Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Literal Comprehension

The speaker makes a journey by a horse in the evening time. As he arrives in the natural beautiful place ‘Jungle’, then it makes him stop. He is attracted by the frozen lake and woods. He imagines that those woods belong to farmer from the village but he does not know the beauty of nature. As the speaker gets pleasure and wants to live with natural beauty, he does not care or forgets his duty and time’s fleeting. On the other hand, the horse seems to be conscious of what master’s lateness. Therefore, he wakes up towards his duty. At last, the poet realizes that life is a long journey and to complete a journey one should be responsible with duty before his/ her death to make life meaningful forever.

Interpretation

This poem is a record of delightful experience by the poet as he makes a journey towards natural beautiful and peaceful place on horseback. In addition, this poem presents the beautiful description of natural beauty makes the satire to the modern materialistic human beings who are busy, commercial and selfish having no time to enjoy the beauty of nature rather ignore the natural beauty. He further says that one should not be crazy only for beauty forgetting his/ her duties and responsibilities. We have a lot of things to do to complete our long journey of life as well as to make it meaningful. So, the beautiful and progressive life is based on the appreciation of beauty and duty of joining our mind and heart together.

Critical Thinking

This poem covers three areas in particular as follows:

·        A personal experience of the speaker (poet)

·        A delightful description of native and simple village life

·        Being with the delight of nature and ends with the wisdom of life.

No doubt, the poem focuses on the value of natural beauty. But still, we can find some of the controversial issues and less convincing ideas. For example, the time is evening and going to be darker, at the same time, the poet makes a journey. As he arrives in the jungle, how can the poet see and admire the woods covered by the snow in the darkest evening of the year? Similarly, the horse in the poem is represented as more intelligent and conscious than his master, man. Anyway, man is, of course, more intelligent being of all animals in the world.

Assimilation

This poem has greatly influenced me. It teaches what the significance of natural beauty is where one gets freshness, peace, love, and importance of duty where one makes his life meaningful in the long journey of life. Of course, it touches our heart and mind and makes our life free form boring, selfishness in the materialistic world. After consulting this poem, I have come to know that one should not miss his opportunity and duty in the name of beauty. Similarly, one should not ignore the beauty of the nature being too busy in duty and making life just as mechanical. Rather the perfect life goes with the combination and appreciation of both duty and beauty.

Together with this, I also recalled my own experience of travelling through the jungle when I was in my school days. During that days, I used to take enjoy with the shade of trees and the sweet songs made by the birds in the jungle.

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On The Eve Of His Execution

Literal Comprehension:

The poet is young but he is not happy. There is no sign of happiness. His life is full of pain. His corn field is covered with unwanted plant. Even though he is alive, he feels as if he is dead. He is going to be executed. As a young man, he has several years more to live, but because of his execution, everything is destroyed. He is left ignored and is not cared. His story is known to all, but nobody has spoken on behalf of him. He feels that his life is over. He could do several more things but doesn't have the time. He has the entire necessary requirement needed for life, but also he could not live longer. It is because; he is caught for his plot. As a youth, he has several wishes but his life is getting a full stop. He is completely destroyed i.e. he is going to be executed very soon.

Interpretation

The poet is trying to express the inner feeling of a young and healthy man who is going to be executed. The poet is living the remaining moment of life strongly. It shows how a person thinks when he knows that his death is following him. The oncoming death has made him observe his whole life. . He evaluates what life has given him. As his execution is unexpected everything in his life is unexpected and unnatural. It also tells that, a person who goes against the law is punished bitterly. It might be trying to tell us that everyone in the earth has a desire to live longer. People are really upset and feel regret if they have to die in younger age. Execution and feeling of death kills the inner desire of a person. It might be trying to tell us that we must do good things during our prime youth. If we do bad things, we may have to regret in future when we are near to death. It tells us that realization of death is very painful for a person. Unknown death might not impact on our psyche, but known death leads us feel frustrated and tortured.

