Week 4: Clear

This is so strange to me to say that I actually understood the material that was presented this week. I consider myself to be quite computer illiterate but I actually got most of the concepts presented. I understood application software and other types of application software including, business software and graphics and multimedia software. I understand the basic idea of application software being that it relates to various programs that help people excel in their field of work and even their personal lives by helping people become more efficient and effective with everyday tasks. There are different types of software including: educational, video and editing, word processing, and presentation software. I read an article online to learn more about application software.

I found it interesting to learn about the decision making process for analyzing software and also terms such as horizontal and vertical applications as well as software suite. I also found it interesting and practical to learn about software licensing. This is important because I know myself like many others tend to just check the box when the agreement comes up and just pretend we read it. No one wants to read all the fine print when they are trying to install or download something. This opened my eyes to the fact that this is a serious matter. I realized I have to be careful when downloading or installing because I could potentially be fined, kicked off a network or possibly engage in copyright infringement. I also learned that people have the capability to acquire source codes and potentially modify how a program works and then sell it as a different product. I didn't realize that there were different license agreements either, such as site license, per-seat and free licenses. Prior to watching lectures I had no idea what or how to interpret software version numbers. Now I understand what the first through fourth numbers mean. I feel so educated after this week. I feel like I am constantly examining my computer and trying to understand and fully grasp what I learned.