Application Software may seem obscure and the average adult with a PC may not realize he or she utilizes applications on a daily basis. All applications serve the purpose of creating user-based content; this is the defining line between an application or system software. For example, application software comes in a variety of forms such as games (Rock Band 2), organization programs (Turbo Tax). More specifically, applications can be classified based upon three categories: vertical vs. horizontal applications, software suites vs. standalones, and functional categories.
There is one defining difference between horizontal and vertical applications. Vertical applications are used in only one type of business or industry. Horizontal applications, on the other hand, can be utilized in a wide array of businesses and also on a personal basis. Vertical applications are mainly used for point-of-sale registers, customer relations management, and various other company-specific software. Horizontal applications include programs such as Microsoft Word, Itunes and Safari.
Another way to define applications is whether each application is a standalone or software suite. Standalone applications are capable of running on their own and are not bundled with other applications. Examples of standalone applications are Itunes and most web browsers (Firefox). Software suites are unlike standalones by the fact that the applications are bundled and share common features to increase ease. There are many reasons why software suites are great to use such as crossover and transferring information is easy, reduces training costs, increases productivity and easier to manage various accounts.
The last category is functionality. Functional applications are utilized in various types of business such as finance, desktop publishing, graphics and word processing. Each has a "go-to" application that is univerally used throughout each given industry; such examples are Quickbooks, Quark, Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Word.
Applications are often overlooked, but make computing easier than ever. With time, any one can use virtually any application with little original knowledge. There are various websites to learn more about applications in general and it is best to go to an application's website to learn specifically about its inner workings. For more information utilize: http://www.ehow.com/how_4487281_use-computer-applications.html
This will really get the information flowing and allow avenues to learn more in-depth about interesting topics.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Week 3: Clear
(Image: Although most college students can get around pretty well on the internet, there is vast array of topics including history and just exactly how the internet and web pages work. As you can see in the image above, learning the intricacies of the internet can be a frustrating process.
One of the first topics one should learn is exactly how to get connected to the internet. Of course, one must have a working PC or laptop that has the capability of connecting to the internet; this means almost any PC is compatible minus dinosaurs from 1982. There are a two ways to actually connect to the internet: dial-up and broadband/DSL. Dial-up was the initial way that civilians connected to the internet and is quite antiquated due to the fact that it is a slow way to connect. Broadband/DSL is a much faster way to connect because you can connect a multitude of ways including wireless or satellite.
Once one is connected to the internet, one must use an internet browser which can be free or have a monthly fee. Free browsers include google chrome, mozilla, safari and internet explorer. Fee browsers include AOL and Earthlink, which are really service providers that serve as browers as well. In the 1990's, millions of people were weary of the internet and utilized fee-based internet browsers in order to have a sense of security; nowadays, many more people are comfortable with the internet and utilize free browsers to surf the net. In order to surf the net, one must type web addresses in the address bar. The address bar is the blank strip at the top of the page where one can type freely or copy and paste the specific address he or she would like to go to. An interesting fact about web addresses is that Http:// and www. are not necessary is the majority of addresses any more in order to minimize address error.
Once one has gotten the hang of browsing various webpages, such as toyrus.com, he or she can utilize search engines to search and find information all over the web. Some popular search engines include Google, Altavista and Yahoo!. As discussed in :Week 2: Clear," I mentioned just exactly how search engines find and categorize such information. In order to use a search engine, one must:
1.Type in the web address into the address bar
2.Press enter
3. Type in the subject he or she is searching for
4. Press enter
5. Look at results and pick the website from the list that suits his or her search best
Utilizing webpages and search engines is necessary in the business environment. In the 1960's and 1970's the U.S. government invented and perfected the use of the internet in order to connect scientists and government persons across the world sharing information. Nowadays, the majority of large companies utilize webpages in order to keep in touch with employees and clients alike. The 21st century is the technological era and every business must stay up on communications in order to stay relevant.
For more information on these given topics please visit some of these references listed below:
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Week 2: Clear
There are a wide variety of intricacies that go into computers. Although most of us rarely think about the inputs, outputs and various operating programs that make a computer run smoothly, but it is necessary in the business realm to be well educated on such processes of computers. In recent years, billions of people are connected to one another by computers in one form and another. Although there is a digital divide (gap between high income families and low income families and the disparity of internet access), it is important to realize that nearly all forms of business utilize computers with internet access for most, if not all tasks, one may be responsible for.
Some of the basics regarding computer knowledge are elementary to learn about; unfortunately, a lot of people do not take the time to learn about computer processes because time is spent learning processes only utilized in the job force. Another obstacle regarding computer knowledge is the fact that there are many emerging technologies and it is increasingly hard to become computer literate. One of the initial understandings necessary in order to become computer literate is to understand the information process. The information process cycle explains the ever continuous steps a computer utilizes in order to run. First, there must be an input of some sort to get information flowing such as a keyboard, mouse or scanner. The next step in the cycle is to process the thread of information coming from an external source by utilizing the PC's processor or operating system. Then, after digesting the information, the PC is capable of providing outputs which may show up as words typed on a screen (utilizing a keyboard as an input) or digital pictures showing up in the computer's photo gallery (using a scanner to scan copies of pictures). The last step is crucial in completing the information process and is called storage. Storage utilizes a computer's hard drive to save copies of a document and makes retrieval of information available. Here's a great website to learn the basics of the computer information process: http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson1-2/lesson1-1.htm
Once one starts to understand the basics of computing, it is important to continuously learn and update one's knowledge of the capability of computers. Just think about how far human civilization has come in the realm of technology in the past few decades. In the 1950's, computers were as large as a small lecture hall, now we have handheld PC's in the form of telephones such as the iPhone, Palm Pilot and Blackberry. The amount of memory we have on laptops and PC's in general has expanded ten fold where as the amount of space an average size portable computer is roughly the size of a textbook. We are about to communicate via the web with intranets and internet making it easy for one to talk to a friend in China or in the other room with the same capabilities. Additionally, with the invention of the personal computer, we now can utilize various software and internet capabilities never thought possible with updated sound, graphics and video that make one feel he or she is actually at the event he or she is watching. Who knows what will come next involving computer technology, just make sure you continue to make yourself present and continuously learn more about computing as it is important to remain relevant and computer literate.
