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GCSE Computer Science > 1.5 Systems Software > Flashcards

1.5 Systems Software Flashcards

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1
Q

OS full form

A

Operating System

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2
Q

OS

A

manages hardware and runs software

  • Communicates with internal + external hardware, using device drivers
  • Provides a User Interface (UI) – allows for the user to interact with the computer
  • Provides an environment for different applications to run
  • Allows the computer to multi task by controlling memory resources + the CPU
  • Deals with file management + disk management
  • Manage system security + user accounts
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3
Q

UI full form

A

User Interface

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4
Q

UI

A

allows the user to interact with a computer system

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5
Q

Types of UI

A

Graphical User Interface (GUI)
Command-Line-Interface

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6
Q

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A
  • designed to be easy for everyday users, by being visual + interactive
  • uses WIMP (windows, icons, menus, pointers)
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7
Q

Command-Line-Interface

A
  • Text based
  • User enters specific commands to complete tasks
  • Less resources
  • Not efficient for everyday users, but better for advanced users -> more powerful
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8
Q

Device driver software

A

used for computer system (operating system) to communicate with internal hardware or peripherals

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9
Q

What does every hardware/peripheral connected to a system need?

A

A device driver

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10
Q

What do device drivers do?

A

Act as a translator for the signals between the OS and the hardware

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11
Q

What happens when a computer is booted up in relation to device drivers?

A

the OS picks the correct device drivers for the hardware detected.

(If new hardware is connected to the system, the OS will install a new, matching driver for it.)

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12
Q

Why do device manufacturers release updates for device drivers?

A

To fix bugs
Add features
Improve performance

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13
Q

How can updates from device manufacturers be installed?

A

Automatically by the OS
Manually by the user

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14
Q

What is responsible for the file management?

A

The OS creates a file structure to make it easier for the user to organise and file data in a systematic way

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15
Q

What does the OS manage?

A

Naming, saving, moving, editing,, deleting of data

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16
Q

What is responsible for the disk management?

A

The OS splits the physical disk into storage sectors, and decides where to write data
Also keeps track of space

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17
Q

How does the OS maintain the hard disk?

A

Utility Software e.g. defragmentation software

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18
Q

Multitasking

A

When several programs are run at the same time

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19
Q

What helps the CPU do multitasking?

A

The OS

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20
Q

How does the OS help the CPU multitask?

A

Efficiently managing memory + CPU processing time

21
Q

What happens when an application is opened?

A

The OS moves necessary parts of the application to memory, and additional parts when required

22
Q

What does the OS do when multitasking

A

makes sure the applications don’t overwrite/interfere with each other -> memory manager allocates certain applications certain memory addresses, so that their data is placed in different locations

23
Q

How many applications does the CPU process at a time?

A

One. Other applications have to wait

24
Q

How does the OS prioritise CPU time?

A

Prioritises CPU time for open applications compared to other processes

25
Q

What else does the OS manage?

A

The flow of data
The movement of data to and from virtual memory

26
Q

How does the OS manage the flow of data?

A

Using memory buffers

27
Q

What do memory buffers do?

A

store data until the component is ready to receive it, as different components have different processing speeds

28
Q

User accounts

A

The OS can either be:
single user
multi user

29
Q

Single User

A

Allows one user to use the computer at once

30
Q

Example of a Single User OS

A

macOS

31
Q

Multi user

A

Allows multiple users to use the computer at once

32
Q

Example of Multi User OS

A

UNIX server

33
Q

How is the OS stored?

A

In mainframes

34
Q

What are mainframes?

A

Huge supercomputers

35
Q

Example of a mainframe

A

ATMs give many people access to a bank’s mainframe

36
Q

What manages User Account Control?

A

The OS

37
Q

What do user accounts allow for?

A

Different users to have access to specific data
User accounts are password protected to avoid theft of data

38
Q

Utility Software

A

Software designed to help maintain/configure the computer

39
Q

Types of Utility Software

A

Encryption Software
Compression Software
Defragmentation Software

40
Q

Encryption Software

A

scrambles (encrypts) data to stop third parties/unauthorised users from accessing + understanding it

41
Q

Process of encryption

A
  • Converts plain test (unencrypted) -> cyphertext (encrypted)
  • An algorithm and key are used to encrypt the data, and the same algorithm and key are needed to decrypt the data
  • Encrypted data cannot be read through a brute-force attack
42
Q

Main advantage of Encryption Software

A

even if a hacker intercepts the data, it is still secure/cannot be read.

43
Q

Compression Software

A

reduces the size of a file by permanently or temporarily removing data from them.

44
Q

Types of Compression Software

A

Lossy
Lossless

45
Q

Advantage of Compression Software

A

frees up disk space + quicker to download/transfer across a network

46
Q

How are compressed files opened?

A

Compressed files need to be extracted before opened

47
Q

Defragmentation Software

A

reorganises data on a hard drive to put fragmented files back together, to prevent further fragmentation

48
Q

How does fragmentation occur?

A
  • Ideally, files on a hard drive should be stored together
  • Over time, as files are moved and deleted, lots of gaps are created on the disk = fragmentation
  • This causes slower read – write speed (the read-write head has to move back and forth across the disk)
  • Defragmentation software solves this problem.
49
Q

Defragmentation effect on SSDs

A

As SSDs have no moving parts, fragmentation doesn’t slow them down – they can access data from any part of it at the same speed.
Defragmentation slows them down as they have a limited number of read/write cycles

GCSE Computer Science (12 decks)

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