Chapter 21

Compare and Contrast General Application Concepts and Uses

Regardless of the type of software you or your organization use, from operating systems to office suites, understanding software platforms, license agreements, and installation best practices is essential to making wise choices and using software legally. In this chapter, you learn about IT Fundamentals+ Objective 3.6: Compare and contrast general application concepts and uses: single-platform software, cross-platform software (compatibility concerns), licensing (single use, group use/site license, concurrent license, open source vs. proprietary, subscription vs. one-time purchase, and product keys and serial numbers), and software installation best practices (reading instructions, reading agreements, and advanced options).

• If the same fonts are not available on the originating device and the targeted device, font substitutions will take place. Font substitutions could significantly change the appearance of documents, presentations, and graphic designs (see Figure 21-2).

• Differences in photo-handling support between Windows and macOS or between Windows and iOS or Android could cause problems when viewing or using images. Figure 21-3 shows a portion of Microsoft’s comparison of PowerPoint picture features on different platforms.

  

  

• Differences in built-in video and music playback support between Windows and macOS or between Windows and iOS or Android could cause problems when playing videos or music. Be sure to choose common file formats to avoid problems. For example, cross-platform audio files such as MP3 are better choices in a presentation than WMA (Windows Media Audio, developed by Microsoft) or AIFF (Audio Interchange File Format, developed by Apple).

• Differences in feature support across platforms can cause problems in opening files or in viewing file contents. Microsoft Office apps such as PowerPoint and Excel include compatibility checkers that can help find issues with older versions’ support for new features. Figures 21-4 and 21-5 illustrate how the Excel Compatibility Checker can find features in an Excel file that can cause issues with older versions of Excel.

There are many different types of licenses for software. The following sections discuss how they differ. If you have questions about software licensing, be sure to check with the software vendors you use.

Concurrent licenses are also used with networked apps. For example, a four-user concurrent app would block additional users from logging on if four users were already using the app. However, once a user logged off, another user could log on.

Concurrent licensing is different from simultaneous licensing. For example, Microsoft Office 365 Home allows up to five users to install and use the product at the same time on macOS or Windows computers. Up to five tablets and five smartphones can also use the subscription (see Figure 21-6).

On the other hand, open source operating systems such as Linux and Android and apps such as Apache Open Office, Libre Office, and the GIMP are open, meaning any developer can obtain the source code and reuse it or improve it. Open source apps are typically made available free of charge. Commercial versions of open source apps charge for support and for enhancements.

Originally, open source apps were available mainly for Linux operating systems; the many versions of Linux are the result of Linux itself being an open source software product. In recent years, an increasing number of apps for macOS and Windows have also been released as open source products. To find open source apps for macOS and Windows, check out Github.com and Sourceforge.net. These are two of the websites that specialize in hosting open source apps that are ready to use as well as the software coding that can be reused and adapted for other projects.

• One-time purchase: This is a single payment to license the software for as long as the user wants to use it. A one-time purchase license does not expire.

• Subscription: This is a monthly or yearly payment to license the software for that time period. A subscription expires if the user stops paying for it. The software might run in a reduced-capability mode or stop working completely until the subscription is renewed.

Depending on the specific licensing agreement, a one-time purchase may not be transferable to a different computer. On the other hand, a subscription is usually transferable. A subscription also enables users to receive frequent updates (sometimes monthly) to apps and is usually less expensive than making a one-time purchase every year. A subscription for multiple users can be much less expensive. Here’s an example, based on US dollars:

Microsoft Office 365 Home (five users): $99.99/year, under $20/user. Microsoft Office 365 Personal (one user): $69.99/year, $69.99/user.

Microsoft Office Home and Student 2016 for PC (one user): $149.99/one-time purchase, $149.99/user.

All versions include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. However, Office 365 Home and 365 Personal also include apps not available in Office Home and Student, such as Outlook, Publisher (Windows only), and Access (Windows only), and two services, such as OneDrive cloud storage and Skype messaging.

