would help millions of people be come comfortable using computer networks a technology formerly used by only a relative few The computer industry puts great stock in history making killer apps The last big one was the early 1980s development of the electronic spreadsheet program software for manipulating numbers in financial documents Spread sheet software transformed the personal computer until then used mainly by technicians and computer buffs into an essential business tool The application led to the widespread acquisition of desktop computers in offices all over the country 6 Applications and Systens Software Mosaic was not to become the software that would make the Internet available to everyone being overtaken in a ma
48. graphics Also called business graphics graphical forms rep resenting numeric data The principal examples are bar charts line graphs and pie charts Analytical graphics programs are a type of applications software applications software Software that can perform useful work on general purpose tasks for example word processing or spreadsheet software block command Software command that allows the user to indicate be ginning and end portions of text to be moved or otherwise manipulated bundled Describes a system whose components are sold together for a single price Unbundled means that a system has separate prices for each com ponent button Simulated on screen button kind of icon that is activated pushed by a mouse or other pointing device to issue a command cell In an electronic spreadsheet the rectangle where rows and columns intersect cell address In an electronic spreadsheet the position of a cell for ex ample AL where column A and row 1 intersect clip art Canned images that corn on disks which users can copy and place as desired to illustrate documents computer aided design CAD Applications software programs for de signing products and structures computer aided design and drafting CADD Applications software that helps people do drafting computer aided design computer aided manufacturing CAD CAM Applications software that allows products designed with CAD to be input into a computer
49. is of three basic types operating systems utility pro grams and language translators As we ve said software or programs consists of the step by step instruc tions that tell the computer how to perform a task Software is of two types applications software and systems software Applications software is software that can perform useful work on general purpose tasks such as word processing or spreadsheets Systems software enables the applications software to interact with the computer and helps the computer manage its internal and external resources Systems software is required to run applications software however the reverse is not true Buyers of new computers will find the systems software has already been installed by the manufacturer There are three basic types of systems software operating systems util ity programs and language translators Operating systems An operating system is the principal piece of systems software in any computing system We describe it at length in the next section Utility progress Utility programs are generally used to support enhance or expand existing programs in a computer system Many operating systems have utility programs built in for common purposes such as merging two files into single file Other external or nonresident utility programs such as The Applications and Systens Software 77 Norton Utilities are available separately to for example recover damaged files We
50. often get communications software with it Popular microcomputer communications programs are Crosstalk an Plus Data communica tions software gives you these capabilities You can connect to electronic bulletin board systems BBSs organized around special interests to inline services and to the Internet With communications software you can order discount merchandise look up airline schedules and make reservations follow the stock market and even do some home banking and bill paying You can set your software to answer for you if someone tries to call your computer to dial certain telephone numbers automatically and to automatically redial after a certain time if a line is busy While traveling you can use your portable computer to exchange files via modem with your computer at home Electronic Mail Software Electronic mail e mail software enables users to send letters and docu ments from one computer to another Many organizations have electronic mail boxes If you were a sales representative for example such a mailbox would allow you to transmit a report you created on your word processor to a sales manager in another area Or you could route the same message to a number of users on a distribution list Desktop Accessories amp Personal Information Managers Desktop accessory software provides an electronic version of fools or ob jects commonly found on a desktop calendar clock card file calculator a
51. point the more recent the version A release is a minor upgrade Releases are usually indicated by a change in number after the decimal point 3 0 then 3 1 then perhaps 3 11 then 3 2 and so on Some software developers have departed from this system Microsoft for instance decided to call its new operating system launched in 1995 Windows 95 instead of Windows 4 0 8 Applications and Systens Software Most software products are upward compatible or forward compatible Upward compatible means that documents created with earlier versions of the software can be processed successfully on later versions Thus you can use the new version of a word processing program for instance to get into and revise the file of a term paper you wrote on an earlier version of that program How ever downward compatible backward compatible software is less common Downward compatible means that applications developed for a new version of a software product can be run on older versions For example if you can run your new word processing program on your old operating system then the new pack age is downward compatible Before we continue with the details about various types of applications software we need to raise the ethical issue of copying intellectual property in cluding software 3 Translate the following sentences C p
52. routine stored permanently in the computer s electronic circuitry obtains the operating system from the floppy disk or hard disk and loads if into main memory Only after this process is completed can the user begin work The command driven interface is used on IBM and IBM compatible computers with the DOS operating system 110 Applications and Systens Software Copying is an essential systems software function Many of today s files with graphics sound and video require too much storage space data compression utilities allow users to reduce the space they take up DOS is the most common microcomputer operating system Drivers are needed so that the computer s operating system will know how to handle the data and run the peripheral device If you buy some new peripheral hardware and hook it up to your system you will also probably have to install that hardware s driver software on your hard disk Erasing is essential to keep hard disks from becoming overcrowded Some of these programs are essential for helping rescue users from disas ter for example recovery of damaged files virus protection data compression and memory management Before you can use a new diskette you usually have to format it Fragmentation causes operating systems to run slower to solve this prob lem users can buy a file defragmentation software utility GUIs are easier to use than command driven interfaces and menu driven interfaces
53. run applications on many different machines However in a world dominated by Wintel the slang name given to Windows software al lied with Intel maker of the most popular line of PC microprocessors IBM clearly will have an uphill marketing battle One analyst for market research firm International Data compared the technology of Microkernel to the devel opment of a great automobile transmission that has yet to be turned into a truck Or Car The secret name for the original Macintosh was Mozart Now Apple s en gineers are working on something code named after another composer Aaron Copland Copland another program called Gershwin is next will be the first rewrite of the Macintosh operating system since 1984 It promises to be a com plete retooling that will like Windows NT and OS 2 be better suited for corpo rate networking Far behind schedule Copland was supposed to come out in time to compete with Windows 96 or Nashville but some predict it won t arrive until 1997 Copland will unquestionably be an improvement over the original Mac OS although San Jose Mercury News computing editor Dan Gillmor for one believes it won t offer some things Windows 95 Windows NT and OS 2 offer today Among other features Copland will have a screen that can be designed to fit any taste an intelligent interface that makes computers easier to use bet ter ways to find and organize files and software agents that users can order to do rou
54. t a feature of word processing software what if analysis thesaurus spell checker justification headers and footers Which of the following types of applications software does dynamic linking relate to word processing electronic spreadsheet database personal information manager None of the above Applications and Systens Software 73 7 Which of the following is a capability of data communications soft ware online connections use of financial services automatic dialing services remote access communications All of the above 8 Which of the following combines the capabilities of several applica tions into a single application a software suite b shareware c integrated software d groupware e None of the above 9 Which of the following is used on a network and serves multiple users working on the same project a software suite b shareware c integrated software d groupware e None of the above 10 Which of the following isnt typically part of a desktop publishing system scanner laser printer mouse software suite desktop publishing software True False Questions T 1 Function keys are used the same way with all applications software packages T F 2 Tutorials are the same as documentation T F 3 Most users of communications software also use a modem and the phone line T 4 A personal information manager combines some of the capa
55. the past college students have often been able to get a free account through their institutions However students and faculty living off campus may not be able to use the connections of campus computers Connections through universities and business sites are called dedicated connections and consist of phone lines called H or 73 carrier lines that typi cally cost thousands of dollars to install and maintain every month Their main Applications and Systens Software 103 advantage is their high speed so that the graphic images and other content of the Web unfold more quickly Connecting Through Online Services The large commercial online ser vices such as America Online AOL CompuServe Microsoft Network or Prodigy also offer access to the Internet See the Experience Box at the end of Chapter 2 for information Some offer their own Web browsers but some such as AOL offer Netscape Navigator and Internet Explorer Commercial online services may also charge more than independent Internet service providers al though they are probably better organized and easier for beginners Web access through online services is usually called a dial up connection As long as you dont live in a rural area there s no need to worry about long distance telephone charges you can generally sign on log on by making a local call When you receive membership information from the online service it will tell you what to do Connecting Thro
56. they permit liberal use of the electronic mouse as a pointing device to move the cursor to a particular icon or place on the display screen The function represented by the icon can be activated by pressing clicking buttons on the mouse The function represented by the icon can be activated by pointing at it with the mouse pointer and pressing clicking on the mouse The use of icons has simplified the use of computers Without language translators software programmers would have to write all programs in machine language which is difficult to work with Although not used in as many offices as DOS and Windows the Macin tosh operating system is easier to use Menus are used in graphical user interface programs to make software easier to use Like a restaurant menu a software menu offers you options to choose from in this case commands available for manipulating data Two types of Applications and Systens Software 111 menus are available menu bars and pull down menus Menu driven interfaces are easier to use than command driven interfaces Multiprocessing is faster than multitasking and time sharing Microcom puter users may encounter an example of multiprocessing in specialized micro processors called coprocessors Working simultaneously with a computer s CPU microprocessor a coprocessor will handle such specialized tasks as display screen graphics and high speed mathematical calculations Allows the computer to
57. time by typing on micro computer keyboards As one writer describes it Because people read faster than they speak and dont have to wait for others to finish talking the software can dramatically speed progress toward consensus Scheduling software uses a microcomputer network to coordinate co workers electronic datebooks or appointment calendars so they can figure out a time when they can all get together An example is Network Scheduler 3 from Powercore Groupware has changed the kind of behavior required for success in an organization For one thing it requires workers to take more responsibility Ethically of course when you are contributing to a group project of any kind you should try to do your best However when your contribution to the pro nxt is clearly visible to all as happens with groupware you have to do your best In addition using e mail or groupware means you need to use good manners and be sensitive to others while youre online 3 Read and translate the text INTERNET WEB BROWSERS Web browsers are software programs that allow people to view informa tion at Web sites in the form of colorful on screen magazine style pages with text graphics and sound The Internet that network of thousands of interconnected networks is just a morass of data dribbling out of computers around the world says one writer It is unfathomably chaotic mixing items of great value with cyber trash This is why so called
58. to a LAN running NetWare Indeed you can NetWare provides a shell around your own operating system If you want to work off network you respond to the usual prompt for example the DOS based A gt B V gt or and run the PC s regular operating system If you want to work on network you respond to another prompt for instance F gt and type in whatever password will admit you to the network Novell also offers NetWare Directory Services which allows employees to access files and services on a corporate network no matter where they are without searching mysterious lists of electronic addresses and without having to go through multiple requests for passwords and authorization Novell plans to offer its directory services over the Internet as well as through NetWare Con nect Services the private alternative to the Internet that it is developing with AT amp T 94 Applications and Systens Software The long term vision Novell has according to its chairman Robert Frankenberg is to make possible a network for connecting people with other people and the information they need enabling them to act on it anytime any place In this highly ambitious view the network will extend beyond office networks of PCs even beyond the global Internet It envisions wireless networks linking automobiles appliances vending machines electronic cash registers factory automation security systems and other nontraditional computing de vi
59. to become Applications and Systens Software 17 computer programmers and prepared an entire generation for interaction with a blinking and buzzing computer screen Pong was followed by Space Invaders and Pac Man and then by Super Mario which begot Sonic the Hedgehog which led to Mortal Kombat I and II In 1986 Nintendo began to reshape the market when it introduced 8 bit enter tainment systems Bit numbers measure how much data a computerchip can pro cess at one time Bit numbers are important because the higher the bit number the greater the screen resolution clarity the more varied the colors and the more complex the games Since then videogame hardware which after all is just computer hardware has increased in power just as microcomputers have In the 1990s videogame hardware manufacturers Sega 3DO Atari upped the ante to 16 bits then 32 bits until finally 64 bit machines were appearing on the market So far the biggest sales punch has been in hack em up games such as Mortal Kombat and sports games Apart from ethical questions about the ef fects of violence on immature personalities such games have perhaps ignored the interests of half the population namely females More recently however videogame makers have introduced nonviolent games such as McKenzic amp Company essentially an interactive movie aimed at preadolcs cent girls Focus ing on emotions rather than action this game has the vie
60. to let their intellectual property and copyrighted material be dealt with in digital form Most software used by general microcomputer users comes in software packages available at local stores 68 Applications and Systens Software Page description languages used along with laser printers gave birth to desktop publishing They a low users to combine different types of graphics with text in different fonts all on the same page Painting programs can render sophisticated illustrations Personal finance software can help people manage their money more ef fectively PIMs offer an electronic version of an appointment calendar to do list address book notepad and similar daily office tools all in one place Information technology offers plagiarists new opportunities to go far afield for unauthorized copying yet it also offers new ways to catch these peo ple Presentation graphics programs may make use of analytical graphics but look much more sophisticated using texturing patterns complex color and di mensionality Project management software increases the ease and speed of planning and managing compex projects Ownership of proprietary software is protected by copyright This type of software must be purchased to be used Copying is restricted Public domain software offers lots of software options to users who may not be able to afford a lot of commercial software Users may make as many copies as they wish Rele
61. A for Windows and Approach for Windows 32 Applications and Systens Software Databases have gotten easier to use but they still can be difficult to set up Even so the trend is toward making such programs easier for both database creators and database users Principal Features of Database Software Some features of databases arc as follows A database is organized from smallest to largest items into fields re cords and files A field is a unit of data consisting of one or more characters An example of a field is your name your address or your driver s license number A record is a collection of related fields An example of a record would be your name and address and driver s license number An example of a file could be one in your state s Department of Motor Vehicles The file would include everyone who received a driver s license 011 the same day including their names addresses and driver s license numbers The beauty of database software is that you can locate records in the file quickly For example your college may maintain several records about you one at the registrar s one in financial aid one in the housing department and so on Any of these records can be called up on a computer display screen for view ing and updating Thus if you move your address field will need to be changed in all records The database is quickly corrected by finding your name field Once the record is displayed the address fiel
62. CE amp OTHER BASIC FEATURES Applications software packages share some basic features and functions They use special purpose keys function keys and a mouse to issue commands and choose options Their graphical user interfaces use menus Help screens windows icons and dialog boxes to make it easy for people to use the program Software packages are also accompanied by tutorials and documentation 20 Applications and Systens Software Offering just a handheld controller a videogame machine allows you to make only limited moves A microcomputer by contrast has a full fledged key hoard and often a mouse or trackball which allow software including video games to be far more versatile Features of the Keyboard We need to explain some aspects of the keyboard because it and the mouse are the means for manipulating software Besides a typewriter like layout of letter number and punctuation keys and often a calculator style numeric keypad computer keyboards have special purpose and function keys Sometimes keystrokes are used in combinations called macros Let us explain Special purpose keys are used to enter delete and edit data and to exe cute commands An example is the Esc for Escape key The most important is the Enter key which you will use often to tell the computer to execute com mands entered with other keys Commands are instructions that cause the soft ware to perform specific actions For example press
63. OU COPY Information technology has presented legislators and lawyers and you with some new ethical questions regarding rights to intellectual property ntel lectual property consists of the products tangible or intangible of the human mind There are three methods of protecting intellectual property They are pat ents as for an invention trade secrets as for a formula or method of doing business and copyrights as for a song or a book What Is a Copyright Of principal interest to us is copyright protection A copyright is the ex clusive legal right that prohibits copying of intellectual property without the permission of the copyright holder Copyright law protects books articles pam phlets music art drawings movies and yes computer software Copyright protects the expression of an idea but not the idea itself Thus others may copy your idea for say a new shoot em up videogame but not your particular variant of it Copyright protection is automatic and lasts a minimum of 50 years you do not have to register your idea with the government as you do with a patent in order to receive protection These matters are important because the Digital Age has made the act of copying far easier and more convenient than in the past Copying a book on a photocopier might take hours so people felt they might as well buy the book Copying a software program onto another floppy disk however might take just seconds Digi
64. The major systems software developers toil on the versions to come those works in progress to which they have given fanciful code names such as Memphis and Gershwin However almost without warning the Internet and the World Wide Web have dramatically changed the picture Since this book focuses on computers and communications technology we will briefly discuss this issue here Coming Attractions Here are some developments to keep your eye on 98 Applications and Systens Software From Microsoft Code named Cairo pronounced Kay mh and named for the city in southern Illinois this successor to Windows NT is due out from Microsoft in 1997 Beyond that is a successor named Daytona which will fea ture speed improvements and is therefore named for the Daytona 500 stock car race A major upgrade for Windows 95 code named Memphis is planned We have already mentioned the SIPC standards proposed for the next wave of PC TV type devices From one of IBM s long range strategies is to reduce the importance of operating systems altogether In late 1995 it announced a new kind of universal software code called Microkernel a form of software even more basic than an operating system which would enable software to work on different computers whether mainframes or microcomputers Microkernel offers the opportunity for the long desired open comput ing in which software developers and businesses could use one kind of pro gramming code to
