Included in the ms office package. Microsoft office - software package for home and office

The possibility of electronic processing of various documents can be called one of the main reasons for the mass distribution of personal computers, both among home users and in the corporate sector. Gone are typewriters, manuscripts, and even ordinary letters are increasingly rarely seen written by hand. Nowadays, almost any printed matter and documents: be it diplomas or abstracts, magazines or books, statements or notes, reports or presentations, are created on a computer. After all, an electronic document can be corrected, altered, supplemented, sent by e-mail, printed on paper or posted on the Internet at any time. collaboration over it. I probably won’t be wrong if I say that almost every person who has ever sat down at a computer has had to deal with processing text documents, and for many this was the reason for their first acquaintance with a PC.

Despite the fact that all modern operating systems have built-in tools for working with text data, their capabilities cannot be compared with special software, the so-called office applications. They are designed to process all kinds of electronic documentation on the user's computer and therefore, as a rule, consist of several components with a similar interface and good interaction with each other. The most famous office suites include: Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.org, Corel WordPerfect Office, StarOffice, Lotus SmartSuite, Ashampoo Office and iWork (for Mac OS). Each of the products in this area has its own set of components, design solutions and of course functionality. In our article today, we will get acquainted with one of the most popular office solutions for users, developed by Microsoft - MS Office.

HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENT

This popular office suite first saw the light back in 1992 and at the beginning of its journey it included 4 applications, which still remain fundamental for it: Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Mail. Access was added to this group in 1994, and Shedule+ in 1995. In '97, the Mail email application and Shedule+ calendar replace the Outlook organizer and add the Photo Editor. In 1999, the Publisher application for preparing publications, the FrontPage website creation program appeared, and PhotoEditor was replaced by PhotoDraw. After the release of Office XP in 2001, the PhotoDraw image editor finally disappeared from the office suite, and in 2003, FrontPage. At the same time, a new data collection and management application appears in Office 2003 - InfoPath.

In general, the 2003 office suite for Microsoft is becoming a very successful product. It was there that a new icon design in the WindowsXP style was introduced, which undoubtedly influenced the attractiveness of this solution.

And office applications themselves have matured over the years of development, and some formats (.doc, .xls) have become the standard in the document flow of most enterprises. Even today, 8 years later, many users continue to use MS Office 2003, not wanting to master the revolutionary interface first introduced by the developers in early 2007.

In Office 2007, the software giant decided to abandon the familiar system menu, replacing it with a Ribbon interface based on toolbars separated by tabs. Buttons on ribbons, unlike toolbars, can be of different sizes, for example, those that are needed more often can be larger, and samples of the styles used can be located inside them.

The buttons themselves are grouped into groups by topic. Rarely used buttons are usually hidden, but still accessible via a drop-down menu.

Microsoft experts say that this innovative approach allows you to collect all the functions in one place, thereby increasing convenience user interface, and helps you use Office more effectively. True, the users themselves greeted such radical changes coolly, and a lot of criticism was expressed towards the developers.

However, the ribbon interface allows users to use much more more features office suite, because most of them are now in plain sight, not hidden deep in the menu. At Microsoft itself new system management sees the future, and this is confirmed by the company's latest development in this area - Office 2010.

With the release of Microsoft Office 2010, Ribbon was radically redesigned and improved, which is recognized even by opponents of the ribbon interface. In addition, changes were made to the design style of the feed, which was also positively received by users. Therefore, now few people have any doubts that the office suite from Microsoft will continue to develop in this direction.

Currently, the office suite of applications from Microsoft is being created for operating systems of the Windows family and Apple Mac OS X and has 32-bit and 64-bit editions.

APPLICATION COMPONENTS

Now let's take a closer look at the applications that are part of MS Office using the example of the latest version of this package - Office 2010. It should be noted that for the convenience of positioning the product on the market, the office package has several editions, on which the availability of certain applications in it. For example, the latest Office has six of them: “Elementary”, “Home and Study”, “Home and Business”, “Standard”, “Professional” and “Professional Plus”.

As can be seen from the table, a modern office suite can contain from 2 to 10 different applications, depending on its edition.

