Tools of the trade

Productivity software

Productivity software helps one person create things. The exam names four kinds:

• Word processing: letters, policies and reports with headings, page numbers and a table of contents
• Spreadsheet: rows and columns of numbers, with formulas that update totals when a value changes
• Presentation: slides to show on a big screen at a meeting
• Visual diagramming: flowcharts, floor plans and network maps built from shapes and arrows

Rosa: I keep stock counts in a table in my word processor and add them up with a calculator.

You: Rosa. We're moving you to a spreadsheet today.

Exam tip Words = word processing. Numbers that recalculate = spreadsheet. Slides = presentation. Boxes and arrows = diagramming.

Collaboration software

Collaboration software helps people work together:

• Email client: an app that connects to your mail account so you can read, write, send and file email
• Conferencing: live video or audio meetings where people see, hear and share screens
• Online workspace: one place for a team's chat threads, shared files, task lists and meetings
• Document sharing: one copy of a file kept online that several people can open, and even edit at the same time

Maya: Every 'schedule_final_v7_REAL' attachment in an inbox is a document-sharing problem.

Exam tip Several people need to edit the same file at once? Share one online copy instead of emailing copies around.

Messaging, browsing and remote support

Instant messaging software sends short text messages that arrive right away, good for a quick question like 'Is the Wi-Fi down for you too?' Web-browsing software, a web browser, opens websites and web apps. Remote support software lets a technician see a user's screen from somewhere else and, with the user's permission, control the mouse and keyboard to fix things.

Sam: I fix half the store PCs from HQ with remote support. Saves me the drive.

Ranger: looks sad about fewer car rides

Exam tip Real IT doesn't cold-call you and ask you to install a remote support app. If someone does, hang up and call IT at a number you already know.

Extensions: add, remove, enable, disable

Browser extensions, also called add-ons, are small programs that add features to a browser, like a PDF signer or a coupon finder. Add them only from the browser's official extension store, and only ones your company approves. Disable an extension to switch it off but keep it, handy when you're testing whether it causes a problem. Remove one you don't need or don't trust. Some extensions can read every page you open, so fewer is safer.

Exam tip An extension you didn't install that changes your search engine or adds ads? Remove it.

Cache and pop-up blockers

The cache is where the browser keeps copies of page images and files so sites load faster next time. If a site looks broken or out of date after it changes, clearing the cache makes the browser download fresh copies. Clearing only cached images and files won't sign you out of sites; clearing cookies will. A pop-up blocker stops sites from opening extra windows on their own. If a trusted site needs pop-ups, allow that one site instead of turning the blocker off.

Rosa: So I don't switch off the blocker for the whole internet?

Sam: Just for the supplier. The rest of the internet has earned the blocker.

Private browsing

A private browsing window doesn't keep its history, cookies or typed form entries after you close it. That's useful on a shared PC. It doesn't make you invisible: files you download stay on the computer, bookmarks you add stay, and the company network or internet provider can still see which sites you visit.

Exam tip Private browsing hides your tracks from the next person at this PC, not from the network.

A compatible browser

Some web apps work only in certain browsers or newer browser versions. When an app says 'This browser is not supported,' clearing the cache or changing settings won't fix it. Open the app in a compatible browser, one on the app's supported list, and keep that browser up to date.

Sam: The new time-clock app only lists two browsers. Guess which one Rosa doesn't use.

Rosa: The third one. Obviously.

Sync and bookmarks

Profile synchronization, or sync: sign in to the browser and your bookmarks, saved passwords, history and settings follow you to every device where you sign in. Great on your own laptop and phone, risky on a shared PC, where the next person could use your saved passwords. Bookmarks save a page so you can open it again with one click. Put them in folders or on the bookmarks bar to keep them organized.

Rosa: I have 212 bookmarks.

You: Folders, Rosa. Folders.

Search engine and password management

The default search engine is where searches typed into the address bar go. If it keeps changing on its own, an unwanted extension is usually doing it: remove the extension first, then set the search engine back, or it will just switch again. The browser's built-in password manager saves your passwords, fills them in for you and can suggest a strong new one when you sign up for a site.

Exam tip Saved passwords are only as safe as the device sign-in that protects them.

Accessibility and appearance

Accessibility settings help people see and use pages: zoom to make the whole page bigger, a larger default text size, high-contrast colors, captions, and support for screen readers. Appearance settings change the look: themes, dark mode, fonts and which buttons show on the toolbar.

Rosa: Zoom at 150 percent. I can read the order numbers again!

Ranger: thumps tail on the floor

Exam tip Hard to read? Accessibility (zoom, text size). Just prefer a dark look? Appearance (theme).

