Software for Home, Personal, and Educational Use

A large amount of application software is designed specifically for home, personal, and educational use. Most of the programs in this category are relatively inexpensive, often priced less than $ 100 and sometimes free. Let us discuss the features and functions of this application software.

Personal Finance Software

 Personal finance software is a simplified accounting program that helps home users and small office/home office users balance their checkbooks, pay bills, track personal income and expenses, set up budgets, manage home inventory, track investments, and evaluate financial plans. Personal finance software helps determine where, and for what purpose, you are spending money so that you can manage your finances. Reports can summarize transactions by category (such as dining), by payee (such as the electric company), or by time (such as the last two months). Financial planning features include analyzing home and personal loans, preparing income taxes, and managing retirement savings.

 Most of these personal finance programs also offer a variety of online services, which require access to the Internet. For example, users can track investments online, compare insurance rates from leading insurance companies, and bank online. Online banking offers access to account balances, provides bill payment services, and allows you to download monthly transactions and statements from the Web directly to your computer.

Legal Software

 Legal software assists in the preparation of legal documents and provides legal information to individuals, families, and small business. Legal software provides standard contracts and documents associated with buying, selling, and renting property; estate planning; marriage and divorce; and preparing a will or living trust. By answering a series of questions or completing a form, the legal software tailors the legal document to specific needs.

 Once the legal document is created, you can fit the paperwork with the appropriate agency, court, or office; or take the document to your attorney for his or her review and signature.

Tax Preparation Software

 Tax preparation software, which is available both as packaged software and as Web applications, can guide individuals, families, or small businesses through the process of filling taxes. These program forecast tax liability and offer money-saving tips, designed to lower your tax bill. After you answer a series of questions and complete basic forms, the software creates and analyzes your tax forms to search for potential errors and deduction opportunities. Once the forms are complete, you can print any necessary paperwork, and then they are ready for filing. Instead of mailing forms through the postal service, the IRS allows taxpayers to file their tax returns online, called e-filing.

Desktop Publishing software (for Personal Use)

 Instead of using professional DTP software, many home and small business users work with simpler, easy-to-understand DTP software designed for smaller-scale desktop publishing projects. Personal DTP software helps home and small business user create newsletters, brochures, flyers, advertisements, postcards, greeting cards, letterhead, business cards, banners, calendars, logos, and Web pages.

 Although many word processing programs include DTP features, users often prefer to create DTP documents using DTP software because of its enhanced features. For example, personal DTP programs provide hundreds of thousands of graphical images. You also can import (bring in) your own digital photos into the documents. These programs typically guide you through the development of a document by asking a series of questions, offering numerous predefined layouts, and providing standard text you can add to documents. Then, you can print a finished publication on a color printer or post it on the Web in a format that can be viewed by those without DTP software.

 Many personal DTP programs also include paint/image editing software and photo editing and photo management software.

Paint/Image Editing Software (for Personal Use)

 Personal paint/image editing software provides an easy-to-use interface, usually with more simplified capabilities than its professional counterpart, including functions tailored to meet the needs of the home and small business user.

 As with the professional versions, personal paint software includes various simplified tools that allow you to draw pictures, shapes, and other images. Personal image editing software provides the capabilities of paint software and the ability to modify existing graphics and photos. The programs also include many templates to assist you in adding images to documents such as greeting cards, banners, calendars, signs, labels, business cards, and letterhead. Some operating systems include a basic/image editing program.

Photo Editing and Photo Management Software

 Instead of professional photo editing software, many home and small business users work with easier-to-use personal photo editing software, which is available both as packaged software and as Web applications. Personal photo editing software allows users to edit digital photos by removing red-eye, erasing blemishes, restoring aged photos, adding special effects, enhancing image quality, or creating electronic photo albums. When you purchase a digital camera, it usually includes photo editing software. Some digital cameras even have basic photo editing software built in so that you can edit the image directly on the camera. You can print edited photos on labels, calendars, business cards, and banners, or you can post them on the Web. Some photo editing software allows users to send digital photos to an online print service, which will deliver high-resolution printed images through the postal service or allow you to pick them up at a local store. Many online print services also have a photo community where users can post photos on the Web for others to view and purchase, if desired.

 With photo management software, you can view, organize, sort, catalog, print, and share digital photos. Some photo editing software includes photo management functionality.

Clip Art/Image Gallery

 Application software often includes a clip art/image gallery, which is a collection of clip art and photos. Some programs have links to additional clips available on the Web or are available as Web applications. You also can purchase clip art/image gallery software that contains thousands of images.

 In addition to clip art, many clip art/image galleries provide fonts, animations, sounds, video clips, and audio clips. You can use the images, fonts, and other items from the clip art/image gallery in all types of documents, including word processing, desktop publishing, spreadsheet, and presentations.

Video and Audio Editing Software (for Personal Use)

 Many home users work with easy-to-use video and audio editing software, which is much simpler to use than its professional counterpart, for small-scale movie making projects. With these programs, home users can edit home movies, add music or other sounds to the video, and share their movies on the Web. Some operating systems include video editing and audio editing software.

Home Design/Landscaping Software

 Homeowners or potential homeowners can use home design/landscaping software to assist them with the design, remodeling, or improvement of a home, deck, or landscape.

 Home design/landscaping software includes hundreds of predrawn plans that you can customize to meet your needs. These programs show changes to home designs and landscapes, allowing homeowners to preview proposed modifications. Once designed, many home design/landscaping programs print a materials list outlining costs and quantities for the entire project.

Travel and Mapping Software

 Travel and mapping software enables users to view maps, determine route directions, and locate points of interest. Using travel and mapping software, which is available both as packaged software and as Web applications, you can display maps by searching for an address, postal code, telephone number, or point of interest ( such as airports, lodging and historical sites). This software often provides driving directions when a user enters a starting and destination point. Most programs also allow you to download construction reports and calculate mileage, time, and expenses. Many are compatible with mobile devices such as smart phones and portable media players. Many navigation devices, including those in vehicles, have travel and mapping software.

Reference and Educational Software

 Reference software provides valuable and thorough information for all individuals. Popular reference software includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, and health/medical guides.

 Educational software is software that teaches a particular skill. Educational software exists for just about any subject, from learning how to type to learning how to cook. Preschool to high-school learners use educational software to assist them with subjects such as reading and math or to prepare them for class or college entrance exams. Educational software often includes games and other content to make the learning experience more fun.

 Many educational programs use a computer-based training approach. Computer-based training (CBT), also called computer-aided instruction (CAI), is a type of education in which students learn by using and completing exercises with instructional software. CBT typically consists of self-directed, self-paced instruction about a topic. Beginning athletes, for example, use CBT programs to learn the intricacies of baseball, football, soccer, tennis, and golf. The military and airlines use CBT simulations to train pilots to fly in various conditions and environments.

Entertainment Software

 Entertainment software for personal computers, game consoles, and mobile devices includes interactive games, videos, and other programs designed to support a hobby or provide amusement and enjoyment. For example, you might use entertainment software to play games individually or with others online, make a family tree, or fly an aircraft. Many games are available as Web applications, allowing you to play individually or with other online players.