A one-time purchase makes sense in this example only for a single user who does not need the additional programs and services, will not be replacing the app for at least three years, and does not need frequent updates.

Many established software vendors are moving to the subscription model. However, newcomers who are seeking to undercut an established vendor may offer one-time purchase licenses that are substantially cheaper than a subscription.

The process of checking this information and verifying the installation is genuine is known as activation. In some cases, the serial number must be sent to the vendor after the product is ordered to receive a product key that is entered to activate the software.

With subscription software such as Adobe Creative Cloud, Microsoft Office 365, and web-based apps, the user’s account information is used to activate the software. With a multiuser subscription such as Microsoft Office 365, the subscribing user sends invitations to other users granting them permission to install and activate the software.

• System is not compatible with the app. Check the system requirements (operating system version, processor type and speed, RAM size) for the app and compare it to your device’s operating system and hardware.

  For Windows, open the System properties sheet (see Figure 21-8) or select Settings, System, About (see Figure 21-9). For macOS, open About this Mac (see Figure 21-10). For Linux with a GUI, open a dialog such as Settings (see the Ubuntu version in Figure 21-11). For Linux from the command line (Terminal), run inxi (see http://goinglinux.com/articles/SysInfo.html).

  

  

• You missed last-minute changes to the app or the installation process. To avoid this problem, check the installation media for a “readme” file. It could be a text file or a file you can open with most word processing programs, such as an RTF (Rich Text) or DOC (Microsoft Word) file. Read it before you start the installation process.

  

  

• Lost license key or serial number means no installation for you! Be sure to keep the packaging if it contains a license key or serial number. Without this information, you have an overpriced CD or DVD that can’t be used. If you are installing a downloaded app, check your email and save your purchase receipt and installation information.

• Clean up the old before installing the new. If you are upgrading an older version of an app, there may be special instructions before proceeding. You might need to remove (uninstall) the older version first or save the preference files (personalized settings) for reuse.

• Back up the old (operating system) before installing the new. The regular backup app in Windows 10 backs up data files, not the operating system, and the image backup utilities in older versions of Windows don’t always work well. Use a third-party image backup utility (an image is the entire contents of the system drive). If your system has a Seagate or Western Digital drive installed, you can get a free limited version of Acronis True Image (Seagate DiscWizard: https://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/discwizard/) or Acronis True Image (WD Edition: https://www.wdc.com/products/features/acronis.html). With macOS, use Time Machine as it backs up both system and data files (https://support.apple.com/en-in/HT201250). With Linux, use backup apps such as rsync (grsync is a GUI version) and others. See https://www.tecmint.com/linux-system-backup-tools/ for recommendations.

• Close other apps to avoid problems later. Frequently, you are advised to close other running apps before starting the installation process. If you don’t, you might have problems updating shared program file libraries.

• No reboot, problems follow. If the installation program prompts you to reboot after installation, do it. Your new software (or hardware) might not work until you do. However, if you are installing more than one program, you can reboot after installing the other apps.

• Have an ISO file but no optical drive? Many apps are distributed as ISO (optical disc image) files (.iso is the usual extension for these files). You can sometimes install directly from an ISO file by mounting the media. However, in some cases, you need to create an optical disc or USB install media.

  In Windows 8 and later, right-click an ISO file in File Explorer and select Mount (see Figure 21-12). Windows assigns the ISO file a drive letter, which you can open to run the installation program.

  In macOS, use Disk Utility to mount an ISO file. In Linux, make a folder (directory) and use the sudo mount command (see http://linuxg.net/how-to-mountunmount-iso-images-in-linux-and-unix-systems/ for details).

  If you need to create a bootable USB flash drive from a Windows operating system ISO file, you can use the free Rufus utility (www.lifewire.com/how-to-burn-an-iso-file-to-a-usb-drive-2619270). If you want to create a Live USB flash drive that can be used for testing a Linux distribution without installing it, use UNetbootin (https://unetbootin.github.io/).

