Software programs, computer programs, or computer software, are programs or routines for a computer system or part of the system itself. Application software programs are often add-ons, specially made for the operating system, and designed to add various types of functionality for the user. Software programs of many different types are made for users with different aims. Categories frequently used for software programs include design and publishing software, games, educational software, music and audio software, productivity software, reference software, personal finance software, utilities, and security software.
Design and publishing software programs provide contexts in which users can create illustrations, edit photographs, and lay out documents for publication. Illustration software includes drawing and painting tools, shapes, and clip art that can be combined and layered with lettering and enhanced with special effects. Peripherals such as a stylus and tablet for entry may give the user finer control for illustration and photograph editing. Photographs can be touched up, cropped, and altered in other ways. Simple and complex documents, including those that combine text and images, can be created with the elements locked into position for certain results.
Games and educational software programs can have some overlap, as some games are educational. However, there are also games that are strictly for fun and educational programs that do not take the form of games. Instruction ranges from pre-kindergarten material to typing programs to sophisticated language courses for adults. Test preparation for college entrance exams and other assessments is also available. Games include many varieties of solitaire, as well as multi-player games in which there is a narrative thread.
Various forms of music and audio software allow the user to create, edit, and play multimedia, while productivity software is designed to get work done. Productivity software includes word processing software, spreadsheets, slide presentation software, and software for dictating and taking notes and creating footnotes. Reference software puts dictionaries, encyclopedias, magazine collections, and other valuable resources at one’s fingertips, and personal finance software helps one create and maintain a budget, as well as figure one’s taxes.
Utilities are often programs that extend the functionality of the operating system. For example, Parallels Desktop® 5.0 for Mac allows one to load a Windows® operating system on one’s Apple® computer. StuffitDeluxe® makes it easy to compress and decompress files, while other software is available for burning CD-ROMS and DVDs. Automated backup software is another utility software program type. Security software is designed to both clean existing viruses and malware from computers as well as prevent future attacks.
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anon242701
Post 5 |
I want to make an events calendar but cannot find any program that lets me input text in the daily cell. |
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goldenmist
Post 4 |
@Engelbert - Professional video editing software tends to be quite pricey, so if you're just looking to get started you should try the free options that are often already installed on your operating system. For Windows, try Windows Movie Maker and for Mac OS X you can use iMovie. These software programs should be fine for simple video editing and are perfect for people who want something easy to use so they can show their videos to their friends or on YouTube. Add music, text, fades, wipes, it's all pretty easy and fun, too.
Once you've got your head wrapped around the basics you can consider upgrading to something like Avid for Windows or Final Cut Pro for OS X, although these software programs will require a much faster computer and are more suited for more complicated projects such as short or full length films. |
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Engelbert
Post 3 |
I'm looking into editing my own videos. What editing software programs would be suitable for a beginner? |
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Illych
Post 2 |
Software programs aren't limited to computers -- your cell phone runs a type of operating system and has it's own software programs on it. For example, an iPhone runs iOS and has countless "apps" (software programs) which are usually just scaled down versions of the types of software you'd see on your computer at home, like drawing software programs, photo software programs, internet browsers, you get the idea. |
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elizabeth23
Post 1 |
When I was little I did not know the difference between hardware and software. Of course, it makes sense to me now- hardware are the big, hard things like the computers themselves, while software make the programs run. It's weird, though, how even a few decades ago these were not even really terms, and now almost everyone has some idea of what computer programs are, and even some of the top software programs for various types of work, like internet use, word processing, et cetera. |