Microsoft Word(Word)- an application for working with text documents. This word processor has been the most popular among all those used in this moment. That is why the “doc” document format has become the de facto standard for modern document management, and many competing programs support compatibility with this format.

With Word, you can easily create beautifully designed, professional-quality documents and organize them. In addition to multiple text styling options, you have a variety of supporting tools at your disposal: a table designer, image editing tools, inserting ready-made shapes, a chart and bar graph designer, inserting SmarArt graphic objects for visual presentation of information, and many others. At the same time, users can collaborate on projects and documents, as well as simultaneously edit them.

Microsoft Office Excel (Excel)- application for working with spreadsheets. As in the case of Word, it occupies a leading position in the market and therefore the “xls” format for this type of document is also a de facto standard.

The Excel application opens up wide possibilities for data analysis, as well as for managing and exchanging them. Powerful data visualization tools, summarizing data using small charts that fit into a cell with text (sparklines), and quickly filtering large volumes of data help you effectively compare results, tracking and highlighting important trends. Spreadsheet files can be easily sent to the Internet to be shared with other users.

Microsoft OneNote (VanNote)- an application for storing notes and collaborating with them in a single, easily accessible location. Allows you to work with both text and images, as well as video and audio notes.

Sharing your notebooks gives you the ability to create and edit notes simultaneously with remote users, or simply sync your data to ensure it's up to date. You can also take notes while working in other Office applications or Internet Explorer, and OneNote will provide a link to the location in the original document you were viewing when you added the note, allowing you to automatically link ideas to the content you create.

Microsoft PowerPoint (PowerPoint)- application for preparing presentations. Allows you to create and manage high-quality dynamic presentations. By using sound and visual effects (adding video and animation), you can present viewers with a clear, powerful picture that is as easy to create as it is fun to watch.

Using PowerPoint, you can not only add, but also edit multimedia content, using a variety of artistic and video effects. The application also allows you to use dynamic volumetric slide changing effects and realistic animation effects.

Microsoft Outlook- a personal organizer, which includes: a calendar, a task planner, notes, an email manager and an address book. This application allows you to manage multiple email accounts in one place, which is much more convenient than checking messages in several mailboxes separately. You also have at your disposal a single means of managing all calendars, because in Outlook you can create any number of them for each category of events, so as not to get confused in one large schedule filled with events.

Outlook 2010 allows you to connect to your favorite social networks and centrally track various events happening there. In addition, you can transfer all your contacts from Hotmail or Gmail services, and all updates to the contact information of your friends with whom you are in the same social network, such as Facebook, are also automatically reflected in Outlook contacts.

Microsoft Publisher- an application for creating, customizing and distributing all kinds of professional-quality publications and marketing materials. Even without experience in the field graphic design, with a variety of templates, you can create brochures, newsletters, business cards, postcards, email materials and other publications.

Users have professional image editing tools at their disposal, modern technologies alignment of objects, the ability to create dynamic publications, advanced typographic capabilities for text design and a convenient means of previewing the created material and distributing it. The possibility of sharing and distributing publications has also not been forgotten.

MicrosoftAccess- applications for creating and managing databases. This effective personal data management tool is primarily aimed at the corporate sector, small businesses and non-profit organizations, although ordinary users can find use for it, for example, for cataloging home audio-video libraries.

Access 2010 adds new ways to access and share databases. Viewing and editing databases can be done directly via the Internet, and users who do not have this application can open web forms and reports through a browser.

MicrosoftInfoPath- an application for collecting and managing data. As a rule, it is used by organizations to optimize their own business processes, is intended for experienced business users or developers, and is unlikely to be of interest to home PC users.

InfoPath allows you to create complex electronic forms to quickly and cost-effectively capture information based on the type of solution your organization needs and connect them to business systems.

SharePoint Workspace (Sharpoint Workspace) - an application that enhances the ability to collaborate on documents and their libraries in a single special SharePoint Workspace environment.

This tool is more aimed at business groups in medium-sized organizations and large enterprises that need a single workspace with extensive capabilities public access to data, as well as their joint editing and is unlikely to be useful to home users.

