The main types of computer applications are:
The text editors. They are used to create unformatted text documents (that is, files formatted as .txt. See ASCII, Extended ASCII, UNICODE).
The compilers and the interpreters and, in general, the translators. They are used to translate into machine language programs written in another formal language (that is, language that can be recognized by a machine). For compilers the translation occurs without time limit. For interpreters the translation must be done in a simultaneous manner: statement by statement. It is the same difference between a translator and an interpreter for natural languages.
The Viewers. In general, they are all those applications used to display the data stored in files in a user friendly manner. For example, a browser for Web pages is a viewer (used to view Web pages).
The graphics editors. They are used to create drawings. There are two types of graphics editors: the raster graphic editors and the vector graphic editors.
The database management systems: all those systems which are used to create a data base (a data base is a collection of data stored on a computer and organized in an efficient manner).
The word processors. They are used to create formatted text documents that are intended to be printed on paper in a human readable way.
The spreadsheets. They are used to organize, store and manipulate scalar data. They essentially are grids made of cells and each cell can contain a datum or a formula containing other cells as variables.