Critical Thinking

The poem "On The Eve Of His execution" is very beautifully composed poem. It is an elegy. Its natural and skillful presentation has made it a marvelous piece in literature. It is true that everyone in the earth fear when they know about their death. They can't imagine anything creative because their mind is full of depression. Even though, the poem is marvelously written, I find some of the contradicting thoughts here. The narrator aimed to kill the queen. Planning to kill the queen is itself a crime. Before preparing such plan, he should be mentally prepared either to success the plan or tackle the death. Why does he fear with death now? If death was painful and fearful, why did he involve in crime? A person should have an ability to accept the truth. If he can't live longer then he can die with self-respect. Why is he crying like a looser?

Assimilation

After reading this poem I had known the death more closely. I knew that everyone has love for himself/herself, so do I. If we commit a crime, its result is surely bitter. Sooner or later, the person will get the punishment. It reminded me the law of a nation, where a person got a death penalty for a rape case. The person was regretting a lot in front of the girl and king that he won't repeat it again. But nobody heard him and gave the death penalty. The person was only 23 years old. So, I feel that, we should not make involve ourselves in crime. But if we are doing something for better future of our nation and if opposition is killing us then we should not regret for the death rather we accept with pride and need to be ready to be martyr.

Similarly, I also remember, once I was serious ill because of heart attack. At that time when I felt difficulty to breathe, sever pain in heart together with the pain inside my whole body, I thought that it was my last time to be alive. I vividly remember my family members and thought how my parents and wife will feel when I die. However, later luckily I am saved after 6 days treatment in CCU at the hospital.

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Four Level of Piano

Literal Comprehension

In this poem, the poet describes that on the evening poet hears a woman (might be poet’s mother) singing a melodious song with playing the piano. The poet and the woman are in comfortable room. It is cold outside because it is sunday evening in winter season. By hearing that women’s song and the sound of piano the poet starts thinking about his past. In his past when he was child, his mother used to sing melodious hymns songs by playing a piano on Sundays evening. At that time, poet used to go under the piano and touch his mother toes and feet and after seeing her son (poet) mother used to give him a smile. By seeing smile poet used to be very happy and entertained fully. Although poet didn’t understand the meaning of song, he used to be fully entertained by his mother’s song and her smiles. Now, he is lost in the flood of remembrance. He feels it is useless to sing the song for him as he become man and can’t be a child. However, he could not control his emotion and wept like a child for past.

Interpretation

This poem conveys a tension between the speaker’s desire to be a man and to return to childhood. Between these two desires, his desire to return to childhood seems stronger. As the woman sings the song and plays the piano, he loses his manhood and weeps like a child forgetting his present situation. Together with this, the poem tells us that childhood is the one of the most memorable phase of life. Some moments of our childhood becomes so memorable and important like in the poem when he (poet) heard a woman singing a song recalls his past days. He entertains himself and gets refreshed recalling his past childhood memories. Through the poem, the poet may be trying to tell us that the music has the potentiality to entertain the people of all ages. It can make us fell relief. Likewise this poem tells us that mothers are so great because they give us lots of love and care and make our life beautiful. Even if they are not with us, the time we spent with our mother is so special and memorable which can make us happy for a while in life.

Critical thinking

The poem has nostalgic feeling of the poet. The speaker recollects his past life. Although I agree with the moral of this poem that music has potentiality to entertain the people of all ages and some incidents recalls their past life. I found some parts of the poem really unconvincing. Do all people get fully entertained by the music as poet does in the poem? Do all people have happy childhood that they want to recall? Does any responsible person want to be a child without caring present life and his responsibility? Is it better to guide by emotion rather than wisdom for a matured person? Isn’t it an odd or shameful for one adult man to weep like a small child recalling his past?

Assimilation

I completely agree with the poet. I also give much more importance to music and childhood experiences. Sometimes we have nostalgic feeling and music can make us feel relief and can fascinate people of any age. We cannot avoid it. We can be physically and mentally refreshed by enjoying music. Moreover, we can entertain ourselves even for a while by remembering our joyous childhood in this busy life. I also sometimes remember my childhood days. I used to listen Radio Nepal particularly on Saturdays and take enjoys with various national songs and other programs. More importantly, I used to listen ‘Bal Karyakram’ by Basudev Munal on Radio Nepal. Similarly, I used to travel new places with my parents. So, sometimes when I became alone and recall my childhood memories, I wish to be a child once again.

