BINYAMINU USMAN, POLYTECHNIC HADEJIA

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

RELEVENT COMPUTER PACKAGES

(COM 311)
HNDAHT II

LECTURE NOTE
SUMMARY
 TABLE OF CONTENT
 Chapter One
Introduction to Computer Software

Basic of Popular Operating System: (Microsoft Windows)

 Windows Operating System
 User Interface
 Working with Windows Operating System.

 Chapter Two
Introduction to Word Processing
 Microsoft Word
 Explore Window
 Entering Text
 Some of the features of Microsoft word

 Chapter Three
Introduction to Spread Sheets
 Microsoft Excel
 Explore Window
 Entering Text
 Some of the features of Microsoft Excel

 Chapter Four
Introduction to Presentation
 Microsoft PowerPoint
 Explore Window
 Adding Text in Boxes
 Some of the features of Microsoft PowerPoint

 Appendix
 Microsoft Applications Shortcut

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 CHAPTER ONE
COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Software is a set of instructions, data or programs used to operate computers and

execute specific tasks. It is the opposite of hardware, which describes the physical
aspects of a computer. Software is a generic term used to refer to applications, scripts
and programs that run on a device. The two main categories of software are
application software and system software.
System software is designed to run a computer's hardware and provides a platform
for applications to run on top, system software include OS and utility programs.
Application software is software that fulfills a specific need or performs tasks and
can be classified as general-purpose, specialist or tailor-made.
APPLICATION PACKAGES

Application packages can be defined as the readymade software or program

designed in a standardized form for solving various problems that are common to
users.
General-Purpose Packages
A general-purpose application package is a type of software that can perform many
different related tasks.
Word processors, spreadsheets, databases, graphics and presentation software are all
examples of application packages. This type of software is sometimes called generic
software.
Common Types of General-Purpose Packages
 Word processing packages (e.g. MS Word, WordPerfect) are used to
produce text based documents such as letters, reports and memos.
 Spreadsheet packages (e.g. MS Excel, Lotus 123) are used for tasks that
involve a lot of calculations or for the production of graphs and charts.
 Presentation packages (e.g. PowerPoint, Lotus Freelance) are used to create
slide shows and presentations, which can be viewed on-screen or overhead
projector.

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  Graphics packages (e.g. Paint, PaintBrush, Serif Draw, Corel Draw) are used
to produce and manipulate artwork.
 Desktop publishing (DTP) packages (e.g. MS Publisher, PageMaker,
PagePlus) are used to produce professional quality publications such as
posters, books, newsletters, newspapers and magazines.
 Computer-aided design (CAD) packages (e.g. 2D-Design, AutoCAD,
TurboCAD) are used to produce engineering designs and architectural plans;
 Database packages (e.g. MS Access, Lotus Approach, Paradox) are used to
store and retrieve information.
 Communications software (e.g. Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator)
is used to access the Internet and send and receive e-mail.
 Web page editors (e.g. MS FrontPage, Macromedia Dreamweaver) are used
to create Web pages.
etc
Specialist application software
 Specialist application software performs a single very specific type of task.
 Other examples include programs to work out payroll, calculate accounts, deal
with stock control and handle appointments.
Integrated application software
 An integrated package combines many different types of application together
in one single package.
 This type of software normally offers facilities for word processing,
spreadsheets, databases, graphics, presentation and communications.
 Integrated packages are much cheaper than buying many different application
packages but they have limited number of features compared with individual
application packages.
 Microsoft works is an example of an integrated package

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 BASIC OF POPULAR OPERATING SYSTEMS (WINDOWS)
WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM
Windows operating system was developed by Microsoft Corporation. It provides
Graphical User Interface (GUI), multitasking capability to users. It also provides
virtual memory management and several peripheral devices. According to statistics,
about 90% of computers have migrated to Windows operating system.
USER INTERFACE
While working with a computer, we use a set of items on screen called “user
interface”. In simple terms, it acts as an interface between user and software
application or program. It accepts inputs from input devices like keyboard, mouse
and displays output to computer monitor. Windows offers a bright new visual design.
The Start menu, taskbar, and other desktop elements all have new looks
WORKING WITH WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM

Using the Desktop

The desktop is the background displayed on your computer screen. File, folder, and
program icons can be displayed on the desktop for easy access to your most
commonly used tasks, documents, and programs. Opening files, folders, and
programs displays window frames on the desktop.

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• The desktop can be customized with themes and backgrounds to personalize the
look of your computer.