MicrosoftLync - an application that combines common means of communication. Positioned as a solution for medium-sized businesses and large enterprises. Combines the capabilities of instant messaging, organizing meetings and voice communication. The client has a toolbar that makes it easy to find and access frequently used features such as the dialer, visual voicemail, and lists of contacts and active conversations.

CONCLUSION

Having considered all the components that make up the modern Microsoft Office 2010 suite, it's time to take stock.

There is no doubt that such a set of versatile solutions can satisfy almost any user. The quality level of the created electronic documents with the tools included in this office suite is really very high and accessible even for beginners. That is why some formats from Microsoft Office are accepted as de facto standards for most of the world's document flow.

Many people probably know (or guess) that this office suite is paid, and its cost and distribution directly depend on its edition. Of the 6 available options, only 4 are available for home users: “Elementary”, “For home and study”, “For home and office” and “Professional”. It should be taken into account that the “Initial” edition, containing the two most popular applications- Word and Excel, distributed free of charge, and only with new computers that have the operating system preinstalled Windows system. The “Standard” and “Professional Plus” editions are distributed only to corporate clients.

The most budget-friendly option for home users would be the Office Home and Student suite. Today its cost is 2990 rubles. It comes with four apps: Word, an Excel spreadsheet, OneNote, and a note-taking app. PowerPoint presentations. We can say that such a gentleman's set is suitable for most users working with documents at home. Please also note that the office suite of applications for home and study is not intended for use for commercial purposes (for profit) and non-profit organizations, as well as in government agencies.

And yet the absence in this edition of such a component as Outlook - personal organizer and a good email client, for some it will be a reason to turn their attention to the Office for home and business edition. True, for this set of components, there are no longer any restrictions on the purpose of its use (as indicated by the business prefix), which is immediately reflected in the cost of the product, which more than doubles and currently amounts to 6990 rubles. I think that for many, overpaying 4,000 rubles for Outlook will seem unreasonable and purchasing this edition for the home remains the prerogative of enthusiasts.

Office Professional contains two additional components - Publisher and Access, applications for creating publications and working with databases, respectively. But the price of 17,990 rubles clearly indicates that this product is aimed at business use.

So, if you like the Microsoft Office product, then the most optimal set of applications for use on your home PC will be Office for Home and Student. Well, for all those who are just starting to master office applications, we will soon prepare more detailed materials on each of the applications included in this edition.

In the professional skills section or additional information many indicate computer knowledge. But not everyone can make a list computer programs for a resume. Of course, it’s best to only indicate software that you really know how to work with. After all, the recruiter may ask you to show your skills right at the interview.

Writing rules

HR officers advise writing about computer skills even to those people who are applying for a position not related to working on a PC. When describing your level of proficiency in this technique, you can indicate a list of programs that you know how to use. You also need to write down at what level you know the computer. You can indicate this as follows:

• confident PC user;
• average level;
• entry-level computer skills.

But it’s not worth describing in detail about your knowledge of certain programs. Each applicant can use this example of writing this column:

Advanced user. Ability to work with basic MS Office programs (Access, Excel, Power Point, Word, WordPad), graphic editors ( Picture Manager, CorelDRAW), programs for sending and receiving electronic correspondence (Outlook Express). I can quickly search for the necessary information on the Internet, I can work with various browsers (Opera, Firefox, Chrome, Amigo, Internet Explorer). Good knowledge of the features of the Windows operating system.

The universal version of this section may look slightly different:

Intermediate PC skills. Ability to work with MS Office programs (experience with Excel, Word), search and download necessary information via the Internet (worked with Opera, Firefox browsers), can send emails.

Specifics of professions

There are a number of specialties for which it is necessary to list knowledge of programs that help to work. Of course, it’s better to start the description with general information about the level of computer skills and the ability to work with basic programs. For example, in an accountant’s resume this column might look like this:

Confident computer user. Knowledge of basic Microsoft Office programs such as MS Access, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, ability to work with by email(including in Outlook Express, Mirramail, EmailOpenViewPro). Excellent Internet skills in various browsers (worked in Opera, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and others). Knowledge of specialized computer programs: 1C: Accounting 7.7 and 8, Parus, Client-Bank systems.