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Financial Information System (FIS)

Definition

A Financial Information System is the type of business software used to input, accumulate and analyze the financial and accounting data.

It produces reports such as accounting reports, cash flow statements and financial statement. The output produced helps in making good financial management decisions thus helping the managers run the business effectively.

Features of FIS

1.     Management of general accounting procedures

Financial Management System is software that manages all accounting procedures of the business such as cash flow management, general ledger, expense, payments, and purchasing. It efficiently manages all financial administrative processes.

2.     Management of expense

The financial management system of Solution Dots Systems manages the expense of organization into the form of documentation, it contains all information regarding the expenditure requirements, necessities, and funds etc.

3.     Manage the budget

It helps in the management of budget controlling. It keeps the record of all financial statements that help in knowing about the current budget of the organization and also helps in making decisions to control the budget efficiently.

4.     Efficient management of time and work

Financial management system helps in the management of time and work efficiently. It allows managing more work in less time efficiently.

5.     Advanced reporting

Financial management system has an ability to generate reports such as profit and loss statements, balance sheet, and other financial statements rapidly. It allows the user to customize reports according to their demand and requirement.

6.     Ensure data security

Financial management system developed by Solution Dots System ensures its access to the only authorized user. We understand that accounts data is important as well as confidential therefore financial management system keeps it secure from unauthorized person.

7.     Reduced the paperwork

Financial management system maintains and updates all records and invoices automatically, online record management reduces the paperwork. Now there is no need to update and maintain manual records.

8.     Complete Audit

Financial management system maintains and updates the accurate and complete audit of the organization.

9.     Data Integrity

Financial management system ensures data consistency and accuracy in all records updated by different departments.

Features of good financial management system

Ø Keeping all payments and receivables transaction.

Ø Amortizing prepaid expenses.

Ø Depreciating assets according to accepted schedules.

Ø Keeping track of liabilities.

Ø Maintain income and expenditure statements and balance sheets.

Ø Keeping all record up to date

Ø Maintain complete and accurate accounts.

Ø Minimizing overall paperwork.

Components of Financial information systems

An information system is essentially made up of five components:

1. People

2. Data

3. Procedures

4. Hardware

5. Software

People

The computer based information system is developed by the people and for the people. Computer users are people who will use the computer system. The developers are the people, who will develop the system on basis of requirement.

Data

Data is a collection of raw facts and figures. There are several ways the organize data e.g. Database Management System, File Management System. A computer based information system is used to process data into information.

Procedures

Procedures are the actions that are used by the people to process the data into information. Operating procedures are used to operate the computer, Data entry, Maintenance, Back up and error recovery. Emergency procedures are used to trouble shoot.

Hardware

Different types of Hardware used for Computer Based Information System. Input hardware (Keyboard, mouse, etc.), Processing hardware (Processor, Memory, etc), Output hardware (Monitor, printer, etc) and Storage hardware etc.

Software

Different types of software used in CBIS. Application software includes Word processing, electronic spreadsheets, graphical packages and databases. System software includes operation systems and communication software.

Personnel FIS

The collection of information on its employees stored by an organization. At its most basic such information will usually comprise employees' names and addresses, length of service and attendance, and will be maintained by the personnel management department. It is common for this information to be kept separate from pay records (which are usually maintained by the finance department). Until the wide spread adoption of computerized databases, many organizations found it difficult to analyze this information for manpower planning purposes; it was instead used mainly to deal with problems relating to individual employees. A sophisticated personnel information system will comprise an extensive database capable of retrieval and analysis by all management functions.

Organizational financial management

Financial management is one of the most important responsibilities of owners and business managers. They must consider the potential consequences of their management decisions on profits, cash flow and on the financial condition of the company. The activities of every aspect of a business have an impact on the company's financial performance and must be evaluated and controlled by the business owner. Overall financial management in any organization like planning, organizing, directing and controlling the financial procurement and deployment of the funds of a venture is called organizational financial management.

