Introduction to the Types of Applications

Overview

Computer programs, also known as applications, come in many types. Each type solves a special kind of problem. Some applications, such as a solitaire game or a word processor, just run on a local computer, while others need to communicate with other computers or networks to work, such as web browsers or email clients.

In this chapter, we’ll take a look at some special types of applications and discuss what considerations we need to take when creating them.

It would be impossible for us to cover all types of applications because there are simply way too many of them. Instead, we’ll look at some common types that we’ll encounter when writing our applications.

We create programs to solve problems, and in the process of designing our application and deciding what it needs to do, we’ll often look at solutions others have found for similar problems. The goal of this chapter is to familiarize you with some of these solutions so you can recognize the problem they solve when, in the future, you need to create your own solutions.