About Different Types of Application Software
Application software is what allows users to store information, create content and media, access information and communicate. Because most of the processes of the world now run on computers, there are many types of software to handle all the functions that are required. All software applications have specific hardware requirements.
- Application software designed for the end user has made life much easier, and continues to change the dynamic of the world and the economic system. Some software programs are packaged into a suite. Examples of this are Microsoft Office, which gives users Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook (or Entourage for Macintosh users) and Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator and Acrobat).
- Early developments in commercial software were created to simplify existing tasks. For example, word processing software replaced typing on physical paper, spreadsheets were designed to replace actual physical ledgers, and database programs replaced hard copy-filing processes, address books, for example. Later developments of software were to further the computer-based world, including media players, web browsers and electronic publishing tools.
- Documentation software allows users to document their work. Examples of this would be Word and PowerPoint. Media Development software allows users to create various types of media, including visual (Photoshop, Flash), audio (ProTools) and hard copy (Quark). Data Management software enables the manipulation of data (FileMaker Pro, Excel, Quicken), while content access software (iTunes, Real Player) gives users the ability to uniformly access content created by others.
- Word processing software makes the creation (along with the presentation and sharing) of words much easier, while programs designed for the Internet (browsers and email software) give the ability to email information and instantly access products and services, while media creation now shortens the “publication lag” that dogged users in the past. In addition to the commercial software packages (most of what has been mentioned), there is shareware (a method that allows users to try software before paying with the honor system) and freeware (software that designers create as a hobby).
- Where there is a litany of different software packages and programs designed for the home user, there is a far larger (and more complex) set of software programs that run most of the world. These include enterprisewide software, testing and simulation software, business workflow software, database management software and programming software, among others.