FIS and organizational decision-making process

Decision making is the process to select a course of action from a number of alternatives. Like planning, decision making is also all-pervasive and like forecasting, decision-making is also an important part of planning. For any organization, policy documents help in taking managerial decisions.

The organizational decision-making processes are:

ü Understand the Decision You Have to Make

We have to identify and define the type of decision that needs to be made, and how it will change your work process, or improve a product or service for your customers.

ü Collect All the Information

Proper decision-making requires an evaluation of all the information and data that you can gather. In some instances, the information you need is internal (within your organization), and in other instances, you will obtain that information from external sources.

ü Identify All Alternatives

After you’ve analyzed the information, you must develop several different options regarding the decision you have to make. we may have to decide on alternatives, such as display ads, cost-per-thousand ads or re-marketing.

ü Evaluate the Pros and Cons

ü Select the Best Alternative

ü Make the Decision

ü Evaluate the Impact of Your Decision

Personal financial management system

Personal financial management (PFM) refers to software that helps users manage their money. PFM often lets users categorize transactions and add accounts from multiple institutions into a single view. PFM also typically includes data visualizations such as spending trends, budgets and net worth.

PFM allows users to aggregate financial transactions in one place and then use that data to manage their money. In some cases, these transactions have to be entered manually, but an increasing percentage of products automate the process. PFM typically shows cash flow, spending trends, goals, net worth, and debt management. It also allows users some level of customization for managing their money.

Financial calculator

A financial calculator or business calculator is an electronic calculator that performs financial functions commonly needed in business and commerce communities’ simple interest, compound interest, cash flow, amortization, conversion, cost/sell/margin, etc.).

It has standalone keys for many financial calculations and functions, making such calculations more direct than on standard calculators.  It may be user programmable, allowing the user to add functions that the manufacturer has not provided by default.

Examples of financial calculators are the HP 12C, HP-10B and the TI BA II.

Ratio analysis

Ratio analysis is one of the methods of financial statement analysis. It is based upon accounting information. It is used to measure profit, determined operating efficiency and financial position of the firm. Ratio can be used to compare a firm's financial performance with industry averages. It can be categorized as short term, debt management ratios, profitably ratios and market ratios.

It can be calculated by the following formula:

Current Ratio= Current Assets/Current Liabilities

Inventory Turnover Ratio

The inventory turnover ratio is an efficiency ratio that shows how effectively inventory is managed by comparing cost of goods sold with average inventory for a period. This measures how many times average inventory is “turned” or sold during a period.

In other words, it measures how many times a company sold its total average inventory dollar amount during the year. A company with Rs1000 of average inventory and sales of Rs10000 effectively sold its 10 times over.

It is calculated as,

Inventory turnover ratio= Cost of goods sold for a period / Average inventory for that period

Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)

DSO is often determined on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis and can be calculated by dividing the amount of accounts receivable during a given period by the total value of credit sales during the same period and multiplying the result by the no. of days in the period measured.

DSO is a measure of the average no. of days that it takes a company to collect payment after a sales has been made.

Formula for DSO is

DSO = Account receivable / Total credit sales*no. of days

Fixed Assets Turnover Ratio

The fixed assets turnover ratio is an efficiency ratio that measures a Company’s return on their investment in property, plant and equipment by comparing net sales with fixed assets. Management typically doesn’t use this calculation that much because they have insider information about sales figure, equipment purchase, and other details that aren’t readily available to external users. They measure the return on their purchases using more detailed and specific information. 

It is calculated by: 

Fixed assets turnover ratio= Net sales / (Fixed Assets - Accumulated Depreciation)

Total assets turnover ratio

The total asset turnover ratio compares the sales of a company to its asset base. The ratio measures the ability of an organization to efficiently product sales and is typically used by third parties to evaluate the operations of a business. Ideally, a company with a high a high total asset turnover ratio can operate with fewer assets than a less efficient competitor and so requires less debt and equity to operate. The result should be a comparatively greater return to its shareholder.

Formula:

Total asset turnover ratio= Net sales / Total assets

Profit margin on sales

a.k.a. profit margin ratio/ gross profit ratio/return on sales ratio is a profitability ratio that measures the amount of net income earned with each dollar of sales generated by comparing the net income and net sales of a company.