65. Translate the following information into English OH
66. UTER OPERATING SYSTEMS amp OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS 2 DOS 3 MACINTOSH OPERATING SYSTEM MAC OS 4 WINDOWS 5 OS 2 amp OS 2 WARP UNIT Y 1 WINDOWS NT 2 UNIX 3 NETWARE UNIY YI 1 EXTERNAL UTILITY PROGRAMS UNIT 1 MULTIPLE UTILITY PACKAGES 2 THE PROBLEM WITH PERSONAL COMPUTING TODAY 3 ONWARD TOWARD COMPATIBILITY COMPUTER TERMS AND THEIR USE ILLUSTRATION TEST 51 23 57 59 71 75 76 Ju 79 80 83 84 85 86 87 9 92 93 94 97 101 105 113 Applications and Systens Software 5 UNIT I 1 Read and translate the text Check the meaning of the new words in your dictionary Make up your own list APPLICATIONS SOFTWARE Tools for Thinking amp Working Concepts You Should Know After reading this chapter you should be able to 1 Distinguish between the two principal kinds of software applications and systems 2 Discuss the ethics of copying software 3 Describe the four types of applications software entertainment educa tion and reference productivity and business and specialized 4 Explain key features shared by many types of applications software packages 5 Identify the key functions of word processors spreadsheets database managers graphics programs communications programs desktop accessories and personal information managers integrated programs and suites group ware and Internet Web browsers 6 Briefly describe the key functions of programs
67. a printer if there is more than one It will then notify the computer to begin executing in structions from the appropriate program known as a printer driver because it controls or drives the printer Meanwhile many operating systems allow you to continue writing Were it not to this supervisor program you would have to stop writing and wait for your document to print out before you could The operating system also manages memory it keeps track of the loca tions within main memory where the programs and data are stored It can swap portions of data and programs between main memory and secondary storage such as your computer s hard disk This capability allows a computer to hold only the most immediately needed data and programs within main memory Yet Applications and Systens Software 81 it has ready access to programs and data on the hard disk thereby greatly ex panding memory capacity There are several ways operating systems can manage memory Some use partitioning that is they divide memory into separate areas called partitions each of which can hold a program or data Large computer systems often divide memory into foreground and background areas High priority programs are executed in foreground memory and low priority programs arc executed in background memory For example if a user is interacting with a program that program will be in foreground memory While the user is entering data the CPU will be unused T
68. ade mark from AT amp T To promote standardized approaches to Unix Novell gave away the Unix brand name to an independent foundation which declared that it would be responsible for maintaining the Unix specifications In September 199S Novell s Unix business was bought by Santa Cruz Operation a Unix software maker In April 1996 seven computer makers agreed to use this ver sion of Unix in server computers Will Unix endure It is a popular operating system in Europe where users have discovered that its applications can survive changes in hardware so that business is not unduly disrupted when new hardware is introduced Perhaps with agreement on Unix standards the same thing will be discovered in North America 3 Read and translate the text NETWARE Novell of Orem Utah is the maker of NetWare the software Microsoft is trying to beat with its Windows NT Developed during the 1980s NetWare has become the most popular operating system for coordinating microcomputer based local area networks LANs throughout a company or campus LANs allow PCs to share data files printers and other devices Net Ware controlled 4396 of the market for corporate network operating system software in 1994 By another yardstick it presently represents 60 to 7096 of the installed base and sales of networking software roughly 10 times that of Win dows NT Can you continue to use say MS DOS on your office personal computer while it is hooked up
69. afts and print out the final version on a campus student use printer Where to Buy New Fierce price wars among microcomputer manufacturers and retailers have made hardware more affordable One reason IBM compatibles have become so widespread is that non IBM manufacturers early on were able to copy or clone IBM machines and offer them at cut rate prices For a long time Apple Macintoshes were considerably more expensive In part this was because other manufacturers were unable to offer inexpensive clones In recent times how ever Apple has felt the pinch of competition and has dropped its prices It also has licensed parts of its technology to others so that we are now seeing Macin tosh clones When buying hardware look to see if software such as word processing or spreadsheet programs comes bundled with it In this case bundled means that software is included in the selling price of the hardware This arrangement can be a real advantage saving you several hundred dollars Because computers are somewhat fragile it s not unusual for them to break down some even when newly purchased Indeed nearly 25 of 45 000 PC users surveyed by one computer magazine reported some kind of problem with new computers The failure rates were hard drive 21 motherboard 20 monitor 12 diskette drive 11 and power supply 10 The PCs Apple was not included that had the fewest problems included those from AST Research
70. age of a circle from the computer to the printer you send a command to the printer to draw a circle A page description language is software used to describe to the printer the shape and position of letters and graphics An example of a page description language is Adobe s PostScript which is used with Aldus PageMaker As time goes on the distinction between word processing and desktop publishing programs seems to be blurring For instance the word processing programs Word and WordPerfect can do many DTP functions such as inserting graphics and wrapping text around them Personal Finance Programs Personal finance software ets you keep track of income and expenses write checks and plan financial goals Whether or not you learn how to use elec tronic spreadsheet programs you ll probably find it useful to use personal fi nance software Such programs don t promise to make you rich but they can help you manage your money maybe even get you out of trouble Certainly that was the case for Nick Ryder An airline pilot from Marietta Georgia Ryder credited the best selling financial software Quicken with saving his marriage by keeping his finances afloat When Ryder and his wife Penny were married after many years of being single they found themselves deep into the credit card hole Despite two healthy paychecks they never seemed to have enough money In 1991 the Ryders acquired Quicken and began entering everything into the p
71. ages come with tutorials and documentation A tutorial is an instruction book or program that takes you through a pre scribed series of steps to help you learn how to use the product For instance our publisher offers several how to books known as the Irwin Advantage Series that enable you to learn different kinds of software Tutorials can also be on screen provided as part of the software package Documentation is a user manual book or reference manual that is a nar rative and graphical description of a program Documentation may be instruc tional but features and functions are usually grouped by category for reference purposes For example in word processing documentation all cut and paste fea tures are grouped together so you can easily look them up if you have forgotten how to perform them Often you can ask your software for directions on how to use the soft ware That is some software makers using a technique known as natural lan guage processing equip their programs with features that allow you to ask questions in plain English Thus if you type How do I add up the numbers in this column the software will respond by directing you to an interactive tutor or coach that can help you through the procedure Lotus WordPro for in stance has a feature called Ask the Expert which asks you to complete a How Do I question box Microsoft Office 95 offers the same thing in a feature called Answer Wizard In a few years som
72. ains databases and processes requests from 92 Applications and Systens Software the client A file server is a high speed computer in a LAN that stores the pro grams and files shared by the users Customers often are more concerned about protecting their past invest ments in technology than about flashy new computer developments Microsoft has tried to appeal to such customers by promoting NT s compatibility with ear lier versions of DOS and Windows Even so users have been cautious about putting NT in charge of the large computer networks that are the lifeblood of their businesses Some companies for instance favor IBM s OS 2 because de spite delays in its introduction it is considered a thoroughly tested product Oth ers remain with Unix a prime competitor of Windows NT In the long run it is suggested maintaining Windows 95 and Windows NT as separate operating systems will become a strain even for a company with the resources of Microsoft Eventually the company will probably merge the two Indeed in 1996 the company proposed standards called SIPC for Simply Interactive Personal Computer which would migrate the Windows 95 operating system so that it could link up stereos videodisk players and other entertain ment appliances while communicating with the Internet 2 Read and translate the text UNIX Unix was invented more than two decades ago by American Telephone amp Telegraph making it one of the oldest operatin
73. al products Such information providers need to be able to cover their costs and make a reasonable return If not says one writer the In formation Superhighway will remain empty of traffic because no one wants to put anything on the road Plagiarism is the expropriation of another writer s text findings or interpretations and presenting it as one s own Information technology puts a Applications and Systens Software 11 new face on plagiarism in two ways On the one hand it offers plagiarists new opportunities to go far afield for unauthorized copying On the other hand the technology offers new ways to catch people who steal other people s material Electronic online journals are not limited by the number of pages and so they can publish papers that attract a small number of readers In recent years there has been an explosion in the number of such journals and of their academic and scientific papers This proliferation may make it harder to detect when a work has been plagiarized since few readers will know if a similar paper has been published elsewhere Yet information technology may also be used to identify plagiarism Sci entists have used computers to search different documents for identical passages of text In 1990 two fraud busters at the National Institutes of Health alleged after a computer based analysis that a prominent historian and biographer had committed plagiarism in his books The historian who said the tec
74. all file names on a disk You type a command at the point on the display screen where the cursor follows the prompt such as following C gt Then you press the Enter key to execute the command Youll recall that a cursor is a symbol such as a blinking rectangle of light that cues where you may type data or enter a command The command driven interface is seen on IBM and IBM compatible com puters with the MS DOS operating system discussed shortly menu driven interface allows you to choose a command from a menu Like a restaurant menu a software menu offers you options to choose from in this case commands available for manipulating data such as Print or Edit Menus are easier to use than command driven interfaces especially for beginners Their disadvantage however is that they are slower to use Thus some software programs offer both features menus for novice users and key board codes for experienced users The easiest interface to use the graphical user interface GUI uses im ages to represent options Some of these images take the form of icons cons are 80 Applications and Systens Software small pictorial figures that represent tasks functions or programs for example a trash can for a delete file function Another feature of the GUI pronounced gooey is the use of windows Windows divide the display screen into sections Each window may show a dif ferent display such as a word processing
75. and Systens Software 27 Editing Documents Editing is the act of making alterations in the content of your document Some features of editing that cant be found on a typewriter are insert and de lete undelete search and replace block and move spelling checker grammar checker and thesaurus Inserting is the act of adding to the document You simply place the cur sor wherever you want to add text and start typing the existing characters will move aside Deleting is the act of removing text usually using the Delete or Back space keys The Undelete command allows you to change your mind and restore text that you have deleted Some word processing programs offer as much as 100 layers of undo allowing users who delete several blocks of text but then change their minds to reinstate one or more of the blocks The Search command allows you to find any word phrase or number that exists in your document The Replace command allows you to automati cally replace it with something else Typewriter users were accustomed to using scissors and glue to cut and paste to move a paragraph or block of text from one place to another in a manuscript With word processing you can exercise the Block command to in dicate the beginning and end of the portion of text you want to move Then you can use the Move command to move it to another location in the document You can also use the Copy command to copy the block of text to a new location wh
76. and unnecessary data from computer files so less space is required to store or transmit data disk operating system DOS Microcomputer operating system that runs primarily on IBM and IBM compatible microcomputers DOS is sold under the names MS DOS by Microsoft Corporation PC DOS by IBM and until re cently DOS 7 by Novell driver Series of program instructions that standardizes the format of data between a computer and a peripheral device erase Operating system housekeeping feature that removes from a disk files or programs that are no longer useful external utility programs Special programs that provide specific useful services not provided or performed less well by other system software programs formatting Also colled initializing a computer process that electroni cally prepares a diskette so it can store data or programs fragmentation Uneven distribution of data on a hard disk graphical user interface GUI User interface that uses images to repre sent options Some of these images take the form of icons small pictorial figures that represent tasks functions or programs Applications and Systens Software 107 icon Small pictorial figure that represents a task function or program language translator Systems software that translates a program written in a computer language written by a computer programmer such as BASIC into the language machine language that the computer can understand Macintosh Operatin
77. any s permission to use the software and not the software itself This legal ni cety allows the company to retain its rights to the program and limits the way its customers can use it The small print in the licensing agreement allows you to make one copy working copy or archival copy for your own use Two types of licenses are shrink wrap licenses and site licenses Shrink wrap licenses are printed licenses inserted into software packages and visible through the clear plastic wrap The use of shrink wrap licenses eliminates the need for a written signature since buyers know they are entering into a binding contract by merely opening the package A site license permits a customer to make multiple copies of a software product for use just within a given facility such as a college computer lab or a particular business Usually the license stipulates a maximum number of copies The Software Police Industry organizations such as the Software Publishers Association hot line for reporting illegal copying 800 388 7478 are going after software pirates large and small Commercial software piracy is now a felony punishable by up to five years in prison and fines of up to 2 50 000 for anyone convicted of stealing at least ten copies of a program or more than 2500 worth of software Campus administrators are getting tougher with offenders and are turning them over to police Applications and Systens Software 15 2 Translate the followin
78. as a student at the Harvard Business School One day he was staring at columns of numbers on a blackboard when he got the idea for computerizing the spreadsheet The result VisiCalc was the first of the electronic spreadsheets An electronic spreadsheet also called sim ply a spreadsheet allows users to create tables and financial schedules by entering data into rows and columns arranged as a grid on a display screen Applications and Systens Software 29 The electronic spreadsheet quickly became the most popular small business program As we mentioned it has been held directly responsible for making the microcomputer a widely used business tool Unfortunately for Brick lin VisiCalc was shortly surpassed by Lotus 1 2 3 a sophisticated program that combines the spreadsheet with database and graphics programs Today the prin cipal spreadsheets are Microsoft Excel Lotus 1 2 3 and Quattro Pro Principal Features The arrangement of a spreadsheet is as follows Column headings appear across the top is the name of the first col umn the second and so on Row headings appear down the left side 1 is the name of the first row 2 the second and so forth Labels are any descrip tive text such as APRIL PHONE or GROSS SALES The place where a row and a column intersect is called a cell and its posi tion is called a cell address For example AI is the cell address for the top left cell where column A and row 1 inter
79. ases are usually indicated by a change in the number after a version s decimal point such as 3 1 3 2 The higher the number the more recent the re lease All occurrences of an item in a document can be replaced automatically using just a single command Normally a computer screen displays only 20 22 lines of text Scrolling enables users to view an entire document no matter how long The search command saves users from having to read an entire document to find a particular item they want to check or change Along with public domain software and freeware shareware offers yet another inexpensive way to obtain new software Applications and Systens Software 69 The use of shrink wrap licenses eliminates the need for a written signa ture since buyers know they are entering a binding contract by opening the package Site licenses eliminate the need to buy many copies of one software pack age for use in for example an office or a computer lab Without software hardware would be useless Software manufacturers dont sell people software so much as sell them licenses to become authorized users of the software Software piracy represents a serious loss of income to software manufac turers and is a contributor to high prices in new programs Software suites can save users a lot of money All computer keyboards have special purpose keys The user s software program determines how these keys are used Although spell
80. ata compression and memory management Sonic of these features are essential to preventing or rescuing you from disaster Others merely offer convenience Some Specific Utility Tasks Some of the principal services offered by utilities are the following Applications and Systens Software 95 Screen graven A screen saver is a utility that supposedly prevents a monitor s display screen from being etched by an unchanging image burn in Some people believe that if a computer is left turned on without keyboard or mouse activity whatever static image is displayed may burn into the screen Screen savers automatically put some moving patterns on the screen supposedly to prevent burn in Actually burn in doesnt happen on today s monitors Never theless people continue to buy screen savers often just to have a kind of visual wallpaper Some of these can be quite entertaining such as flying toasters One day in the 1970s so the story goes Peter Norton was doing a pro gramming job when he accidentally deleted an important file This was and is a common enough error However instead of re entering all the information Nor ton decided to write a computer program to recover the lost data He called the program The Norton Utilities Ultimately it and other utilities made him very rich A data recovery utility is used to undelete a file or information that has been accidentally deleted Undelete means to undo the last delete opera
81. ata compression removes redundant elements gaps and unnecessary data from a computer s storage space so less space is required to store or transmit data With a data compression utility files can be made more compact for storage on your hard disk drive The files are then stretched out again when you need them Examples of data compression programs are Stacker from Stac Electron ics Double Disk from Verisoft Systems and SuperStor Pro from AddStor Different microcomputers have different types of memory and different applications programs have different memory requirements Memory management utilities are programs that determine how to efficiently control and allocate memory resources Memory management programs may be activated by software drivers A driver is a series of program instructions that standardizes the format of data transmitted between a computer and a peripheral device such as a mouse or printer Electrical and mechanical requirements differ among peripheral devices Thus software drivers are needed so that the computer s operating system will know how to handle them Many basic drivers come with the operating system Applications and Systens Software 97 If you buy a new peripheral device however you need to install the appropriate software driver so the computer can operate it Other examples of utilities are file conversion file transfer and security A file conversion utility converts files between any
82. atabase graphics and communications into one software package These so called works collec tions the principal representatives arc AppleWorks ClarisWorks Lotus Works Microsoft Works and PerfectWorks give good value because the en tire bundle often sells for 100 or less Some of these works programs have assistants that help you accom plish various tasks Thus Microsoft s Works for Windows 95 helps you creak new documents with the help of 39 task wizards The wizards lead you through the process of creating a letter for example that permits you to custom ize as many features as you want Integrated software packages are less powerful than separate programs used alone such as a word processing or spreadsheet program used by itself But that may be fine because single purpose programs may be more complicated and demand more computer resources than necessary You may have no need tor instance for a word processor that will create an index Moreover Microsoft Word takes up about 20 megabytes on your hard disk whereas Microsoft Works takes only 7 megabytes which leaves a lot more room for other software 2 Translate the following information into English Verbatim Verbatim Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation 3p HO