Too large a list listing all kinds of software can have the opposite effect: the employer will decide that your knowledge is very superficial.

It would be nice if an applicant for the position of sales manager, in addition to the list of basic PC programs, also indicates knowledge of specialized ones. In his resume, the specified section of the “professional skills” column may look like this:

Level of competent user. Search skills specialized information on the Internet, experience with various browsers (including Explorer, Opera, Chrome and others). Knowledge of the basics of working with Linux and Windows operating systems, basic office programs, text and graphic editors(Word, WordPad, PowerPoint, Access, Paint, Excel, Photoshop). Skills in working with specialized systems “BEST”, 1C:Enterprise (specification “Trade and Warehouse”), experience in working with a CRM system that regulates relationships with customers.

If the position requires more in-depth knowledge of certain programs, then they must be indicated. So, for the position of PHP programmer, in addition to the ability to work with a PC, you may need the following: knowledge of PHP, social media API, WordPress API, CSS, HTML, JS, CSS.

In the latter case, you need to focus on your knowledge and the employer’s requirements.

If mastering new programs does not cause you any difficulties, this is worth noting at the end of the section.

Microsoft Office -- Office suite of applications created by Microsoft for operating systems Microsoft systems Windows and Apple Mac OS X. This package includes software for working with various types documents: texts, spreadsheets, databases, etc. Microsoft Office is an OLE object server and its functions can be used by other applications, as well as by the Microsoft Office applications themselves. Supports scripts and macros written in VBA

Composition of Microsoft Office

Microsoft Office comes in several editions. Differences between editions in the package composition and price. The most complete of them contains:

• · Microsoft Office Word - word processor. Available for Windows and Apple Mac OS X. Allows you to prepare documents of varying complexity. Supports OLE, third party plugins, templates and more. The main format in the latest version is positioned as open Microsoft Office Open XML, which is a ZIP archive containing text in XML form, as well as all the necessary graphics. The most common binary file format is Microsoft Word 97--2000 with the .doc extension. The product occupies a leading position in the word processor market, and its formats are used as the de facto standard in the document flow of most enterprises. Word is also available in some editions of Microsoft Works. The main competitors are OpenOffice.org Writer, StarOffice Writer, Corel WordPerfect and Apple Pages (only on the Mac OS platform), as well as, with some reservations, AbiWord (in cases where its capabilities are sufficient, and the small volume and speed of work at low resource requirements are more important).
• · Microsoft Office Excel - spreadsheet processor. Supports all the necessary functions for creating spreadsheets of any complexity. Occupies a leading position in the market. Latest version uses the OOXML format with the extension “.xlsx”, more early versions used a binary format with the extension “.xls”. Available for Windows and Apple Mac OS X. Main competitors are OpenOffice.org Calc, StarOffice, Gnumeric, Corel Quattro Pro and Apple Numbers (Mac OS platform only).
• · Microsoft Office Outlook (not to be confused with Outlook Express) is a personal communicator. Outlook includes: calendar, task scheduler, notes, email manager, address book. Network collaboration is supported. The main competitors of the email client are Mozilla Thunderbird/SeaMonkey, Eudora Mail, The Bat!. The main competitors of the personal data manager are Mozilla, Lotus Organizer and Novell Evolution. Available for Windows. The equivalent for Apple Mac OS X is Microsoft Entourage, but Microsoft intends to replace Entourage and bring back Outlook in the Office for mac:2011 package.
• · Microsoft Office PowerPoint - an application for preparing presentations for Microsoft Windows and Apple Mac OS X. The main competitors are OpenOffice.org Impress, Corel WordPerfect and Apple Keynote.
• · Microsoft Office Access is an application for database management.
• · Microsoft Office InfoPath, a data collection and management application, simplifies the process of collecting information.
• · Microsoft Office Communicator - designed to organize comprehensive communication between people. Microsoft Office Communicator 2007 provides the ability to communicate through simple instant messaging, voice and video conversations. This application is part of the Microsoft Office software package and is tightly integrated with it, allowing it to work in conjunction with any program in the Microsoft Office family.
• · Microsoft Office Publisher - an application for preparing publications.
• · Microsoft Office Visio, a business and technical diagramming application, lets you transform concepts and common business data into diagrams.
• · Microsoft Office Project - project management.
• · Microsoft Query - viewing and selecting information from databases.
• · Microsoft Office OneNote is an application for recording and managing notes.
• · Microsoft Office Groove 2007 - an application to support collaboration.
• · Microsoft Office SharePoint Designer - a tool for building applications on Microsoft platform SharePoint and SharePoint site customizations.
• · Microsoft Office Picture Manager - working with pictures.
• · Microsoft Office Document Image Writer -- virtual printer printing to Microsoft Document Imaging Format
• · Microsoft Office Diagnostics - diagnoses and repairs damaged Microsoft Office applications.
• · Microsoft Office previously included the Microsoft FrontPage application, but Microsoft has decided to remove this application from Office and discontinue its development. In Microsoft Office 2007, FrontPage was replaced by Microsoft SharePoint Designer.