Using the Taskbar

• The taskbar displays opened files, folders, and programs. When multiple windows
are open, you can click on file, folder, or program buttons in the taskbar to switch
between windows.

Using Windows
• Windows are frames on the desktop that contain the contents of opened files,
folders, and programs:

To create folder on your computer:

 Navigate to the location where you want to place the new folder
 Right click and select New
 Select Folder
 The folder will be displayed, with the default name “New folder”
 Change the name, type the new name for the folder and press Enter.
To copy or cut files and folders:
 Right-click on the file or folder you want to copy or cut.
 From the pop-up menu, select Copy or Cut.
 Open the location you want the copied or cut item to be placed.
 Right-click in the location.
 From the pop-up menu, select Paste.
To rename files and folders:
• Right-click on the folder and select Rename
• Type the new name and press Enter.
To delete a file or folder:
 Right-click the file or folder you want to delete and select delete.
To Minimise, Maximise and Close File
• To Minimise: on the upper-right corner of the window click minimise icon.
• To maximise: on the upper-right corner of the window click maximise icon.
• To close: on the upper-right corner of the window click close icon.

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To send file from one drive to another:
• Right-click the file and navigate to “send to”
• Select the drive to send the file.
To install a program:
 Double-click on the program you want to install.
 Follow all the instruction set by the program.
 Then click finish.
To uninstall a program:
 Navigate to control panel on the desktop or search it on all programs.
 Move to Programs and select uninstall a program.
 Select the program and click “Uninstall”
To switch between windows
 Hold down the Alt key and press the Tab key (Alt-Tab) until you have selected
the window to which you want to change.
To view task manager
 Right-click on the task bar and select task manager.
To Change Date/Time
 Right-click time/date on the task bar and select adjust date/time.
 Off set the time automatically and click on change and set the date/time.
To view system information
 Search/click system information on the search bar.
To shut down /restart/ sleep computer:
• Click the Start button. The Start menu will appear.
• Click on power and select your wish.
To start a program
 Double-click the program if found on the Windows desktop. Otherwise
 Click the Start button, located in the lower-left corner of your screen. A menu
showing the programs you use most frequently appears on the left.
 Click/ Search the program you want to open.
Apply this process on how to start Microsoft word, Excel and PowerPoint

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 CHAPTER TWO
WORD PROSSESING
A word processor is a software program, which provides a Graphical User Interface
(GUI) with better capabilities than a text editor does. A word processor is a program
that allows you to create, edit, format, and print the documents. Some examples of
commonly used word processors are - WordPerfect and MS Word. The main
advantage of a word processor is that it provides a WYSIWYG (What You See Is
What You Get) interface, which helps you make changes quickly and easily to your
documents
MICROSOFT WORD
Microsoft word is a popular word processing software. It helps in arranging written
text in a proper format and giving it a systematic look. This formatted look facilitates
easier reading. It provides spell-check options, formatting functions like cut-copy-
paste, and spots grammatical errors on a real-time basis. It also helps in saving and
storing documents. It’s also used to add images, preview the complete text before
printing it; organize the data into lists and then summarize, compare and present the
data graphically. Word automatically starts with a blank page.
EXPLORE WINDOW

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File Tab: replaces the Office button from Word 2007. You can click it to check the
backstage view. This is where you come when you need to open or save files, create
new documents, print a document, and do other file-related operations.
Quick Access Toolbar: This you will find just above the File tab. This is a
convenient resting place for the most frequently used commands in Word. You can
customize this toolbar based on your comfort.
Ribbon: contains commands organized in three components:
 Tabs: These appear across the top of the Ribbon and contain groups of related
commands. Home, Insert, Page Layout are examples of ribbon tabs.
 Groups: They organize related commands; each group name appears below
the group on the Ribbon. For example, group of commands related to fonts or
group of commands related to alignment, etc.
 Commands: Commands appear within each group as mentioned above.
Title bar: This lies in the middle and at the top of the window. Title bar shows the
program and document titles.
Rulers: Word has two rulers - a horizontal ruler and a vertical ruler. The horizontal
ruler appears just beneath the Ribbon and is used to set margins and tab stops. The
vertical ruler appears on the left edge of the Word window and is used to gauge the
vertical position of elements on the page.
Help: can be used to get word related help anytime you like. This provides nice
tutorial on various subjects related to word.
Zoom control: lets you zoom in for a closer look at your text. The zoom control
consists of a slider that you can slide left or right to zoom in or out; you can click
the + button to increase or – button to decrease the zoom factor.
View Buttons: The group of five buttons located to the left of the Zoom control,
near the bottom of the screen, lets you switch through the Word's various document
views.
Document Area: This is the area where you type. The flashing vertical bar is called
the insertion point and it represents the location where text will appear when you
type.

