by Chuck Solly | .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) | Culture | November 13th, 2019
Your computer would be useless without the code (programs) that make it do something. The software produces a result, stores information, or finds information for you. During the first decade or so of computing, you would be given or have to buy the code for a particular .exe (executable) file that you would load on your computer hard drive and run it from there. It would produce results for you depending upon the function of the software.
These first pieces of software were very expensive... A word processor for $400, a spreadsheet program for about $300, etc. The word processor that I am using to write this column I bought just recently. The cost was $29.95 and it INCLUDED a spreadsheet and a presentation program. By looking around and paying attention to prices online, you can find some good deals for some commonly used software packages.
Different types of application software:
1) Word processing software. ...
2) Spreadsheet Software. ...
3) Desktop Publishing Software. ...
4) Database Software. ...
5) Communication Software. ...
6) Presentation Software. ...
7) Internet Browsers. ...
8) Email Programs...
These are the types of software that we can all use in our daily work. Most of this software is very versatile. I am constantly amazed at the vast number of functions available in these packages.
There is, however, another category of software. Normally referred to as “custom” software, it is written to satisfy the needs of a particular industry or even one business. An example of this is hospitals. Now hospitals have special needs, privacy, security, many functions, etc. To fulfill these needs will cost you big bucks. Epic Software is the software of choice for many hospitals. Prices for self-hosted Epic EMR software start as low as $1,200 and can top $500,000 for large clinics and hospitals. The EPIC EMR software can also be bought at an upfront price of about $1200 to $500,000 and more. I should also mention that these prices are for the core program. Things like training and specialized modules are extra and can easily take the costs up to a million. So you have to think twice before starting your own hospital.
There are other types of custom software, the types that serve broader industries such as the restaurant industry. Called POS (point-of-sale) software, this code is much cheaper but also performs fewer functions. Some POS systems are designed to work with any retail business and it will shorten the length of time you spend waiting to check out at your local family grocery store.
If you are in the market, use one of the search engines to explore the websites of the manufacturers of application software. You will get an education.
Extra Bonus: I am sure that all of the concert stage stars use computer software to control the sound and light used in their shows. I know that Celine Dion did the other night for her concert here in Fargo. The lighting and sound effects were spectacular! All of this was controlled by a computer including the remote-controlled lighted drones at the end of the show. Seeing a performance like that will tell you what computers and software are capable of. Sorry for you if you missed that show!
March 18th 2020
March 11th 2020
March 4th 2020
March 4th 2020
March 4th 2020
__293px-wide.jpg)
By the time this article is published, all the major new outlets in the area will have reported on the May 30th protest in Fargo demanding change and justice after the needless killing of George Floyd, as well as its aftermath. …
by Sonja ThompsonDebra Ruh is the CEO and Founder of Ruh Global IMPACT, a consulting firm that strives to help clients amplify their impact and become disability inclusion leaders. She also serves as the Chair of the United…
Thursday, March 19, 4:30- 8 pm1609 19th Ave N, FargoCass County Soil Conservation District is hosting their annual Ladies’ Ag Night supper event. This event has a goal of bringing together multiple generations of women involved…
by Sofia Makarova and Massimo Sassi The global pandemic is an incredibly challenging time for many. Nearlyone in every three Americans’ jobs have been affected, whether a temporary layoff, a permanent job loss, or a reduction in…
Predatory Capitalism Breeds Predatory Medical CareSurvival in the animal world depends upon who eats who. Wolf packs in Yellowstone chase down the oldest weakest elk and kill with a chokehold. African lion prides select the oldest…
To say that this year’s Bartenders Battle was the best display of talent in the six years since its creation would be an understatement and a disservice to not only the bartenders who made it into the competition, but also the…
It goes without saying that Valentine’s Day is the most profitable of all the holidays and the one with the most tortured history, literally. It is confusing how an ancient Roman festival that involved sacrificing animals and…
Fargo obviously loves their classical music. Audiences have still turned out during the 2019-2020 season of the Sanford Masterworks Series performed by the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony Orchestra despite an unrelenting winter. That…
Writer Rita Kalnejais adapts the script of her own 2012 play “Babyteeth,” and Shannon Murphy, delivering her feature directorial debut, guides a fantastic ensemble of performers to success in what could have been an…
This weekend, the 10th Annual Unglued Craft Fest will be held at the Plains Art Museum, featuring over 70 local and regional artists selling handmade items. Though most are Fargo-Moorhead residents, artists from Minneapolis, Sioux…
by Dominic EricksonThis March, the Fargo Film Festival will celebrate its 20th year of entertaining die-hard cinephiles and casual moviegoers alike. The festival begins on March 17 and concludes March 21. The event is once again…
by Kris Gruberperriex1@gmail.comAdam Quesnell's last show at The Cellar beneath the Front Street Taproom in Fargo was in early September of 2018. He was embarking on a seminal move from Minneapolis to LA. As always, his comedy was…
by Jill Finkelsonjsfinkelson99@gmail.comFar North Spirits, located up in Hallock, MN, is the northernmost distillery in the lower 48. They may be young in the distillery world but the farm and the spirit reach far into the past.…
by Laurie J Bakeremsdatter@gmail.com Part of modern yoga is participating in the world around us. We live in a time of upheaval in society and nature, and of great suffering in humans of all ages. Most of us perceive this suffering…
by HPR Contributor
by Devin Joubertdevinlillianjoubert@gmail.comIt’s that beautiful time of the year that’s filled with seasonal decorations, sparkly lights, warm family gatherings, and delicious feasts. I love everything about this time of the…
"…evil appears as good in the minds of those whom god leads to destruction." - Sophocles, Antigone“It is a mistake…as events since September 11 (2001) have shown—to suppose that a government can promote and participate in a…