Communication Software (Edexcel IGCSE Ict)

Spec point — 1.3.6

Communication Software

What is communication software?

• Communication software is software that provides remote access to systems

• To exchange files and messages in text, images, audio and/or video formats between different computes or users

• Common examples of communication software include:

  • Web browsers
  • Email
  • Social media
  • SMS/MMS
  • Instant messaging

Web browsers

• A web browser is a piece of software used to access and display information on the internet
• The purpose of a web browser is to render hypertext markup language (HTML) and display web pages
• Web browsers interpret the code in HTML documents and translate it into a visual display for the user

Email

• Email is a method of exchanging messages and files over the internet

• The main uses of email are:

  • Personal communication
  • Professional correspondence
  • Marketing

• Companies provide guidelines about acceptable use of emails

• Guidelines about emails from a company include:

  • Purpose of the email
  • Using acceptable language
  • Email security, including anti-virus software

Social media

• Social media is a platform where users can connect with others and share content

• They include platforms such as

  • Facebook
  • Tiktok
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn

• Social media platforms usually require users to create a profile and allow them to share text, images, videos, and links

• They facilitate interaction, collaboration, and information sharing on a large scale

• Privacy settings allow users to control who can see their content

SMS/MMS

• Short messaging service (SMS) and multimedia messages service (MMS) are a method of communication using a mobile phone network
• SMS allows 160 text characters per message
• MMS allows more than 160 characters and can include video, animations, images and audio
• No internet connection is required

Instant messaging

• Instant messaging requires an internet connection to allow multimedia communication between single and groups of users

• Includes extra features such as:

  • See when users are typing (online/offline status)
  • Include location data

Worked Example Describe the function of a web browser

[2]

Answer

A description such as:

• To access/request/render/display [1] HTML / web pages [1]

Website / web content is acceptable for web page