DOS (Disk Operating System): Is the director/gofer that goes and saves a file by talking to hardware (as in a hard drive 1 way and a floppy disk another). DOS takes care of all the nasty details involved. Application software needs DOS to operate, because when the programs need to save a file they basicly say "Hey DOS, save this for me, will ya?" The main problem with DOS is that you have to type in the many commands in a very cryptic way. Trying to Solve that problem are the programs known as Shell's, as in the DOS Shell, just a pretty face for DOS. Keeping with the office anology, you can think of DOS as the secratary that goes and gets the files from the file cabinet, ect. Examples of Operating Systems are MS-DOS, PC-DOS, Unix, CPM.

GUI (Graphical User Interface): it puts little pictures, or icons on the screen that we can click on with the mouse in order to get things done. One of the main things with a GUI is that a lot of the programs work very similar. You can usually have more then one program on the screen at the same time. Just like having a calculator and a typewritter on your desktop in your office. And most GUI's also let you copy information between programs. The main problem with GUI's are they are suposed to put a much friendler face on DOS, but what they wind up doing is replacing cryptic commands with cryptic little pictures. Examples of GUI's are Windows 3.1, Windows95(DOS 7 Built In), OS/2 Warp, System 7 (for Macintosh)

Networking SoftWare: allows computers to share Hard drives, Printers and talk back and forth! There needs to be some kind of physical cable connection between the computers.

Comonalities: Menu is near top of the screen and Says File Edit View, ect. Alt, / (in non-windows versions of Lotus) or Alt+= (in WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS) or sometimes even the function keys access the menu, but the current standard is ALT! Click on menu with the mouse or Alt-Highlighted letter in menu bar. then letter. Keyboard keys: Regular typing keys, Cursor or Movement keys, Function keys and enhacement (Alt, Ctrl, Shift). To use the Alt, Ctrl or Shift for the keyboard shortcuts, hold it down and then quickly tap the other key, then let go of the enhancing key. Most of the keyboard shortcuts are on the right side of the menu. These are the keys you can use if you use that feature a lot. You don't have to memorize all the keyboard shortcuts, use the menu instead.

You have to know how to get around the program:
Menu (Alt, /, or Alt+=) usually Alt+Highlighted letter to access menu.
Dialog boxes - Tab between options, Enter lets you choose default (Thick line around button).
If something is highlighted then typing will remove/delete what is highlighted.
Scroll Bars: drag box; click inbetween arrows and box; click on arrows.
Check boxes: click or press space bar to turn on/off.
Radio buttons: Choose one by clicking on it or with space bar or Alt+Highlighted letter.
Drop downs: Click on the arrow with the line under it to see all the choices. With the keyboard press tab to move to the box and then press either the downarrow or spacebar.

Application Software can be:
WordProcessing: Improves on the basic typewriter.
Examples: Windows Notepad, Windows Write, WordPad, Profesional Write, WordPerfect: {5.0 for Dos, 5.1 for Dos, 5.1 for Windows, 6.0 for Dos, 6.0 for Windows}, Microsoft Word, WordStar, AmiPro which is now Lotus WordPro 96;
SpreadSheet: Fancy Calculator.
Examples: Quatro Pro, Micosoft Excel, Lotus 1-2-3;
DataBase: Lists of things.
Examples: Visual FoxPro, Micosoft Access, Lotus Approach, dBase, Q&A;
Desk-Top Publishing: Fancy Newsletters ect.
Examples: Ventura, PageMaker, Quark Express, Microsoft Publisher;
Presentation: Create a interactive slide show.
Examples: Lotus Freelance Graphics, WordPerfect Presentations, Harvard Graphics, Micosoft PowerPoint;
Games (Entertainment): Hey it's games, need I say more.
Examples: Commander Keen Series, Jazz Jackrabbit, Monster Bash, Duke Nukem,
VERY Violent Games:
Examples: Doom & Doom II, Heritic, Duke Nukem 3D, ect
Games (Edutanment): Learning made fun, I didn't know that was posible.
Examples: Math Rescue, Word Rescue, Mather, Reader Rabbit, Writer Rabit, Math Blaster series, ECT, ECT.
Tutorials:
PIM (Personal Information Managers): Orginize your schedual and life.
Examples: Lotus Organizer, Micosoft Schedual;
Business Accounting: Bookeeping with out a bookeper.
Examples: QuickBooks, Peachtree;
Personal Accounting: Balance your checkbook.
Examples: Quicken, Micosoft Money;
Reference (Encyclopida, Dictionary, Map software, ect):
Look it up.
Examples: Microsoft Encarta, Bookshelf 96, Comptons Mutimedia Encyclopedia
Integrated (Wordprocessing, spreadsheet, database all in same package): Usually share a common interface.
Examples: Micosoft Office, Micosoft Works, Lotus SmartSuite, WordPerfect Office;
Internet or On Line services: Conect to the world.
Examples: AOL (America On Line), Prodigy, Compuserve, MSN (Micosoft Network), Internet Providers;
Web Development: Make your own "Site".
Examples: HTML, JavaScript, Java Applets, VRML, ect.
Development tools or Programing languages: Get the computer to do what you want it to.
Examples: Basic, Pascal, C++, Visual Basic, Delphi, Other (COBOL, ADA, Smalltalk, Prolog);