General Purpose Packages Standard Grade
Lesson Objectives • The difference between Application and General Purpose Packages • Types of GPP • Common Features of GPP • The Human Computer Interface • What is on-line help and On-line Tutorials
Application Packages • An Application Package is a computer program that processes data using a series of instructions. • There are lots of applications from games (like Tomb Raider) to spreadsheets (like Microsoft Excel). • General Purpose Packages are application packages that can be used for more than one type of task.
What is a GPP • What’s the difference between Tomb Raider & Excel? – Tomb Raider only has one (single) purpose. – You can not add any information to it you can only follow instructions – Excel can be used for many different purposes – But you have to supply your own information. – Therefore it is a General Purpose Application
Types of GPP • • Word Processing Spreadsheet Database Graphics Desk Top Publishing Presentation & Multimedia Web Page Creation Expert Systems
Why GPPs? • They allow the user to solve a range of problems and carry out complex tasks • We need to keep our information: – Accurate – Complete – Up-to-date • We need to be able to share information
What’s in a GPP When you buy a general purpose package it will normally include the following: – A Installation Guide - Instructions about how to install the software from the storage media – A Tutorial Guide - A set of lessons to teach the user how to use the main features of the software. – A Manual - A book of instructions on how to use the software – Software Licence - The user must read and sign this document before installing the software.
Common Features • • Run/Open application Start a new file Load/Open file Insert/Amend/Delete Data • Cut, Copy, Paste, Move data • Print a section of the document • Add headers & footers • Change text appearance • Print data • Save data
What You Learned Last Lesson • Types of General Purpose Package • Why we need General Purpose Packages – They allow the user to solve a range of problems and carry out complex tasks – We need to keep our information: • Accurate • Complete • Up-to-date – We need to be able to share information
Lesson Objectives • The Human Computer Interface – Graphical User Interface – WIMP – Customising the HCI • What is on-line help and On-line Tutorials
Human Computer Interface • The way the user and computer communicate • This can be Command Driven, it is difficult to learn and use: C: WINDOWS>PROGRAMFILESMICROSOFTWORD • Or it can be a Graphical User Interface (GUI) – This uses the WIMP environment
WIMP Interface • Designed to be user friendly • Consists of: – Windows – Icons – Menus – Pointers – Also Toolbars • Keyboard shortcuts are available for advanced users
Customising the HCI • Changing the HCI to suit the user • Examples: – Change display font and size – Choose user dictionary – Altering packages menus – Change icon names and styles – Change background (Wallpaper) – Change colour scheme
On-Line Help & On-Line Tutorials • On-Line Help – Provides help – In the form of information screens, which you can open up. • On-Line Tutorials – A series of guided lessons on how to use the package – Teaches the basics, enough to get started. Online means ‘while you are using the program’ nothing to do with internet.
Templates & Wizards • A wizard is a feature that helps you through the process of creating a document • For example: The chart wizard – Guides you through the steps of creating a chart • Most wizards offer templates (blank documents), which you add information to. – The chart wizard offers templates for different charts and types of charts.
Chart Wizard Chart Sub-Type Templates Chart Type Templates
1. What does HCI stand for and describe its role 2. What does WIMP stand for? 3. Describe the term user friendly 4. Give 2 examples that the user can do to customise the HCI 5. Briefly describe the following: a) On-Line Help b) On-Line Tutorials
Recap • Last period you learned: – What a GPPs are – Why we need them – Types of GPP – Common features of a GPP – The Human Computer Interface – On-Line Help and On-Line Tutorials
What You Will Revise Today • Software Integration • Integration between separate packages in a software suite • The difference between Static & Dynamic Linking • Package selection • Different data types • Storage of data • Advantages of GPPs
Software Integration • Combine two or more GPPs in one single package – Eg word processor, database & spreadsheet • Advantages: – Common HCI – Links between tasks – Ease of transfer of data • Disadvantages: – Less powerful, fewer tools
Static & Dynamic Linking • Static Data Linkage – Data in each part of the package is separate – Changing it in one part will not affect any other files using that data • Dynamic Data Linkage – If data is changed in one part it will change all other documents using that data
Dear Mr Tightwad, You will be pleased to note that our sales figures have increased as shown below: - I hope that you will reconsider my request for a pay rise. Your sincerely I. M. Poor Static (change not included) Dynamic (Change included)
Integration between separate packages in a software suite • A software suite is a collection of separate applications sold as a single package. • For example: – Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Power. Point & Access – Lotus Smart. Suite: Word Pro, 1 -2 -3, Freelance Graphics, Organizer, Fast Site, Screen Cam, Via. Voice – Sun Star Office: Star Writer, Start. Calc, Start Office Base • More powerful than integrated packages and can still share data between different packages
Selection of Packages • Which package do you choose for a particular task? • Some packages have multiple features – For example word processors can create graphics and you can perform calculations with databases. • To select the appropriate package consider: – What hardware & software is available – The nature of the task
Selection of Packages Package Main Purpose Word processing Production of text Spreadsheet Numbers & calculations Database Storing, sorting, searching & organising data Graphics Drawing pictures, graphs or charts Desktop Publishing Page layout Presentation Production of slides Web page Creation Making web pages Expert Systems Classifying data, diagnosing problems or giving advice
Data Types • • Number – 0, 1, 2, 3, 999, 0. 85 Text – ABCD, abcd Graphic – diagrams & pictures Audio – music & sound Photographic – Digital still images Animation – moving graphics Video – digital moving images
Storage Capacity Units • 1 Kilobyte – 1024 bytes • 1 Megabyte – 1024 Kb • 1 Gigabyte – 1024 Mb • 1 Terabyte – 1024 Gb
Storage • Why backup? – If something happens to the data there will be an recent copy available on backing storage • Advantages of standard file formats – Text can be transferred between applications packages provided it is stored in a standard file format which both packages can understand. • ASCII consists of plain text, each character is coded with its own unique code which has a number • RTF (Rich Text Format) holds information about the typefaces, sizes, colour and styles used
Advantages of GPPs • What are the advantages over paper, ink and brainpower? • Increased productivity because of: – Speed & accuracy of processing – Ease of amendment – Layout flexibility – Availability of information • Easier for many people to access the same data.
What You Have Learnt • Software Integration • Integration between separate packages in a software suite • The difference between Static & Dynamic Linking • Package selection • Different data types • Storage of data • Advantages of GPPs
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