83. atform means the particular hardware or software standard on which a computer system is based Examples are the Macintosh platform versus the IBM compatible platform or Unix versus Windows NT Developers of ap plications software such as word processors or database managers need to make different versions to run on all the platforms Networking complicates things even further Text photos sound files video and other kinds of data come in so many different formats that it s nearly impossible to maintain the software needed to use them points out one writer Users must steer their own way through the complex upgrade crazy world of computing Today microcomputer users who wish to access online data sources must provide not only their own computer modem and communications software but also their own operating system software and applications software Could this change in the future Personal Computing Tomorrow Today you must take responsibility for making sure your computer sys tem will be compatible with others you have to deal with For instance if a Macintosh user sends you a file to run on your IBM PC it s up to you to take the trouble to use special software that will translate the file so it will work on your system What if the responsibility for ensuring compatibility between different systems were left to online service providers In this future model you would use your Web browser to access the World Wide Web and ta
84. bilities of a word processor database and spreadsheet T 5 To price an unbundled computer system you must price each system component individually T 6 Hyperlinks of the World Wide Web allow users to browse through information by jumping from topic to topic 74 Applications and Systens Software 7 Spreadsheet software offers presentation graphics capabilities 8 CADD stands for computer aided design and drafting 9 Hypertext is commonly used in Help systems to allow users to go to related helpful information T 10 A document appearing on the screen in WYSIWYG form must be printed before you see how it will look in final form T F T F Projects Critical Thinking Questions 1 Locate a department at your school or place of work that is using some custom written software What does this software do Who uses it Why could nt it have been purchased off the shelf How much did it cost Do you think there is an off the shelf program that can be used instead Why why not 2 Prepare a short report about how you would use an electronic spread sheet to organize and manage your personal finances and to project outcomes of changes What column headings labels would you use Row headings What formula relationships would you want to establish among the cells For exam ple if your tuition increased by S2000 how would that affect the monthly amount you set aside to buy a car or take a trip 3 Attend a meeting of a
85. c devices With CAD software a prod uct can be drawn in three dimensions and then rotated on the screen so the de signer can see all sides CADD programs include symbols points circles straight lines and arcs that help the user put together graphic elements such as the floor plan of a house CAD CAM systems have greatly enhanced creativity and efficiency in many industries Copyright law aims to prevent people from taking credit for and profiting unfairly from other people s work All applications software packages use cursors to show users where their current work location is on the screen When packaged applications software cant do the tasks a user requires then software must be custom written by a professional computer programmer Online database services provide users with enormous research resources 66 Applications and Systens Software Businesses and organizations use databases to keep track of transactions and increase people s efficiency Database manager software allows users to organize and manage huge amounts of data Communications software is required to transmit data via modems in a communications system Users need to know how to change default settings in order to customize their documents Desktop accessories help users to streamline their daily activities Desktop publishing has reduced the number of steps the time and the money required to produce professional looking printed projects D
86. ces as well as telephones fax machines and copiers Novell has also devel oped ways to exchange information over ordinary electric power lines With this technology even standard electrical outlets could become NetWare connections The principal characteristics of the operating systems described thus far are summarized in the accompanying table UNIY YI 1 Read and translate the text EXTERNAL UTILITY PROGRAMS External utility programs provide services not performed by other systems software They often include screen savers data recovery backup virus protec tion file defragmentation data compression and memory management Multi ple utility packages are available You wouldn take a cruise on a ship without life preservers would you asks one writer Even though you probably wouldnt need them the terrible what if is always there Working on a computer without the help and assurance of utility software is almost as risky The what if being referred to is an unlucky event such as your hard disk drive crashing failing risking loss of all your programs and data or your computer system being invaded by someone or something a virus that disables it External utility programs are special programs that provide specific useful services not performed or performed less well by other systems software pro grams Examples of such services are back up of your files for storage recovery of damaged files virus protection d
87. computer The term booting refers to the process of loading an operating system into a computer s main memory from diskette or hard disk This loading is accomplished by a program called the bootstrap loader or boot routine that is stored permanently in the computer s electronic circuitry When you turn on the machine the program obtains the operating system from your diskette or hard disk and loads it into memory Other programs called diagnostic routines also start up and test the main memory the central processing unit and other parts of the system to make sure they are running properly As these programs are running the display screen may show the message Testing RAM main memory Finally other programs indicated on your screen as BIOS for basic input output system will be stored in main memory to help the computer inter pret keyboard characters or transmit characters to the display screen or to a disk ette All these activities may create a jumble of words and numbers on your screen for a few seconds before they finally stop Then a guide may appear such as A S or C gt This is the system prompt The system prompt indicates the operating system has been loaded into main memory and asks prompts you to enter a command You may now enter a command The operating system re mains in main memory until you turn the computer off With newer operating systems the booting process puts you into a graphically designed starting sc
88. computer system is needed because color images take up so much main memory and disk storage space In addition these programs require sophisticated color printers of the sort found in specialized print shops called service bureaus 3 Read and translate the text HYPERTEXT Hypertext is software that allows users to have fast and flexible access to information in large documents constructing associations among data items as needed Database managers have made the retrieval and organization of facts in finitely easier than was possible in the old index card and file cabinet days Hy pertext goes beyond the restrictive search and retrieval methods of traditional database systems and encourages people to follow their natural train of thought as they discover information That is hypertext works the way people think al lowing them to link facts into sequences of information in ways that resemble those that people use to obtain new knowledge The term hypertext was coined by computer visionary Ted Nelson who is still working on an advanced version that he calls Xanadu named after Kublai Khan s legendary pleasure dome Hypertext is often used in Help systems a staple of many programs Help systems allow users to query the software for help or additional information on how a program or system works Another well known example of the use of hy pertext is that found in HyperCard introduced for the Apple Macintosh in 1987 Since then other compa
89. ctor chef dairy farmer dance choreographer horse breeder lawyer nurse physician police officer tax consultant or teacher Some business soft ware is of a general sort used in all kinds of enterprises such as accounting software which automates bookkeeping tasks or payroll software which keeps records of employee hours and produces reports for tax purposes Other software is more specialized Some programs help lawyers or advertising people for in stance keep track of hours spent on particular projects for billing purposes Other programs help construction estimators pull together the costs of ma terials and labor needed to estimate the costs of doing a job In this chapter we describe the following kinds of specialized software desktop publishing per sonal finance project management computer aided design drawing and painting programs and hypertext 2 Discuss the information given in the article Make up a short oral summary Learn the definitions of the new notions 3 Translate the following information Applications and Systens Software 19 MOK TUHKOB 3
90. ctual property in the Digital Age Now let s see how software fits in 12 Applications and Systens Software 2 Translate the following MH HHbIX M Web Web cTp H Xp 6 Microsoft Web Internet Assistant for MS Access for Windows 95 SQL Server Web Assistant MS SQL Server 6 5 Visual FoxPro WWW Search Page Wizard MS dbWeb Internet Database Connector MS Internet Infor mation Server IIS IIS Add In for MS Access for Windows 95
91. d can be changed With database software you can easily change the order of records in a file Normally records are entered into a database in the order they occur such as by the date a person registered to attend college However all these records can be sorted in different ways For example they can be rearranged by state by age or by Social Security number Many database programs contain built in mathematical formulas This feature can be used for example to find the grade point averages for students in different majors or in different classes Such information can then be organized into different formats and printed out Some of the principal vocabulary associated with databases and database software is summarized in the accompanying box Applications and Systens Software 33 resentation Graphics Software Presentation graphics software allows people to create graphical represen tations of data to present to other people This type of graphics is more sophisti cated than the analytical graphics produced by spreadsheet packages Computer graphics can be highly complicated such as those used in spe cial effects for movies such as Toy Story or Jurassic Park Here we are con cerned with just one kind of graphics called presentation graphics Presentation graphics are graphics used to communicate or make a presentation of data to others such as clients or supervisors Presentations may make use of bar line and pie charts
92. d disk stor age capacity Microsoft Office 95 for instance comes on 24 or more floppy disks there is also a CD ROM version and occupies at least 89 megabytes of hard disk space quite a lot if your hard disk holds only 200 megabytes Software for the Digital Office Software suites are probably only a way station to something else The push is on to link everything to achieve the complete digital office For in stance Microsoft is spearheading a standard using infrared technology by which microcomputers arc integrated with other office technologies This union will include printers fax machines photocopiers and telephones Microsoft is working in partnership with more than 60 companies in the computer office machinery and telecommunications industries to establish connectivity and common linkages As Karen Ann Hargrove general manager of digital office systems for Microsoft explains There s no good real son why what you fax and what you print and what you copy and what you view on the computer shouldn t be the same The only difference is today a copier can t accept a digital original We re going to change that 2 Read and translate the text GROUPWARE Groupware is software used on a network that serves a group of users working together on the same project Most microcomputer software is written for people working alone Groupware is software that is used on a network and serves a group of users working tog
93. deal with the DOS file structures beneath In addition many users complained that installing peripherals such as a hard disk drive was somewhat difficult with DOS and Windows Yet even if the various Windows 3 X versions were a bit creaky they were certainly usable by most people And when Windows 95 was rolled out most of the objections vanished Before describing Windows 95 we will introduce another of its predeces sors and competitors OS 2 5 Read and translate the text OS 2 amp OS 2 WARP OS 2 there is no OS 1 was initially released in April 1987 as IBM s con tender for the next mainstream operating system OS 2 for Operating Sys tem 2 is designed to run on many recent IBM and compatible microcom puters Unlike Windows 3 X OS 2 does not require DOS to run underneath it so it generally processes more efficiently Like Windows it has a graphical user 88 Applications and Systens Software interface called the Workplace Shell WPS which uses icons resembling documents folders printers and the like OS 2 can also run most DOS Win dows and OS 2 applications simultaneously This means that users don have to throw out their old applications software to take advantage of new features In addition OS 2 is the first microcomputer operating system to take full advantage of the power of the newer Intel microprocessors such as 486 and Pentium chips Lastly this operating system is designed to connect everyt
94. dge for a field that feeds on fads Drawing amp Painting Programs It may be no surprise to learn that commercial artists and fine artists have begun to abandon the paint box and pen and ink for software versions of pal ettes brushes and pens The surprise however is that an artist can use mouse and pen like stylus to create computer generated art as good as that achievable with conventional artist s tools More surprising even non artists can be made to look good with these programs There arc two types of computer art pro grams drawing and painting A drawing program is graphics software that allows users to design and illustrate objects and products CAD and drawing programs are similar How ever CAD programs provide precise dimensioning and positioning of the ele ments being drawn so that they can be transferred later to CAM programs Also CAD programs lack the special effects for illustrations that come with drawing programs Some drawing programs are CorelDraw Illustrator Freehand and Sketcher Whereas drawing programs arc generally gray scale programs painting programs add color Painting programs are graphics programs that allow users to simulate painting on screen A mouse or a tablet stylus is used to simulate a paintbrush The program allows you to select brush sizes as well as colors from a color palette Applications and Systens Software 49 The difficulty with using painting programs is that a powerful
95. do only short reports and routine correspondence Models are available from Brother Sears and Sharp The personal word processor is really a personal computer with a built in word processing program but it usually cannot run other types of programs The machine is dedicated to creating editing and printing documents and it can also store your written materials on diskettes Display screens are usually easier to read than those on word processing typewriters Prices arc higher than for word processing typewriters starting at about S300 models are available from Brother Panasonic and AEG Olympia Per sonal word processors are preferable to word processing typewriters if you han dle lots of correspondence or do long reports Microcomputers run not only word processing programs but also many other kinds of software This is their principal advantage over personal word processors Word processing software allows you to use computers to format create edit print and store text material Three common word processing pro grams for IBM style Windows computers arc WordPerfect Microsoft Word and Ami Pro For Macintoshes they are Word and MacWrite Applications and Systens Software 22 Word processing software allows microcomputers to do what the other two types of machines do namely maneuver through a document and delete insert and replace text the principal correction activities However word proc essing software offers addi
96. e it might take less than a sec ond A computer with great capacity can run complex software and process vo luminous files This is an especially important matter if you want to be able to run the latest releases of software Will computer use make up on essential part of your major as it might if you ore going into engineering business or graphic arts If so you may want to try to acquire powerful hardware and software People who really want and can afford their own desktop publishing system might buy a new Macintosh Quadra 54 Applications and Systens Software with LaserWriter printer scanner and PageMaker software This might cost 7000 Most students of course cannot afford anything close to this Expense If your major does not require a special computer system a mi crocomputer can be acquired for relatively title You can probably buy a used computer with software thrown in for under 500 and a printer for under 200 What s the minimum you should get Probably an IBM compatible or Macintosh system with 4 megabytes of memory and two diskette drives or one diskette and one hard disk drive However up to 16 megabytes of memory is preferable if you re going to run many of today s programs Dot matrix printers are still in use on many campuses 24 pin printers are preferable to 9 pin To be sure the more expensive laser and inkjet printers produce a better image How ever you can always use the dot matrix for dr
97. e scanner and laser printer usually is used to mix text and graphics including photos to produce high quality printed output Some word processing programs also have many DTP features Text is usually composed first on a word processor artwork is created with drawing and painting software and photographs ore scanned in using a scanner Prefabricated art and photos may also be obtained from disks CD ROM and or floppy containing clip art dialog box With graphical user interface GUI software a box that ap pears on the screen and displays a message requiring a response from you for example Y for Yes or N for No documentation User s manual or reference manual that is a narrative and graphical description of a program Documentation may be instructional but usually features and functions are grouped by category downward compatible Means that applications developed for a new version of a software product can be run on older versions also called backward compatible drawing programs Applications software that a lows users to design and illustrate objects and products dynamic linking Feature of electronic spreadsheet software that allows data in one spreadsheet to be linked to and automatically update data in another spreadsheet electronic mail e mail software Software that enables computer users to send letters and documents from one computer to another Applications and Systens Software 61 electronic spreads
98. e dormitory based computer centers for example in the basement Even if you have your own PC it s nice to know about these for backup pur poses 52 Applications and Systens Software More and more campuses are also providing computers or terminals within students dormitory rooms These are usually connected by a campus wide local area network LAN to lab computers and administrative systems Often however they also allow students to communicate over phone lines to people in other states Of course the system cannot accommodate a large number of students all the computers may be in high demand come term paper time Clearly own ing a computer offers you convenience and a competitive advantage Not having one however does not mean you are destined to fail in school If You Do Own a Personal Computer Perhaps someone gave you a persona computer or you acquired one be fore you came to college It will probably be one of three types 1 an IBM or IBM compatible such as a Compaq Packard Bell AST Radio Shack Zenith or Deli 2 an Apple Macintosh or compatible 3 other such as an Apple II or Commodore If all you need to do is write term papers nearly any microcomputer new or used will do Indeed you may not even need to have a printer if you can find other ways to print out things The University of Michigan for instance offers express stations or drive up windows These allow students to use a diskette
99. e mainframe to the microcomputer Wouldnt a network com puter that leaves most functions with online sources run counter to that trend Would users go for if Would computer users really prefer scaled down generic software that must be retrieved from the Internet each time it is used Would a pay per use system tied to the Internet really be cheaper in the long run 3 Read and translate the text ONWARD TOWARD COMPATIBILITY The push is on to make computing and communications products com patible Customers are demanding that computer companies work together to create products that will make it easy to access and use great amounts of infor mation As technological capabilities increase so will the demand for simplicity 102 Applications and Systens Software Whether compatibility and simplicity will be provided by a proprietary system like Windows 95 or Windows NT or by open standards of some sort of Web software perhaps finally the best products will triumph Using Software to Access the World Wide Web What s the easiest way to use the Internet the Net that international conglomeration of thousands of smaller networks Getting on that part known as the World Wide Web the Web is doubt the best choice Increasingly sys tems software is coming out with features for accessing and exploring the Net and the Web as OS 2 already has This Experience Box however describes ways to tour both the Net and the Web indep
100. e predict you ll be able to ask for help by speaking out loud with voice recognition software Now let us consider the various forms of applications software used as productivity tools plus a few specialized tools 24 Applications and Systens Software Word Processing Word processing software allows you to use computers to format create edit print and store text material One of the first typewriter users was Mark Twain However the type writer that long lived machine has gone to its reward Indeed if you have a manual typewriter it is becoming as difficult to get it repaired as it is to find a blacksmith What then arc the alternatives The Different Kinds of Word Processors Today your choice is generally to buy 1 a word processing typewriter 2 a personal word processor or 3 a microcomputer plus printer that runs word processing software The word processing typewriter is like the old typewriter in that it can be made to type directly on paper Yet it can also let you see and edit your words on a small display screen before they are printed on paper It can automatically check your spelling It can also store a few pages of text that you can retrieve and print later This machine prints with a daisy wheel the petals of which stamp characters directly onto the paper Word processing typewriters cannot handle graphics Priced at around 200 the word processing typewriter is probably fine experts say if you
101. e several keystrokes for a command into only one or two keystrokes The user names the macro and stores the corresponding command sequence once this is done the macro can be used repeatedly Although many people have no need for macros others who find them selves continually repeating complicated patterns of keystrokes say they are quite useful 2 THE USER INTERFACE GUIS MENUS HELP SCREENS WINDOWS ICONS amp DIALOG BOXES The first thing you look at when you call up any applications software on the screen is the user interface The user interface is the part of the software that displays information and presents on the screen the various commands by which you communicate with it The type of user interface is usually determined by the systems software discussed in the next chapter However because this is what you see on the screen before you can begin using the applications software we will briefly describe it here Some user interfaces require that you indicate your commands by typing in characters and text However the kind of interface now used by most people is the graphical user interface With a graphical user interface or GUI pro nounced gooey you may use graphics images and menus as well as key strokes to choose commands start programs and see lists of files and other op tions Common features of GUIs are menus Help screens windows icons but tons and dialog boxes A menu is a list of available comma