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Status Bar: This displays the document information as well as the insertion point
location. From left to right, this bar contains the total number of pages and words in
the document, language, etc.
Dialog Box Launcher: This appears as very small arrow in the lower-right corner
of many groups on the Ribbon. Clicking this button opens a dialog box or task pane
that provides more options about the group
Opening the document
To open an already existing document, follow the below steps.
 Click on the “File  Open”.
 From the window opened, select a file you want to open and double click on
it or just right-click and select “open”.
 Shortcut key is Ctrl + O
Save and Save As
After finishing our work, we must save the document permanently, as it is useful for
future reference. As RAM is a temporary storage memory, we must save our file on
the hard disk.
 To save a document, go to “File” menu and select “Save” option
 Shortcut key is “Ctrl + S”.
 Then the file gets saved under a default name or by typing new name.
ENTERING TEXT
We assume you know that when you start Word, it displays a new document by
default as shown below:

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SOME OF THE FEATURES OF MICROSOFT WORD
Modifying/Formatting a Document

You can modify a document by using various formatting tools that help customize
and enhance the appearance of text. Enhancing a document with character formatting
enables you to draw attention to parts of the document and improve its readability.
For example, you can apply different font styles and font sizes to text, or you can
underline and italicize text.
Formatting Text
Formatting text allows you to:
• Draw attention to different parts of the document
• Improve readability
Formatting of text includes:
• Modifying font
• Highlighting text
• Changing case
• Alignment of the text
• Indentation of the text
Modifying font
You can change the appearance of text by modifying the different characteristics of
fonts.
Definition of Font
A font is a formatting characteristic that defines the way in which text appears in a
document. It is the pattern applied to the characters in the document. Different fonts
contain different collection of characters and symbols. You can change the fonts by
using the Font dialog box, or by selecting required buttons from the Format toolbar.
Font Type: is the preformatted design for the letters in the font. E.g., the most
commonly used font types are Times New Roman and Aria.
Font Style: Defines whether the text is displayed in Bold, Italic, or Regular form.
Font Size: The weight of the size of the text, which is measured in points (pts).

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Font Color: This option is used to specify the color of the text.
Underline Style: Specifies whether the text needs to be underlined or not
Effects: Specifies the special effects to be applied to some text:
 Strikethrough: displays a single line over the selected text.
 Double strikethrough: displays a double line over the selected text.
 Superscript: raises selected text above the base line & reduces the font.
 Subscript: lowers selected text below the base line and reduces the font.
 Small caps: displays selected text in lower case.
 All caps: displays selected text in uppercase.
 Hidden: prevents selected text from being displayed or printed.
Applying Line Spacing
Line spacing refers to the amount of space from the bottom of one line of text to the
bottom of the next line. Line spacing allows you to define the amount of white spaces
that should be placed before and after each line in a paragraph.
Definition of Alignment& Indentation
Alignment is a way of organizing the text in a document. It refers to the position of
the text relative to page margins. Consist of Left-aligned, Center-aligned, Right –
aligned and justify-aligned. Indentation refers to adding distance to the text from
the margin.
Bullets and Numbered list:
 Bulleted text is used to list down text, which is non-sequential.
 Numbered list is used to sequentially list down the content
Inserting Tables in a Document:
 A table is made of rows and columns
 The intersection of row and a column is called a cell.
Undoing and Redoing Actions
 To undo click on the undo icon (ctrl + z)
 To redo click on the redo icon (ctrl + y)
Print Document
 Here you print the document into hardcopy, to print hold Ctrl and press P

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 CHAPTER THREE
SPREADSHEET

A Spreadsheet is a Programmable Application Package that mostly operates with

Rows and Columns of numbers on the Screen and allows the users to enter Values,
Labels and Formulas for automated calculations of some expected results. As the
name suggests, Spreadsheets were simply a means of spreading figures or numeric
data items over a sheet of paper and carrying out calculations on them.
Typical examples of Spreadsheet Programs include the following: Ms Excel , Lotus
1-2-3 , Multiplan, Supercalc, Viewsheet etc
MICROSOFT EXCEL
Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet application which is used to create and manage lists
of information. Excel allows to enter, edit, manage and analyze large amount of data
in a worksheet and create colorful charts and graphs. It uses formulae to calculate
and analyze data. It helps to combine a series of commands using “Macros”, thus
saving time. At higher levels, you can use it as a complete development tool catering
to many complex requirements.
EXPLORE WINDOW

