A3 - 3 - Part 2 - Application software

Question 1

Application software

Answer 1

Application software allows users to complete task, such as creating report or presentation

Productivity software - these are applications like word processors, desktop publishers and spreadsheet that are used in office environments to support businesses and improve efficiency

Graphics software - these are applications that are used to edit photo or create original artwork

communication software - these applications make communicating quicker and easier, they include instant messaging, email, and VOIP software

Question 2

Proprietary software

Answer 2

The source code is privately owned by software company users pay to buy the software

Question 3

open source code

Answer 3

the source code is available to read and modify

Question 4

Open source software Advantage

Answer 4

𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
- can report bugs to community so that patches are available as soon as possible

𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐭
- purchase cost of open source code is generally free or cheap
- community support for open source code is free

𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
- open source code provides access to the source code where users can modify to meet their needs

Question 5

Open source software Disadvantage

Answer 5

𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
- Not as many features included with open source, which may make it difficult to carry out specific tasks
- Training on open-source software may be difficult to find.

𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲
- sharing files with others may be difficult, if they are not saved using portable formats. Documents sent by others may be saved in proprietary formats, making it difficult to access work

𝐂𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧
- Vulnerable to malicious users who can view and exploit vulnerabilities if software not updated regularly

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭
- Open source software is often created and maintained by a community rather than by a company, support and development may be sporadic or stop/change without providing support for existing versions.

Question 6

Proprietary software Advantage

Answer 6

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭
- Proprietary software usually comes with a variety of training facilities/support

𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞
- It may have more features than open source software

Question 7

Proprietary software Disadvantage

Answer 7

• The software company may be slow to provide updates and bug fixes
• Software is usually very generic, with little scope for customisation due to copyright or complexity issues
• It can be expensive to purchase