102. e the way we act even the way we think Some read ers may intuitively understand this because they grew up playing videogames Indeed some observers hold that videogames are not quite the time wast ers we have been led to believe However these forms of entertainment are only a way Station to something else Videogames arc training wheels for using more sophisticated software that can help us learn better and be more productive There are four types of applications software They are Entertainment software Basic productivity software Education and reference software Business and specialized software Entertainment Software The Serious Matter of Videogames Whatever else may come about during the convergence of computers and communications you can bet one kind of software will be available entertain ment videogames in particular A 6 5 billion a year industry in the United States videogames are interactive electronic games that may be played at home through a television set or personal computer or in entertainment arcades of the sort found in shopping malls Electronic spreadsheets may have put microcomputers on office desks however it was Pong an electronic version of table tennis introduced by Atari in 1972 that popularized computers in the home Pong was the first time peo ple saw computers as friendly and approachable states one technology writer It launched a videogame boom that made thousands of kids want
103. eate edit copy save and print documents such as fetters memos reports and manuscripts Most popular desktop publishing programs are WYSIWYG thereby mak ing them relatively easy for people to use Applications and Systens Software 71 TEST Short Answer Questions 1 What is the difference between freeware and shareware 2 What does it mean when a software application is downward compati ble 3 What is software piracy Network privacy 4 What are the four categories of applications software 5 What would a good use be for database software 6 Why are software suites useful 7 Why is the World Wide Web one of the fastest growing subsets of the Internet 8 What do the abbreviations CAD CADD and CAM mean What do these programs do 9 What is the purpose of data communications software 10 What is the difference between analytical graphics and presentation graphics Fill in the Blank Questions 1 _ is a collection of related programs designed to enable users to perform work on general purpose tasks Dan offers capabilities that enable the user to cre ate and edit documents easily 3 If you need to develop a report that involves the use of extensive mathematical financial or statistical analysis you would use oftware 4 _software enables you to combine near typeset quality text and graphics on the same page in a professional looking document 5 A ____ is a box that appears on a GUI scre
104. eel obli gated to take the equipment back if something goes wrong Thus you should in spect the equipment carefully For a small fee a computer repair shop can check out the hardware for damage before you buy it How much should you pay for a used computer This can be tricky Some sellers may not be aware of the rapid depreciation of their equipment and price it too high The best bet is to look through back issues of the classified ads for a couple of newspapers in your area until you have a sense of what equipment may be worth Checklist Here are some decisions you should make before buying a computer What software will I need Although it may sound backward you should select the software before the hardware This is because you want to choose software that will perform the kind of work you want to do First find the kind of programs you want word processing spreadsheets communications graphics or whatever Check out the memory and other hardware requirements for those programs Then make sure you get a system to fit them The advice to start with software before hardware has always been stan dard for computer buyers However it is becoming increasingly important as programs with extensive graphics come on the market Graphics tend to require a lot of memory hard disk storage and screen display area 56 Applications and Systens Software Do I want a desktop or a portable Look for a computer that fits your work sty
105. ems software in any com puter system consists of the master set of programs that manage the basic op erations of computer The operating system remains in main memory until the computer is turned off OS 2 Operating System 2 amp OS 2 Warp Microcomputer operating system designed to run on many recent IBM and compatible microcomputers 108 Applications and Systens Software platform Refers to the particular hard wore or software standard on which a computer system is based example IBM platform or Macintosh plat form Plug and play Refers to the ability to add new hardware component to a computer system and have it work without needing to perform complicated technical procedures rename Operating system housekeeping feature that allows users to give new filenames to the files on a disk screen saver Software utility that supposedly prevents a monitor s dis play screen from being etched by an unchanging image software Also called programs the step by step coded instructions that tell the computer how to perform a task Software is of two types applications software and systems software supervisor Also called kernel central component of the operating sys tem It resides in main memory while the computer is on and directs other pro grams to perform tasks to support applications programs system prompt A screen display as A gt or C gt t indicates the operating system has been loaded into main memory
106. en that requires a response from you 6 In a computer system a fields records and files is organized into 7 Using _____ software you can send letters and documents from one computer to another 8 _ Software packages combine the features of several applications into one software package 9 _ _ enables applications software to interact with the computer 10 A 1s software that lets you move through sites on the World Wide Web 12 Applications and Systens Software Multiple Choice Questions 1 Which of the following software types may be copied by anyone for any purpose without penalty o 80 c Pt 3 applications software systems software shareware public domain software groupware The most popular uses of software are word processing and personal information managers word processing and spreadsheet spreadsheet and database word processing and graphics word processing and desktop publishing Which of the following types of software is free to use but requires that you pay a fee before you can receive technical help or documentation 4 freeware shareware proprietary software entertainment software None of the above Which of the following is a pictorial representation of a command or task that is used in graphical user interfaces 6 PaO TPMT BOTS window icon button dialog box None of the above Which of the following isn
107. endent of whatever systems soft ware you have The Web resembles a huge encyclopedia filled with thousands of general topics or so co led Web sites that have been created by computer users and busi nesses around the world The entry point to each Web site is a home page which may offer cross reference links to other pages Pages may theoretically be in multimedia form meaning they can appear in text graphical sound animation or video form At present however the Web is dominated by lots of pictures and text but little live moving content although that is changing To get on the Internet and its World Wide Web you need a microcom puter a modem a telephone line and communications software You then need to gain access to the Web and finally to get a browser Some browsers soft ware programs that help you navigate the Web come in kits that handle the setup for you as we will explain Gaining Access to the Web There are three principal ways of getting connected to the Internet 1 through school or work 2 through commercial online services or 3 through an Internet service provider Connecting Through School or Work The easiest access to the Internet is available to students and employees of universities and government agencies most colleges and certain large businesses If you re involved with one of these you can simply ask another student or co worker with an Internet account how you can get one also In
108. er ing architecture and journalism majors may have special requirements For in stance an architecture major doing computer aided design CAD projects or a journalism major doing desktop publishing will need reasonably powerful sys tems A history or nursing major who will mainly be writing papers will not Of course you may be presently undeclared or undecided about your ma jor Even so it s a good idea to find out what kinds of equipment and programs ore being used in the majors you are contemplating 2 Read and translate the text HOW TO BUY A PERSONAL COMPUTER Buying a personal computer like buying a car often requires making a tradeoff between power and expense Power Many computer experts try to look for a personal computer system with as much power as possible The word power has different meanings when describing software and hardware e Powerful software Applied to software powerful means that the program is flexible That is it can do many different things For example a word processing program that can print in different typestyles fonts is more power ful than one that prints in only one style Powerful hardware Applied to hardware powerful means that the equipment 1 is fast and 2 has great capacity A fast computer will process data more quickly than a slow one With an older computer for example it may take several seconds to save or store on a disk a 50 page term paper On a newer machin
109. ess Were it not for the supervisor program users would have to stop one task for example writing and wait for another task to be completed for exam ple printing out of a document 112 Applications and Systens Software Users need to be familiar with their system s prompts in order to be able to use their software effectively Applications software cannot run without systems software Time sharing is used when several users are linked by a communications network to a single computer The computer will work first on one user s task for a fraction of a second then go on to the next user s task and so on This feature allows users who accidentally deleted some data or a file to get it back without having to type it in all over again Because it can run with relatively simple modifications on many different kinds of computers from micros to mints to mainframes Unix is said to be a portable operating system The main users of Unix are large corporations and banks that use the software for everything from designing airplane parts to cur rency trading User interfaces are necessary for users to be able to use a computer sys tem Many operating systems have utility programs built in for common pur poses such as copying the contents of one disk to another Other external utility programs are available on separate diskettes to for example recover damaged or erased files Viruses can cause users to lose data o
110. et a faster modem 9600 14 400 or 28 800 bps which allows data to flow faster and reduces your phone charges About 40 of personal computers these days have a modem if yours doesnt you can have a store installed an internal mo dem as an electronic circuit board on the inside of the computer or buy an ex ternal modem which appears as a box outside the computer To go online youll need communications software which may come bundled with any computer you buy or is sold on floppy disks in computer stores Popular brands are Microphone and White Knight for Macintosh com puters IBM style computers running Windows and DOS may use ProComm Plus Hyper Access QModem Pro or Crosstalk However many modems come with communications software when you buy them Or if you sign up for an online service it will supply the communications program you need to use its network Your modem will connect to a standard telephone wall jack When your computer is in use it prevents you from using the phone line and callers trying to reach you will hear a busy signal Getting Connected Starting with an Online Service Unless you already have access to a campus network probably the easi est first step for using this equipment is to sign up with a commercial online ser vice such as one of the Big Three America Online CompuServe or Prodigy Another is the Microsoft Network Youll need a credit cord in order to join since online services c
111. et service provider Another kit for Windows is Internet in a Box 149 95 which includes the browser Enhanced Mosaic and coupons for various ISPs and for CompuServe Ease of setup Especially for a beginner the browser should be easy to set up Ease of setup favors the university business dedicated lines or commer cial online services of course which already have browsers If not provided by your online service or ISP the browser should be compatible with it Most on line services allow you to use other browsers besides their own Ease of use If you have a multimedia PC the browser should allow you to view and hear all of the Web s multimedia not only text and images but also sounds and video It should be easy to use for saving hot lists of fre quently visited Web sites and for saving text and images to your hard disk Fi nally the browser should allow you to do incremental viewing of images so that you can go on reading or browsing while a picture is slowly coming to gether on your screen rather than having to wait with browser frozen until the image snaps into view Surfing the Web Once you are connected to the Internet and have used your browser to ac cess the Web you begin by clicking on the Home button found on most brows Applications and Systens Software 105 ers This will take you to a predefined home page established by the software maker that developed the browser Web Untanglers Where do you
112. ether on the same project Groupware improves productivity by keeping you continually notified about what your colleagues are thinking and doing and they about you Like e mail one writer points out groupware be came possible when companies started linking PCs into networks But while e mail works fine for sending a message to a specific person or group communi cating one to one or one to many groupware allows a new kind of communi cation many to many Groupware is essentially of four types Exemplified by Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange this kind of group ware uses an enormous database containing work records memos and notations and combines it with a messaging system Thus a company like accounting gi ant Coopers amp Lybrand uses Lotus Notes to let co workers organize and share 40 Applications and Systens Software financial and tax information It can also be used to relay advice from outside specialists speeding up audits and answers to complex questions from clients Workflow software examplified by Action Workflow System helps workers understand and redesign the steps that make up a particular process It also routes work automatically among employees and helps organizations re duce paper jammed bureaucracies An example of meeting software is Ventana s Group Systems V which allows people to have computer linked meetings With this software people talk or communicate with one another at the same
113. g BHO 3 Microsoft dbWeb Internet Database Connector IDC Internet Information Server IIS IIS Add In for Access for Windows 95 Visual FoxPro WWW Search Page Wizard IIS ODBC Microsoft Open Database Connectivity MS Visual FoxPro
114. g System Mac OS Operating system used on Ap ple Macintosh computers menu List of available commands displayed on the screen menu driven interface User interface that allows users to choose a command from a menu multiprocessing Operating system software feature that allows two or more computers or processors Jinked together to perform work simultaneously Whereas concurrently means at almost the same time simultaneously means at precise y the same time multiprogramming Operating system software feature that allows the execution of two or more programs on a multiuser system Program execution occurs concurrently not simultaneously multitasking Operating system software feature that allows the execu tion of two or more programs by one user concurrently on the same computer with one central processor NetWare Most popular operating system from Novell for orchestrating microcomputer based local area networks LANs throughout a company or campus operating environment Also known as a windowing environment or Shell adds a graphical user interface as an outer layer to an operating system Common features of these operating environments are use of an electronic mouse pull down menus icons and other graphic displays the ability to run more than one application such as word processing and spreadsheets at the same time and the ability to exchange data between these applications operating system OS Principal piece of syst
115. g systems Unix is an operating system for multiple users and has built in networking capability the ability to turn multiple tasks at one time and versions that can run on all kinds of com puters Because it can run with relatively simple modifications on different types of computers from micros to minis to mainframes Unix is called a portable operating system The primary users of Unix are government agencies large corporations and banks which use the software for everything from airplane parts design to currency trading For a long time AT amp T licensed Unix to scores of companies that make minicomputers and workstations As a result the operating system was modified and resold by several companies producing several versions of Unix Recent versions include Solaris by Sun Microsystems and Motif by a coalition of companies including IBM Digital Equipment Corporation and Hewlett Packard called the Open Software Foundation Repeated attempts to unify the various Unix versions into one standard have come to naught Finally galvanized by the threat that Microsofts Windows NT might be come the standard for large microcomputer networks Unix suppliers struggled toward agreement Over 50 companies have agreed to adhere to a single stan Applications and Systens Software 93 dard for a common interface linking Unix to applications like word processing and spreadsheet programs More significant Novell purchased the Unix tr
116. go from here You ll find that un ike a book there is no page 1 where everyone is supposed to start reading and unlike an encyclopedia the entries are not in alphabetical order Moreover there is no definitive listing of everything available There are however a few search tools for helping you find your way around which can be classified as directories and indexes Directories are lists of Web sites classified by topic Perhaps the best known example is the Yahoo directory but there are others Indexes Indexes allow you to find specific documents through key word searches or menu choices Examples are WebCrawler Lycos and Info Seek Web Addresses URLs Getting to a directory index or any other Web location is easy if you know the address Just click your mouse pointer on the Open button This will open the address or URL for Uniform Resource loca tor Web addresses usually start with http for Hypertext Transfer Protocol and are followed by a colon and double slash For example to reach the home page of Yohoo you would type the address http www yahoo com Your browser uses the address to connect you to the computer of the Web site then it downloads transfers the Web page information to display it on your screen If you get lost on the Web you can return to your home page by clicking on the Home button Visiting Web Sites Nowadays you see Web site addresses appearing everywhere in all the mass media
117. harge a monthly fee typically 1 0 to 20 Most also charge for the time spent online from the time you dial and connect to the time you disconnect Charges are billed to your credit card Note It s easy to get carried away and run up charges by staying online too long However you can keep your costs down by going online only during off hours evenings and weekends You can also not do your reading online but download save to your hard disk material unread then read it later All online services have introductory offers that allow you a free trial pe 58 Applications and Systens Software riod You can get instructions and free start up communications disk by phoning their toll free 800 numbers You ll also find promotional offers at computer stores or promotional diskettes shrink wrapped inside computer magazines on newsstands 4 Translate the following text into English Cray Seymour 1925 1950 J1 c p UNIVAC 1957
118. have today When PARC couldnt answer that the PC was relegated to in house use At about that time PARC gave a tour to Steve Jobs who saw the PC Later as a founder of Apple Computer Jobs used the PARC technology to create the Lisa PC which was succeeded by the Macin tosh launched in 1984 Microsoft s Windows for DOS in many ways inferior to the Mac technology then followed in 1990 Now we have Windows 95 which after two decades finally catches up to the Xerox PARC PC In sum Mi crosoft has not been an innovative organization in technology so much as a hugely successful marketing organization In particular it has been able to per suade most personal computer makers to install its systems software first DOS then Windows 3 X now Windows 95 on their hardware so that it is a 90 Applications and Systens Software Microsoft product that the purchaser of a new computer encounters when he or she turns it on Windows is installed on 8 out of 10 new PCs Microsoft also benefited from the fact that Apple chose not to license its software to possible manufacturers of cheap Macintosh clones whereas there was a rapidly expand ing market of cloners of IBM style computers all using Microsoft s systems software Finally Microsoft also actively cultivated developers of applications software sharing information about its forthcoming systems software so that when its operating system came to market there would soon be plenty of a
119. heet Also called spreadsheet applications software that simulates a paper worksheet and allows users to create tables and financial schedules by entering data and or formulas into rows and columns displayed as a grid on a screen If data is changed in one cell values in other cells specified in the spreadsheet will automatically recalculate font Set of type characters in a particular typestyle and size formula In an electronic spreadsheet instructions for calculations that are entered into designated cells For example a formula might be SUM CELLS A5 A5 meaning Sum add all the numbers in the cells with cell ad dresses A5 through 15 freeware Software that is available free of charge function keys Computer keyboard keys that are labeled Fl F2 and so on usually positioned along the top or left side of the keyboard grammar checker Software feature that flags poor grammar wordiness incomplete sentences and awkward phrases graphical user interface GUI User interface that uses images to repre sent options Some of these images take the form of icons small pictorial figures that represent tasks functions or programs groupware Applications software that is used on a network and serves a group of users working together on the same project Help menu Also called Help screen offers on screen instructions for us ing software Help screens are accessed via a function key or by using the mouse to select Help from a menu
