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MODULE 1, Lesson 3

Apps in Our Day-to-day Activities

Application software or simply “apps” (also called programs) has now

become an integral part of daily life in this era. More applications are
developed as more needs arise in solving various day-to-day tasks and
problems.

In this lesson we are going to look into the different classification of

software based on their type, implementation and licensing.

Types of Application Software

An application software is something that performs a specific task in the

computer. Depending on the level of task, there are different types of
application software. The following are some of the common application
software we use almost daily.

1. Word processing apps

This software is used to create letters, professional
documents, correspondence, memos, etc. Examples: MS
Word, MS Works, AppleWorks

2. Spreadsheet apps or e-spreadsheet

This app is used to compute number intensive
problems like bookkeeping,
statistics, budgeting, etc.
Examples: MS Excel, Google Sheets, MS Works

3. Publication Software
This tool is used to create, banners, newsletters, signs,
gift cards etc.
Examples: MS Word, MS Publisher, Adobe PageMaker

4. Database Software
Used to store data like records, memberships, address
etc. which helps users to manage information
accordingly.

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Examples: MS Access, MySQL, MariaDB

5. Communication Software
Allows connected computers to communicate with
each other using audio, video or chat-based medium.
Examples: MS Net Meeting, IRC, Messenger, Skype,
Google Meet, WeChat, and more
6. Presentation Software
Used to create multimedia slides or frames for
presentation.
Examples: MS PowerPoint, Prezi, Hyper Studio, Flash,
Super Card, HyperCard

7. Internet/Web Browsers
This tool allows one to surf the web.
Examples: Opera, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome

8. Games
There is at least one game app in your personal
computer or mobile gadgets. These apps are ways
to challenge yourself, entertain, or pass time.
Examples: Solitaire, Mobile Legends, Counter
Strike

9. Multimedia Player
This software is used to play videos and/or audios
Examples: VLC, Windows Media Player, Pi Player

These are just some of the types of apps. At this point, what we really
mean by types of apps is their function. For example, Adobe Photoshop is used
for image editing. Therefore, we can tell that the type of this app is an image
editing software.

As technology and the number of users keep evolving, the types of

application software also keep changing with better modifications to perform
better virtual tasks to solve real world problems.

Implementations of Application Software

Now we are going to look how apps are implemented in a computer.

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A. Implementation based on Platform. Desktop Application VS. Mobile

Application VS. Web Application

Desktop applications are application software that are developed to be

used on desktop or laptop computers. Examples are the applications in MS
Office Suite like MS Word, MS Excel, or MS PowerPoint.

Most applications implemented on a desktop computer have their mobile

counterpart. Mobile Apps are generally implemented on devices such as mobile
phones and tablets. Examples may include Facebook App, Messenger App, and
games like Mobile Legends which can be played on a smartphone.

Web Applications are applications that can be accessed via a web

browser. These applications are commonly networked apps. Examples are
online editing tools such as Google Docs and Sheets.

B. Implementation based on Network Connectivity. Standalone VS

Networked

Standalone (Offline) applications can function without the necessary

requirement of connection to a computer network. Once installed its major
functionalities can be used.

Networked applications can only function when the computer or device

is connected to the network on a machine known as server. Networked
applications can be further classified as either online or on LAN (Local Area
Network). The functionalities of online applications can only work when there
is an internet connectivity. Unlike online, LAN applications can function
without an internet connection. But unlike standalone, it should be connected
to a network.

Software License

Software licenses governs the end users’ rights and responsibility in using
the software created by its developer. Software licensing terms and conditions
usually include fair use of the software, the limitations of liability, warranties
and disclaimers and protections if the software or its use infringes on the
intellectual property rights of others.

The following are the types of licenses:

1. Proprietary software is a commercial software. It is not free and bound

with restrictions regarding use, distribution and modification. An example

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would be the Microsoft Office Suite composed of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
You need to buy the license for you to use this software.

2. Shareware is a software that is freely provided to users. However, it has

a time limit for using it unless you pay for it. Shareware apps can often be
downloaded from the internet and allows you to freely distribute or share it to
others for trial usage. Once the trial period expires, it won’t be usable
anymore unless you pay for its full version. Note that you cannot get the most
out of a shareware app unless you purchase.

Shareware can further be categorized with the following types:

• Adware – Contains ads to generate revenue for the developers. If you do
not want to see ads on your app you have to pay for the software.
• Donationware – Payment is optional. Hence, it could be a type of
freeware.
• Nagware – Annoyingly reminds the user to buy the software. Usually by
constantly showing or popup messages.
• Freemium – Offered free but limited to non-premium or basic features.
Whereas if you pay for premium features, you get more advanced
features. One example is a video editor that puts its watermark on your
video if you are not a premium user.
• Crippleware –This shareware has its vital features disabled. For example,
a video editor that has its saving or exporting of videos disabled.
Ultimately, using this type of app will never let you produce any output.
• Trialware – You can only use it within a trial period. Usually a 15-days or
30-days trial.

3. Freeware software is a software that is available for free. A user can

download freeware from the internet and use it. They can also share and
distribute the software for free. Examples of freeware apps are some games or
apps from Google Play Store or Apple Store which you can download for free.

4. Open Source software is the software which has its source code
available to users. Source code is a part of a program or software. We
discussed about programming language in our previous lesson. These are what
we also call source code. Users can modify it to enhance or tweak the software
to their desire. Additional features can be added in the source code. An open
source software can either be free of cost or chargeable. Most open source
software allows many programmers to contribute to the functionalities and
capabilities of the software. For example, the web browser Firefox is an open
source licensed by Mozilla Public License. A community of developers improves
it, and if you have skills in programming you may join that community.
Examples of Free and opensource licenses include Apache License, BSD license,
GNU General Public License, GNU Lesser General Public License, MIT License,

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Eclipse Public License and Mozilla Public License. Well, you do not need to
memorize them.

Learning Activity

1. Enumerate three apps that you use or know and identify them based on
their type, implementation and licensing. The first one is given as an
example.

Implementation
Based on Based on
App Name Type Licensing
Platform Network
Connectivity
Ex. Inkscape Vector graphics Desktop Offline Free and
editor Open-source
1

Module Summary

In module I, you have learned about the fundamentals of Information

Technology. You have learned the concept of information and what technology
has to do with it.
There are three lessons in module I. Lesson 1 introduces you to the
concept of information, information age, and information technology.
Lesson 2 familiarized you with the elements of computer system—
hardware, software, peopleware, and the language of computer.
Lesson 3 presented the classification of application software.
Congratulations! You have just studied Module I.

Module I FUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY