Most Common Program Type

When I started this blog, I began by going over the 5 steps to learn any program. Today, I'm beginning a new series covering the basic features of some of the most common types of programs.

So what are the key types of programs you will find?

1. Text
2. Communication
3. Financial
   
4. Spreadsheets
5. Databases
6. Audio/Video
   
7. Graphics
8. Games

This will be a long, overall series, with several mini series describing each category. I'll mention now that I left one category off of this list, the operating system, because it is a topic that is very complex and will get its own series.

Before we begin the series, let's look at each of these categories and see how they differ.

Text

The first major category, and perhaps one of the most used areas, is that of text. These include word processors, such as Microsoft Word, and text editors, such as Notepad. The main difference between the two is that the latter is stripped of the formatting aspects, but many other features are similar. Another subcategory to this main category would be code editors, which are text editors designed to make it easier for programmers to write programs in a variety of languages.

Communication

Another very popular category of programs are the ones used for communication. These include web browsers, email programs, and chat programs. Also in this group would be programs for uploading and downloading files. While the features on the subcategories vary widely, they all provide a means of communicating with other people using other computers.

Financial

In terms of practical use, this category is a power house. The programs here allow the user to manage their money. There aren't really many subcategories to this, but they do have a look and feel all their own with some features to be aware of.

Spreadsheets

Used more in business settings than in home settings, spreadsheets can be useful tools when you know how to use them and can help manage large amounts of information. The strong suit of the spreadsheet is its ability to organize, manipulate, chart, and graph numerical information of all kinds.

Databases

Although often used, the use is usually behind the scenes. Databases are great storehouses of related information. Some examples of databases you might be aware of include customer lists, library and retail stock, employee information, and a lot more.

Audio/Video

The programs in this category let users create, modify, and display audio and video files. Many of the tools are similar for both, so they are included together here. Some subcategories are movie/video players, cd players, sound editors, video editors, and presentation programs.

Graphics

Graphics programs allow users to create, manipulate, and view graphics. There are several types of graphics that have different characteristics, such as vector graphics, raster graphics, and 3d graphics. The programs that do each of these are varied, so expect a lot of differences.

Games

Outside of all the productivity related programs, games are the most used program on the computer. Games vary widely, but they are an important part of computer life that they have to be mentioned.

Now, there may be many programs out there that don't appear to fit into any of these that I mentioned, but as you will see, most of those combine different aspects of each of these areas, or are programs designed for a specific, narrow purpose, that may include many features discussed in these. If you understand these 8 categories, any other program you come across will have something that relates to one of these basic categories. The order of importance I've put these in may be debatable as far as popularity, but I hope that, as these are expanded further you will be able to see why I placed them in this order.