Software

Learning Unit 2
The purpose of software

Many applications that can perform the task you want to perform. Often basic software could be adequate,
but you may need more advanced programs specifically designed.

Notepad can be used to write anything, but Word provides more features.

Microsoft Paint 3D or more advanced Adobe Photoshop

Web-based applications vs. installed applications

Advantages of web‑based
Disadvantages
applications
• Use the software from any computer • Cannot use the software if you do not
(with internet). have an internet connection.
• Software always up to date. • Performance of software affected by
• Don’t have to download or install speed and quality of internet.
application – saves storage space. • Web applications may have slower
• Hardware requirements to access and run performance than desktop.
software not as high. • Software might not have all the features
• No compatibility issues. or capabilities.
• Many apps offer free online storage.
 Web-based applications – examples

G-Suite apps:
Google Calendar
Google Meet
Google Drive
Google Forms
Google Maps

4
Web-based applications – examples

Office 360/365
Facebook apps
Adobe Photoshop Express
Canva
Web-based applications – examples

Adobe Photoshop Express

Web‑based image editing app from Adobe
Used to edit photos on blogs and social networking sites directly.
Subscription-based software

Traditional licensing models – the user pays ‘up-front’ for a license to use the software
indefinitely.
With subscription software, the user pays a monthly or yearly subscription for the use of
the software.
Office 365 gives you access to an offline version, but you need internet connectivity at
least once a month for updates and account verification.
 Compatibility

Compatibility with the operating system

Any app you want to install must be able to work with your operating system e.g. Android 7 or Windows 10.
Vendors produce software to work with specific sets of operating systems. Platform-specific versions of apps
are sold to online stores.
Compatibility between versions of the same application
Most software applications are ‘downward/backward compatible’.
Some older versions may not support features from newer versions.
System requirements

Check hardware and software specifications before buying software.

Minimum or recommended requirements.
E.g. Photoshop
Processor Intel® Core 2 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor; 2 GHz or faster
processor
Memory 2 GB or more of RAM (8 GB recommended)
Disk space 3.1 GB of available hard disk space for installation
Graphics 1024 x 768 display (1280 x 800 recommended) with 16-bit
requirements colour and 512 MB or more dedicated video RAM
Operating system Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1(SP1), Windows 8.1 or
10
Connectivity An internet connection for software activation, user validation
and access to online services
Application Software
Office suites

Word processing – create, edit, format or work with

a document.
Spreadsheet – budgeting, financial and business
planning, analysis.
Presentation – creating slides to get your message
across to an audience.
Database – collect, store, search, filter and report
on data.
Productivity software for the mobile user

Lightweight versions of productivity software for mobile devices.

Automatic meeting
Scheduling
Video conferencing
Note taking
Project management
Time and travel tracking, etc.
Web browsers

A web browser allows you to navigate and

view and also interact with their content (web
pages).
Web browsers have ability to view content
such as pdf documents and multimedia.
Many add-ons or extensions to download to
add functionality: creating RSS feed, video
clip downloaders, note-taking apps etc.
E-mail software

All e‑mail software allows you to receive mail, read

it, reply to it and create your own messages.
E‑mail software such as Outlook includes a
database of contacts, a to‑do list and a calendar
function, message rules, spam detection and
meeting scheduling.
Document management software – using the PDF

Create your document using whatever

software you want to use.
Then create a PDF file by
using the Save As option
using PDF creation software
You can send it to anyone and they will
see the document the way you created it.
Software that enhances accessibility, efficiency and
productivity

Voice recognition software

Voice recognition – the ability to talk to the computer and for it to ‘understand’ you.

