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Lesson 1:   Basic computer software - part 1   |   part 2  |   part 3

 

Here are descriptions of some programs. They have been taken from real advertisements and reviews in English language computer magazines. Even if you are not sure what some words mean, try to understand enough to decide what kind of program is being discussed.
1.... based on kernel 2.6.3 and offers the most advanced features currently available - in terms of technology as well as the most up-to-date software. New features include higher performance and scalability for servers, greater interoperability plus numerous improvements & refinements to the user interface.
database     operating system     desktop publisher    
2. ... is the easiest-to-use software of its kind you can buy. The combination of page layout, draw, photo editing and 3D text effects at your fingertips is incredibly powerful and simple to use. The learning curve is so shallow you will be amazed at how quickly your skill level will increase.
desktop publisher     web browser     mail client    
3. No more worries about starting with a blank page, the Document Restyler is a step-by-step walkthrough page design resulting in instant page layout. It's a wizard to do! Re-design and re-colour all layouts using the Document Restyler. So no more wasting time on difficult design decisions. We've taken the headache out of design by doing it for you!
mail client     desktop publisher     log files    
4. There are a few basic necessities when working with professional or large projects: you need a competent on-the-fly spellchecker with a reasonably complete dictionary, good anti-aliased fonts with a diverse selection of styles, the ability to read from and save to standard document format, and formatting tools such as dynamic page numbering and layout customization. And it always helps to have some extras like a decent thesaurus, a grammar checker, and the ability to export as a web page or PDF.
drawing program     operating system     word processor    
5. Fantastic tools, some pressure-sensitive ; excellent filters let you seamlessly import and export more than 100 file formats; the interface and colour picker are the most user-friendly and configurable we've seen.
drawing program     web browser     email client    
6. The strongest features can be customized to the finest degree. Very powerful also are the elements which allow you to do organic looking elements such as grass and ferns using brushes. These brushes can also be animated to allow the creation of effects such as waterfalls and fireworks.
database     web browser     drawing program    
7. Please note that this is for a clean installation on to a new or reformatted hard drive. If your hard drive already has a system installed you will need some basic PC know-how to format it and change the boot sequence within your PC's BIOS.
log files     operating system     database    
8. This has a customizable interface and a whole array of functions that give you control over the viewing, handling, editing and protection of your text. In addition to the traditional functions and commands, this has graphics-style tools to format your documents.
word processor     database     operating system