1. Chapter 4 Computer
Software
James A. O'Brien, and George Marakas.
Management Information Systems with MISource
2007, 8th
ed. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill, Inc.,
2007. ISBN: 13 9780073323091
3. Chapter 4 Computer Software 3
Application Software
General Purpose
Programs that perform common information processing
jobs for end users; e.g., word processing, spreadsheet
Also call productivity packages
Custom Software
Software applications developed within an organization for
use by that organization
Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS)
Many copies sold
Minimal changes beyond scheduled upgrades
Purchasers have no control over specifications, schedule,
or evolution, and no access to source code or internal
documentation
Product vendor retains the intellectual property rights of
the software
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Application Software
Open-source Software
Developers collaborate on the development of an
application using programming standards which allow
anyone to contribute to the software
As each developer completes a project, the application
code becomes available and free to anyone who wants it
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Business Application Software
Function-Specific Application Software
Thousands of these packages support
specific applications of end users
Examples: customer relationship
management, enterprise resource planning,
supply chain management, Web-enabled
electronic commerce
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Software Suites, Integrated
Packages
Most widely used productivity packages are
bundled together as software suites
Advantages
Cost less than buying individual packages
All have similar GUI
Work well together
Disadvantages
All features not used
Takes a lot of disk space (bloatware)
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Integrated Packages
Integrated packages combine the functions of
several programs into one package
E.g., Microsoft Works, AppleWorks
Advantages
Many functions for lower price
Uses less disk space
Frequently pre-installed on microcomputers
Disadvantages
Limited functionality
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Web Browsers
Software applications that support navigation
through the point-and-click hyper-linked
resources of the Web
Becoming the universal platform from which end
users launch…
Information searches
E-mail
Multimedia file transfer
Discussion groups
Other Internet-based applications
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Search Engines
Browsers are used to gain access to Internet
search engines
Google, Ask Jeeves, Look Smart, Lycos,
Overture, Yahoo!
Using search engines to find information has
become an indispensable part of Internet,
intranet, and extranet applications
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E-mail, Instant Messaging, and
Weblogs
E-mail
Software to communicate by sending and
receiving messages and attachments via the
Internet, intranet, or extranet
Instant messaging (IM)
Receive electronic messages instantly
Weblog or blog
A personal website in dated log format
Updated with new information about a subject
or range of subjects
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Word Processing/Desktop
Publishing
Word Processing
Create, edit, revise, and print documents
Example: Microsoft Word, Lotus WordPro,
Corel WordPerfect
Desktop Publishing
Produce printed materials that look
professionally published
Example: Adobe PageMaker, Microsoft
Publisher, QuarkXPress
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Electronic Spreadsheets
Used by virtually every business for…
Analysis, planning, modeling
Electronic Spreadsheet
Worksheet of rows and columns
Can be stored on local computer or on
network
Requires designing format and developing the
relationships (formulas)
Most help you develop charts and graphic
displays of spreadsheet results
Supports what-if questions
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Presentation Graphics
Common presentation graphics packages…
Converts numeric data into graphics displays
Used to create multimedia presentations of
graphics, photos, animation, and video clips
E.g., Microsoft PowerPoint, Lotus Freelance,
Corel Presentations
Top packages can tailor files for transfer in
HTML format to websites
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Personal Information Managers
Software for end user productivity and
collaboration
Stores information about clients
Manages schedules, appointments, tasks
Most include ability to access the Web and
provide e-mail capabilities
Some support team collaboration by sharing
information with other PIM users
Example: Lotus Organizer, Microsoft Outlook
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Groupware
Software that helps workgroups collaborate on
group assignments
E-mail, discussion groups, databases, video
conferencing
Example: Lotus Notes, Novell GroupWise,
Microsoft Exchange
Windows SharePoint Services and
WebSphere both allow teams to create
websites for information sharing and
document collaboration
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Software Alternatives
Outsourcing development and maintenance of
software
Application service providers (ASPs)
Companies that own, operate, and maintain
application software and computer system
resources
Use the application for a fee over the Internet
Pay-as-you-go
Use expected to accelerate in the coming
years
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Software Licensing
All COTS and ASP software is licensed
Involves the underlying..
Intellectual property rights
Copyright
Trademark
Trade secrets
Also involves traditional contract law, including
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
You don’t buy software
You buy a license to use the software
Licensed to protect the vendor’s property rights
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Operating Systems
Integrated system of programs that…
Manages the operations of the CPU
Controls the input/output, storage resources,
and activities of the computer system
Provides support services as the computer
executes application programs
The operating system must be loaded and
activated before other tasks can be
accomplished
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User Interface
The part of the operating system that allows you
to communicate with it
Three main types…
Command-driven
Menu-driven
Graphical user interfaces (GUI)
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Resource Management
Part of the operating system that manages the
hardware and networking resources of a
computer system
Includes CPU, memory, secondary storage
devices, telecommunications, and
input/output peripherals
Common functions
Keeping track of where data and programs
are stored
Subdividing memory; providing virtual memory
capability
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File Management
Part of the operating system that controls the
creation, deletion, and access of files and
programs
Keeps track of physical location on storage
devices
Maintains directories of information about the
location and characteristics of stored files
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Task Management
Part of the operating system that manages the
accomplishment of end user computing tasks
Controls which task gets access to the CPU,
and for how long
Can interrupt the CPU at any time to
substitute a higher priority task
Supports preemptive and cooperative multi-
tasking and multi-processing
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Popular Operating Systems
Windows
GUI, multitasking, networking, multimedia
Microsoft’s operating system
NT, XP, 2003
Different versions manage servers
Unix
Multitasking, multi-user, network-managing
Portable - can run on mainframes, midrange,
and PCs
Linux
Low-cost, powerful reliable Unix-like
operating system
Open-source
MAC OS X
Apple operating system for the iMac
GUI
Multitasking
Multimedia
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Open-Source Licensing
Characteristics
The Program
Must include source code and allow distribution in
source code as well as compiled form
The License
Shall not restrict any party from selling or giving
away the software as a component of an
aggregate software distribution containing
programs from several sources
Must allow modifications and derived works, and
must allow them to be distributed under the same
terms as the license of the original software
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Open-Source Licensing
Characteristics
The License (cont’d)
Must allow modifications and derived works and
allow them to be distributed under the same terms
as the license of the original software
May restrict source code from being distributed in
modified form only if the license allows the
distribution of patch files with the source code
for the purpose of modifying the program at build
time
Must not discriminate against any person or any
group of persons
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Application Servers
Provide an interface between an operating
system and the application programs of users
Middleware
Software that helps diverse software
applications exchange data and work together
more efficiently
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Programming Languages
Examples of programming in each language
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Web Languages
HTML
A page description language that creates
hypertext documents for the Web
XML
Describes Web page content by applying
identifying tags or contextual labels to the data
Java
Object-oriented programming language that is
simple, secure, and platform independent
Java applets can be executed on any computer
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Web Services
Web services are
software components
that are
Based on framework
of Web and object-
oriented standards
and technology
Used to link the
applications of
different users and
computing platforms
via the Web
How Web Services Work