Advantages Limitations

• Allows disabled users to control a • Have to invest a lot of time and

computer by verbalising effort to train the computer to
instructions. recognise your voice.
• Enter text by dictating it rather • Background noise and a poor
than typing it. quality microphone can have a
• Situations where you can’t afford serious impact on the
the distraction of looking at a effectiveness.
screen and typing.
Software that enhances accessibility, efficiency and
productivity

Voice recognition software

Voice recognition on computer
Google Docs Voice Typing
Siri
Windows Speech Recognition software (used in Word)
Google Voice Search
Dragon range by Nuance Software

Voice recognition on smartphones and tablets

Intelligent systems that can act as your ‘personal assistant’.
Software will ‘understand’ your natural voice and respond, based on context.
Virtual assistant software coupled to ‘pods’: Alexa and Siri.
Software that enhances accessibility, efficiency and
productivity

Note‑taking software
Make handwritten notes on touch screen devices
Keep handwritten notes, text, images, photos, links to web pages and other
documents in one document
Record sound during a session that you are taking notes in and it will
synchronise the notes that you write with the recording
Examples: OneNote, Evernote
Software that enhances accessibility, efficiency and
productivity

Education or training software

Includes video tutorials, online courses and specific software
Advantages:
Work at your own pace.
Immediately assessed and given feedback.
Motivated to learn by the immediate feedback and competing against yourself and others.
Learning material easily updated and quickly customised for different groups.
Working with online content promotes green computing.
You can collaborate with others online.
Software – Task Related

Software choices mainly task related

Writing
Home user will go for Google Docs (free web-based).
Running a small business from home might prefer Microsoft Word because of compatibility needed when sharing
documents with others.

Working with photos

To save photos, crop them and share them, a program such as Paint 3D.
Web-based Adobe Photoshop Express – free of charge.
To produce high quality photographs would need program such as Adobe Photoshop, at an expensive price.
Software – Task Related

Calculations
Spreadsheets allow for all kinds of calculations, invoices and budgets.
Also assists with stock control for small businesses.
Large companies might need software especially designed for complex payroll systems.

Communication
Every user will make use of a web browser and email software.
More experienced users might make use of RSS feeds in web browsers
Google Meets
Fixing Software problems
Basic troubleshooting

‘Freezing’ – non-responsive programs

The software seems to ‘freeze’ and
become non-responsive.
The rest of the system works fine.
Close the ‘frozen’ application by
pressing Ctrl+Alt+Delete and close
the ‘frozen’ application.
Basic troubleshooting

Software ‘crash’
Reboot your system and try again.
Run the problem software without loading any other programs, to
prevent conflicts.
Uninstall programs you have recently installed.
Check the online forums and help system.
Send an email to the company to inform them of the problem.
Make sure your software is up to date.
Basic troubleshooting

Read-only files
Might be because it was loaded from read-only medium.
Copy file to another location and remove read-only attribute.
Copy the file and save it under different name or in a different folder.
Be careful in a network environment, as ‘read-only’ file might be in use by another user.
If program crashes, reload program to recover the file.
Bugs – why we need to keep software updated

Any software will initially have ‘bugs’ in it. These are not viruses, but are ‘mistakes’ or errors that
were introduced when the programmers wrote the software. Risks include:
Corrupted data or invalid information
Unexpected or dangerous behaviour of computer-controlled machinery
Security breaches and existence of ‘loopholes’ for malware and hackers
Beta versions of software are made available for people to test the software, find errors and report
them.
Developers work continually on improving the versions of their software.
User-centred design

Basic guidelines for user-centred design:

Use of instructions and
Layout and readability Font and colour
graphics
• Don’t put too much on • Appropriate colour • Simple concise
a single page, slide, combinations language
etc. • No distracting colours • Commonly known and
• Group related items and fonts used icons
together • Legible text sizes • Clear graphs,
• ‘White space’ –appropriate fonts and diagrams and tables
• Clear labels and font sizes
headings • Use formatting to
• Links must be used in emphasise important
consistent fashion and concepts
all work
User-centred design

Some steps to include in the process of user-centred design:

Put the needs of the user first.

Test on real users.

Repeat and refine.