Productivity software

Productivity software helps you make your own work:

• Word processing: formatted documents with headings, page numbers and a table of contents, like a safety policy.
• Spreadsheet: numbers in cells with formulas that recalculate when a value changes, like monthly sales totals.
• Presentation: slides to show an audience on a big screen.
• Visual diagramming: shapes and connectors for flowcharts, network maps and floor plans.

Exam tip A word processor can hold a table, and a spreadsheet can hold text, but pick the app built for the main job.

Collaboration software

Collaboration software helps people work together:

• Email client: an app that connects to a mail account to read, send and organize mail.
• Conferencing: live meetings with audio, video and screen sharing.
• Online workspace: chat, shared files, task boards and meetings for a team in one place.
• Document sharing: one cloud copy that several people edit at the same time. Email attachments give everyone a separate copy.

Messaging, browsers and remote support

Instant messaging sends short, real-time messages and shows who's available, good for a one-line answer in the next minute. Web-browsing software requests web pages and shows them. Remote support software lets a helper see, and with permission control, your screen to fix a problem from afar. To show your own screen to a group, use conferencing instead.

Exam tip Only allow remote support that you asked for, with your real IT team. A surprise caller who wants remote access is a scam: hang up and call IT on a number you already know.

Pick the software

Match each job at Kibble & Co. to its software type:

• Holiday sales totals that update themselves: spreadsheet.
• A three-page safety policy with a table of contents: word processing.
• A floor plan of the new store: visual diagramming.
• Weekly face-to-face meeting with both stores: conferencing.
• 'Is the Wi-Fi down for everyone?' answered in a minute: instant messaging.
• Eight people sharing chat, files and a task board: online workspace.
• Sam fixing Rosa's crashing app from HQ: remote support.

Private browsing

A private browsing window doesn't keep its history, cookies or site data on the device after you close it. That's handy on a shared PC. It does not make you invisible: the company network or internet provider can still see which sites you visit, websites can still collect data during the visit, and files you download stay on the computer.

Exam tip Private browsing protects against the next person at this PC, not against the network.

Extensions: add, remove, enable, disable

Extensions (add-ons) give a browser new features. Manage them in the browser's extensions page:

• Add: only from the browser's official store, and read the permissions it asks for. Never from a pop-up ad.
• Disable: turn it off but keep it installed. Good for testing whether it breaks a site.
• Enable: turn it back on.
• Remove: uninstall it completely. Do this for unwanted or adware extensions, like a toolbar that a free program installed.

Cache and clearing it

The cache holds copies of images and files from pages you've visited, so they load faster next time. If a site looks broken after an update, the old copies may be the problem. Clear cached images and files: it fixes stale pages and keeps you signed in. Clearing cookies and site data also helps, but it signs you out of most sites. Bookmarks and saved passwords live separately, so clearing the cache doesn't touch them.

Clear browsing data
[ ] Browsing history
[ ] Cookies and site data
[x] Cached images and files
        [Clear data]

Pop-up blockers

A pop-up blocker stops websites from opening extra windows or tabs on their own, such as ads. When a trusted site needs pop-ups, like a supplier portal that opens each invoice in a new window, allow pop-ups for that site only. Turning the blocker off for every site lets all the unwanted ones back in.

A compatible browser

Some web apps work only in certain browsers. A message like 'This browser is not supported' means: open the app in a browser on its supported list. Clearing the cache doesn't change which browser you're running. Some browsers also have a compatibility mode for very old company sites.

Sync, bookmarks and the search engine

Profile synchronization: sign in to the browser and turn on sync, and your bookmarks, saved passwords and settings appear on every device where you sign in. Don't do it on a shared PC, where the next person could use your passwords; use a guest or private window there. Bookmarks save a page's address so you can return with one click, and you can sort them into folders. The default search engine decides where address-bar searches go.

Exam tip Search engine keeps changing back to a strange site? Remove the extension that's doing it first, then reset the search engine.

Password management

A browser's built-in password manager can suggest a strong, random password when you sign up for a site and fill in saved passwords so you don't retype them. Keep the browser profile protected, and don't save work passwords in a profile on a shared computer. A password manager doesn't encrypt the connection; HTTPS does that.

Accessibility and appearance

Accessibility features make the web easier to use: zoom makes text and images larger for one site or all sites, and browsers also offer bigger default fonts, captions and screen reader support. Appearance settings change how the browser looks: themes, dark mode, toolbar layout. Dark menus because you like the look = appearance. Bigger text because small print tires your eyes = accessibility (zoom).