Back in the early 60s, the American scientist Joseph Licklider (who today is rightfully considered one of the fathers of the Internet) expressed the idea that the main purpose of computers should be the automation of routine human work. At a time when many had no idea about the existence computer technology, this idea seemed like just a joke from a professional. It was believed that computers were intended exclusively for solving some fundamentally new and very complex mathematical problems.

Science and life // Illustrations

In the main PowerPoint window you can see a set of slides (a fragment of a presentation) prepared using the tools of this package. On top of it, the "Slide Show" menu is opened, in which all possible options demonstrations. And this is not all the possibilities

One of the functions of the OUTLOOK program is planning your activities (Calendar).

Today, many people still think that creating Web pages is the domain of only “cool” Web designers. However, using a modern HTML editor, creating a Web page is as easy as writing a business letter. The picture shows a Web page created by the author.

However, the scope of application of computer technology was rapidly expanding, precisely due to the advancement towards traditional practical problems in various fields of human activity. At first, these included various economic calculations, storage and processing of archival data, and technological process management.

With the advent of personal computers in the mid-80s, accessible not only to businesses, but also to individuals, the range of practical issues solved by computers began to grow exponentially. Today, at least 40 percent of PCs are used by home users, and 90 percent of the computing power of all computers (including in enterprises) is used to automate a variety of routine work. At the same time, an increase in labor productivity is achieved not only by increasing the speed of performing certain operations, but, mainly, by combining several disparate functions together. This allows even an inexperienced user to solve problems that were previously only accessible to professionals.

OFFICE SOFTWARE PACKAGES

Among the abundance of applied software We can distinguish a group of programs that solve problems of a wide variety of purposes and therefore, to one degree or another, are needed by every computer user, regardless of his profession. In recent years, such software packages have been called office software.

Although many global developers (for example, Corell and Sun) are involved in the creation of office programs, Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) is the leader in this area, actually setting the standards for such software. It is worth noting that in order to achieve market success, Microsoft products about ten years ago had to enter into fierce competition with the then favorites, for example text editor WordPerfect and Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheets.

Having begun the development of office suites, Microsoft immediately set the goal of creating individual programs, but a whole complex of interconnected and mutually complementary applications called Microsoft Office (Microsoft Office). As the system developed, new applications appeared in it, and the functions of previously created programs were expanded, satisfying the growing requirements of the “average” user. Over the past six years, Microsoft has released four versions of MS Office: 4.0 (1996), 95, 97 and 2000. The latest version (MS Office 2000) is sold in five editions with different programs: Standard, Small Business, "Professional", "Advanced" and "For Developers". The “For Developers” kit (more precisely, the Developer Edition, since it is supplied only in the English version), unlike other editions, contains additional programming tools. The "Advanced" edition includes the following applications: Word (Word), Excel (Excel), Access (Exes), PowerPoint (PowerPoint), Outlook (Outlook), FrontPage (Frant Page), Publisher (Publisher), PhotoDraw (PhotoDraw) , Small Business Tools. Let's give short description these programs.

1. WORD - TEXT PROCESSOR

A word processor is historically the very first and most widely used office application: everyone needs to write and format texts. Ten years ago, such programs were called “editors,” but today this term no longer reflects their increased capabilities.

