A Comparison of Productivity Software Applications Garnel Dahn Strayer University The software applications that are used to create documents, databases, presentations, and spreadsheets are called productivity software. Most people have had some experience with productivity software at home, school, or work. MS Office software reigns supreme in the industry. Microsoft Windows operating systems are used on over 80% of computers in homes, schools and offices. (Stricklan, 2008)However, just because it’s the most popular doesn’t mean it’s the right one for you.

Fortunately, the options for productivity software are abundant. Let’s first talk about web browsers. More specifically, let’s talk about Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome and how they compare to Internet Explorer 8. They are all free, so cost isn’t an issue. First there is Mozilla Firefox. Firefox is gaining in popularity but nowhere as popular as Internet Explorer 8. This is good from a security standpoint because a low profile means that most malware authors aren’t making Mozilla a priority when writing code. On the flipside, any vulnerability Internet Explorer 8 has is quickly and maliciously exploited.

Internet Explorer 8 has so many security features it can be safer than Mozilla Firefox, but to the end-user this may get a little complicated. Mozilla is much easier to secure without having to have a degree in computer science, even if that security is an all or nothing feature. Firefox is also better when it comes to customizing your browsing experience. It offers considerably more add-ons and extensions than Internet Explorer 8. Other features that serve the user better than IE8 is how Firefox allows you to save your login info, while continuing to load the webpage you entered a password for.

IE8 simply waits for your response before continuing to load the page. In IE8 you if you don’t reload the last page you closed immediately blank tab, there’s no getting it back. With Firefox you can configure it to save your browsing session and reopen the next time you use Firefox. This feature is great for research and work. Now let’s talk about Google Chrome. If you’ve ever had multiple tabs up only to have them all shutdown because of an issue with the page your currently using then you have to love Chrome’s answer to this. Chrome isolates each tab (with some omplicated technology) so if one page acts up, it doesn’t necessarily take down your whole browser application. Secondly Chromes user interface is much simpler compared to Internet Explorer 8s. It has no search box, instead combining the search feature, address bar, and auto-complete feature together. When you open a new tab in Chrome it gives you thumbnail views of frequently visited sites, not just sites you closed like Internet Explorer 8. It also allows you to isolate, combine and organize tabs any way you’d like which is great for researching.

Last but not least, Chrome’s cookies and history information is destroyed as soon as you close the tab. Word processing software is the most common computer application there is. (Webopedia)It is used to create, edit, and print documents. MS Word is the most popular, ripe with formatting options and definitely worth the 139. 99. If that price is too high for some there are literally hundreds of word processing applications to choose from. The two that standout most to me are Corel WordPerfect and OpenOffice. Org Writer. Corel WordPerfect is a great word-processing application that lets you create documents with ease.

With it you can open, edit, and save MS Word files. What set it apart from other software are its PDF tools. You can create and edit PDFs. It can also access information directly from the web, meaning you can create a form with statistics or stock prices and then update them with the click of a button. (Corel) The only drawback to WordPerfect it’s only compatible with Windows operating systems. WordPerfect is 99$ and think it’s worth the price. OpenOffice. Org Writer is a great program. It is compatible with all computing platforms and you can open any document from any application.

It shares many of the same features as the most popular word processing software. You can install it on 100 computers if you like because it’s free. A spreadsheet is a table used to store and calculate different values. It is used to organize and analyze data. MS Excel is the front runner in spreadsheet software. OpenOffice. Org Calc is modeled after Excel so it has the same vibe. Some of the vocabulary is a little different than Excel. Being able to export documents as PDFs comes standard with Calc and of course the main advantage that Calc has is its free. (Darling, 2009) Planmaker spreadsheet software is compatible with MS Office.

It is best known for making really attractive charts and graphs. (PlanMaker 2010 – TopTenREVIEWS, 2010) Even though it is set-up in the same way as Excel and Calc, it’s known for being easier to navigate through. It is for Linux, Windows and Windows CE. The price of Planmaker is 79. 95$ and I think worth it. (SoftMaker : SoftMaker Office 2010 for Windows : PlanMaker, 2010) Presentation software is used to make presentations of slides that contain text, graphics, and also sound and visual effects. (google search, 2010) OpenOffice. org Impress is similar to PowerPoint and it is fully compatible with PowerPoint.