120. hing from small handheld personal computers to large mainframes Unfortunately because of an array of management and marketing disas ters IBM slipped far behind Microsoft In fact IBM and Microsoft were once partners in developing OS 2 Then Microsoft abandoned it to put all its efforts into backing Windows 3 X and later Windows NT By mid 1994 an estimated 50 million copies of Microsofts Windows had been sold versus 5 million of OS 2 Nevertheless OS 2 can perform some advanced feats It can for example receive a fax and run a video while at the same time recalculating a spreadsheet This is the kind of multitasking and even multimedia activity that is increas ingly important for networked computers It is also the first operating system created just for today s new workgroup environments In workgroups indi viduals work in groups sharing electronic files and databases over communica tions lines Yet despite its seeming complexity OS 2 has been considered rea sonably easy for beginners to use Indeed its file management resembles Macintosh s System 7 allowing long file names for example making it easier to use than the older versions of Windows Finally IBM also offers a version called OS 2 for Windows In late 1994 IBM unveiled a souped up version of OS 2 called Warp De spite spending 2 billion on OS 2 in its long struggle against Windows for DOS BM even claimed that OS 2 could run Windows better than Windows i
121. hnique turned up only the repetition of stock phrases was later exonerated in a scholarly inves tigation Computers scanners digital cameras and the like make it possible to al ter images and sounds to be almost anything you want What does this mean for the original copyright holders An unauthorized sound snippet of James Brown s famous howl can be electronically transformed by digital sampling into the background music for dozens of rap recordings Images can be appropriated by scanning them into a computer system then altered or placed in a new context The line between artistic license and infringement of copyright is not al ways clearcut In 1993 a federal appeals court in New York upheld a ruling against artist Jeff Koons for producing ceramic art of some puppies It turned out that the puppies were identical to those that had appeared in a postcard photo graph copyrighted by a California photographer But what would have been the judgment if Koons had scanned in the postcard changed the colors and rear ranged the order of the puppies to produce a new postcard In any event to avoid lawsuits for violating copyright a growing number of artists who have recycled material have taken steps to protect themselves This usually involves paying flat fees or a percentage of their royalties to the original copyright holders These are the general issues you need to consider when youre thinking about how to use someone else s intelle
122. hus during that time the CPU can be made available to proc ess something in background memory such as printing a spreadsheet Programs wait on disk in queues for their turn to be executed Managing Files Files of data and programs are located in many places on your hard disk and other secondary storage devices The operating system allows you to find them If you move rename or delete a file the operating system manages such changes and helps you locate and gain access to it For example you can copy or duplicate files and programs from one disk to another You can back up or make a duplicate copy of the contents of a disk You can erase or remove from a disk any files or programs that are no longer useful You can rename or give new filenames to the files on a disk Managing Tasks A computer is required to perform many different tasks at once In word processing for example it accepts input data stores the data on a disk and prints out a document seemingly simultaneously Some computers operating systems can also handle more than one program at the same time word process ing spreadsheet database searcher displaying them in separate windows on the screen Others can accommodate the needs of several different users at the same time All these examples illustrate task management a task being an operation such as storing printing or calculating Among the ways operating systems manage tasks in order to run more
123. ialog boxes are only one aspect of GUIs that make software easier for people to use Documentation helps users learn software commands and use of function keys solve problems and find information about system specifications Downward compatible software is less common than upward compatible software It is useful because it allows users for example to run new applica tions software on an older operating system Drawing programs and CAD are similar However drawing programs provide special effects that CAD programs do not The linking feature increases the amount of spreadsheet data that can be manipulated at the same time E mail allows businesses and organizations to quickly and easily send messages to employees and outside people without resorting to paper messages The electronic spreadsheet became such a popular small business applica tions program that it has been held directly responsible for making the micro computer a widely used business tool Desktop publishing programs along with laser printers have enabled us ers to dress up their printed projects with many different fonts Applications and Systens Software 67 The use of formulas enables spreadsheet users to change data in one cell and have all the cells linked to it by formulas automatically recalculate their val ues Freeware is usually distributed through the Internet Users can make cop ies for their own use but are not free to make unlimited copies
124. ile also leaving the original block where it is Many writers automatically run their completed documents through a spelling checker which tests for incorrectly spelled words Some programs such as Microsoft Word 6 0 have an Auto Correct function that automatically fixes such common mistakes as transposed letters teh instead of the An other feature is a grammar checker which flags poor grammar wordiness in complete sentences and awkward phrases If you find yourself stuck for the right word while you re writing you can call up an on screen thesaurus which will present you with the appropriate word or alternative words Printing Documents Most word processing software gives you several options for printing For example you can print several copies of a document You can print individual pages or a range of pages You can even preview a document before punting it out Previewing print previewing means viewing a document on screen to see 28 Applications and Systens Software what it will look like in printed form before it s printed Whole panels are dis played in reduced size Some word processors even come close to desktop publishing programs in enabling you to prepare professional looking documents with different type faces and sizes Saving Documents Saving means to store or preserve the electronic files of a document permanently on diskette hard disk or magnetic tape Saving is a feature of near
125. ill hear the sounds of late night typing in a college residence hall However it s certainly not the smart way to work anymore Indeed coping with a typewriter actually detracts from learning You re worrying about making mistakes and avoiding retyping a whole paper rather than concentrating on edu cational principles Using a computer to write your papers not only makes life easier it a so opens up new areas of freedom and knowledge and helps prepare you for the future Thus students who come to college with a personal computer as part of their luggage are certainly ahead of the game If you dont have one however there are other options If You Don t Own a Personal Computer If you don t have a PC you can probably borrow someone else s some times However if you have a paper due the next day you may have to defer to the owner who may also have a deadline When borrowing then you need to plan ahead and allow yourself plenty of time Virtually every campus now makes computers available to students either at minimal cost or essentially for free as part of the regular student fees This availability may take two forms Library or computer labs Even students who have their own PCs may sometimes want to use the computers available at the library or campus com puter lab These may have special software or better printers that they don t have themselves e Dormitory computer centers dorm room terminals Some cam puses provid
126. incipally designed to be used with stand alone desktop machines not large systems of networked com puters However Windows NT described next actually preceded Windows 95 We consider it separately along with Unix and NetWare because it was mainly designed to work with networks UNIT Y 1 Read and translate the text WINDOWS NT Unveiled by Microsoft in May 1993 Windows NT for New Technology is an operating system intended to support large networks of computers Exam ples of such networks are those used in airline reservations systems Unlike the early Windows operating environment which ran with DOS Windows NT is a true operating system interacting directly with the hardware Although on a screen it looks identical to Windows 3 1 and can run on the most modern PCs it is primarily designed to run on workstations or other more powerful computers Indeed NT will run on the most powerful of microprocessors both Intel s Pen tium and Motorola s PowerPC Most PC owners will find Windows NT far more than they need Its power benefits engineers and others who use workstations and who do massive amounts of computing at their desks A second category of users consists of those tied together in client server networks with file server computers A client server network is a type of local area network LAN The client is the requesting PC or workstation and the server is the supplying file server or mainframe computer which maint
127. ing until recently the division between IBM and IBM compatibles on the one hand and Apple Macintoshes on the other was fundamental Neither could run the other s software or exchange files of data without special equipment and software We mentioned that some campuses and some academic majors tend to favor one type of microcomputer over the other Outside of college however the business world tends to be dominated by IBM and IBM compatible ma chines In a handful of areas graphic arts and desktop publishing for example Macintosh is preferred If you think there s a chance you will need to become familiar with both IBMs and Macs you might consider buying a high end Macintosh PowerMac This microcomputer can handle disks and programs for both systems Applications and Systens Software 57 3 Read and translate the text GETTING STARTED ONLINE Computer networks have transformed life on campuses around the coun try becoming a cultural and social force affecting everybody not just nerds and wonks How do you join this vast world of online information and interaction Hardware amp Software Needed Besides a microcomputer with a hard disk any made in the last 5 years will do you need a modem to send messages from one computer to another via a phone line The speed at which a modem can transmit data is generally measured in bps bits per second A slow modem 2400 bps can be bought for less than 50 For less than 100 you can g
128. ing checkers cannot flag words that are correctly spelled but incorrectly used like for instead of four they are helpful in assisting users to proofread documents before printing them out Applications software cannot run without systems software The thesaurus feature helps users find the right word and avoid repetitive ness using the same word again and again Tutorials which accompany applications software packages enable users to practice new software in a graduated fashion thereby saving them the time they would have used trying to teach themselves When software versions are upward compatible users dont have to dis card material created with early versions Some user interfaces are easier to use than others Most users prefer a graphical user interface Versions are usually indicated by numbers such as 1 0 2 0 3 0 and so on The higher the number before the decimal point the more recent the version Without browser software users cannot use the part of the Internet called the World Wide Web 70 Applications and Systens Software Web directories make it easy for users to find Web sites they may be in terested in Using the windows feature an operating system or operating environ ment can display several windows on a computer screen each showing a dif ferent application program such as word processing spreadsheets and graphics Word processing software allows a person to use a computer to easily cr
129. ing the Esc key commands the computer via software instructions to cancel an operation or leave escape from the current mode of operation Special purpose keys are generally used the same way regardless of the applications software package being used Most IBM style keyboards include the following special purpose keys Esc Ctrl Alt Del Ins Home End PgUp PgDn Num Lock and a few others Ctrl means Control Del means Delete Ins means Insert for example Function keys labeled El F2 and so on are positioned along the top or left side of the keyboard They are used for commands specific to the software being used For example one applications software package may use F6 to exit a file whereas another may use F6 to underline a word Many software packages come with templates that you can attach to the keyboard Like the explanation of symbols on a roadmap the template explains the purpose of each function key and certain combinations of keys For example in one word processing program pressing Alt and F6 at the same time means position these lines flush right on the page Sometimes you may wish to reduce the number of keystrokes required to execute a command To do this you use a macro macro is a single keystroke or command or a series of keystrokes or commands used to automatically Applications and Systens Software 21 issue a longer predetermined series of keystrokes or commands Thus you can consolidat
130. interface such as icons and windows had been copied Software piracy is the unauthorized copying of copyrighted software One way is to copy a program from one diskette to another Another is to download transfer a program from a network and make a copy of it Network piracy is using electronic networks for the unauthorized distribution of copyrighted mate rials in digitized form Record companies for example have protested the prac tice of computer users sending unauthorized copies of digital recordings over the Internet Both types of piracy are illegal The easy rationalization is to say that I m just a poor student and making this one copy or downloading only one digital recording isn t going to cause any harm But it is the single act of software piracy multiplied millions of times that is causing the software publishers a billion dollar problem They point out that the loss of revenue cuts into their budget for offering customer support upgrad ing products and compensating their creative people Piracy also means that software prices are less likely to come down if anything they are more likely to go up In time anti copying technology may be developed that when coupled with laws making the disabling of such technology a crime will reduce the pi racy problem Regardless publishers broadcasters movie studios and authors must be persuaded to take chances on developing online and multimedia ver sions of their intellectu
131. ions software that helps users track income and expenses write checks and plan financial goals personal information manager PIM Applications software that com bines a word processor database and desktop accessory program to organize a variety of information plagiarism Expropriation of another writer s text findings or interpreta tions and presenting them as one s own presentation graphics Graphical forms used to communicate or make a presentation of data to others such as clients or supervisors Presentation graph ics programs are a type of applications software project management software Applications software used to plan schedule and control the people costs and resources required to complete a project on time proprietary software Software whose rights are owned by an individual or business public domain software Software that is not protected by copyright and thus may be duplicated by anyone at will release Refers to a minor upgrade in a software product Applications and Systens Software 63 replace command Software command that allows users to automatically replace with a new item any existing item identified using the search command scrolling The activity of moving quickly upward or downward through text or other screen display using directional arrow keys or mouse search command Software command that allows users to find any item known to exist in the document shareware Copyrighted sof
132. ke advantage of applications software anywhere on the network It would not matter what operating system you used Applications software would become nearly disposable You would download applications software and pay a few cents or a few dollars for each use You would store fre quently used software on your own computer You would not need to worry about buying the right software since it could be provided online whenever you needed to accomplish a task Bloatware or the Network Computer A new concept has entered the language that of bloatware Bloatware is a colloquial name for software that is so crowded bloated with features that it requires a powerful microprocessor and enormous amounts of main mem ory and hard disk storage capacity to run efficiently Bloatware of course fuels the movement toward upgrading in which users must buy more and more pow erful hardware to support the software Windows 95 and the various kinds of software suites or officeware are examples of this kind of software Applications and Systens Software 101 Against this engineers have proposed the idea of the network computer or hollow PC This view which not everyone accepts is that the expensive PCs with muscular microprocessors and operating systems would be replaced by network computers costing perhaps 500 or so Also known as the Internet PC the network computer NC would theoretically be a hollowed out computer perhaps witho
133. le For instance you may want a portable if you spend a lot of time at the library Some students even use portables to take notes in class If you do most of your work in your room you may find it more comfortable to have a desktop PC Though not portable the monitors of desktop computers are usually easier to read It s possible to have both portability and a readable display screen Buy a laptop but also buy a monitor that you can plug the portable into Computers are also available with docking systems that permit a portable to fit inside a desk top computer or monitor Also keep in mind that portable computers are more expensive to main tain than desktop computers and portable keyboards are smaller Is upgradability important The newest software being released is so powerful meaning flexible that it requires increasingly more powerful hard ware That is the software requires hardware that is faster and has greater main memory and storage capacity If you buy an outdated used computer you probably will not be able to upgrade it That is you will be unable to buy inter nal parts such as additional memory that can run newer software This imita tion may be fine if you expect to be able to afford an all new system in a couple of years if however you are buying new equipment right now be sure to ask the salesperson how the hardware can be upgraded Do I want on IBM style or a Macintosh Although the situation is chang
134. ly all applications software but anyone accustomed to writing with a type writer will find this activity especially valuable Whether you want to make small changes or drastically revise your word processing document having it stored in electronic form spares you the arduous chore of having to retype it from scratch You need only call it up from disk or tape and make just those changes you want then print it out again The key features of word processors are summarized in the box on the next page Spreadsheets Spreadsheet software allows users to create tables and financial schedules by entering data into rows and columns arranged as a grid on a display screen If one or more numerical value or formula is changed the software automatically calculates the effect of the change on the rest of the spreadsheet Spreadsheet software also allows users to create analytical graphics charts to present data What is a spreadsheet Traditionally it was simply a grid of rows and columns printed on special green paper that was used by accountants and oth ers to produce financial projections and reports A person making up a spread sheet often spent long days and weekends at the office penciling tiny numbers into countless tiny rectangles When one figure changed all the rest of the num bers on the spreadsheet had to be recomputed and ultimately there might be wastebaskets full of jettisoned worksheets In the late 1970s Daniel Bricklin w
135. metables Kaleida was disbanded and Taligent became just an engineering subsidiary of IBM Still new joint efforts go forward For instance in July 1995 Oracle teamed up with Apple and IBM to jointly market a software tool Oracle Power Objects that would help software makers develop programs for computer net works that could run interchangeably on different operating systems including those for Windows Mac OS and OS 2 And in November 1995 Apple IBM and chip maker Motorola developed a blueprint for a microprocessor called the PowerPC around which they hoped to build computers that could run Mac OS OS 2 and Windows NT 2 Read and translate the text THE PROBLEM WITH PERSONAL COMPUTING TODAY Will any of the foregoing efforts achieve the broad based ease of use that customers are looking for We are in an era that resembles the early days of videocassette recorders before VHS finally triumphed over Betamax as the standard for VCRs What is needed as Bill Gates observes is computer soft ware designed to take everyday tasks and make them automatic and to take complex tasks and make them easier Today personal computing is complicated because of conflicting stan dards Could it be different tomorrow as more and more people join the trend toward networked computers and access to the World Wide Web 100 Applications and Systens Software As we ve seen there are different hardware and software standards or platforms Pl
136. nd notepad Personal information manager PIM software combines some features of word processing database manager and desktop accessory programs to organ ize specific types of information such as address books 36 Applications and Systens Software Pretend you are sitting at a desk in an old fashioned office You have a calendar clock calculator Rolodex type address file and notepad Most of these items could also be found on a student s desk How would a computer and software improve on this arrangement Many people find ready uses for types of software known as desktop ac cessories and personal information managers PIMs Desktop Accessories A desktop accessory or desktop organizer is a software package that provides an electronic version of tools or objects commonly found on a desktop calendar clock card file calculator and notepad Some desktop accessory programs come as standard equipment with some systems software such as with Microsoft Windows Others such as Bor land s SideKick or Lotus Agenda are available as separate programs to run in your computer s main memory at the same time you are running other software Some are principally scheduling and calendaring programs their main purpose is to enable you to do time and event scheduling Personal Information Managers A more sophisticated program is the personal information manager PIM a combination word processor database and desktop accesso
137. nd graphics appear on the display screen exactly as they will print out DTP programs provide a variety of fonts or typestyles from readable Times Roman to staid Tribune to wild Jester and Scribble You can also create all kinds of rules borders columns and page numbering styles A style sheet in the DTP program enables you to choose and record the settings that determine the appearance of the pages This may include defining size and typestyle of text and headings numbers of columns of type on a page and width of lines and boxes Most DTP programs dont have all the features of full fledged word proc essing or computerized drawing and painting programs Thus text is usually composed on a word processor artwork is created with drawing and painting software and photographs are scanned in using a scanner Prefabricated art may also be obtained from disks containing clip art or canned images that can be used to illustrate DTP documents The DTP program is used to integrate all these files You can look at your work on the display screen as one page or as Applications and Systens Software 45 two facing pages in reduced size Then you can see it again after it is printed out on a printer Once you have finished your composition and layout you can send the document to the printer Much of the shaping of text characters and graphics is done within the printer rather than in the computer For instance instead of sending the complete im