The advent of word processors radically changed not even the technology, but, if you like, the very approach to creating a variety of texts, from a report to the boss about a vacation to a literary work. Previously, preparing a lengthy document, such as a 100-page research report, took up to a month of work by several people (not counting the preparation of the handwritten version). At the same time, the lion's share of time was spent on explaining to the typist how to understand the manuscript (remember the interlude performed by Vladimir Vinokur: “we play here, we don’t play here, don’t look at this at all, but this piece - back side", etc.), then to check what happened, and repeat explanations to the typist about what needs to be corrected. And when the report was ready, it turned out that one section and several paragraphs were missing. How many problems the preparation and insertion of illustrations caused - it’s not worth it and remember...

Today, the functions of word processors go far beyond the scope of working with texts themselves (typing, editing, formatting, automatic check spelling, writing an abstract, etc.). Word allows you to create various tables, graphs, illustrations, formulas, etc. in the text with their automatic numbering and cross-referencing. As a result, the user can prepare a complex document of almost unlimited volume using graphics and a variety of formatting.

And yet, we emphasize that for the preparation of “purely text” documents, the capabilities of the WordPad program, supplied with operating system Windows.

2. EXCEL - WORKING WITH ELECTRONIC TABLES

This program is necessary for anyone who deals with data presented in the form of tables. It is in this form that most of the information about our daily activities can be presented: address books, video cassette files, recording household expenses, etc.

Tables can contain data in a variety of formats (character strings, dates, etc.), but in general, of course, the Excel package is focused on processing numerical data. The simplest example is summing over the columns and rows of a table. It is not much more difficult to calculate the value of user-specified functions (say, the percentage increase in household expenses by item). One of the most attractive features of the package is the quick and visual presentation of data in the form of a variety of graphs, charts, and maps.

COMPOSITION OF APPLICATIONS IN VARIOUS MICROSOFT OFFICE EDITIONS

Spreadsheets are an ideal tool for organizing accounting, processing experimental data, and drawing up reports of a wide variety of forms.

3. ACCESS - DATABASE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

The appearance of Access as part of office programs in 1992-1993 can rightfully be called a significant event, because before that it was believed that the creation of database management systems (DBMS) was the domain of exclusively experienced professionals.

There is no need to be scared: a DBMS is not at all as scary as it might seem. In fact, the Excel spreadsheets described above are also actually a small database management system, that is, an ordered set of structured information. But spreadsheets have two limitations: the volume given by the capacity random access memory computer, and two-dimensional representation of data in the form of rows and columns.

Relational DBMSs (almost all systems actually used today, including Access, belong to the “relational” category) work with the same tables, but the data is stored on external storage media, and the tables are interconnected by cross-references.

The simplest example of such data organization is maintaining a catalog of a collection of audio CDs. One table can store complete information about songwriters, another about artists, and a third about individual songs. In this case, the last table will have the necessary links to the first two, so that the user can easily find out, for example, the birthday of its author by the title of the song.

Access is a very popular and useful DBMS that can be used to create both small local and very serious professional systems. By the way, studying Access and DBMS development technology is very useful for moving from the basics of programming to solving complex production problems.

4. POWERPOINT - PREPARATION OF VISUAL PRESENTATIONS

Programs like PowerPoint have appeared relatively recently, but today they have become a reliable assistant for anyone who at least sometimes has to give lectures or reports in front of an audience (which sometimes can be represented by only one listener).

Previously, it was believed that illustrative material was required only for reports in which it was necessary to show complex tables, graphs and mathematical formulas. Today, visual display of the main points of even a simple text report is becoming a generally accepted style.

Anyone who has ever made technical reports (the defense of a thesis project or a report at a scientific and technical council) can remember that preparing the text of a 15-minute message took a maximum of one or two days. And the creation of a dozen posters or slides took at least a month of work, and first the speaker himself drew the sketch, and then a professional draftsman worked. In recent years, the number of “speakers” has increased sharply (for example, due to the appearance of sales managers), and they have to speak not once every six months, but almost weekly, constantly changing the content of their presentations and illustrations.