  

• Unzip now, install later. Many apps for Windows and some for other operating systems are downloaded as PKZIP (ZIP) files. To unzip these files in Windows, you can use the Extract All option in File Manager (see Figure 21-13). The default location for the extracted files is a folder with the same name as the ZIP file, but you can choose a different location if desired. To extract files in macOS, double-click the file. To extract files in Linux, you can use the GUI file manager or run the Terminal command unzip filename. See https://www.wikihow.com/Unzip-Files-in-Linux for a visual tutorial.

  

Even if you have installed many programs before, take time to read the instructions.

Briefly, the license limits you to a single installation of Windows 10 on a computer or as a virtual machine. You can’t use the components of Windows 10 on different computers, but you can have up to 20 users access a shared printer, drive, or other shared feature on the Windows 10 computer over a network. Your ability to transfer the license varies according to whether Windows 10 was preinstalled on a new computer or if you installed it yourself. Updates are automatic. There are downgrade rights to Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 for Windows 10 Professional. The remainder of the license agreement covers arbitration, differences in consumer rights by countries and regions, and additional information such as limits on special-use versions. The warranty follows.

Because licenses are rather dry reading, some vendors will not permit you to click to accept the agreement until you scroll through the entire window.

Open source licenses are typically much less restrictive than proprietary software licenses, but they exist for the same reason: to tell you what you can and cannot do with software. Here’s the link to the license for a popular open source office suite, LibreOffice: https://www.libreoffice.org/about-us/licenses/.

Some of the differences you’ll notice compared to the Microsoft Windows 10 license are that the LibreOffice license discusses licensing on any works you create based on LibreOffice and that LibreOffice itself is based on Apache OpenOffice.

• Where to install the software

• Install for all users of the computer, or only the current user

• Install all available import/export filters for documents, photos, and other files

• Install all software features

• Allow software to open all supported file types (file associations)

• Check for automatic updates

With the low cost of disk space today, I see no reason not to install all available features and filters for a software package. However, there can be good reasons to install a package only for the current user if other users of the computer don’t need it. Figure 21-14 shows some of these options during the installation of the GIMP graphics editor.

If you have difficulties starting your system after installing a new operating system, either as a fresh installation or as an upgrade, there are custom startup options you can use to help recover. The term Safe Mode is used for many of these options. In Safe Mode, only essential hardware and software are available, and the display might run at a lower resolution than normal.

With Windows 7, for example, you can press the F8 key (Fn+F8 on some keyboards) to bring up a menu with startup options such as Safe Mode (loads minimal drivers), Safe Mode with Network Support (minimal drivers with access to your network/Internet), and others. To learn more, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17419/windows-7-advanced-startup-options-safe-mode.

In Windows 10, the startup options are similar but are accessed from either the Settings menu (Advanced Startup) or from the Sign-in screen. To learn more, see https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/4026206/windows-get-to-safe-mode-and-other-startup-settings-in-windows-10. Windows 8.1 instructions can be found at https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17076/windows-8-startup-settings-safe-mode.

To start your Mac in Safe Mode, hold down the left Shift key when you turn it on. For other startup options, see https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201255. Some Linux distros use the same option as Mac. For others, you change options in the boot manager. Look up the details for the distro you use.

concurrent license

cross-platform software

group use/site license

one-time purchase

open source

Single-platform software

single use license

subscription

proprietary

1. Open source

2. Cross-platform

3. Proprietary

4. Site licensed

2. Which of the following is accurate when considering a cross-platform application?

1. It will work the same on every platform.

2. Some versions will work only in a virtualized environment.

3. Some features might vary.

4. It must be open source.

3. You are creating a presentation that will run on both Windows and macOS versions of PowerPoint. Which of the following file types should you choose for sound and music effects in the presentation?