138. nds presented on the screen Menus may appear as menu bars or pull down menus A menu bar is a line or two of command options across the top or bottom of the screen Examples of commands which you activate with a mouse or with key combinations are File Edit and Print A pull down menu is a list of command options that drops down from a selected menu bar item at the top of the screen For example you might use the mouse to click on activate a command for example File on the menu bar which in turn would yield a pull down menu offering further commands These other commands might be Save Open Print Close Copy and Delete Choosing one of these options may produce further menus called pop up menus which seem to appear out of nowhere on the screen 22 Applications and Systens Software A particularly useful type of menu is the Help menu or Help screen which offers assistance on how to perform various tasks such as printing out a document Having a set of Help screens is like having a built in electronic instruction manual A particularly interesting feature of GUIs is the use of windows A win dow is a rectangle that appears on the screen and displays information from a particular part of a program A display screen may show more than one window for instance one showing information from a word processing program an other information from a spreadsheet A window small w should not be confused with Microsoft Windo
139. ng if you re viewing win dows and icons a command driven interface b menu driven interface c graphical user interface d none of the above 4 Which of the following is the central component of an operating sys tem a supervisor b system prompt c operating environment d icons c allofthe above 5 _ is the processing of tasks from several users at dif ferent locations in a round robin fashion a multitasking b multiprogramming c time sharing d multiprocessing e none of the above 6 __ sis the simultaneous processing of more than one program by multiple processors a multitasking b multiprogramming Applications and Systens Software 115 c time sharing d multiprocessing e none of the above 7 Which of the following will you likely find in a company that uses networks of microcomputers DOS Windows Unix NetWare all of the above A popular service offered by an external utility program 15 screen saver assistance data recovery backup assistance virus protection all of the above Oo BOTS 9 Which of the following should you use to optimize the amount of space that is used 011 a disk drive antivirus software defragmentation software data compression software memory management utility none of the above 10 Which of the following do you need to transmit data between puter arid a peripheral device a file conversion u
140. ng software Applications software that enables users to create edit revise store and print text material WYSIWYG Abbreviation for What You See Is What You Get this desktop publishing term means that the text and graphics appear on the display screen exactly as they will print out Software used by many professional type setters shows display screens full of formatting codes which means that what you see on the screen is not what you will see when the job is printed out Applications and Systens Software 65 It is important to know that Numeric data is easier to analyze in graphical form than in the form of rows and columns of numbers as in electronic spreadsheets Applications software such as word processing spreadsheet database manager graphics and communications packages are used to increase people s productivity The block command makes it easy to rearrange and reformat documents Bundled software and hardware cost less than the same items sold sepa rately Buttons make it easier for users to enter commands The cell is the smallest working unit in a spreadsheet Data and formulas are entered into the cells Ceil addresses provide location references for spreadsheet users Clip art enables users to illustrate their word processed or desktop published documents without having to hire an artist CAD programs help architects design buildings and work spaces and en gineers design cars planes and electroni
141. ng to the Software Publishers Association Moreover studies show most people use only a few basic features of these programs and they use them for rather simple tasks For example 70 of all documents produced with word processing soft ware are one page letters memos or simple reports And 70 of the time peo ple use spreadsheets simply to add up numbers This is important information If you are this type of user you may have no more need for fancy software and hardware than an ordinary commuter has for an expensive Italian race car On the other hand you may be in a profession in which you need to become a power user learning almost all the software features available in order to keep ahead in your career Moreover in the Mul timedia Age you may wish to do far more than current software and hardware allow in which case you need to be continually learning what computing and communications can do for you Applications and Systens Software 7 THE TWO KINDS OF SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS amp SYSTEMS As we ve said software or programs consists of the step by step instruc tions that tell the computer how to perform a task Software is of two types Applications software is software that can perform useful work on gen eral purpose tasks such as word processing and creating spreadsheets As the user you interact with the applications software In turn systems software enables the applications software to interact with the com
142. nge that detail and imme diately see the effect on the bottom line You could use this if you re considering buying a new car Any number of things can be varied total price 10 000 15 000 down payment I 2 000 53 0002 interest rate the car loan 7 30 Applications and Systens Software 8907 or number of months to pay 36 48 You can keep changing the what if possibilities until you arrive at a monthly payment figure that you re comfort able with Spreadsheets can be linked with other spreadsheets The feature of dy namic linking allows data in one spreadsheet to be linked to and automatically update data in another spreadsheet Thus the amount of data being manipulated can be enormous For instance Frank Austin a computer consultant who devel oped a program for rehabilitating the sewers of Houston says his average work sheets arc a demanding 700 kilobytes to 1 megabyte representing thousands of cells 2 Translate the following sentences XB Tb
143. nies have introduced similar products such as SuperCard from Silicon Beach Software HyperCard is based on the concept of cards and stacks of cards just like note cards only they are electronic A card is a screen ful of data that makes up a single record cards are organized into related files called stacks On each card there may be one or more buttons which when clicked on by a mouse can pull up another card or stack By clicking buttons you can make your way through the cards and stacks to find information or dis cover connections between ideas Recently hypertext has come into its own as a means of accessing Web sites The hidden codes of hypertext allow users to use a mouse to click on a highlighted word or phrase to automatically access a related site As wewill dis cuss in detail elsewhere hypertext markup language HTML is the language in which Web pages are written and linked hypertext transfer protocol HTTP is how information is sent over the Web 50 Applications and Systens Software Onward In this chapter we have described what the more elementary forms of software are Still to be discussed however are some of the truly exciting soft ware developments of the Digital Age Later in the book we describe software technology such as virtual reality multimedia simulation expert systems and information seeking agents as well as software affecting the Internet 4 Translate the following text into English
144. nvironments are available for Unix Common features of these operating environments are use of an electronic mouse pull down menus and icons and other graphic displays They also have the ability to run more than one application such as word processing and spreadsheets at the same time and the ability to exchange data between these applications Let s now examine the principal operating systems and operating envi ronments you will probably encounter 2 Read and translate the text DOS There are reportedly over 100 million users of DOS This makes it the most popular software of any son ever adopted and certainly the most popular systems software DOS for Disk Operating System runs primarily on IBM and IBM compatible microcomputers such as Compaq Zenith AST Dell Tandy and Gateway There are now two main operating systems calling them selves DOS It s M 00Ss DOS is sold under the name MS DOS by software maker Microsoft The MS stands for Microsoft Microsoft launched its original ver sion MS DOS 1 0 in 1981 and there have been several upgrades since then Microsoft licenses a version to IBM called PC DOS The PC stands for Personal Computer The most recent version is PC DOS 7 released March 1995 What do the numbers in the names mean The number before the period refers to a version The number after the period refers to a release which has fewer refinements than a version The most recent versi
145. o educational software library search and reference software have become popular For instance there are CD ROMs with encyclopedias phone books voter lists mailing lists maps home remodeling how to informa tion and reproductions of famous art With the CD ROM encyclopedia Micro soft Encarta for example you can search for say music in 19th century Russia then listen to an orchestral fragment from Tchaikovsky s 1812 Overture Basic Productivity Software Basic productivity software consists of programs found in most offices and probably on all campuses on personal computers and on larger computer systems Their purpose is simply to make users more productive at performing general tasks The most popular kinds of productivity tools arc Word processing software Desktop accessories and personal Spreadsheet software information managers Database software Integrated software and suites Presentation graphics software groupware Communications software Internet Web browsers data com munications and e mail It may be possible to work in an office somewhere in North America to day without knowing any of these programs However that wont be the case in the 21st century We describe common productivity software shortly Business amp Specialized Software Whatever your occupation you will probably find it has specialized soft ware available to it This is so whether your career is as an architect building contra
146. offer better speed and features once software developers take advan tage of the design It has always been easy to add new hardware components to Macintoshes It used to be extremely difficult with IBM compatible PCs Plug and play refers to the ability to add a new hardware component to a computer system and have it work without needing to perform complicated technical procedures More particularly Plug and Play abbreviated PnP is a standard devel oped for IBM style PCs by Microsoft and chip maker Intel and incorporated into Windows 95 to eliminate user frustration when one is adding new components Applications and Systens Software 91 Now when you add a new printer or modem your PC will recognize the model and set it up Windows 95 was expected to be superseded in 1996 by an upgrade called Nashville or Windows 96 Most of the improvements represented fine tuning However the most significant improvement is intended to make the Web browser disappear as a separate piece of software Instead the new version of Internet Explorer recently a standard feature of Windows allows users to use the same commands not only to access their own computer but also to browse the Internet and other networks This could ultimately threaten Netscape s domi nance So far we have described operating systems and operating environments pretty much in the chronological order in which they appeared Except for OS 2 these operating systems were pr
147. ograms by nonprofessional users can lead to rather unprofessional looking results Nevertheless the availability of micro computers and reasonably inexpensive software has opened up a career area formerly reserved for professional typographers and printers Desktop publish ing abbreviated DTP involves using a micro computer and mouse scanner la ser printer and DTP software tor mixing text and graphics to produce high quality printed output Often the laser printer is used primarily to get an advance look before the completed job is sent to a typesetter for even higher quality out put Principal desktop publishing programs arc Aldus PageMaker Ventura Pub lisher Quark XPress and First Publisher Microsoft Publisher is a low end DTP package Some word processing programs such as Word and WordPerfect also have many DTP features Desktop publishing has the following characteristics Unlike traditional word processing programs desktop publishing software allows you to manage and merge text with graphics Indeed while laying out a page on screen you can make the text flow liquid like around graphics such as photographs Software used by many professional typesetters shows display screens full of formatting codes rather than what you will sec when the job is printed out By contrast DTP programs can display your work in WYSIWYG form WYSIWYG pronounced wizzy wig stands for What You See Is What You Get It means that the text a
148. ons are all backward compatible For operating systems backward compatible means that users can run the same applications on the later versions of the operating system that they could run 011 earlier versions Recent versions of DOS have expanded the range of the operating system For example Version 4 0 of MS DOS offered the options of a command driven interface and a menu driven interface Version 5 0 added a graphics based inter Applications and Systens Software 85 face Version 6 0 added features that took advantage of a computer s main mem ory Version 6 22 added a data compression feature to double the amount of in formation that could be stored on a hard disk drive No doubt DOS will be around for years After all there are a great many old but still useful microcomputers running it and a great many application pro grams written for it And many IBM mainframe systems use DOS VSE Never theless as a command driven single user program DOS is probably a fading product Although satisfactory for many uses it will unquestionably be suc ceeded by other more versatile operating systems As Ken Wasch president of the Software Publishers Association says Nobody was forced to upgrade to electric lights when they still could read by kerosene lamps but still most people found it advantageous to upgrade 3 Read and translate the text MACINTOSH OPERATING SYSTEM MAC OS The Apple Macintosh has always had one outstanding fea
149. or incor rectly spelled words systems software Software that controls the computer and enables it to run applications software Systems software which includes the operating sys tem allows the computer to manage its internal resources 64 Applications and Systens Software thesaurus Word processing software feature that provides a list of simi lar words and alternative words for any word specified in a document tutorial Instruction book or program that takes users through a pre scribed series of steps to help them learn the product unbundled Describes a system whose components are sold separately upward compafible Means that applications and documents created with earlier versions of particular software will run on later versions also called for ward compatible user interface Part of a software program that presents on the screen the alternative commands by which you communicate with the system and that dis plays information version Refers to a major upgrade in a software product Web browser Software that enables people to view Web sites on their computers Web directories Software search tools that allow Web users to search for items classified by topic Web index Software search tools that allow Web users to search for items through keyword searches window Feature of graphical user interfaces rectangle that appears on the screen and displays information from a particular part of a program word processi
150. ord processing programs and indeed most forms of applications software come from the manufacturer with default settings De fault settings are the settings automatically used by a program unless the user specifies otherwise thereby overriding them Thus for example most word processing programs will automatically prepare a document single spaced left justified with 1 inch right and left margins unless you alter these default set tings 26 Applications and Systens Software 2 Translate the following sentences 8 ASCII American Standard Code for Information Interchange T ASCII 0 126 p ASCI 127 255 ASCII pH HT
151. our for band Strictly defined a project is a one time operation consisting of several tasks that must be completed during a stated period of time The project can be small such as an advertising campaign for an in house advertising department or large such as construction of an office tower or a jetliner Applications and Systens Software 47 Project management software is a program used to plan schedule and control the people costs and resources required to complete a project on time For instance the associate producer on a feature film might use such software to keep track of the locations cast and crew materials dollars and schedules needed to complete the picture on time and within budget The software would show the scheduled beginning and ending dates for a particular task such as shooting all scenes on a certain set and then the date that task was actually completed Examples of project management software are Harvard Project Man ager Microsoft Project for Windows Project Scheduler 4 SuperProject and Time Line Project management software has evolved into new forms For example a program called ManagePro for Windows is designed to manage not only goals and tasks but also the people charged with achieving them I use it to track pro jects due dates and the people who are responsible says the manager of man agement information systems at a Lake Tahoe Nevada time share condomin ium resort And then yo
152. penses that are important when youre filing your tax return Most personal finance programs also are able to interface with a tax preparation program Some of the more versatile personal finance programs also offer finan cial planning and portfolio management features Quicken there are versions for DOS Windows and Macintosh seems to have generated a large following but other personal finance programs exist as well They include Kiplinger s CA Simply Money Managing Your Money Mi crosoft Money and WinCheck Some offer enough features that you could use them to manage a small business In addition there are tax software programs which provide virtually all the forms you need for filing income taxes Tax programs make complex calcu lations check for mistakes and even unearth deductions you didn t know ex isted Principal tax programs are Andrew Tobias TaxCut Kiplinger TaxCut TurboTax MacInTax Personal Tax Edge and CA Sirnply Tax Finally there are investment software packages such as StreetSmart from Charles Schwab and Online Xpress from Fidelity as well as various retirement planning pro grams Project Management Software A desktop accessory or PIM can help you schedule your appointments and do some planning That is it can help you 1 manage your own life But what if you need to manage the lives of others to accomplish a full blown project such as steering a 1 political campaign or handling a nationwide road t
153. plications like spreadsheets word processing graphics communications and groupware that are bundled together and sold for a fraction of what the programs would cost if bought indi vidually Bundled and unbundled are jargon words frequently encountered in software and hardware merchandising Bundled means that components of a system are sold together for a single price Unbundled means that a system has separate prices for each component The principal suites sometimes called office programs are Microsoft Office from Microsoft SmartSuite from Lotus and PerfectOffice from Micro soft s Office 95 consists of programs that separately would cost perhaps 1500 but as a suite cost roughly 500 to 600 Special pricing makes some suites available to students for less than 200 Although cost is what makes suites attractive to many corporate custom mers they have other benefits as well Software makers have tried to integrate the look and feel of the separate programs within the suites to make I them easier to use The applications mesh more smoothly in the package I form says one writer and the level of integration is increasing More and I more they use the same commands and similar icons in the spreadsheet word proces sor graphics and other applications making them easier to use and reducing the training time Applications and Systens Software 39 A tradeoff however is that such packages require a lot of har
154. ppli cations programs to run under it Following arc just some of the features of Windows 95 Instead of encountering a confusing array of similar program groups as with Windows 3 X you ll first see a clean desktop with a Task bar of important icons at the bottom of the screen and one button labeled START Windows 3 1 s quirky Program Manager and File Managers have been re placed by more accessible features called THE EXPLORER and MY COMPUTER which let you quickly see what s stored on your disk drives and make tracking and moving files easier File names can now be up to 256 characters instead of the 8 characters plus 3 character extension of DOS and Windows 3 X This means you can now have a file name for your resume for example of Resume January 15 1997 version instead of RES11597 Macintosh OS and OS 2 have always permitted long file names Another feature allows you to delete complete files and then get them back if you change your mind The new software is a 32 bit program whereas most Windows 3 1 soft ware is 16 bit Bit numbers refer to how many bits of data a computer chip and software written for it can process at one time Such numbers are important be cause they refer to the amount of information the hardware and software can use at any one time This doesn t mean that 32 bit software will necessarily be twice as fast as 16 bit software but it does promise that new 32 bit applications soft ware will
155. puter and helps the computer manage its internal resources and you can instruct it in some of those tasks Software may be either custom written or packaged Custom written software is software designed for a particular customer It is the kind of software written by a computer programmer to fulfill a highly spe cialized task Unless you go on to become a programmer you will probably not be required to know the intricacies of this kind of software Packaged software or a software package is an off the shelf program available on disk for use by the general public such as word processing or spreadsheets This is the kind of software discussed in this chapter and the next If you buy a new microcomputer in a store you will find that some soft ware has already been installed on it that is is bundled with it This includes systems software and various types of applications software that are compatible with the systems software At this point however you are no doubt more con cerned about what you can use a computer or In this unit therefore we discuss applications software VERSIONS RELEASES amp UPWARD amp DOWNWARD COMPATIBILITY Every year or so software developers find ways to enhance their products and put forth a new version or new release A version is a major upgrade in a software product Versions are usually indicated by numbers such as 1 0 2 0 3 0 and so forth The higher the number preceding the decimal
