Application Software

Application software tells the computer how to accomplish specific tasks, such as word processing or drawing, for the user. Thousands of applications are available for many purposes and for people of all ages. Some of the major categories of these applications include

• Word processing software for creating text-based documents such as newsletters or brochures (see Fig. 1).
  

  Fig. 1: Word processing software.
• Spreadsheets for creating numeric-based documents such as budgets or balance sheets.
• Database management software for building and manipulating large sets of data, such as the names, addresses, and phone numbers in a telephone directory.
• Presentation programs for creating and presenting electronic slide shows (see Fig. 2).
  

  Fig. 1: Presentation program.
• Graphics programs for designing illustrations or manipulating photographs, movies, or animation.
• Multimedia authoring applications for building digital movies that incorporate sound, video, animation, and interactive features.
• Entertainment and education software, many of which are interactive multimedia events.
• Web design tools and Web browsers, and other Internet applications such as newsreaders and e-mail programs.
• Games, some of which are for a single player and many of which can be played by several people over a network or the Internet.