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Utility ProgramsThere are many categories of utility programs, including security software. What is counted as a utility program depends on who is doing the counting! The usual definition is that a utility program is not application software that the user uses to create something, like a document or image, nor is it a game or a browser. It does something to way the computer looks or behaves, often in the background. [Some web sites that sell software include a lot more in their Utility category, including games(!), money management software, genealogy software, course management software, and many more.] Over time, features and services that used to be available only through a utility program get included in the operating system or as part of the program the program was designed to modify. Nothing changes more and faster than the world of computers!
Examples:
See System Software: Utilities for more discussion.
Applications: PIM A PIM program (Personal Information Management) is a special kind of database. A PIM will normally include an address book, a calendar to schedule activities and appointments, and a to-do list where you list chores, calls to make, various things to do. Some popular programs which include PIM functions are Microsoft Office Outlook, Lotus Organizer, Windows Calendar and Windows Contact List, Google Calendar and Google Notebook, Palm Desktop, Novell Groupwise. New versions of these programs add email management, wireless access, and other features for the new, hot technologies. The new goal for a PIM seems to be to vanish into the background, while letting you have access to your email, calendar, and scheduling software from anywhere.
Example of a PIM: Microsoft Outlook
Contact Manager An advanced PIM may be called a Contact Manager. Such a program is optimized to make it easy to track who you have talked to or met with and what you did or said. A contact manager automatically links a name in the address book to names in the calendar. Clicking on the name in the calendar brings up the full contact information, including fields for notes about what you did and reminders for what you need to do after the meeting or conversation. From the address book you can bring up a list of when you had contacts with this person. Powerful stuff! Applications: Integrated & Suites Integrated Software With integrated software you start one program and get access to what looks like several programs. In the olden days of text-only interfaces, an integrated set of programs was a big help. These days a set of integrated programs is usually designed as a 'starter' set for the beginning or casual user. Many advanced features are omitted that might be found in stand-alone products. For example, the word processor in an integrated software package would not likely have a way to automatically generate a table of contents and would have fewer options on how to handle footnotes, headers, and footers. Microsoft Works is an example of integrated software, but support for the last version ends 10/9/2012. Google Docs & Apps and Windows Live Skydrive might be considered examples of integrated software since they can be accessed from a single interface in your browser. They are completely online. The features available are not yet as powerful as what you can do with stand-alone programs.
A software suite is a set of applications which can each stand alone. They can be packaged together for a lower price than if all were bought separately. There are usually enhancements that help the applications communicate with each other, also. Some popular suites of office software include MS Office, Lotus Smart Suite, WordPerfect Office, OpenOffice, and iWork (for Mac computers). These include several programs, such as:
Date: 2015-01-11; view: 889
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Suites