Since there are innumerable computer programs, it is not always easy to choose the correct tool for the task at hand. The following table will help you to choose the right tool for different situations. The table also shows the most common file formats used in different situations.
Read more about the tools offered by the university in chapter 2.2 Computer facilities and services – Downloadable programs.
Programs for modifying text
Task |
Recommended program |
File formats |
Writing simple notes |
A text editor, such as NotePad in Windows or Nano in Linux. |
TXT |
Writing an essay, an assignment or e.g. a Master’s thesis |
A word processing program: for instance, Microsoft Word or the free LibreOffice. |
Word’s DOCX, OpenOffice’s and LibreOffice’s ODT. Most programs can also handle the RTF format! |
Publishing a document on the Internet so that its layout remains unaltered |
A program for creating a PDF file, such as Adobe Acrobat |
PDF |
Spreadsheet programs
Please note that you do not need a spreadsheet program to create a simple table; you can create tables with most word-processor programs.
Task |
Recommended program |
File formats |
Creating a complex spreadsheet containing mathematical formulas and creating graphs |
A spreadsheet program such as Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc |
XLS and XLSX in Excel, ODS in Calc, etc. |
Handling a table with statistics |
A statistics program or spreadsheet program, such as SPSS or Excel |
SAV in SPSS and XLS in Excel, etc. |
Programs for slide shows
Task |
Recommended program |
File formats |
Creating and presenting a slide show with text, images and other elements |
A slide-show program, such as Microsoft PowerPoint, OpenOffice Impress |
PPT and PPTX in PowerPoint, ODP in Impress |
Programs for modifying bit maps
Task |
Recommended program |
File formats |
Rotating, cropping, minimizing and enlarging bit maps, etc. |
- Free programs: LibreOffice Draw, Pixlr, Gimp
- The Photos app in Windows
- A comprehensive image-processing program, such as Adobe Photoshop, Corel PaintShop Pro
|
Software-independent file formats: JPEG, TIFF, PNG, BMP |
Programs for modifying vector graphics
Task |
Recommended program |
File formats |
Drawing and compiling posters, graphs etc. |
programs for vector graphics, such as CorelDraw, Adobe Illustrator. The free LibreDraw also enables you to process vector images. |
AI in Adobe Illustrator, EPS, CDR in CorelDraw |
Desktop-publishing programs and web-page editors
Task |
Recommended program |
File formats |
Designing a book |
A desktop-publishing program, such as Windows Adobe InDesign or Linux LaTeX. |
INDD in Indesign |
Publishing simple web pages (written in HTML) |
A text editor, such as NotePad or Emacs |
HTML, XHTML |
Maintaining a web site |
- A page or blog platform such as WordPress
- DreamWeaver for compiling web pages from scratch
|
HTML, XHTML, PHP (programming language) |
UH offers its students document, slide and other templates. Templates are available at the material bank for the visual appearance, which is accessible from the university’s network.