Office Suite Software -- Common Programs for Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office, and OpenOffice.org
Since I started this blog, I have spent a lot of time explaining the common program elements. Now, it is time to look at some of the different categories of programs and see what elements are common among them.
One of the biggest collection of programs every user is likely to come across is the office suite. A suite, in computer terms, is a collection of programs gathered for a common purpose. Office suites, the most common type, are generally a collection of programs that are commonly found in any office, whether it be a home office or a mega corporation's office.
The most popular office suites available include Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office (by Corel), Lotus Symphony, IWork, and the open source OpenOffice.org. While there are some variations in what each of these contain, nearly all of them include a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a presentation program.
Word Processors
Microsoft Works is probably the most well known of all the word processors, followed closely by Corel's WordPerfect (the word processor program). These two are among the oldest and have been around since at least the early days of Windows, if not before. The function of a word processor is to create text documents. These can be anything from letters, to envelopes, to labels -- the list goes on. Many authors use them to write their novels and other books.
All word processors will have tools to modify the text, including font, font size, font and background colors, and more. The ability to adjust margins, page dimensions, and setting headers and footers are also common. Most will have the ability to "create" multiple pages by merging a text document with files from another source, such as a database. Spell check and word counts are also common. Most word processors today can also double as desktop publishers, though there are other programs that may do a better job at this type of task, depending on your needs. Keep in mind, this is only a summary list. There are many other features common to most word processors, but these are the basics that a user might see on a regular basis.
Spreadsheets
One of the oldest, in terms of "brand recognition", may be Lotus 123, though it "disappeared" for a while. Microsoft Excel is probably better known today, followed by Corel's Quadro Pro. Spreadsheets are perfect for "columnar" type data, particularly the kind that involves numbers and math.
In addition to many of the font and page features of word processors, spreadsheets always have some mechanism for introducing formulas. Afterall, mathematics is the forte of spreadsheets. Columns and rows can be adjusted for size, grouped for printing or creating reports, as well as gathering data from other sources, such as a database. Each "sheet" of a database can represent a "page" of a spreadsheet. One great feature of spreadsheets is the ability to reference cells, both within the same page and from other pages, based on a relative or an absolute position. This makes "filling in" columns or rows easy and efficient.
Database
Most office suites have a database program. These will usually be able to connect with a variety of database types, including popular SQL databases, but they usually have a "native" database format that it will use if no other format is specified. One of the oldest around is a program called dBase, though it is not as popular as it might once have been and has not been associated with an office suite. The most well known attatched to a suite is probably Microsoft's Access.
A database can be thought of as an "electronic filing cabinet", able to store vast amounts of data in collections. Most database programs will allow you to create a database (obviously), but many will also let you create "forms" for interacting with a database to perform "queries" that look up information and generate "reports" that detail that information. As such, you can expect to find text type tools available, though maybe not as much as you would in a word processor. Databases can be interconnected, greatly enhancing the capabilities of the storage of data. Chances are that, though you may not have known it, you have interacted with a database at some time or another.
Presentation Programs
Presentation programs, such as Microsoft's PowerPoint, allow someone to create and display "presentations" to groups of people in a variety of situations. They are often used in seminars and classrooms for teaching, in offices for sales presentations, and in other ways for a vareity of purposes.
The most common thing you will find here are text specific tools described for word processors, though you will have a variety of ways to "move" them around. You can also add images such as pictures, graphs from a spreadsheet, and other types of data. These programs will have tools to govern the way the information "transistions" from one "slide" (the basic "page" of a presentation program) to the next. This includes the how, such as a timed delay or a "click" of a button, as well as what the visual transition might be, including wipes, disolves, and other types of transitions. The presentations generated are usually run from within the program, though most programs also give the user the ability to create a "stand-alone" presentation that does not require the "presentation generator" program.
These are the four most common. Some others you might see include drawing programs and email programs, but for the most part, these are the most used programs in the suites.
One of the biggest collection of programs every user is likely to come across is the office suite. A suite, in computer terms, is a collection of programs gathered for a common purpose. Office suites, the most common type, are generally a collection of programs that are commonly found in any office, whether it be a home office or a mega corporation's office.
The most popular office suites available include Microsoft Office, WordPerfect Office (by Corel), Lotus Symphony, IWork, and the open source OpenOffice.org. While there are some variations in what each of these contain, nearly all of them include a word processor, a spreadsheet, a database, and a presentation program.
Word Processors
Microsoft Works is probably the most well known of all the word processors, followed closely by Corel's WordPerfect (the word processor program). These two are among the oldest and have been around since at least the early days of Windows, if not before. The function of a word processor is to create text documents. These can be anything from letters, to envelopes, to labels -- the list goes on. Many authors use them to write their novels and other books.
All word processors will have tools to modify the text, including font, font size, font and background colors, and more. The ability to adjust margins, page dimensions, and setting headers and footers are also common. Most will have the ability to "create" multiple pages by merging a text document with files from another source, such as a database. Spell check and word counts are also common. Most word processors today can also double as desktop publishers, though there are other programs that may do a better job at this type of task, depending on your needs. Keep in mind, this is only a summary list. There are many other features common to most word processors, but these are the basics that a user might see on a regular basis.
Spreadsheets
One of the oldest, in terms of "brand recognition", may be Lotus 123, though it "disappeared" for a while. Microsoft Excel is probably better known today, followed by Corel's Quadro Pro. Spreadsheets are perfect for "columnar" type data, particularly the kind that involves numbers and math.
In addition to many of the font and page features of word processors, spreadsheets always have some mechanism for introducing formulas. Afterall, mathematics is the forte of spreadsheets. Columns and rows can be adjusted for size, grouped for printing or creating reports, as well as gathering data from other sources, such as a database. Each "sheet" of a database can represent a "page" of a spreadsheet. One great feature of spreadsheets is the ability to reference cells, both within the same page and from other pages, based on a relative or an absolute position. This makes "filling in" columns or rows easy and efficient.
Database
Most office suites have a database program. These will usually be able to connect with a variety of database types, including popular SQL databases, but they usually have a "native" database format that it will use if no other format is specified. One of the oldest around is a program called dBase, though it is not as popular as it might once have been and has not been associated with an office suite. The most well known attatched to a suite is probably Microsoft's Access.
A database can be thought of as an "electronic filing cabinet", able to store vast amounts of data in collections. Most database programs will allow you to create a database (obviously), but many will also let you create "forms" for interacting with a database to perform "queries" that look up information and generate "reports" that detail that information. As such, you can expect to find text type tools available, though maybe not as much as you would in a word processor. Databases can be interconnected, greatly enhancing the capabilities of the storage of data. Chances are that, though you may not have known it, you have interacted with a database at some time or another.
Presentation Programs
Presentation programs, such as Microsoft's PowerPoint, allow someone to create and display "presentations" to groups of people in a variety of situations. They are often used in seminars and classrooms for teaching, in offices for sales presentations, and in other ways for a vareity of purposes.
The most common thing you will find here are text specific tools described for word processors, though you will have a variety of ways to "move" them around. You can also add images such as pictures, graphs from a spreadsheet, and other types of data. These programs will have tools to govern the way the information "transistions" from one "slide" (the basic "page" of a presentation program) to the next. This includes the how, such as a timed delay or a "click" of a button, as well as what the visual transition might be, including wipes, disolves, and other types of transitions. The presentations generated are usually run from within the program, though most programs also give the user the ability to create a "stand-alone" presentation that does not require the "presentation generator" program.
These are the four most common. Some others you might see include drawing programs and email programs, but for the most part, these are the most used programs in the suites.
posted by Grady @ 3:01 AM
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