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Note : File Tab, Quick Access toolbar, Ribbon, Title bar, Help , Zoom Controls,
View Buttons and Status bar was explained in chapter two (Word Processing).
Sheet Area: The area where you enter data. The flashing vertical bar is called the
insertion point and it represents the location where text will appear when you type.
Row bar: Rows are numbered from 1 onwards and keeps on increasing as you keep
entering data. Maximum limit is 1,048,576 rows.
Column bar: Columns are numbered from A onwards and keeps on increasing as
you keep entering data. After Z, it will start the series of AA, AB and so on.
Maximum limit is 16,384 columns.
Workbook: is a File in which users work and store their data. Each Workbook
contains many Worksheets that allow users to organize various kinds of related
information in a single File. Stated in another way, a Workbook is a collection of
several Worksheets. Ms Excel Workbook contains a minimum of one Worksheet
and a maximum of two hundred and fifty five (255) Worksheets.
Cell: is any rectangular box in the Worksheet that is formed as a result of the
intersection of a Row and a Column. A Cell is identified by a Cell name or Address,
which is formed by combining a Column name with a Row name.
Labels and name: are used to identify cells and ranges using a tag that is more
meaningful than ordinary cell references, such as B5, A1:A4 etc.
Range: is any rectangular collection of Cells.
Value: is any Worksheet data entry that consists of numbers. A Value is used for
Calculations or Computations.
Formula: is any Expression that computes a Numeric result. Usually, a Formula
begins with the sign of equality (=).
Function: is an in-built Formula for automatic calculations. A Function is
sometimes refers to as built-in calculations and data manipulations that perform
work on Formulas and Values.
ENTERING VALUES
Entering values in excel sheet is a child’s play and this chapter shows how to enter
values in an excel sheet. A new sheet is displayed by default when you open an excel
sheet as shown in the below screen shot.

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Using formulas and functions
At times there may be a need to perform some calculations on some numerical data
that is represented in an Excel worksheet. To perform calculations, a formula can be
used.
 Formulas in Excel begin with an equal sign (=)
 E.g., =A1+A2+A3 is a formula to add the contents of cells A1, A2, and A3
 The Formula bar is a bar at the top of the Excel window that displays the
formula of the active cell
An important and useful feature of Excel is that it automatically recalculates the
value of the cell that contains a formula if the values of the cells to which the formula
refers to change. For example, the formula =A1+A2+A3 in cell A4 is recalculated if
the values of cells A1, A2 or A3 change.

Functions
Excel provides many functions - mathematical, statistical, logical, etc.

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Mathematical functions
 Sum(), Product()
 E.g, to calculate the sum of values stored in cells A1 to A3, use =SUM(A1:A3).
Statistical functions
 Average(), Max(), Min(), Count(), Round()
 Eg., to find the average of the values in cells C1 to C5, use
=AVERAGE(C1:C5).
Date and time functions
 Now(), Today(), Date(), Time()
 Eg., =TIME(9,0,0) returns 9:00 A.M and =TIME(20,15,30) returns 8:15 P.M.
Logical functions
 If(), Not()
 E.g., For the formula =If(B2>70, “A”, “B”), a grade A is displayed if marks
are above 70 and a grade B is displayed if marks are below or equal to 70.

SOME FEATURES OF MICROSOFT EXCEL

1. Know how to move from one cell to another in Ms Excel
2. Enter Values and Labels into a worksheet
3. Clear contents, formats or comments from cells
4. Insert a new Worksheet in a Workbook or delete one from a Workbook
5. Print Preview a document in Ms Excel

1. Moving from one cell to another in Ms Excel: To move from one cell to
another in Ms Excel, perform the following operations:
 To move from the current cell location to the closest cell press right, left, up
or down arrow key depending on your choice of direction of movement
 To jump to the last row in the Worksheet press Ctrl + ↓ (i.e. Ctrl and down
arrow key)
 To jump to the last column in the Worksheet press Ctrl + → (i.e. Ctrl and right
arrow key)

2. Entering values and labels into a Worksheet: To enter values (numeric

data items) or labels (alphabetic data items) into a worksheet, perform
the following operations:
 Select the cell where you want to enter data
 Type the data

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  Press enter

3. Clearing contents, formats or comments from cells: To clear contents,

formats, or comments from cells, follow the steps below:
 Select the cells, rows, or columns you want to clear.
 Click on the Edit menu and point to clear
 Click on All, Contents, Formats, or Comments.

