Applet:
A small limited-purpose application program, or small independent module of a larger application program.

Application Software:
Programs that specify the information processing activities required for the completion of specific tasks of computer users. Examples are electronic spreadsheet and word processing programs or inventory or payroll programs.

Application-Specific Programs:
Application software packages that support specific applications of end users in business, science and engineering, and other areas.

Assembler Language:
A programming language that utilizes symbols to represent operation codes and storage locations.

Database Management Package:
A computer program that facilitates the storage, maintenance, and utilization of data in a database.

Desktop Publishing:
The use of microcomputers, laser printers, and page-makeup software to produce a variety of printed materials, formerly done only by professional printers.

Electronic Mail:
The transmission, storage, and distribution of text material in electronic form over communications networks.

Electronic Spreadsheet Package:
An application program used as a computerized tool for analysis, planning, and modeling that allows users to enter and manipulate data into an electronic worksheet of rows and columns.

File Management:
Controlling the creation, deletion, access, and use of files of data and programs.

Fourth-Generation Language (4GL):
Programming languages that are easier to use than high-level languages like BASIC, COBOL, or FORTRAN. They are also known as nonprocedural, natural, or very high-level languages.

General-Purpose Application Programs:
Programs that can perform information processing jobs for users from all application areas. Individuals for home, education, business, scientific, and many other purposes can use for example, word processing programs, electronic spreadsheet programs, and graphics programs.

Graphical User Interface:
A software interface that relies on icons, bars, buttons, boxes, and other images to initiate computer-based tasks for users.

Groupware:
Software packages that support work activities by members of a work group whose workstations are interconnected by a local area network.

High-Level Language:
A programming language that utilizes macroinstructions and statements that closely resemble human language or mathematical notation to describe the problem to be solved or the procedure to be used. Also called a compiler language.

HTML:
Is a page description language that creates hypertext or hypermedia documents.

Integrated Package:
Software that combines the ability to do several general-purpose applications (such as word processing, electronic spreadsheet, and graphics) into one program.

Java:
Is an object-oriented programming language created by Sun Microsystems.

Language Translator Program:
A program that converts the programming language instructions in a computer program into machine language code. Major types include assemblers, compilers, and interpreters.

Machine Language:
A programming language where instructions are expressed in the binary code of the computer.

Multitasking:
The concurrent use of the same computer to accomplish several different information processing tasks. Each task may require the use of a different program, or the concurrent use of the same copy of a program by several users.

Natural Language:
A programming language that is very close to human language. Also called very high-level language.

Network Management Programs:
Network management programs perform such functions as automatically checking client PCs and video terminals for input/output activity, assigning priorities to data communications requests from clients and terminals, and detecting and correcting transmission errors and other network problems.

Network Operating Systems:
Software that manages telecommunications in complex local area networks.

Nonprocedural Language:
Programming languages that allow users and professional programmers to specify the results they want without specifying how to solve the problem.

Object-Oriented Language:
An object-oriented programming (OOP) language used to develop programs, which create and use objects to perform information processing tasks.

Operating System:
The main control program of a computer system. It is a system of programs that controls the execution of computer programs and may provide scheduling, debugging, input/output control, system accounting, compilation, storage assignment, data management, and related services.

Personal Information Manager:
A software package that helps end users store, organize, and retrieve text and numerical data in the form of notes, lists, memos, and a variety of other forms.

Presentation Graphics Package:
Using computer-generated graphics to enhance the information presented in reports and other types of presentations.

Programming Tools:
Software packages or modules which provide editing and diagnostic capabilities and other support facilities to assist the programming process.

Resource Management:
An operating system function, which controls the use of computer system resources such as primary storage, secondary storage, CPU processing time, and input/output devices by other system software and application software packages.

Software Suites:
Are powerful software packages that combine several individual packages that share a common graphical interface and are designed to easily transfer data between them.

System Management Programs:
Operating system modules and other system programs that carry out the functions of resource management.

System Software:
Programs that control and support the operation of a computer system, including operating systems, database management systems, communications control programs, service and utility programs, and programming language translator programs.

Task Management:
A basic operating system function that manages the accomplishment of the computer tasks of users by a computer system.

Trends in Software:
Trends in software are toward powerful, general-purpose, integrated packages with easy-to-use natural language interfaces.

User Interface:
That part of an operating system or other program that allows users to communicate with it to load programs, access files, and accomplish other computing tasks.

Utility Programs:
A standard set of routines that assist in the operation of a computer system by performing some frequently required process such as copying, sorting, or merging.

Virtual Memory:
The use of secondary storage devices as an extension of the primary storage of the computer, thus giving the appearance of a larger main memory than actually exists.

Web Browser:
A software package that provides the user interface for accessing Internet, intranet, and extranet web sites. Browsers are becoming multifunction universal clients for sending and receiving E-mail, downloading files, accessing Java applets, participating in discussion groups, developing web pages, and other Internet, intranet, and extranet applications.

Word Processing Package:
An application package that involves the use of computers to manipulate text data in order to produce office communications in the form of documents.