What is application software:
Application software is a type of software that performs a specific task or function for the end user. This type of software can work individually or with other software as well.
There is also system software that is used to run operating system tasks i.e. starting and managing the operating system. But in the case of application software, the tasks that are not performed for the operating system but the tasks that are performed for helping end users.
If you use a phone or tablet then you use apps. The apps are a type of application software that helps users in performing their tasks. For example, you use a chrome app or calculator app. These apps help in completing your daily tasks.
Let’s discuss some pros and cons of application software:-
Advantages of application software:
Some benefits of application software are:-
Constant updates:
If application software is licensed then you can get constant updates in future. That means you will be protected from viruses and other faults in the software. If you get regular updates then your software will run smoothly without any errors or bugs.
Get support:
As many people are using the same application software so if any end user gets an error then he can ask online. For getting help online, the vendor of software already made helping forums. End users can get help from online forums or that software’s official website. For all famous software, there exists an official website from where users can get help.
Many programming languages:
Developers have a vast range of programming languages to choose from for making the software. There is Java, C++, and .net framework and for the mobile version of the software there are options of Swift, Java, React Native and others.
Promotion of other software:
If a company makes any application software that is used by many people then that company can promote other products of his software easily. For example VS Code is a free coding software used by millions of people. If Microsoft wants to promote any of its paid extensions of the VS Code i.e. adding additional features to the VS Code then they can promote it easily.
Multitasking:
Most application software supports multitasking. For example, in MS Word we have a multitasking feature i.e. spell checking, counting of words, typing, and formatting of the paragraph. Multitasking helps the software to consume the computer resources in a better way.
Accuracy:
MS Excel has many formulas that give you accurate results and other features of software like charts and graphs also give you accurate illustrations. Another example is the chrome browser which has many useful extensions. Different extensions display the information accurately.
Speed of work:
Application software performs the tasks at a higher speed. It can also increase your work speed and you can perform your tasks in less time. For example, in MS Word you can do quick formatting and the software also provides you with spell checking. If you install the Grammarly addon to MS Word then it can speed up your work i.e. Grammarly checks your typing mistakes and makes grammar checking easy.
Provides cloud storages:
Some application software like Adobe Master Collection CC provides cloud storage as well. You can store and access your files through cloud storage. That means if you lose the file on your computer or your computer gets hacked then you can still get access to your files through cloud storage. MS Office also provides you with cloud storage for saving your files on the cloud.
Provides security:
Application software provides you with extra security. For instance, if your computer gets hacked then the application software will still work correctly because they have an inbuilt security layer that can prevent hackers from damaging their software.
Customized software:
Some companies also use customized application software. This type of software performs specific tasks that are used for company purposes only. Some shops also used customized software that can help them calculate their sold products and manage inventory. Customized software helps in automating tasks like invoicing. Example of customized software is customer relationship management (CRM)
Disadvantages of application software:
Some drawbacks of application software are:-
Extra time to build:
Building application software takes higher time. This is because of the regular communication between software developers and the customer. Customers may ask to fix the issues or add more features to the software. Maybe customers don’t like the look and feel of the software. So developers have to spend more time building the software.
Choosing programming language:
Developers in most cases prefer to build application software by using newer programming languages. But most of the strong features of famous programming languages are missing in newer languages. So it creates problems when developing software in newer languages.
Costly to build:
As most application software takes more time for developers so the chances are clients get higher costs for building the software. There are extra resources consumed like office rent, paying salaries, and electricity bills of the software company so the price of the end product will eventually get higher.
Get errors after launch:
As many end users use the product so there are chances that any error or mistake can occur in the software. So Software Company has to constantly work with the software after launching it and they have to look for errors and provide constant support to the software after launching it to the customers.
Consumes extra space:
Some application software like Adobe Premier Pro and Adobe Illustrator takes a lot of computer space and the computer becomes slow after installing the heavy software. It is also noted that after installing many application software your computer becomes unresponsive for some time.
May be cracked:
There is a higher probability that licensed application software may get cracked i.e. its licensed keys get Leaked on the internet or there becomes a way that users can use the software without registration. In that case, Software companies and vendors of application software get huge losses.
Compatibility issue:
If developers design and build software for a specific company or organization then that software cannot be used by a general type of user. Maybe the application software is useless for the common user or it cannot be helpful in daily tasks that a normal user has to perform.
Dependency:
If employees of the office use application software to perform all the tasks then they become dependent on the software and their self-decision becomes low. The employee’s IQ level decreases.
Accessing system memory:
The operating system has all the rights to give memory access to the other software. System memory can only be accessed by system programs and application software cannot get access to system memory.
Communication between other software:
Application programs or application software cannot communicate with all other application software because all the application programs have different purposes. Some application programs act as add-ons or extensions to software but interacting with all application programs is not possible.
Examples of application software:
Some examples of application software are:-
- MS Word
- MS PowerPoint
- MS Excel
- Firefox
- Safari
- Chrome
- Microsoft Edge
- MS Outlook
- Adobe Photoshop
- Adobe Illustrator
- VLC Player
- Visual Studio Code
- Calculator app
- Notepad
- Media Player
- MS Access
- Slack
- Oracle
- Spotify
- Pandora