Chapter 3 Flashcards
What is software?
Software is made up of instructions that tell a computer how to carry out a task, also known as programs, in order to carry out a specific task
How is software categorized?
Application software and system software
Contrast the to two categorizes of software.
Application software is designed to help people accomplish real-world tasks, whereas system software is designed for computer-centric tasks
What are the capabilities of music software?
Offers many ways to work with music, sound, effects, and narration from your desktop, laptop, or handheld computer
Audio editing software
Tools that allow you to record, edit, and mix digital audio (also called recording or mixing software)
What can video editing software do?
Provides a set of tools for creating video productions from raw footage
DVD authoring software
Offers tools for creating DVDs with Hollywood-style menus
Graphics
Refers to any picture, drawing, sketch, photograph, image, or icon that appears on your computer screen
What kind of software do I need to work with drawings, photos, and other pictures?
Graphics software, which is designed to help you create, manipulate, and print graphics.
Paint software
Provides a set of electronic pens, brushes, and paints for painting images on the screen (also called raster graphics editor)
Photo editing software
Includes features specially designed to fix poor-quality photos by modifying contrast and brightness, cropping out unwanted objects, and removing red eye
Drawing software
Provides a set of lines, shapes, and colors that can be assembled into diagrams, corporate logos and schematics
3-D graphics software
Provides a set of tools for creating wireframes as a foundation to represent three-dimensional objects
CAD software
(Computer-aided design software) A special type of 3-D graphics software designed for architects and engineers who use computers to create blueprints and product specifications
What are mapping applications?
Displays satellite, aerial, or street maps used to locate places and get directions between two addresses
What is location-based software?
Able to access your current location and use it to show you the closest shops, restaurants, theaters, as well as information about each location
What does GPS stand for?
Global positioning system
Do businesses use specialized software?
Business software is a broad term that includes vertical and horizontal market software
What is vertical market software?
Designed to automate specialized tasks in a specific market or business
What is horizontal market software?
Generic software that just about any kind of business can use
Accounting software
Helps a business keep track of the money flowing into and out of various accounts
Project management software
Tool for planning large projects, scheduling project tasks, and tracking project costs
What is “number crunching” software?
Software applications used by businesses for planning and analysis
Statistical software
Designed for analyzing large sets of data to discover relationships and patterns
Mathematical modeling software
Provides tools for solving a wide range of math, science, and engineering problems
What is desktop publishing software?
(DTP software) Takes word processing to the next level by providing professional tools for producing typeset-quality documents
How does DTP software differ from word processing software?
The main difference is that word processing software is document-based, whereas DTP software is frame based
Do I need DTP software?
Today’s word processing software provides an adequate feature set for the document production needs of most individuals
What software is available for managing my money?
Money management software, personal finance software, and tax preparation software
Money management software
Offers a variety of tools for tracking cash flow and investments
Personal finance software
Designed to keep track of income, expenses, assets, and liabilities using a simple checkbook-like user interface
Tax preparation software
Specialized type of personal finance software designed to help you gather your annual income and expenses data, identify deductions, and calculate tax payments
Utility software
Designed to help you monitor and configure settings for your digital gear, its operating system, or application software
What is a PDF?
Portable Document Format; Standard format for exchanging files
What are adaptive utilities?
Alter a device’s user interface to create an accessible environment by providing closed captions, text-to-speech, speech-to-text, or large screen text
System utilites
A popular category of utility software that can track down and fix disk errors, repair corrupted files, and give your device a performance-enhancing tune-up
What is a device driver?
Software that helps a peripheral device establish communication with a computer
Productivity software
Offer features that really help get work done
What is an office suite?
A collection of programs that typically include word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, and database modules
Module
In the context of office suites, the term module refers to a component
Word processing software
Has replaced typewriters for producing many types of documents; Gives you the ability to create, spell-check, edit, and format a document on the screen before you commit it to paper
How does word processing software help me turn my ideas into sentences and paragraphs?
It automatically handles tasks that might otherwise distract you, such as word wrapping
Word wrap
Determines how your text flows from line to line by automatically moving words down to the next line as you reach the right margin
Can word processing software help me break bad writing habits?
Yes, you can use the Search and Replace feature to hunt down mistakes that you habitually make in your writing
Thesaurus
Helps you find a synonym for a word so that you can make your writing more varied and interesting
Grammar checker
Reads through your document and points out potential grammatical trouble spots
Readability formula
Analyzes the reading level of your document
Spelling checker
Marks misspelled words in a document
Spelling dictionary
List of correctly spelled words stored in a data file
Document formatting
Refers to the ways that all the elements of a document are arranged on the page
Page layout
Refers to the physical position of each element on a page, including headers and footers, text that you automatically specify to appear in the top or bottom margin of every page
Paragraph style
Includes the alignment of text within the margins and the space between each line of text
Leading
The spacing between lines of text
Paragraph alignment
Refers to the horizontal position of text, such as right, left, or justified, which aligns the text evenly between left and right margins
Font
A set of letters that share a unified design
Point size
About 1/72 of an inch; Abbreviated pt.
Can word processing software improve my writing?
Yes, using the thesaurus, grammar checker, readability formula, and spelling checker
How do I get documents to look good?
Document formatting, such as page layout, paragraph style, and font
Style
Lets you apply several font and paragraph characteristics with a single click
What is a spreadsheet?
Uses rows and columns of numbers to create a model or representation of a real situation
Spreadsheet software
Provides tools to create electronic spreadsheets
What-if analysis
A feature of spreadsheet software because it is so easy to experiment with different numbers
What does a computerized worksheet look like?
Based on a grid of columns and rows with cells, values, and labels
Worksheet
Based on a grid of columns and rows
Cell
Part of the grid that can contain a value, label, or formula
Value
A number that you want to use in a calculation
Label
Any text used to describe the data
Are there formatting options?
You can format the labels and values on a worksheet in the same way as you would format text in a word processing document
How does spreadsheet software work?
Values contained in a cell can be manipulated by formulas placed in other cells