In addition to hardware or machinery components, a computer device is
bundled with various software developed ranging from low-level languages to
high-level languages. Generally, computer software is divided into two types
or categories, namely system software, and application software.
In this article, we are discussing or listing some common examples of
application software along with their brief description. Each has a specific
role and is widely used by the users. Before discussing the names or
examples of application programs, let us first briefly discuss the
introduction of application software along with its definition.
What is Application Software?
By the definition, “an application software (sometimes referred to as an app) is a
computer program primarily designed to perform specific tasks and meet
specific personal, education or business needs. It is also known as
productivity software and end-user software.”
Although computers run or operate effectively with the combined function of
system software and application software, application software is not
actually mandatory. Instead, they are used in parallel with system software
as they help to accomplish specific tasks, whether personal, educational, or
commercial. Application software often simplifies certain tasks on a
computer. Therefore, choosing ready-made application software or obtaining
custom-built application software for certain needs can make a significant
impact on any business.
What are the examples of Application Software?
There is a wide range of application software on the Internet that users can
install on their computers based on specific needs or use cases. It is
almost impossible to include all the application software names in a single
article because at the time we are reading this article, there may be one or
more application software launched on the internet at the same time.
Below, we discuss some of the most common names or examples of application
software that we can find on most computers nowadays:
Notepad
Notepad is the inbuilt application software in all versions of the
Windows
operating system. It is a basic text editor application especially used for
creating, editing, and saving plain text documents (.txt). However, it can
also be used to edit other compatible formats such as INI files, batch
files, and log files. In addition, we can also use Notepad to read/write
plain text encoded in ASCII, UTF-8, and UTF-16. It enables us to create
basic
HTML
documents using Notepad on Windows.
Generally, Notepad is known for simple text manipulation features such as
finding and replacing a specific text. Most people use this application
software to paste formatted text and then copy it back to get the data as
raw text. Since the application supports very few features, there are very
few keyboard shortcuts to use within Notepad. It supports simple shortcut
commands like New, Open, Save, Zoom in, Zoom out, etc.
Although it is a general text editor, it enables users to print files or
content. We also get options to set preferences for header, footer, margin,
etc., before printing. It is important to note that we can only open a text
file up to 1
GB
in Notepad as of the latest version that comes with Windows 11. To perform
advanced text-based operations, we can try other application software like
Notepad++.
Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word is one of the most popular and widely used software for word
processing. It is part of the Microsoft Office suite and includes a wide
range of features desired for writing, editing, formatting, saving, sharing,
and opening various document formats on a computer. We can also call it an
advanced text editor which enables us to represent the content more
professionally and effectively.
Common features of Word include
formatting text with different colors and styles, paragraph formatting,
bordering, grammar and spell checking, table support, adding images or
clip art,
etc. Although this application software is not intentionally made for image
editing, we can find it somewhat easier to manipulate images with Word to
some extent as it provides basic graphic manipulating tools.
Microsoft Word usually comes preinstalled on Windows-based computers because
it is a Microsoft product. It can be preinstalled on a trial basis or a
lifetime version depending on the price we pay when assembling our computer
system. In addition, this application software is also available on other
platforms such as
iOS,
macOS, and Android operating systems.
Microsoft Excel
Like Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel is another popular application software
that comes with the Office suite. Excel is one of the most popular
spreadsheet software that enables us to record huge data sets within cells
and perform calculations. We can record text, numbers, dates, times, and
other forms of data in these cells. Also, formulas are applied using one or
more cells with data to get the desired result.
Apart from calculations, Excel can also help us create forms, reports,
dashboards, or charts based on numerical data for better analysis. In
addition, it allows data formatting, sorting, filtering, reconstruction, and
more. With its powerful capabilities, Excel has become one of the most
useful applications for finance and business people over time.
Like MS Word, Excel is also available for other popular platforms such as
iOS, macOS, and Android. It can be used on a trial basis or can be purchased
for a lifetime. Prices vary from version to version and are based on usages
such as personal, family, or business.
Paint
Paint is a very popular application software found on Windows computers. It
is used to manipulate images or graphics content. This application software
can open and save files in
JPEG,
PNG,
GIF, BMP, and some other image formats. Since it comes installed with the
Windows operating system, it became one of the most used graphic
applications in its early days.
For most beginners, especially children, the Paint application is a kind of
entertainment software. Many people use this application to start painting
digitally on a computer for the first time. However, it is still widely used
for basic image manipulation due to its simplicity and fast performance.
Microsoft also came up with an additional application software called
Paint 3D to replace the original Paint application. However, the
Paint application continued its usefulness and popularity, forcing Microsoft
to introduce an updated version of Paint with the Windows 11 operating
system. In addition to Paint, there are many other graphics and design
application software for advanced operations. For example,
Adobe Photoshop, Cyberlink Photodirector, Corel Draw, AutoCAD, etc.
Each of these applications has distinct features to meet certain needs.
OneDrive
Microsoft OneDrive (initially called SkyDrive) is an online cloud
service that helps to manage our data on servers. It enables users to store,
edit, delete, protect and share data with others. This application software
is pushed through software updates to Windows users with their latest
operating system. However, we can also download and install it manually on
our computers.
Users usually get 5 GB of free storage space with free Microsoft accounts.
However, it can be upgraded to a higher level as per the requirement by
paying a decent amount for the paid subscription. When installed on the
device, this application software creates a default location with a folder
called OneDrive where we can save our files which will be automatically
synced or uploaded to the connected account server.