Using programs like PowerPoint, a dozen slides can be made in just one or two hours by one person - the author himself. And if you need to make any corrections in the future, it will only take a matter of minutes.

For listeners, the demonstration of prepared materials is approximately the same as with a traditional slide show, but in addition to static images, you can use sound, video, and various visual effects.

By the way, PowerPoint can be used not only for speaking in front of an audience. Many home users work with this program, for example, when creating graphic screensavers for their videos.

5. OUTLOOK - YOUR PERSONAL DISPATCHER

Although Outlook was introduced just a few years ago, it has already become a necessity for many users. Outlook includes address book, a diary for current entries, a weekly planner for planning activities, communicates with the outside world via e-mail, and also performs many other useful functions.

Most people carry with them all the time notebook and if they forget it somewhere, they find themselves without any hands. Once you start using Outlook, you will immediately realize how much time you have wasted working without it.

One of the most impressive features of this application is the completely new automated capabilities for scheduling and monitoring tasks. When you turn on your computer in the morning and load Outlook, you will immediately receive reminders about all the tasks planned for the day. And even that one of your loved ones needs to be congratulated on their birthday, which you completely forgot about in the whirlwind of everyday life. Throughout the day, the program will remind you of planned events down to the second.

Outlook can also be used effectively for planning group activities. For example, when working in one computer network enterprise, you can use Outlook to view the schedule of free time of employees whom you would like to invite to a meeting, automatically select the most convenient time for everyone and “stake out” it in the plans of the invitees (each of them will immediately receive a corresponding notification).

In addition, Outlook includes a feature-rich system for managing email and telephone communications.

If, of all the functions of Outlook, you only need the mail system, you can limit yourself to the capabilities of the Outlook Express program included in Windows.

6. FRONTPAGE - TOOL FOR CREATION AND SUPPORT OF WEB NODES

Anyone who has visited the Internet at least several times has a good idea of ​​what Web sites are: they are a set of specially designed Web pages interconnected by cross-links. Just five years ago it was believed that the creation of Web sites was the province of a narrow caste of professionals. And 99.99...% of Internet users remained “readers”, but not “writers” and certainly not “layout designers”.

But the situation is changing quickly. Today, no one can be surprised by the appearance of personal Web sites. As one of the jokes on this topic says, “You are sick of the Internet: your dog also has his own Web page.” However, now this statement is no longer a joke for many, but a reality. Try creating your own personal Web site about your work, hobbies, travel, etc. Many Internet providers provide the necessary address for free and up to 50 MB to host your information, which is more than enough to get started. You will immediately see that this is not only an exciting, but also a useful activity. Your page may not contain information that will be of interest to the whole world, but it will undoubtedly attract the attention of your friends and family. With the help of your Web site, you can, for example, bring together numerous relatives scattered around the world. And this is already a lot.

FrontPage will help you create and develop your Web site. To use it, you do not need to know programming - you only need the desire to master the program. By the way, the profession of a Webmaster today is one of the scarce and most prestigious. And FrontPage will help you master it.

If you're wondering whether it's worth spending money on purchasing additional programs, keep in mind that Windows includes FrontPage Express, which can help you take quite a few first steps in mastering Web design.

7. PUBLISHER - DESKTOP PUBLISHING SYSTEM

As already mentioned, Word helps you create fairly complex text documents with a variety of graphic designs. But it is impossible to obtain high printing quality with its help. To do this, you should use the Publisher desktop publishing system, which recently appeared as part of MS Office.

Although many functions of Word and Publisher overlap, the main task of Word is to formulate the content of the document, and Publisher is to implement the document in the form of a high-quality printed publication. Publisher is most often used to produce colorful brochures, catalogs, invitation cards, menus for parties, greeting addresses, etc. The program contains all the tools, templates and blanks necessary for this. A large library of layouts provides an opportunity to get acquainted with the experience accumulated by professional publishers and designers.

One of the main functions of the PhotoDraw program is the processing of images obtained from photographs. From a real photo of your dog, you can make an almost square monster to scare the bullies, or a very slender Giant Schnauzer.

8. PHOTODRAW - BUSINESS GRAPHICS AND IMAGE EDITOR

For fairly simple editing graphic images The Paint and Imaging programs included with Windows may suffice. But more complex operations will require more serious tools.