4. Inserting a Worksheet into a Workbook: To insert a Worksheet into a

Workbook, follow the steps below:
 Click on New Sheet Icon
 A New Worksheet displayed.

5. Deleting from a worksheet, follow the steps below:

 Right click on the sheet
 Select delete then click ok.

6. To print preview a document, follow the steps below:

 Select file, and click print.
 Under settings, select the arrow next to print Active sheets and select the
appropriate option.
 Select print.

…See more in the lab….

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 CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION
A presentation is a collection of slides. A slide is like a frame in a presentation that
represents data. During a presentation, the slides are displayed one after the other
and the contents of the presentation are displayed through these slides on screen.

MICROSOFT POWERPOINT
Microsoft PowerPoint is one of the powerful tools of MS-Office, which helps in
creating and designing presentations. PowerPoint Presentation is an array of slides
that convey information to people in an attractive manner. Presentations created with
PPT can have audio and visual effects making them look professional. PowerPoint
used in creating an effective slide show. The PowerPoint screen has many elements.

EXPLORE WINDOWS
The following screenshot shows the various areas in a standard PowerPoint file. It
is important to familiarize yourself with these areas as it makes learning and using
PowerPoint easier.

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Note: File Tab, Home Ribbon, Title Bar, Help, Zoom Options, Slide View/View
Button Quick Access Toolbar are explained in Chapter two (Word processing).

Slide Area: this is the area where the actual slide is created and edited. You can add,
edit and delete text, images, shapes and multimedia in this section.
Notes Section: this sections allows you to add notes for the presentation. These
notes will not be displayed on the screen during the presentation; these are just quick
reference for the presenter.
Slide Tab: this section is available only in the Normal view. It displays all the slides
in sequence. You can add, delete and reorder slides from this section.

ADDING TEXT IN BOXES

PowerPoint allows users to add text to the slide in a well-defined manner to ensure
the content is well distributed and easy to read. The procedure to add the text in a
PowerPoint slide is always the same - just click in the text box and start typing. The
text will follow the default formatting set for the text box, although this formatting
can be changed later as required. What changes is the different kinds of content
boxes that support text in a PowerPoint slide.

Given below are some of the most common content blocks you will see in
PowerPoint.

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Title Box: this is typically found on slides with the title layout and in all the slides
that have a title box in them. This box is indicated by "Click to add title".
Subtitle Box: this is found only in slides with the Title layout. This is indicated by
"Click to add subtitle".
Content Box: this is found in most of the slides that have a placeholder for adding
content. This is indicated by "Click to add text".

SOME OF THE FEATURES OF POWERPOINT

1. Create and save a new Presentation with Ms. Power Point
2. Create a New Slide
3. Add title and text.
4. Change a Slide background color
5. Inserting Picture
6. Insert Music or Sound in a Slide
7. Insert Video in a Slide

1. Creating and saving a new Presentation based on suggested Contents and

Design: To Create and save a new presentation based on suggested contents and
Design, follow the steps below:
 Open PowerPoint program
 Click on Blank presentation to create a new presentation.
 To save the presentation, click on file and select save.
 Click on browse, give it a name and click on save.

2. Creating a New Slide: To create a New Slide, follow the steps below:
 Right-click on slide tab.
 Select new slide.

3. Add title and text: To add title and text, follow the steps below:
 Display the Slide that you want to Add title and text
 Click on “Click to add title” to add title.
 Click on “Click to add text” to add text

4. Changing a Slide background color: To change a Slide background color,

follow the steps below:
 Display the Slide that you want to change background color

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  Click on Design menu and choose format background
 Click the down arrow under Color icon and select the color you want.

5. Inserting Picture: To insert Picture, follow the steps below:

 Display the Slide you want to add Picture to
 Click on insert Menu and select Pictures
 Locate and insert the Picture that you want and click insert.

6. Inserting Music or sound in a flash: To insert music or Sound in a Slide,

follow the steps below:
 Display the Slide you want to add Music or Sound to
 Click on insert Menu and point to Audio
 Select “Audio on My PC”.
 Locate and insert the Sound that you want and click insert.

7. Inserting Video in a Slide: To insert video in a Slide, follow the steps below:
 Display the Slide you want to add Video to
 Click on insert Menu and point to Video
 Select “video on My PC”.
 Locate and insert the video that you want and click insert.

…See more examples …

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