1. DOCX

2. WMA

3. AIFF

4. MP3

4. You are creating a workbook in Microsoft Excel 2016 that will be emailed to a user with Microsoft Excel 2007. Which of the following should you do before emailing the file?

1. Create a macro.

2. Use Compatibility Checker.

3. Ask the user to perform a custom installation of their Excel 2007 program.

4. Check https://answers.microsoft.com to make sure the file will work.

5. What displays a EULA?

1. A new display

2. Only open source apps

3. Only hardware

4. A software installation program

6. You are using your laptop and your desktop and want to use an installed program on both computers at the same time. You start the program on your desktop computer. However, when you start the program on your laptop computer, it will not run. Your software has which type of license?

1. Concurrent license

2. Single user

3. Open source

4. Site license

7. You are considering creating an improved version of a calendaring app with the permission of the vendor and without licensing fees. What type of license does the calendaring app have?

1. Site license

2. Open source

3. Subscription

4. Free

8. You have started to use a computer that is running an application that is three versions behind the current version. It was purchased and installed five years ago. What type of a license is it using?

1. Open source

2. Subscription

3. Free

4. One-time purchase

9. You are installing Adobe Creative Cloud, which is provided as a subscription. Which of the following would you enter to validate your installation?

1. Your software serial number

2. Your IP address

3. Your Adobe account information

4. Your computer’s account information

10. Before you install a new program for your client, your client wants to know what types of installations are permitted. You tell your client to download and review which of the following?

1. URL

2. EULA

3. Win.com

4. HTML

11. Your client wants to share a printer on a Windows 10 computer with 25 other users. You inform him this is not permitted because of which of the following?

1. It violates the EULA.

2. Windows 10 can’t share a printer.

3. It’s not covered in the EULA.

4. No drivers are available.

12. You are installing a program and need to change the normal location for the program and change what features are installed. You are performing which of the following?

1. Network installation

2. Custom installation

3. Standard installation

4. EULA modification

13. A client is installing a subscription program and is panicking because there is no prompt for a serial number. Which of the following statements will solve the problem?

1. “Use your account information.”

2. “Enter your IP address.”

3. “Enter your ZIP Code.”

4. “Call the vendor and ask them for a serial number.”

14. You have a program with a single-use software license for computers or virtual machines and need to install it on a computer and a VM. Which of the following should you do to take care of your client and follow the license agreement?

1. Install the software on the VM and then on the computer.

2. Install the software on the computer or on the VM.

3. Buy a second software license.

4. Install the software on the computer and then on the VM.

15. Your client has recently switched from Windows to macOS. Their most important software is cross-platform. What do you need to do to get them running on the new computer?

1. Install the Windows version on macOS.

2. License the macOS version and install it.

3. Turn on the cross-platform option in macOS.

4. Check the EULA.

16. Which of the following enables all users in a defined department, company, or location to legally run licensed software?

1. Single-use license

2. Group or site license

3. Open source license

4. EULA license

17. Which of the following is a typical advanced/custom installation option?

1. Install for all users of the computer, or only the current user.

2. Where to install the software.

3. Install all software features.

4. Check for automatic updates.

5. All of the above are typical advanced/custom installation options.

18. Your client asks you what will happen if they stop making payments on their monthly software license subscription. How should you respond?

1. They will be given a seven-day grace period to choose a free open source alternative.

2. The subscription will expire if they stop paying for it and the software will then stop working.

3. A one-time purchase payment to license the subscription software will be offered.

4. They will be reported to the software vendor’s certificate authority.

19. What are the major risks associated with downloading and using unlicensed software?

1. Heavy fines and malware

2. EULA suspension and data invalidation

3. Feature and filter loss for software packages

4. Being restricted to site and seat licensing only

20. Which of the following is considered a compatibility concern?

1. Font substitution

2. Differences in photo handling

3. Differences in feature support

4. All of the above