In other words, the profit margin ratio shows what percentage of sales are left over after all expenses are paid by the business.

The profit margin ratio/ profit margin on sales formula can be calculated by dividing net income by net sales.

Profit margin sales= Total income / Total sales

Basic earning power ratio

Basic earning power (BEP) ratio is a measure that calculates the earning power of a business before the effect of the business' income taxes and its financial leverage. It is calculated by dividing earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) by total assets.

Basic earning power (BEP) ratio is similar to return on assets ratio as both have the same denominator i.e. total assets. However, unlike return on assets which measures the net earning power, the basic earning power (BEP) ratio calculated the operating earning power i.e. their numerators are different.

Basic earning power ratio= earnings before interest and taxes(EBIT)/ total assets

Return on total assets

Return on total assets (ROTA) is a ratio that measures a company's earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) relative to its total net assets.

The ratio is considered to be an indicator of how effectively a company is using its assets to generate earnings. EBIT is used instead of net profit to keep the metric focused on operating earnings without the influence of tax or financing differences, when compared to similar companies.

ROTA = EBIT/ average total assets

Return on common equity

The Return on Common Equity (ROCE) ratio refers to the return that common equity investors receive on their investment. ROCE is different from Return on Equity (ROE) in that it isolates the return that the company sees on its common equity, rather than measure the total returns that the company generated on all of its equity. Capital received from investors as preferred equity is excluded from this calculation, thus making the ratio more representatives of common equity investor returns.

ROCE = total income/ average common equity

Price/earnings ratio

The price-to-earnings ratio (P/E ratio) is the ratio for valuing a company that measures its current share price relative to its per-share earnings (EPS). The price-to-earnings ratio is also sometimes known as the price multiple or the earnings multiple.

P/E ratio = market value for share/ earnings per share

Price/cash flow ratio

The price-to-cash flow (P/CF) ratio is a stock valuation indicator or multiple that measures the value of a stock’s price relative to its operating cash flow per share. The ratio uses operating cash flow which adds back non-cash expenses such as depreciation and amortization to net income. It is especially useful for valuing stocks that have positive cash flow but are not profitable because of large non-cash charges.

Price to cash flow = share price/ operating cash flow per share

Future value

Future value (FV) is the value of a current asset at a specified date in the future based on an assumed rate of growth.

If, based on a guaranteed growth rate, a $10,000 investment made today will be worth $100,000 in 20 years, and then the FV of the $10,000 investment is $100,000. The FV equation assumes a constant rate of growth and a single upfront payment left untouched for the duration of the investment.

Future Value Using Simple Annual Interest

FV = I * [1 + (R * T)]

Annuity

An annuity is a financial product that pays out a fixed stream of payments to an individual, primarily used as an income stream for retirees. Annuities are created and sold by financial institutions, which accept and invest funds from individuals and then, upon annuitization, issue a stream of payments at a later point in time. The period of time when an annuity is being funded and before payouts begins is referred to as the accumulation phase. Once payments commence, the contract is in the annuitization phase.

Formula

P=r (PV)/1-(1+r)^-n

Where,

P= payment

PV= present value

r= rate of period

n= number of periods

Retirement planning

Retirement planning is the process of determining retirement income goals and the actions and decisions necessary to achieve those goals. Retirement planning includes identifying sources of income, estimating expenses, implementing a savings program and managing assets. Future cash flows are estimated to determine if the retirement income goal will be achieved.

Amortized loan

An amortized loan is a loan with scheduled periodic payments that are applied to both principal and interest. An amortized loan payment first pays off the relevant interest expense for the period, after which the remainder of the payment reduces the principal. Common amortized loans include auto loans, home loans and personal loans from a bank for small projects or debt consolidation.

Amortized loans are generally paid off over an extended period of time by equal amounts for each payment period, though there is always the option to pay more and thus further reduce capital.

Measuring riskiness of firm and risk comparison

Business risk is the variability that a business firm experiences over time in its income. Some firms, like utility companies, have relatively stable income patterns over time. They can predict what their customer's utility bills will be within a certain range. Other types of business firms have more variability in their income over time. 

