software classification. fatmax 2007. licensed under a creative commons...
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Software Classification
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Applications Software
Applications software is written to improve our productivity i.e. it does something
There are various ways of classifying applications software• What it does
• How it is bundled together
• How it is bought
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Generic vs. Specific
Specific• This type of software lacks the
flexibility of generic software and is only capable doing a single task. Accounting software is capable of doing only accounts and so is more restrictive than a spreadsheet.
Generic (general purpose)• These applications can be used for a
wide variety of tasks e.g. spreadsheets can be used for accounts, sales analysis, forecasting and many others.
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Common Generic Software
Generic software includes:• Word processing
• Spreadsheets
• Database management
• Graphics
• DTP
• Presentation
• Web page authoring
• Web browsing
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Common Specialist Applications
Common specialist applications include:
• Payroll
• School Administration
• Booking systems
• Stock control/warehousing
Both generic and specialist applications can be bought bespoke or off-the-shelf
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Bespoke (Custom) Software Advantages:
• Meets purpose exactly• Small hard disk footprint compared to off-the-shelf• Specialist Backup• Source Code
Disadvantages:• More expensive than off-the shelf• May have mistakes in code (untested) which will cost
money to correct• Not immediately available• Very limited overall backup and support – no books, etc
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Off-the-Shelf Software Advantages:
• Usually cheaper than custom-written
• Already been tested
• Choice of brands
• Immediately available no time delay in implementing
• Support from a variety of sources: e.g. Internet sites, Books, etc.
Disadvantages:
• Large Memory footprint
• Many features not required
• Not completely suited to purpose
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Integrated Package vs. SuiteSoftware Suite
• Contain common productivity tools in ONE package
• Limited functionality• Usually cheaper than integrated
package• Often “bundled” with new PCs
Integrated Package• Separate productivity applications
that are bundled together and sold at a discount
• The applications are "integrated" i.e. have a common interface and can export/import data between apps
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Open Source vs. Proprietary
Applies to all software Some software vendors /
communities licence their software as open-source
Anybody can develop the source code i.e. customise/improve the application
Often but not always free
FatMax 2007. Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License
Tasks/Research
Use your textbook to make notes on the different ways of classifying software
Complete the interactive revision diagram on “Classifying Software”
Disclaimer: Some of the info in this presentation (slides 6 and 7) comes directly from a presentation by G. Milberry and is © G. Milberry (see the original here). If you choose to alter this presentation you MUST leave this copyright notice intact.