One advantage of OneDrive is that we can use it on multiple devices. In
addition, it can be accessed through the web using modern browsers. This
creates somewhat easier access to cloud storage space, allowing users to
manage their content from everywhere. By default, Microsoft Office for the
Web uses OneDrive to store Office documents. Due to cloud space, it becomes
easy for people from different places to work on the same document
simultaneously.
Skype
Skype is the world's most popular messaging, voice, and video chat
application. This application software facilitates communication between
different people or devices over the
internet. It enables users to create conference calls with up to 25 people
simultaneously, allowing them to connect with family, friends, or
colleagues. However, everyone must have Skype installed on their devices.
The desktop version of Skype is free for Windows users and can be installed
like any other typical application software. In addition to Windows
operating systems, the Skype application is also available free for iOS,
macOS, Android, and Linux. Although it's technically free to use over the
Internet, users need to pay for a subscription if they need to make direct
calls to any cell phone or landline number.
Some of the notable features of Skype include
file sharing, screen sharing, call recording, and more. Unlike other
group meeting applications, Skype somewhat offers longer duration meetings
per session. This typically limits calls to four hours, with a total of 10
hours per day and 100 hours per month.
VLC
VLC
Media Player is well-known application software that enables users to play
various multimedia files on computers. It can play songs, videos, and even
large size movies efficiently. Due to the multiple file type's support, it
is made compatible with a wide range of file formats or extensions like MP3,
MP4,
WMV, AVI, MKV, etc. In addition, it also supports network playback and network
shares.
One of the major advantages of VLC is that it is free to use open-source
application software. Due to its easy user interface, fast performance, and
multiple multimedia file support, VLC has become one of the best media
player applications for the Windows operating system. VLC is available for
all versions of Windows, easily supporting almost every audio and video
compression process and file format.
Apart from the Windows operating system, VLC is also available for other
popular platforms such as iOS, macOS, Android, and even several Linux
distributions. This makes VLC a cross-platform multimedia player.
Google Chrome
Google
Chrome is one of the most used application software in the world under the
category of web browsers. It is fast, free, easy-to-use, cross-platform web
application software available for Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and Linux
distributions.
Google Chrome also serves as a platform for various browser app extensions.
There are a variety of extensions available on the Google Web Store that we
can use to enhance or add new functions to the browser. In addition, various
themes are also available to change the look and feel of the interface
within the browser.
When it comes to security, Google is very serious about it. The browser
receives regular updates to enhance security and privacy features. In
addition, users can browse the Internet using the private (incognito) mode
to keep details such as their IP address and browsing history secure. Some
of the notable features of Chrome include
fast downloads, data saving, voice search, built-in translator, data sync
across multiple devices,
and more.
Adobe Acrobat Reader
Adobe Acrobat is a family of multiple application software developed by
Adobe Inc. Often called Reader, it is one of the most popular desktop
application software used by many people across the world. It is commonly
used to open, view, and print
PDF
documents. An advantage of this application software is that it is free to
use with a minimal and clean user interface.
Apart from a freeware version of Acrobat Reader, users can also get its
premium version to access additional features such as
editing or manipulating text and images in PDF, scanning signatures,
encrypting PDF, sharing PDF among others, and converting into other
document formats such as Word or Excel,
etc.
Adobe Acrobat Reader is available for multiple platforms such as Windows,
iOS, macOS, and Android. Documents can be synchronized to the cloud to be
accessed across different devices. Cloud support also helps in easy sharing
and collaboration.
WinRAR
WinRAR is one of the essential application software for Windows users.
Although WinRAR is primarily Windows-only software, related programs are
also available for other platforms with different names. It is primarily
known as file compression and management software. This application software
comes as trialware, which means users can try out the features for a few
days. After the trial period is over, users must obtain a paid subscription
to continue using the software.
Specifically, WinRAR software is used to compress or archive multiple files
of different formats into a single compressed file with a size significantly
smaller than the total size of the individual files. Thus, the software
helps us to save disk space and further share it easily on the internet. In
addition, we can also decompress, unarchive, unpack or extract compressed
file formats like RAR, ZIP, etc.
WinRAR is much more than just a compressor-decompressor. Apart from this,
there are many other special features. Some additional features of this
application software include built-in tools to repair broken or damaged
archives, encrypt with a password, split large files into multiple smaller
parts, open compressed files as previews without extracting or
decompressing, etc.
Defining Application Software Examples by their Types
As we said earlier, we cannot cover all application software in one article.
However, we describe some other common examples of application software
below and divide them based on certain types or categories of application
software:
| Application Software Type | Application Software Examples |
|---|---|
| Word Processing Software | Microsoft Word, G Docs, OpenOffice Docs, etc. |
| Spreadsheet Software | Microsoft Excel, Google Spreadsheet, OpenOffice sheet, etc. |
| Presentation Software | Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Adobe Spark, etc. |
| Web Browsers Software | Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera, etc. |
| Educational Software | MATLAB, Google Classroom, etc. |
| Multimedia Software | Spotify, WMP, VLC Player, GOM Player, Real Player, etc. |
| Graphics Software | Adobe Photoshop, Gimp, Corel Draw, etc. |
| Communication Software | Skype, WhatsApp, Zoom, Discord, Outlook, Google Meet, etc. |
| Database Application Software | Microsoft Access, DBMS, Oracle, MySQL, MongoDB, etc. |
| Simulation Software | PCB Software, VLSI Simulation |
| Others | Google Maps, WinZip, 7zip, Viruses, Games, etc. |
Summary
This article discusses some common examples of application software.
However, they are not limited to those discussed in the article here. They
are unlimited and one can get his/her customized application software
developed by professional programmers by paying a decent amount to get their
specific task done. These days, most of the applications we see on our
smartphones, especially those downloaded from the App Store, are the best
examples of application software.
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