Application Software, Licences and Humanware
Application software helps the user do a specific task such as typing, calculating, browsing or playing. It sits on top of the operating system: the OS manages the hardware and the application runs above it. Examples: MS Word, Excel, Chrome, WhatsApp, VLC.
Application software by purpose
| Type | Used for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Word processing | Create, edit, format and print documents | MS Word, Google Docs, LibreOffice Writer |
| Spreadsheet | Numbers, formulas, charts in rows and columns | MS Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice Calc |
| Presentation | Slide shows with text, pictures and animation | MS PowerPoint, Google Slides, Prezi |
| Multimedia | Make or play audio, video, animation, 3D | Adobe Premiere Pro, VLC, Audacity, Unity |
| Web browser | Open websites by turning HTML and CSS into pages | Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave |
| Educational | Learning and teaching | Moodle, Coursera, Duolingo, Khan Academy |
| Graphics | Logos, banners, illustrations, 3D models | Photoshop, Illustrator, CorelDraw, Maya |
| Simulation | Model real situations safely | MATLAB, SimScale, AnyLogic, flight simulators |
Freeware, shareware and open source
| Type | Cost | Source code | Key point |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freeware | Free for ever | Usually closed | You may use it but not modify or resell it (Adobe Reader, Chrome, Skype) |
| Shareware | Free trial, then pay | Closed | Time limit (say 30 days) or disabled features (WinZip) |
| Open source | Usually free | Open to all | Read, use, modify and share (Linux, Firefox, Python) |
| Closed source (proprietary) | Paid licence | Secret | No copying or modifying; comes with an EULA (Windows, MS Office, Photoshop) |
Freeware is not the same as free (open-source) software. Freeware is free to use; open source is free to use and change.
How freeware makers earn: advertisements, a freemium model (basic free, advanced paid), donations, a premium paid version, and bundled services such as paid cloud backup or support.
How open-source development works
- A developer writes the code. 2. It is uploaded to a public site such as GitHub. 3. Developers worldwide can read it. 4. Someone finds and fixes a bug. 5. Another person adds a feature. 6. The project owner reviews and approves the changes. 7. A new version is released. This teamwork is called collaboration.
Open-source licences
| Licence | Made by, year | Type | Main rule | Used by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GPL | Richard Stallman, 1989 | Copyleft (strictest) | If you share a modified version it must also be open source under GPL. You may sell it, but the code must stay open. | Linux kernel, WordPress, GCC |
| MIT | MIT, 1988 | Permissive | Do almost anything, even make it closed source. Keep the author's name and licence text. | React.js, Node.js, jQuery, Rails |
| Apache 2.0 | Apache Software Foundation, 2004 | Permissive | Like MIT, plus an express patent grant, so contributors cannot sue users over patents | Android, Apache web server, Hadoop, TensorFlow |
| BSD | UC Berkeley, 1988 | Permissive | 2-clause: keep notices. 3-clause: also do not use the creator's name to promote your product. | FreeBSD, NetBSD |
Open source versus closed source
| Feature | Open source | Closed source |
|---|---|---|
| Code | Public | Hidden |
| Changes | Anyone | Only the company |
| Cost | Usually free or cheap | Usually paid |
| Development | Community-driven | Company-driven |
| Bug fixes | Community, often quick | Depend on the vendor |
| Support | Forums and documentation | Paid professional support |
| Vendor lock-in | None | Possible |
| Examples | Linux, Firefox, Android, MySQL, Python | Windows, macOS, MS Office, AutoCAD |
Humanware (liveware, peopleware)
A computer system has three parts: hardware, software and humanware, the people who use, run and maintain it. Without people the other two are useless.
| Type | Role in one line | Technical level |
|---|---|---|
| Users | Use software for daily work. The largest group. | None needed |
| Programmers | Write code and build the software | High |
| System analysts | Study a problem and design the solution; the bridge between users and programmers | Technical plus business |
| Operators | Run and watch systems daily: start, stop, monitor, back up | Moderate |
| System administrators | Maintain the whole network and systems: install software, create accounts, manage security | High |
| Database administrators (DBA) | Keep the data secure, organised and available, and control who can see what | High |
An analyst is like an architect who draws the plan; programmers are the builders.
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from standard computer textbooks, Microsoft documentation and official sources. Features differ between Excel and Word versions (2016, 2019, 2021, 365) so check which version your exam follows. Found a mistake? Tell us.