156. r files or even shut down entire computer systems Using the windows feature an operating system or operating environ ment can display several windows on a computer screen each showing a dif ferent application program such as word processing spreadsheets and graphics The Windows operating environment made DOS easier to use far more applications have been written for Windows than for DOS alone Windows 95 and later versions may become the most common systems software used on microcomputers Unlike the traditional Windows operating environment Windows NT is a true operating system eliminating the need for DOS and interacting directly with the hardware It is primarily designed to run on workstations or other more powerful computers Applications and Systens Software 113 TEST Short Answer Questions 1 Why does a computer need systems software 2 What are utility programs 3 What does the term booting mean 4 What does a language translator do Why is such a program included in systems software 5 Can an operating system designed for a mainframe run on a microcom puter 6 Which is faster multiprocessing multitasking or time sharing 7 Why have data compression utilities become necessary for some users 8 Why do microcomputer users have to format their diskettes before us ing them 9 What is NetWare What docs it do 10 What is a computer virus Fill In the Blank Questions 1 The three types of sy
157. rade to Windows 96 Why why not 3 PC DOS 7 was released by IBM in March of 1995 Why would IBM spend money developing a new version of DOS if most experts believed that DOS would soon be obsolete Who is using PC DOS 7 now Do you think IBM s decision to release a new version of DOS was a good one Why why not 4 If you were in the market for a new microcomputer today what soft ware would you want to use on it What systems software would you choose Applications software Why How would you go about making your choices 5 Pen based computing uses its own particular type of systems software Check some articles in computer magazines to find out what makes this type of systems software different from regular microcomputer systems software Is pen based systems software compatible with DOS Windows How would pen based systems software limit a traditional microcomputer user HHA Applications and Systems Software
158. rapidly switch back and forth among different tasks The user is generally unaware of the switching process and is able to use more than one applications program at the same time NetWare allows PCs to share data files printers and file servers Operating environments make systems software easier to use These programs act as an interface between the user and the computer handling such matters as running and storing programs and storing and process ing data The operating system allows users to concentrate on their own tasks or applications rather than on the complexities of managing the computer Unlike traditional Windows OS 2 and its most recent version Warp do not require DOS to run underneath and so generally process more efficiently Like Windows they have a graphical user interface called the Workplace Shell WPS OS 2 and Warp can also run most DOS Windows and OS 2 applica tions programs simultaneously which means users don t have to throw out their old applications to take advantage of new features Users need to be aware that without special arrangements or software different platforms are not compatible Plug and play greatly simplifies the process of expanding and modifying systems Renaming is an essential systems software function Although new monitors are not usually damaged by unchanging images many users buy screen savers because their displays are entertaining Without software hardware would be usel
159. rd processing and then move on to desktop publishing the technology used to prepare much of today s printed in formation Or you might learn spreadsheet programs and then go on to master personal finance tax and investment software Let us consider some of these specialized tools We describe the following although these are but a handful of the thousands of programs available Desktop publishing programs Computer aided design Personal finance programs Painting and drawing programs Project management programs Hypertext Desktop Publishing Once you ve become comfortable with a word processor could you then go on and learn to do what Margaret Trejo did When Trejo then 36 was laid off from her job in 1987 because her boss couldn t meet the payroll she was stunned Nothing like that had ever happened to me before she said later But I knew it wasnt a reflection on my work And I saw it as an opportunity Today Trejo Production is a successful desktop publishing company in Princeton New Jersey using Macintosh equipment to produce scores of books brochures and newsletters I m making twice what I ever made in management positions says Trejo and my business has increased by 25 every year 44 Applications and Systens Software Not everyone can set up a successful desktop publishing business be cause many complex layouts require experience skill and a knowledge of graphic design Indeed use of these pr
160. ree types of systems software 3 Describe six functions of the operating system 4 Define and describe the three types of user interfaces including the GUI 5 Explain the key features of the principal microcomputer operating sys tems and operating environments 6 List and describe the principal external utility programs 7 Explain how new developments in communications could eliminate the need for users to concern themselves with systems software You re going to know in the first 10 minutes whether you are going to like that person That s how we react to meeting someone for the first time says Tim Eck les a consumer product manager for a microcomputer maker And he says many novices react to their first encounter with a computer in the same way Not too many years ago manufacturers could get away with sending out I personal computers that required arcane commands to operate That s because most customers were businesses usually with some technical expertise on staff Today however sales of microcomputers are exploding among I non business users as people become attracted to multimedia capabilities that add video and sound These consumers may not have the motivation to figure out typical com puter commands PC makers are afraid of home users will pack up their new computers and send them back if they get too frustrated says one journalist Accordingly computer makers are working hard to make sure that the first mee
161. reen from which you choose the applications programs you want to run Housekeeping Tasks If you have not entered a command to start an applications program what else can you do with the operating system One important function is to perform common repetitious housekeeping tasks Applications and Systens Software 79 One example of such a housekeeping task is formatting blank diskettes Before you can use new diskette that you ve bought at a store you may have to format it Formatting or initializing electronically prepares a diskette so it can store data or programs On IBM style computers for example you might insert your blank disk into drive A and type the command Format a You can also buy preformatted disks UNIT III 1 Read and translate the text USER INTERFACE Many operating system functions are never apparent on the computer s display screen What you do see is the user interface The user interface is the part of the operating system that allows you to communicate or interact with it There are three types of user interfaces for both operating systems and applications software command driven menu driven and graphical The lat ter two types of user interface are often called a shell A command driven interface requires you to enter a command by typing in codes or words An example of such a command might be DIR for direc tory This command instructs the computer to display a directory list of
162. rogram s various account categories checking credit cards utility bills all incidentals over a dollar After a few months of tracking expenses some patterns began to emerge We were spending way too much on eating out Ryder said Day to day it doesn t look like much but it adds up The incidentals category also turned up a shocking number of impulse buys magazines snacks that were out of line With the knowledge acquired from Quicken the Ryders began to cut back on expenses and even saved enough to set up investment accounts managed by Quicken Many personal finance programs include a calendar and a calculator but the principal features are the following 46 Applications and Systens Software The programs allow you to set up various account categories for re cording income and expenses including credit card expenses All programs feature checkbook management with an on screen check writing form and check register that look like the ones in your checkbook Checks can be purchased to use with your computer printer Some programs even offer a nationwide electronic payment service that lets you pay your regu lar bills automatically even depositing funds electronically into the accounts of the people owed All programs compare your actual expenses with your budgeted ex penses Some will compare this year s expenses to last year s All programs offer tax categories for indicating types of income and ex
163. ry program that organizes a variety of information Examples of PIMs are Commence Dyn odex Ecco Lotus Organizer and Franklin Planner Lotus Organizer for example looks much like a paper datebook on the screen down to simulated metal rings holding simulated paper pages The pro gram has screen images of section tabs labeled Calendar To Do Address Note pad Planner and Anniversary The Notepad section lets users enter long docu ments including text and graphics that can be called up at any time Whereas Lotus Organizer resembles a datebook the PIM called Dynodex resembles an address book with spaces for names addresses phone numbers and notes Integrated Software amp Suites Integrated software packages combine the features of several applications programs for example word processing spreadsheet database manager graphics and communications into one software package What if you want to take data from one program and use it in another say call up data from a database and use it in a spreadsheet You can try using separate software packages but one may not be designed to accept data from the Applications and Systens Software 37 other Two alternatives are the collections of software known as integrated software and software suites Integrated Software Works Programs Integrated software packages combine the features of several applica tions programs such as word processing spreadsheet d
164. s Some utilities destroy the virus on the spot Others notify you of 96 Applications and Systens Software possible viral behavior in case the virus originated after the antivirus software was released Examples of antivirus software are Anti Virus from Central Point Soft ware Norton AntiVirus from Symantec McAfee virus protection software and ViruCide from Parsons Technology Over time as you delete old files from your hard disk and add new ones something happens the files become fragmented Fragmentation is the scatter ing of portions of files about the disk in non adjacent areas thus greatly slowing access to the files When a hard disk is new the operating system puts files on the disk con tiguously next to one another However as you update a file over time new data for that file is distributed to unused spaces These spaces may not be con tiguous to the older data in that file It takes the operating system longer to read these fragmented files By using a utility program you can defragment the file and speed up the drive s operation An example of a program for unscrambling fragmented files is Norton SpeedDisk utility As you continue to store files on your hard disk it will eventually fill up You then have three choices You can delete old files to make room for the new You can buy a new hard disk with more capacity and transfer the old files and programs to it Or you can buy a data compression utility D
165. s and Systens Software 43 HOBKH standby IIO H wake on LAN standby MMHO UNIT XI 1 Read and translate the text SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE Specialized software tools include programs for desktop publishing per sonal finance project management computer aided design drawing and paint ing and hypertext After learning some of the productivity software just described you may wish to extend your range by becoming familiar with more specialized pro grams For example you might first learn wo
166. s such as America Online CompuServe and Prodigy However the recent battle royal to find the killer app browser has been between Netscape which produces Navigator and Microsoft which developed a browser called Internet Explorer As of mid 1996 Netscape was winning with 81 of the browser mar ket Microsoft had 71 However America Online has made Internet Explorer its preferred browser on its main online service in return for which Microsoft includes AOL software in its new releases of its Windows 95 operating system Search Tools on the Web Directories amp Indexes Once you re on your browser you need to know how to find what you re looking for Search tools are of two basic types directories and indexes edories Web directories are search tools classified by topic One of the foremost examples is Yahoo ttp www yahoo com which provides you with an opening screen offering 14 general categories Indexes Web indexes allow you to find specific documents through keyword searches An example of one useful index tool is Lycos http wwwJycos com Although the promise of spectacular services delivered via the Web is still mostly just that a promise the fact remains that only 6 to 8 of American households are now connected to the Internet By 2000 that is expected to rise to 2296 Thus Web browsers may come to be one of our most important soft ware productivity tools 42 Applications and Systens Software 2
167. sect A number entered in a cell is called a value The values are the actual numbers used in the spreadsheet dollars per centages grade points temperatures or whatever A cell pointer or spreadsheet cursor indicates where data is to be entered The cell pointer can be moved around like a cursor in a word processing program Now we come to the reason the electronic spreadsheet has taken offices by storm Formulas are instructions for calculations For example a formula might be SUM AS A15 meaning Sum add all the numbers in the cells with I cell addresses A5 through A15 Functions are stored formulas that perform common calculations For in stance a function might average a range of numbers or round off a number to two decimal places After the values have been plugged into the spreadsheet the formulas and functions can be used to calculate outcomes What is revolutionary however is the way the spreadsheet can easily do recalculation Recalculation is the process of re computing values automatically either as an ongoing process as data is being entered or afterward with the press of a key With this simple feature the hours of mind numbing work required in manually reworking paper spread sheets became a thing of the past The recalculation feature has opened up whole new possibilities for deci sion making As a user you can create a plan put in formulas and numbers and then ask yourself What would happen if we cha
168. situation was complicated by the appearance of Windows 86 Applications and Systens Software Microsoft s IBM compatible operating environment and even more so by Win dows 95 both of which have many Mac like qualities as we shall describe Still the Mac introduced in 1984 set the standard for icon oriented graphical user interfaces Indeed the Macintosh Operating System Mac OS is easy to use because Apple designed its hardware and software together from the start Kirkpatrick for one believes that the Macintosh operating system is the best in terms of elegance and ease of use So do evaluators from Consumer Re ports which studied a panel of users performing typical home use tasks on computers equipped with the latest versions of Mac OS DOS and DOS with Windows software The Macintosh System 7 5 operating system has an important program a file manager called the Finder which manages the desktop screen and its icons System 7 5 also enables users to read MS DOS and Windows files even if they don t have the software to create such files In addition System 7 5 has a feature called Apple Guide which offers active assistance Active assistance helps us ers accomplish different tasks on the computer for example explaining how to share files with other users After almost a decade of Macintoshes costing more than comparable IBM style personal computers Apple cut its prices The result was to bring Mac prices more in
169. sks of several us ers at different stations in round robin fashion Time sharing is used when sev eral users are linked by a communications network to a single computer The computer will first work on one user s task for a fraction of a second then go on to the next user s task and so on How is this done The answer is through time slicing Computers operate so quickly that it is possible for them to alternately apportion slices of time fractions of a second to various tasks Thus the computer s operating system may rapidly switch back and forth among different tasks just as a hairdresser or dentist works with several clients or patients concurrently The users are gener ally unaware of the switching process Multitasking and time sharing differ slightly With multitasking the proc essor directs the programs to take turns accomplishing small tasks or events within the programs These events may be making a calculation searching for a record printing out part of a document and so on Each event may take a differ ent amount of time to accomplish With time sharing the computer spends a fixed amount of time with each program before going on to the next one Multiprocessing is processing done by two or more computers or proces sors linked together to perform work simultaneously that is at precisely the same time This can entail processing instructions from different programs or different instructions from the same program
170. ssing the Web Browser Software Once you re connected to the Internet you then need a Web browser This software program will help you to get whatever information you want on the 104 Applications and Systens Software Web by clicking your mouse pointer on words or pictures the browser displays on your screen There are all sorts of Web browsers the best known being Netscape Navigator the most popular Mosaic Microsoft s Internet Explorer and Net corn s NetCruiser Features of Browsers What kinds of things should you consider when selecting a browser Here are some features Price Some browsers ore free freeware such as the original Mosaic Some come free with membership in an online service or ISP America Online for instance offers browsers for both IBM style computers and Macintoshes Some may be acquired for a price separately from any online connection the original Mosaic is free but Spyglass offers Enhanced Mosaic for 29 95 You can get a kit that offers other features besides a browser For in stance Macintosh users can buy the Apple Internet Connection Kit 59 which contains the browser Netscape Navigator and several other programs They in clude Claris E maiier Lite News Watcher Fetch Alladin Stuffit Expander NCSA Telnet Adobe Acrobat Reader Sparkle Rea Audio MacTCP MacPPP and Apple Quicktime VR Player The kit comes with an Apple Internet Dialer application that helps you find an Intern
171. stems program and that copy themselves to other programs often causing damage windows Feature of graphical user interfaces causes the display screen to divide into sections Each window is dedicated to a specific purpose Windows Operating environment made by Microsoft that places a graphical user interface shell around the MS DOS and PC DOS operating sys tems Windows 95 Successor to Windows 3 X for DOS this is a true operating system for IBM style computers rather than just an operating environment Windows NT New Technology Operating system intended to support large networks of computers such as those involved in airline reservations sys tems It is important to know that Computer users must find out what kind of antivirus software to install on their systems in order to protect them against damage or shut down Applications software such as word processing spreadsheet database manager graphics and communications packages have become commonly used tools for increasing people s productivity Backing up is an essential systems software function users should back up all their work so that they don t lose it if original disks are destroyed To make sure they con continue to work on existing files and applications users must check compatibility restrictions when they buy new versions of soft ware Higher bit numbers indicate higher speed When a computer is turned on a program called the bootstrap loader or boot
172. stems software are 2 The consists of the master programs that manage the basic operations of the computer 3 Before you can use a new diskette on a microcomputer you must it 4 graphical user interface uses pictures or to represent procesing functions 5 Programs that are used to expand the existing capabilities of programs in a computer system are called 6 In a command driven user interface the user types commands after the 7 The main component of the operating system is the it directs other programs to perform tasks 8 Name three microcomputer operating systems besides DOS and the Macintosh Operating System 9 refers to the ability to add new hardware to a computer system and use it immediately without performing complicated installation procedures 10 To scan a computer s hard disk diskette and memory for viruses you should use software 114 Applications and Systens Software Multiple Choice Questions 1 Which of the following must you use to enable applications software to interact with the computer software utilities systems software command driven interface operating environment none of the above 2 Which of the following best describes the process of loading operat ing system into a computer s memory a system prompt b formatting c backing up d booting e none of the above 3 Which of the following are you probably usi
173. tility b driver c memory management software d peripheral utility e all of the above True False Questions TF 1 Applications software starts up the computer and functions as the principal coordinator of all hardware components T 2 menu driven user interface is the easiest type of operating system interface to use T 3 Fragmentation is the uneven distribution of a file on the disk 4 Viruses can be found in both applications and systems pro 5 Screen burn in is a bad problem with today s monitors 6 DOS is a 32 bit operating system 116 Applications and Systens Software 7 Multitasking is processing done by two or more processors at the same time T 8 The central portion of the operating system is called the super Visor T 9 microcomputer diskettes must he formatted before you can use them T 10 Applications software helps the computer manage its internal resources Projects Critical Thinking Questions 1 If you have been using a particular microcomputer for 2 years and are planning to upgrade the version of systems software you are using what issues must you consider before you go ahead and buy the new version 2 By the time this textbook goes to print Microsoft will have released Windows 96 What is new in this latest release What utilities are included in Windows 96 Which of these utilities were also included in Windows 95 Would you advise a Windows 95 user to upg