It can edit and save files in different formats and you can export your projects to Shock Wave Flash player so it can be played on. It has an eyedropper tool included, you can import files to PowerPoint and save as a PowerPoint. Like all OpenOffice. org apps, it’s free. OpenOffice. org Impress is similar to PowerPoint and it is fully compatible with PowerPoint. It can edit and save files in different formats and you can export your projects to Shock Wave Flash player so it can be played on. It has an eyedropper tool included, you can import files to PowerPoint and save as a PowerPoint. Like all OpenOffice. rg apps, it’s free. Keynote is a really advanced presentation application. Along with everything PowerPoint can do, you can use a video background that spans multiple slides. (Turnbull, 2010)The main advantage of working with Keynote is that animations and special effects are easier to implement than with PowerPoint. Keynote is compatible with PowerPoint and if you’re not sure whether your viewing audience is using a Mac or a PC, you can publish it to a website; the audience receives a link where they can download it in Keynote, PowerPoint or PDF. (Apple – iWork – Keynote – Create captivating presentations easily. 2010) With all the different choices of productivity software it’s hard to say which one is best. I use MS Office, MS Works, and WordPerfect. Last but certainly not least, I personally use OpenOffice. org and it serves me well. Software Name | Application| 2 advantages over Microsoft Word| Mozilla Firefox| Web Browser| * Easy security settings * More add-ons and extensions| Google Chrome| Web Browser| * Simpler User Interface * Better Tab System| WordPerfect X5| Word Processor| * Create and Edit PDFs * Can open, edit, ; save MS Word documents. | OpenOffice.

Org Writer| Word Processor| * Works on any computing platform. * You can open and edit any document from any application. * It’s free! | OpenOffice. Org Calc| Spreadsheet| * Its free * You can export spreadsheets as PDFs| SoftMaker| Spreadsheet| * Better looking charts. * Easier to use than Excel. | OpenOffice. Org Impress| Presentation| * Can export to flash * Eyedropper tool included * Edit and save presentations in different formats| Apple Keynote| Presentation| * Can publish to a Mac or PC easily * Animations ; Special Effects are easier to implement. Works Cited Apple – iWork – Keynote – Create captivating presentations easily. (2010). Retrieved September 9, 2010, from Apple: http://www. apple. com/iwork/keynote/#share Corel. (n. d. ). Office Suite – WordPerfect Office X5. Retrieved 2010, from http://www. corel. com/servlet/Satellite/us/en/Product/1208530087126? trkid=NASEMGglOP#tabview=tab2 Darling, C. (2009, October 9). Excel vs. Calc: Basic Differences Between Microsoft Excel and OpenOffice. org Calc. Retrieved September 6, 2010, from Suite101. com: http://www. suite101. om/content/microsoft-excel-vs-openofficeorg-calc-a156877 google search. (2010, August). Retrieved September 9, 2010, from google: http://www. google. com/search? hl=en;defl=en;q=define:Presentation+software;sa=X PlanMaker 2010 – TopTenREVIEWS. (2010, May). Retrieved September 7, 2010, from TopTenReviews: http://spreadsheet-software-review. toptenreviews. com/planmaker-review. html SoftMaker : SoftMaker Office 2010 for Windows : PlanMaker. (2010). Retrieved from SoftMaker Office 2010: http://www. softmaker. com/english/ofwpm_en. tm Stricklan, J. (2008, April 29). “What is so productive about productivity software? ” . Retrieved September 7, 2010, from How Stuff Works. com: http://communication. howstuffworks. com/productivity-software. html Turnbull, A. (2010, June 26). Keynote vs Powerpoint . Retrieved September 10, 2010, from THE EXTRAORDINARY MARKETER: http://arturnbull. wordpress. com/2010/06/26/keynote-vs-powerpoint/ Webopedia. (n. d. ). Retrieved September 7, 2010, from Internet. com: (http://www. webopedia. com/TERM/W/word_processing. html) Appendix 1 to:James Hardy