MAJOR CATEGORIES OF PACKAGES

Some major and most common categories of packages are :

(i) WORD PROCESSING SOFTWARE -  Word processing software is used to manipulate a text document, such as a resume or a report. You typically enter text by typing, and the software provides tools for copying, deleting and various types of formatting. Some of the functions of word processing software include:

•     Creating, editing, saving and printing documents.
•     Copying, pasting, moving and deleting text within a document.
•     Formatting text, such as font type, bolding, underlining or italicizing.
•     Creating and editing tables.
•     Inserting elements from other software, such as illustrations or photographs.
•     Correcting spelling and grammar. 

  

  Fig. 1 word processing software

Electronic cutting and pasting of words, lines, paragraphs and texts from other sources can be achieved in a flash. All these and much more are offered by the word processing packages. In other words, a qualified text processing package gives you everything and much more than what you could achieve before the advent of the computer.
You can use a word processor to create almost any kind of document be it a term paper, business letter, thesis work, legal document, newsletter and even a book.
many word processors are available in the market. Some popular ones are : wordstar, word, wordperfect, softword etc.

(ii) ELECTRONIC SPREADSHEETS - Another very popular package is electronic spreadsheet.An electronic spreadsheet is a program that accepts data values in tabular form and allows users to manipulate/calculate/analyze data in the desired manner. Spreadsheets not only allows manipulation of data but also can generate graphs and charts to show the relationships among numbers more widely.

fig. 2 electronic spreadsheet

Like most elements in the computer world, spreadsheet have come a long way since they were first developed. Today, many spreadsheets are three dimensional, allowing you to create not just a single worksheet but a stack of them with each sheet linked electronically to the others.

There are numerous spreadsheet packages available in the market.Some popular ones are : Lotus 1-2-3, excel, quattroPro etc.

(iii) DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS(DBMS) - A basic philosophy behind the efficient use of a desktop computer is to avoid, or at least reduce, the drudgery and monotony of carrying out a task which is either absolutely routine or highly repetitive in nature. Handling and analyses of a large volume of repetitive data fall in this category. Therefore, a desktop computer is ideally suited for such purposes, subject to the limitations imposed by its performance versatility and speed.
The skill in handling data has resulted in a resulted in a number of practical and highly efficient software packages,ranging from financial analyses to hospital, library and institution management. In particular, for shops, small business establishments, schools, collages, universities, research institutions, small manufacturing units, professionals and individuals, the capability for data analyses and data-based management has turned out to be a bonanza. Indeed, virtually any type of data based management service can be provided by a desktop computer.

Fig. 3. database management system

Database management software extends your ability to organize collections of data stored in your computer and provides tools for listing subsets of the data that meet specified criteria. For example, when you organize information with index cards, you generally arrange it in some logical order such as alphabetically by name or datawise or citywise or in the increasing order of amount etc. etc. Also records meeting a specific criteria may also be selected by setting filter conditions. For instance, you may view the records of only those employees who are in dapartment 'sales'. All this and much more is possible through database management packages.
Like other package, there are numerous DBMSs flocking the market. Some popular ones are foxpro, Access , Oracle etc.

(iv) DESKTOP PUBLISHING PACKAGES - What is still more is Desk Top Publishing (DTP) using a computer. As the name suggests, you get everything that you can achieve by the  typesetting method, indeed much more, in a substantially shorter timeframe. Apart from composing the text, its layout, line drawings, charts and graphs can be easily created and included in the main body of the text using standard programs. scanners are available for black and white or colour pictures to be included in the main body of the text using standard programs. The design and layout of complete book or journal can be achieved without much trouble using a suitable DTP package.

(v) GRAPHICS, MULTIMEDIA AND PRESENTATION APPLICATIONS - Perhaps the most spectacular tasks performed by computer involve graphics and animation packages. Apart from the capability of drawing various types of charts, graphs and line diagrams and text, headlines and banners in a number of attractive fonts, these packages are capable of producing like-life drawings with or without animation. Much of the computer graphics and animation that you see on your television can be produced by the computer. This skill has immensely improved the quality and efficacy of educational, commercial and other audio-visual presentations, lecture-demonstration programs and mass communication, in general. Ultimately, it is the limit of human ingenuity which may restrict the application of the seemingly limitless graphics and animation capabilities of your computer.
Presentation graphics is another specialized  type of graphics software. These programs are  used to create professional looking visual aids for an audience. The visual aids can be computer images, papers printouts or photographics transparencies