The operating system that helps the elements of your personal computer interact, but cannot perform practical tasks such as writing letters and calculating your bills. For these jobs, you need to use additional software called applications or programs that are designed to carry out specific tasks. Here are some computer programs that will improve your skills:

– Microsoft Word. A powerful word processor capable of producing written documents of all kinds, including letters, memos, newsletters, and posters. You can create documents from scratch yourself or, for many types of documents, you can use one of the program’s wizards or templates. The wizards allow you to choose the content and appearance of the document, while the templates have a preset layout.

– Excel. A spreadsheet program used to organize and calculate numerical data. It is ideal for keeping track of all kinds of budgets and accounts. Like all spreadsheets, it takes the form of a grid containing cells into which you enter figures and formulas to calculate the figures. Excel allows you to have multiple spreadsheets or worksheets within the same document and enter calculations using figures from each of the worksheets. This is particularly useful when organizing a major event that includes mini-projects.

– Panorama. A desktop information management program that contains an address book into which you can enter contact details for friends, family, and business associates. You also have a journal and calendar to help you keep track of your current schedule and appointments. Outlook can also be used to send and receive email over the Internet or an internal company network.

– PowerPoint. This is most often used in business. It enables you to create presentations for conferences, business meetings, and marketing projects. It helps your business structure information efficiently and make graphics within your text. It even offers animation effects to maximize the impact of your presentations. You can also use PowerPoint at home to make a computerized slide show for your friends and family.

It is always a good idea to learn different computer programs because knowing what each program can do, especially in its included software package, will help you decide which one will be most appropriate for the tasks you want to accomplish.