General Purpose Application Software vs Function-specific Application Software

General Purpose Software
General-purpose application used to perform common information processing jobs for end users, which also known as productivity packages. Some of the most widely used productivity packages are bundled together as software suite. It makes users can purchase in lower cost rather than buying an individual packages. Besides, all application inside the packages have similar graphical user interface (GUI) and the features will work well together.But, these kind of packages will takes a lot of disk space because there are several programs or application jointly to provide more features for end users. It might be wasted because some of the features are not used frequently by users.

So, some of the will prefer to use integrated packages. Integrated packages combination functions of several programs into one packages. This kind of packages will let users to apply many funtioncs for lower cost. The most important is it uses let disk space. There is not perfect at all, due to save space on the disk, integrated packages is limited functionality and does not provide more features to end users.

The example of the general-prpose application programs include web browsers,electronic mail, word processing, spreadsheets, database managers, presentation graphics, personal information manager (PIM), and groupware.Below are the briefly explaination of the general purpose applications:

1. Web browsers

Web browsers such as Microsoft Explorer, Firefox, Netcape Navigator, or Opera are the software application that designed to support navigation through the point-and-click resources of the World Wide Web.

Web browsers main purpose is to bring useful resources to end user. Browsers also allow user to search any useful resources via the serch engine such as google search, yahoo search and so on.

2. Electronic mail

Normally there are three categories of electronic mail. They are E-mail, Instant messaging (IM), and Weblog or blog.

E-mail is a software that allow us to communicate by sending and receiving messages and attachments via the internet, intranet, or extranet. Examples for E-mail applications are hotmail, gmail, or ymail.

Hotmail

Instant messaging (IM) software is an application that allow end users to receive electronic messages instantly. Examples of instant messaging softwares are Yahoo messenger, Windows Live Messenger.

Msn messenger

Weblog or blog is a personal website in dated log format. It allow users to updated with the new information about a subject or range of subjects such as personal diaries, details of the latest products. Besides, it also giving an opportunities to some users for running their business. Examples of blogs are Google's Blogger, Wordpress, BlogEasy, My Blog Site and etc.

Google's Blogger

3. Word Processing

Word processing is the application that allows users to create, edit, revise, and print documents such as their reports, articles and etc. Microsoft Word, Lotus WordPro, Corel WordPerfect are the examples of word processing software.

Microsoft office

4. Electronic Spreadsheets

Electronic Spreadsheets normally used by virtually every business for the purpose analysis, planning,modeling their business. The worksheet provide end users to key in their data in the rows and columns form. Data that recorded can be stored on local computer or on network.

Besides, it also allow user to designing format and devoloping the formulas. Some users use spreadsheets to develop charts and graphic displays of the results. Spreadsheet also supports what-if questions. E.g. Microsost Excel.

Microsoft Excel

5. Data Managers

Data Managers is the application that used to manage or allocate data. Database software is one of the software that provides tools for organizing data into a form that allows for efficient search and retriveval. The software can allow users to related or accesed to specific data by using a database query. E.g. Microsoft Access.

Microsoft Access

6. Presentation Graphics

Common presentation graphics packages are used to create multimedia presentations of graphics, photos, animation, and video clips. While the top packages can tailor files for transfer in HTML format and publish to websites. E.g., Microsoft Power Point, Lotus Freelance, Corel Presentations.

These kinds of software are used commonly for college students nowadays. They normally used it for presentation and helps to create their slide show.

Microsoft Power Point

Function-specific Software

Function-specific application software packages are use for specific applications for the end-users in business and other fields. For example, business application software with strategic e-business applications allows the automation and reengineering of business processes. It includes enterprise resource planning, customer relationship management, and supply chain management. Software packages that Web-enable electronic commerce applications or apply to the functional areas of business like human resource management and accounting and finance. Software with decision support tools empowers managers and business professionals in decision making. Some of the examples are datamining, enterprise information portals, or knowledge management systems.

Data mining software analyzes that immense stores of historical business data that have been prepared for analysis in corporate data warehouses and tries to find out the models, trends, and correlations hidden in the data that can help ameliorate a company improve its business performance. It may perform regression, decision tree, neural network, cluster detection, or market basket analysis for a business.

Computer-based information systems like Decision Support Systems (DSS) provide managers and business professionals the interactive information during the decision-making process. Decision support systems use (1) analytical models, (2) specialized databases, (3) a decision maker’s own insights and judgements, and (4) an interactive, computer-based modelling process to support semi structured business decisions.

Geographic information systems (GIS) and data visualisation systems (DVS) are special categories of Decision Support Systems (DSS). The both systems combine computer graphics with other DSS features. A geographic information system uses geographic databases to create and show map and other graphics displays that support decisions affecting the geographic distribution of people and other resources.

Executive information systems (EIS) are the combination of many of the features of management information systems and decision support systems. The purpose of EIS is to provide top executives, managers, analysts, and other knowledge workers with prompt and easy access to information about a firm’s critical success factors (CSFs). In order to make EIS more useful to top managers and business professionals, Web browsing, groupware tools, electronic mail, and DSS and expert system capabilities are being added to the system.

An expert systems (ES) is a knowledge-based information system that uses it’s particular and complicated application area knowledge to act as an expert consultant to end users. ES provide solutions for a very specific problem area by making humanlike inferences about knowledge contained in a particularize knowledge base.