For example, automobile manufacturers. These firms are very much tied to the state of the economy. If the economy is in a downturn, fewer people buy new cars and the income of automobile manufacturers drops and vice versa.

Risk is simply defined as the possibility of something dangerous or unfortunate occurring. In the business world there is a slightly more vague definition. Managers and owners of companies in the business world define risk as anything that disrupts their ability to accomplish the mission of the organization.

Possible risks analyzed are:

ü Strategic risk

ü Compliance risk

Compliance risk is anything related to legal or regulatory costs, such as being sued for product liability or being fined by government agencies for not following important rules.

ü Financial risk

ü Operational risk

ü Reputational risk

Risk comparison is essential for effective societal and individual decision-making.

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INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Information Technology (IT) is a business sector that deals with computing, including hardware, software, telecommunications and generally anything involved in the transmittal of information or the systems that facilitate communication.

IMPORTANCE OF IT

1. It makes information processing to be timelier, with better surface area and even cheaper.
2. Access to information is now cheaper and economically viable
3. Effective and flexible Human interaction
4. ICT makes information dissemination more interactive and effective.
5. Globalization or global village: ICT has turned the whole world into a global village. Distance has become irrelevant in business transaction and dealings using e-mail and international World Wide Web.
6. Innovative ways of interaction and communication using GSM Technology, satellite cable network, video and teleconferencing, etc
7. It helps keep information reliable and up to date
8. It enables business and clients to communicate effectively
9. It allows more effective management of resources

APPLICATION OF IT IN

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Scientists and engineers use computers for performing complex scientific calculations, for designing and making drawings (CAD/CAM applications) and also for simulating and testing the designs. Computers are used for storing the complex data, performing complex calculations and for visualizing 3-dimensional objects. Complex scientific applications like the launch of the rockets, space exploration, etc., are not possible without the computers.

BUSINESS AND COMMERCE

Information technology drives innovation and innovation is the path to business success. Innovation in business has the same impact that steam had on the industrial revolution.

In fact, it’s hard to imagine any business that has not benefited from the digital revolution. Even something as hands on as agriculture uses computers. Farmers use computers for production records, financial planning, research on technical issues, and procurement.

Nowadays the formula for business success is simple: drive innovation with information technology. So, the first thing startups in any industry try to figure out is how to make smart IT recruiting choices. Without a backbone of information technology, a business is not going to go far.

EDUCATION

The computer can play a big role in the management of educational institutions. Preparation of timetables, organizing question banks, consolidation of details of each student, and preparation of salary details can be effectively done by the computer. With the help of computer ideas can be more easily explained to the student. In chemistry to do experiments with dangerous thing and that are too expensive, we can do by using computer.

GOVERNMENT

The government uses computers to manage its own operations and also for e- governance. The websites of the different government departments provide information to the users. Computers are used for the fi ling of income tax return, paying taxes, online submission of water and electricity bills, for the access of land record details, etc.

MEDICINE

In many medical types of equipment like ECG machines, computer chips are used. Blood analysis and vision testing can be done through certain software’s. When the health condition of a person is to be monitored round the clock, computer chips are connected to his/her body. This can collect the required responses and provide feedback to doctors through computer. Communication through internet also opened up more possibilities in medical care

ENTERTAINMENT

Computer is now an important tool in film, television and advertisement. The computer allows you innumerable options to handle pictures. The user can download and view movies, play games, chat, book tickets for cinema halls, use multimedia for making movies, incorporate visual and sound effects using computers, etc. The users can also listen to music, download and share music, create music using computers.

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UTILITY SOFTWARE

Utility software

Utility software is system software that is designed to help analyze, configure, optimize or maintain a computer and enhance the computers performance.

It is a program that performs a specific task, which is usually related to managing the system resources.

Utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure that includes computer hardware, application software, and operating system and data storage programs operate.

Uses of utility software:

1.     defends the computer from malicious such as virus

2.     speeds up the performance of the computer

3.     creates space, by deleting unwanted programs, on the computer

Device manager

Device Manager is a Control Panel applet in Microsoft Windows operating systems.