174. tine tasks such as print out your e mail every morning In addition Copland uses an IBM Apple software standard called Open Doc which allows software developers to create applications in mix and match components Windows 95 OS 2 and Unix systems can also employ OpenDoc Applications and Systens Software 99 Thus software developers will have greater flexibility and customers will have more choices in putting together their programs Finally in January 1996 Apple launched a programming system called Cybezdog that allows users to set up their own custom made Internet interfaces and to easily add Internet links to their favorite applications Thus you could in terrupt your word processing program for example to execute a Cyberdog software module that will call up a weather report from the World Wide Web To stop the Microsoft juggernaut companies have tried several kinds of joint ventures For instance in 1991 in an event described as the equivalent of General Motors and Ford agreeing to offer cars sharing the same engines and designs IBM and Apple joined later by Hewlett Packard created a company named Taligent to develop a universal operating system Another Apple IBM joint venture called Kaleida Labs was designed to produce software that would let consumers play any kind of multimedia program on PCs game players and TV set top boxes In late 1995 because of lack of progress conflicting cultures and divergent ti
175. ting consumers have with a computer is a friendly one Indeed a great I deal of effort has gone into trying to make interfaces as intuitive as possible for newcomers For instance Microsoft put 3 years into a project that went on sale in March 1995 with the name of Bob Instead of having pull down menus dia 76 Applications and Systens Software log boxes and arcane error messages Bob is what j Microsoft called a social interface with animated characters a dog named Rover a rat named Scuzz that act as guides asking users what they want to do and giving them tips on how to do it A similar program is Computer j Associates Simply Village which has the look and feel of a three dimensional village and responds to spoken commands Another friendly interface is Packard Bell s Navigator In time as interfaces are refined computers will probably become no more difficult to use than a car Until then however for smooth encounters you need to know something about how systems software works Today people communicate one way computers another People speak words and phrases computers process bits and bytes For us to communicate with these machines we need an intermediary an interpreter This is the function of systems soft ware We interact mainly with the applications software which interacts with the systems software which controls the hardware 2 Read and translate the text THREE TYPES OF SYSTEMS SOFTWARE Systems software
176. tion that has taken place The data or program you are trying to recover may be on a hard disk or a diskette Backups Suddenly your hard disk drive fails and you have no more pro grams or files Fortunately you have we hope used a utility to make a backup or duplicate copy of the information on your hard disk DOS has commands to help you make backups on diskettes but they are not easy to use Other utilities are more convenient Moreover they also condense compress the data so that fewer diskettes are required Examples of backup utilities are Norton Backup from Symantec Backup Exec from Arcada Software Colorado Backup and Fastback Plus from Fifth Generation Systems Very few things can make your heart sink faster than the sudden failure of your hard disk The exception may be the realization that your computer system has been invaded by a virus A virus consists of hidden programming instruc tions that are buried within an applications or systems program They copy themselves to other programs causing havoc Sometimes the virus is merely a simple prank that pops up a message Sometimes however it can destroy pro grams and data Viruses are spread when people exchange diskettes or download make copies of information from computer networks or the Internet Fortunately antivirus software is available Antivirus software is a utility program that scans hard disks diskettes and the microcomputer s memory to de tect viruse
177. tional features that the other methods often lack formatting creating editing printing and saving Let us consider these Formatting Documents Formatting means determining the appearance of a document There are many choices here You can decide what typeface and type size you wish to use You can specify what parts of it should be underlined italic or boldface You can choose whether you want the lines to be single spaced or dou ble spaced or something else You can specify whether you want text to be one column like this page two columns like many magazines and books or several columns like newspapers You can indicate the dimensions of the margins left right top and bot tom around the text You can specify whether the text should be justified or not Justify means to align text evenly between left and right margins as for example is done with most newspaper columns and this text Left justify means to not align the text evenly on the right side as in many business letters ragged right You can indicate page numbers and headers or footers A header is common text such as a date or document name that is printed at the top of every page A footer is the same thing printed at the bottom of every page You can specify borders or other decorative lines shading tables and footnotes You can even pull in import graphics or drawings from flies in other software programs Its worth noting that w
178. tization threatens to compound the problem For example current copyright law doesn specifically protect copyrighted material online Says one article Copyright experts say laws haven t kept pace with technology especially digitization the process of converting any data sound video text into a se ries of ones and zeros that are then transmitted over computer networks Using this technology it s possible to create an infinite number of copies of a book a record or a movie and distribute them to millions of people around the world at 10 Applications and Systens Software very little cost Unlike photocopies of books or pirated audiotapes the digital copies are virtually identical to the original Piracy Plagiarism amp Ownership of Images amp Sounds Three copyright related matters deserve our attention software and net work piracy plagiarism and ownership of images and sounds It may be hard to think of yourself as a pirate no sword or eyepatch when all you ve done is make a copy of some commercial software for a friend However from an ethical standpoint an act of piracy is like shoplifting the product off a store shelf even if it s for a friend Piracy is theft or unauthorized distribution or use A type of piracy is to appropriate a computer design or program This is the kind that Apple Computer claimed in a suit since rejected against Microsoft and Hewlett Packard alleging that items in Apple s
179. to line with equipment from IBM Compaq Dell and others In addition in September 1994 Apple finally agreed to license its operating system to other computer makers With this development we are now seeing the ap pearance of Macintosh clones and further price drops Although the Macintosh is easy to use not as many programs have been written for it as for DOS Windows based systems Only about 6900 commercial applications packages have been written for Macs according to BIS a Norwell Massachusetts market research firm By contrast some 29 400 applications packages are available for DOS computers However its graphics capabilities make the Macintosh a popular choice for people working in commercial art desktop publishing multimedia and engineering design 4 Read and translate the text WINDOWS As we introduce the Windows environment it S worth expanding on what we said in Chapter 2 about how windows differ from Windows A window low ercase w is a portion of the video display area dedicated to some specified purpose An operating system or operating environment can display several windows on a computer screen each showing a different applications program such as word processing and spreadsheets However Windows capital W is Applications and Systens Software 87 something else Windows is an operating environment made by Microsoft that lays a graphical user interface shell around the MS DOS or PC DOS operating system
180. tself the company failed to increase its market share OS 2 remained hopelessly mired with only 4 of the market for desktop operating systems versus roughly 80 for Windows 3 X and Microsoft had not even released its much ballyhooed Windows 95 yet It is expected that IBM will abandon OS 2 6 Read and translate the text WINDOWS 95 amp LATER Thank God it s finally over wrote a reporter Or thank Bill Gates He was referring to Gates s and Microsofts months of promotional buildup that ended in a spectacular display of excess when Windows 95 finally made its debut on August 24 1995 Windows 95 the successor to Windows 3 1 Applications and Systens Software 89 for DOS is a true operating system for IBM style personal computers rather than just an operating environment As part of the 200 million spent on adver tising and marketing Microsoft acquired the Rolling Stones s Start Me Up as a kind of theme song spotlighted New York s Empire State Building in the com pany colors and paid to give away 1 5 million copies of the London Times with Windows 95 supplements It s unbelievable said one industry observer about the global extravaganza You d think we had world Said another Thus did a software upgrade usually the most routine of events transcend the realm of high tech to become the biggest consumer product launch of any kind Ever Is Windows 95 and its modest upgrade vario
181. tter of months by another pro gram called Netscape Navigator Indeed as this is written developers are en gaged in a titanic struggle to come up with the defining tool that will simplify users abilities to summon text as well as sound and images from among the Internet s many information sources Nevertheless the search for highly useful applications shows how truly important software is Without software a computer on a desk is about as useful as half of a pair of bookends Furthermore the easier the software is to use the greater the number of people who will use the hardware 2 Read and translate the text Check the meaning of the new words in your dictionary Make up your own list Discuss the key problems HOW TO THINK ABOUT SOFTWARE THE MOST POPULAR USES OF SOFTWARE Mosaic and Netscape Navigator illustrate a trend software is continually getting easier to use At one time and even now with some software every user had to learn cryptic commands Now software is available that lets com puter users perform operations by simply pointing to words and images on the display screen and clicking a mouse button Needless to say ease of use would probably greatly influence your choice of software Let s get right to the point What do most people use software for The answer hasn t changed in a decade If you don t count games by far the most popular applications are 1 word processing and 2 spreadsheets accordi
182. ture it is easy to use To be sure it can t do as much as some other operating systems Still the easy to use interface has generated a strong legion of fans In the past however Apple kept Macintosh prices high a deciding factor for many people in picking a personal computer As computer journalist David Kirkpatrick described it If you wanted a friendly machine and could afford a premium price you bought an Apple Macintosh If you needed lots of cheap computing power for complicated tasks or didn t care so much about user friendliness you bought an IBM style DOS based PC There were dozens of brands to choose from Unfortunately IBM style and Macintosh microcomputers were designed around different microprocessors so it was impossible to combine the best of both IBM and IBM compatible computers used microprocessors built by Intel These were the Intel 80286 called the 286 chip 80386 386 chip 80486 486 chip the Pentium the successor to the 586 chip and most recently the Pentium Pro Macintoshes were built around microprocessors made by Motorola the 68000 68020 68030 68040 and PowerPC chips Intel chips could not run Macintosh programs and Motorola chips could not run DOS programs Because of price and because in pre PC times businesses were already comfortable with IBM equipment DOS equipped microcomputers have ruled the day Compared to DOS s 100 million users Macintosh has only about 8 5 million users The
183. tware that is distributed free of charge usu ally over the Internet but that requires users to make a contribution in order to receive technical help documentation or upgrades shrink wrap license Printed licenses inserted into software packages and visible through the clear plastic wrap site license License that permits a customer to make multiple copies of a software product for use only within a given facility software Also called programs step by step instructions that tell the computer how to perform a task Software instructions are written by program mers In most instances the words software and program are interchangeable Software is of two types applications software and systems software software license Contract by which users agree not to make copies of proprietary software to give away or to sell software piracy Unauthorized copying of copyrighted software for ex ample copying a program from one floppy disk to another or downloading a program from a network and making a copy of it software suite Several applications software packages like spread sheets word processing graphics communications and groupware bundled together and sold for a fraction of what the programs would cost if bought indi vidually special purpose keys Computer keyboard keys used to enter and edit data and execute commands for example Esc Alt and Ctrl spelling checker Word processing software feature that tests f
184. two applications or systems formats such as between WordPerfect and Word for Windows or between Windows and Mac OS A file transfer utility allows files from a portable com puter to be transferred to a desktop computer or a mainframe computer and vice versa A security utility protects unauthorized people from gaining access to your computer without using a password or correct code Other utilities also ex ist External utility programs are often originally offered by companies other than those making operating systems Later the operating system developers may incorporate these features as part of the upgrades of their products UNIT YII 1 Read and translate the text MULTIPLE UTILITY PACKAGES Some utilities are available singly but others are available as multi packs These multiple utility packages provide several utility disks bundled in one box affording considerable savings Examples are Symantec s Norton Desk top for DOS Windows or Macintosh which provides data recovery defrag menting memory management screen saving and other tools Similar combi nation utility packages are 911 Utilities from Microcom and PC Tools from Central Point Software The Future What s Coming Upgrades in operating systems are planned by Microsoft IBM and Ap ple as well as some joint ventures Some future computers might be network PCs without their own operating systems and dominated by Web browsers Nothing stands still
185. u can get your reports out cither on project information showing progress on all the steps or a completely different view showing all the steps that have to be taken by a given individual The software also offers built in expert tips and strategies on human management for dealing with em ployees involved in the project 2 Read and translate the text COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN Computers have long been used in engineering design Computer aided design CAD programs are software programs for the design of products and structures CAD programs which are now available for microcomputers help architects design buildings and work spaces and engineers design cars planes and electronic devices One advantage of CAD software is that the product can be drawn in three dimensions and then rotated on the screen so the designer can see all sides Examples of CAD programs for beginners are Autosketch Easy CAD2 Learn CAD Now and TurboCAD One CAD program Parametric allows en gineers to do what if overhauls of designs much as users of electronic spread sheets can easily change financial data This feature can dramatically cut design time For instance using Parametric Motorola was able to design its Micro Tac personal cellular telephone in 9 months instead of the usual 18 Yet not all CAD programs are used by technical types a version is available now for example that a relatively unskilled person can use to design an office Other programs are
186. ugh Internet Service Providers Internet service providers ISPs are local or national companies that will provide public access to the Internet for a fee Examples of national companies incl ude PSI UUNet Netcom and Internet MCI Telephone companies such as AT amp T and Pacific Bell have also jumped into the fray by offering Internet con nections Most ISPs offer a flat rate monthly fee for a set number of hours of service typical y 20 a month for about 10 hours of use Additional hours are billed at about 2 00 on hour The connections offered by ISPs called SLIP PPP connections may offer faster access to the Internet than those of commercial online services However setting up a basic system on a microcom puter can require considerable fussing Generally ISPs are better for Internet experts than for beginners The whole industry of Internet connections is so new that many ISP users have had problems with uneven service such as busy signals or severing of on line conversations Often ISPs signing up new subscribers arent prepared to handle traffic jams caused by a great influx of newcomers Some suggestions for choosing an ISP are given in the accompanying box You can also ask someone who is already on the Web to access for you the worldwide list of ISPs at http Avww thelist com Besides giving information about each provider in your area the list provides a rating on a scale of 1 to 1 0 by users of different ISPs Acce
187. usly called Nashville or Windows 96 worth all the hoopla Could you not get the essential elements us ing something else Macintosh enthusiasts for instance sneeringly refer to Windows 95 as Mac 88 because so many of its features were available on Macintoshes 7 years earlier OS 2 users also might well say Been there done that The first thing to realize is that the best product does not always prevail despite the conventional wisdom that competition and free markets produce op timal solutions It s naive to believe that efficient engineering solutions win in the marketplace declares Stanford and Oxford economist Paul A David That view is not supported by the study of history As an example he cites the prevalence of the standard QWERTY arrangement of keys on most typewriter and computer keyboards even though other layouts have proven to be more ef ficient The personal computer technology finally culminating in Windows 95 the keyboard and mouse the box housing a computer the screen dividing into cascading windows the little on screen pictures called icons the point and click software was actually invented more than 20 years ago by researchers at Xerox s Palo Alto Research Center PARC in northern California Xerox execu tives asked about the profitability of marketing the PARC personal computer which in those days says one former researcher had the same ring to it as per sonal nuclear reactor would
188. ut even a hard disk serving as a mere terminal or entry point to the online universe The computer thus becomes a peripheral to the Internet A number of companies are touting the 500 network computer Sun Mi crosystems Netscape Communications Oracle IBM Apple Computer Hew lett Packard AT amp T Silicon Graphics Toshiba and several others Why would companies like these some of them hardware manufacturers support the notion of selling an inexpensive box The answer is to keep Microsoft from further dominating the world of computing The concept of the hollow PC raises some questions Would a Web browser become the operating system Or will existing operating systems expand as in the past taking over browser functions Would functions become the entire computer as proponents of the net work PC contend Or would they simply become part of the personal computer s existing repertoire of skills Would a network computer really be user friendly At present features such as graphical user interfaces require lots of hardware and software Arent high speed connections required Even users equipped with the fastest modems would find downloading even small programs applets time consuming Doesnt the network computer ultimately depend on faster connec tions than arc possible with the standard telephone lines and modems now in place Most trends in computing have moved toward personal control and ac cess as from th
189. w UNIT IY 1 Read and translate the text MICROCOMPUTER OPERATING SYSTEMS amp OPERATING ENVIRONMENTS The principal microcomputer operating systems and operating environ ments are DOS Macintosh Operating System Windows 3 X for DOS OS 2 Warp Windows 95 Windows NT Unix and NetWare Operating systems are not just a topic of academic interest As a micro computer user youll have to learn not only whatever applications software you want to use but also to some degree the operating system with which they work Moreover when you buy a PC it conies with an operating system You have to know which one you want In this section we describe the following DOS Windows NT Macintosh Operating System Unix Windows 3 X for DOS NetWare OS 2 Warp Coming attractions Windows 95 Operating Environments Add a Graphical User Interface Before we proceed we need to define what an operating environment is since some people have trouble distinguishing it from an operating system n 84 Applications and Systens Software operating environment also known as a windowing environment or shell adds a graphical user interface or a menu driven interface as an outer layer to an operating system The most well known operating environment is the Windows 3 X program sold by Microsoft which adds a graphical user interface to DOS Another is IBM s Workplace Shell which provides a GUI for OS 2 Similar op erating e
190. wer as the main charac ter try to solve problems of the heart Educational amp Reference Software Because of the popularity of videogames many educational software companies have been blending educational content with action and adventure as in Math Blaster or the problem solving game Commander Keen They hope this marriage will help students be more receptive to learning After all as one writer points out players of Nintendo s Super Mario Brothers must become in timately acquainted with an alien landscape with characters artifacts and rules completely foreign to ordinary existence Children assimilate this essentially useless information with astonishing speed Why not then design software that would educate as well as entertain Computers alone won t boost academic performance but they can have a positive effect on student achievement in all major subject areas preschool through college according to an independent consulting firm New York s Inter active Educational Systems Design Skills improve when students use programs that are self paced or contain interactive video This is particularly true for low achieving students The reason says a representative of the firm which analyzed 176 studies done over the past 5 years is that this kind of educational approach is a different arena from the one in which they failed and they have a sense of control 18 Applications and Systens Software In addition t
191. ws capital W which is the most popular form of systems software However as you might expect Windows features extensive use of windows An icon is a picture used in a GUI to represent a command a program or a task For example a picture of a floppy disk might represent the command Save store this document Icons arc activated by a mouse or other pointing device A button is a simulated on screen button kind of icon that is activated pushed by a mouse or other pointing device to issue a command such as Print document A dialog box is a box that appears on the screen and displays a message requiring a response from you such as pressing Y for Yes or N for No or typing in the name of a file For example when you re saving changes you ve written in a document the program might display a dialog box asking if you want to replace the previous version of the document 3 Translate the following sentences JI T B BH

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