Previously, image processing was also the field of activity of highly qualified professionals, and well-known systems have long occupied a leading position here Adobe PhotoShop and Corell Draw. However, today such problems increasingly need to be solved by “ordinary” users. For example, if you are engaged in photography, then computer processing can significantly improve the quality of images, “pull out” seemingly completely spoiled, but very dear to you frames. Working with graphics is absolutely necessary for the beautiful and original design of your Web site, printed publications or PowerPoint presentations.

Although PhotoDraw is still somewhat inferior to the capabilities of the Adobe and Corell products mentioned above, its functions are quite sufficient for solving many useful tasks at a high level. It should be borne in mind that one professional graphics package costs approximately the same as the entire MS Office 2000 program package.

9. CONTACT AND CUSTOMER MANAGER

This program first appeared as part of MS Office 2000. It is designed to manage a database with information about business partners (suppliers and customers), to monitor transactions and the financial condition of a small enterprise.

In principle, these tasks can be performed using other programs included in Office, but it is still more convenient to use a specialized tool. In addition, the problem is that such information is often accumulated in different programs (some is in Outlook, some in the accounting system), and the head of a small business needs to collect all the necessary information for analysis and control.

By the way, the Dispatcher includes a filter that allows you to transfer and process data from the most popular accounting system in our country, 1C:Enterprise.

THERE ARE MANY FUNCTIONS BUT... NOT ENOUGH

So, we see: there are quite a lot of office packages and each of them has enormous capabilities. But in practical work It often turns out that you are still missing some functions. Or it turns out that the proposed information processing scheme is not very suitable for you.

It turns out that an office program can be made more convenient by implementing functions in it that were not originally there, or by combining several disparate programs into a single complex. Such capabilities are provided by the Microsoft Office Extensions program (or add-ons for Microsoft Office).

An introductory article before you start learning about Microsoft Office. The most common product in the field of computer technology. Everyone reading this article, ask yourself a question - why was the computer created? Right! So that working on a computer is firstly convenient, secondly accessible and thirdly automated. Let's figure it out.

Convenient work on a computer consists of a minimum of actions to obtain a certain result. For example, you need to make a thirty-slide presentation. And all this must be done manually!!! How much time will it take you to draw a background for 30 slides, write text, insert graphics and photographs? I would guess at least a week. In order to insert a background for all thirty slides, you will have to spend less than a minute! The same goes for writing or inserting text, photos and graphics. And at the same time, you receive - a copy in in electronic format and in printed form, if you need to print it on a printer. In this case, the electronic version can be edited as much as you like. This is what makes working on a computer convenient. You may ask, what does manual work and convenient work on a computer have to do with it? Given that without Microsoft Office or analogues, if you are not a programmer, then it will be much longer and more difficult for you to do it on a computer than manually. The answer, I think, is clear.

Availability lies in the fact that the Microsoft Office software package is paid or free analogues can be purchased at any computer store or downloaded from the Internet. Everything is clear here.

Automation. The most important thing is that many people do not use it when working on a computer. Example: you need to do calculations and reporting every week. I’ll tell you a secret that will be discussed in much more detail in the following articles of this section: TEMPLATES, spreadsheets, macros and many other useful things. Which in turn will significantly save your time and effort, if used correctly.

Microsoft Office is an office software package designed for working with text, calculations, tables and images. This package is paid, but there are free analogues. Currently, this package is at such a level that it can be installed not only on a computer, but also on a phone, communicator or tablet. This makes the product much more functional. Microsoft Office is the main tool, the knowledge of which is required almost everywhere. At school, at college, at home, at work... And good and high-quality knowledge will bring you the ability to apply all three qualities that we discussed in this article.

Let's look at the programs that are included in Microsoft composition Office:

1. Word – text editor

2. Excel - spreadsheets

3. PowerPoint – creating presentations

4. OneNote - taking notes

5. Outlook – email service

We have listed a list of the main programs that you need to be able to work with in order to have a complete knowledge of Microsoft Office. I would also like to mention that this product is an international format for working in all areas of human activity related to a computer.