It allows users to view and control the hardware attached to the computer. When a piece of hardware is not working, the offending hardware is highlighted for the user to deal with.

For each device, users can:

1.     Supply device drivers in accordance with the windows driver model

2.     Enable or disable devices

3.     Tell Windows to ignore malfunctioning devices

4.     View other technical properties

Device Manager was introduced with Windows 95 and later added to Windows 2000.

Device driver

A device driver is a computer program that controls a particular device that is connected to your computer.

Typical devices are keyboards, printers, scanners, digital cameras and external storage devices. Each of these needs a driver in order to work properly.

Device driver acts a translator between the operating system of the computer and the devices connected to it.

For many types of devices, the necessary drivers are built into the operating system. When you plug in a device, the operating system starts looking for the right driver, install it and you are ready to start using the device.

This is referred as plug and play and preferred over having to manually install the correct driver.

Disk cleaner

Disk cleaner is a computer maintenance utility included in Microsoft Windows designed to free up disk space on a computer's hard drive.

The utility first searches and analyzes the hard drive for files that are no longer of any use, and then removes the unnecessary files.

There are a number of different file categories that Disk Clean-up targets when performing the initial disk analysis:

1.     Compression of old files

2.     Temporary Internet files

3.     Temporary Windows files

4.     Downloaded program files

5.     Recycle Bin

6.     Removal of unused applications or optional Windows components

7.     Setup log files

8.     Offline web pages (cached)

Disk scanner

Disk scanner is a DOS utility application used to check and correct errors on hard and floppy disks.

 It was first shipped in DOS 6.2 and was included with Windows 95, 98 and ME.

The utility scans disk surfaces for defects and marks those sections to prevent the rewriting of data and data loss.

Disk scanner is automatically activated when rebooting a computer that is not properly shut down, or if it detects initial disk problems from the Power On Self Test (POST).

Disk Defragmenter

Defragmentation is the process of consolidating fragmented files on the user's hard drive. Files become fragmented when data is written to disk, and there is not enough contiguous space to hold the complete file.

The process of defragmentation moves the data blocks on the hard drive around to bring all the parts of a file together. Defragmentation reduces file system fragmentation, increasing the efficiency of data retrieval and thereby improving the overall performance of the computer.

Virus scanner/ anti-virus scanner

Virus

A virus is a type of malicious software (malware) comprised of small pieces of code attached to legitimate programs. When that program runs, the virus runs.

An anti-virus scanner is a component of an anti-virus software package that scans a hard drive for viruses and other harmful items. These programs are made for various operating systems, and scanning methods can be manual or automatic. Scanners operate in conjunction with other elements of anti-virus software, such as virus containers and other tools.

Virus scanner is a type of antivirus program that searches a system for virus signatures that have attached to executable programs and applications such as e-mail clients.

A virus scanner can either search all executables when a system is booted or scan a file only when a change is made to the file as viruses will change the data in a file.

Spyware scanner/anti-spyware

Spyware

Spyware is a type of malware that is installed on a computer without the user's knowledge in order to collect information about them.

This can pose a security risk to the user, but more frequently spyware degrades system performance by taking up processing power, installing additional software, or redirecting users' browser activity.

Anti-spyware

Anti-spyware is a type of software that is designed to detect and remove unwanted spyware programs.

Anti-spyware software detects spyware through rules-based methods or based on downloaded definition files that identify common spyware programs.                      

Anti-spyware software can be used to find and remove spyware that has already been installed on the user's computer, or it can act much like an anti-virus program by providing real-time protection and preventing spyware from being downloaded in the first place.

Language translator

A language translator is a computer program for specifying a program in one programming language (the target language) that is functionally equivalent to that (a translation of another) in a different language (the source language).

These include translations between high-level and human-readable computer languages such as c++ and java, intermediate-level languages such as java byte code, low level languages, such as the assembly language and machine code, and between similar levels of language on different computing platforms, as well as from any of these to any other of these.

The term is also used for translators between software implementations and hardware/ASIC microchip implementations of the same program, and from software descriptions of a microchip to the logic gates needed to build it.

Examples of widely used types of computer languages translators include interpreters, compilers and decompilers, and assemblers and disassemblers.

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