Some of the basics regarding computer knowledge are elementary to learn about; unfortunately, a lot of people do not take the time to learn about computer processes because time is spent learning processes only utilized in the job force. Another obstacle regarding computer knowledge is the fact that there are many emerging technologies and it is increasingly hard to become computer literate. One of the initial understandings necessary in order to become computer literate is to understand the information process. The information process cycle explains the ever continuous steps a computer utilizes in order to run. First, there must be an input of some sort to get information flowing such as a keyboard, mouse or scanner. The next step in the cycle is to process the thread of information coming from an external source by utilizing the PC's processor or operating system. Then, after digesting the information, the PC is capable of providing outputs which may show up as words typed on a screen (utilizing a keyboard as an input) or digital pictures showing up in the computer's photo gallery (using a scanner to scan copies of pictures). The last step is crucial in completing the information process and is called storage. Storage utilizes a computer's hard drive to save copies of a document and makes retrieval of information available. Here's a great website to learn the basics of the computer information process: http://www.jegsworks.com/Lessons/lesson1-2/lesson1-1.htm
Once one starts to understand the basics of computing, it is important to continuously learn and update one's knowledge of the capability of computers. Just think about how far human civilization has come in the realm of technology in the past few decades. In the 1950's, computers were as large as a small lecture hall, now we have handheld PC's in the form of telephones such as the iPhone, Palm Pilot and Blackberry. The amount of memory we have on laptops and PC's in general has expanded ten fold where as the amount of space an average size portable computer is roughly the size of a textbook. We are about to communicate via the web with intranets and internet making it easy for one to talk to a friend in China or in the other room with the same capabilities. Additionally, with the invention of the personal computer, we now can utilize various software and internet capabilities never thought possible with updated sound, graphics and video that make one feel he or she is actually at the event he or she is watching. Who knows what will come next involving computer technology, just make sure you continue to make yourself present and continuously learn more about computing as it is important to remain relevant and computer literate.
Week 1: Clear
Although I have had a lot of experience utilizing computers, I never thoroughly understood just how the search engines of the world received their information. One amazing fact that I learned was the mere fact that Google has over 1 trillion URLs in their database. To me, that almost seems imperceptible. Search engines have been around for just about twenty years now, which to me seems outrageous considering I was in diapers and computers were still considered a technology of the future.
However, the search engine as we know it is very different from its original model. Now, every one from students to grandparents use "google" as a verb and challenge the scope of one's knowledge by just "googling it." Although for the layman, it is merely that simple, there is much more below the surface that makes search engines tick. Search engines utilize bots to compile its database worth of URLs. These bots crawl on to websites taking keywords and links from the page performs this until it has reached the end of links (reaching the deepest pages in a website).
This bot searching takes seconds compared to an average person trying to look through pages upon pages of websites to receive the final information needed. After the bot has completed the search through the website, it is then filed into a large database where keywords are utilized to gather similar matches on websites across the Internet. A person can then search for the information he or she needs by simply typing in keywords in the query line to receive results with exact matches to his or her needs.
Search engines have become one of the driving factors in making the Internet easy enough for each every person to navigate. In the business world, this saves time and effort on educating each other on various topics one may not know a lot about to begin with. Virtually, any piece of information can be found on the internet in seconds flat because of search engines like Google and Yahoo. From a student's standpoint, search engines have helped me with term papers as well as research companies I have had interviews with. With more and more information out there on the internet, the only way to manage the information you want, need and inadvertantly receive is by utilizing search engines.
For more information on search engines, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_search_engine. Although wikipedia may not be the end-all for researching information you may want, it gets one started on the right track to understand the basis of a variety of topics including search engines.
However, the search engine as we know it is very different from its original model. Now, every one from students to grandparents use "google" as a verb and challenge the scope of one's knowledge by just "googling it." Although for the layman, it is merely that simple, there is much more below the surface that makes search engines tick. Search engines utilize bots to compile its database worth of URLs. These bots crawl on to websites taking keywords and links from the page performs this until it has reached the end of links (reaching the deepest pages in a website).
This bot searching takes seconds compared to an average person trying to look through pages upon pages of websites to receive the final information needed. After the bot has completed the search through the website, it is then filed into a large database where keywords are utilized to gather similar matches on websites across the Internet. A person can then search for the information he or she needs by simply typing in keywords in the query line to receive results with exact matches to his or her needs.
Search engines have become one of the driving factors in making the Internet easy enough for each every person to navigate. In the business world, this saves time and effort on educating each other on various topics one may not know a lot about to begin with. Virtually, any piece of information can be found on the internet in seconds flat because of search engines like Google and Yahoo. From a student's standpoint, search engines have helped me with term papers as well as research companies I have had interviews with. With more and more information out there on the internet, the only way to manage the information you want, need and inadvertantly receive is by utilizing search engines.
For more information on search engines, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Web_search_engine. Although wikipedia may not be the end-all for researching information you may want, it gets one started on the right track to understand the basis of a variety of topics including search engines.
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