CH 13 BB Flashcards
What are the two critical functions of the Operating System? Pg 662
Interfacing with the hardware and providing a platform on which other applications can run.
In order to provide a consistent environment for other software to execute commands what tasks must the OS be able to complete? Pg 662
Disk and file management; device access; memory management; output format
T/F The OS could be considered the “middle-man” between the user/other applications and the hardware. Pg 662
True.
What is an application? Pg 663
Works through the OS to perform a specific set of tasks.
What is a driver? Pg 663
A very specific software written to instruct a particular OS on how to access a piece of hardware.
What is source code? Pg 664
The actual code that defines how a piece of software works.
T/F Windows is open source. Pg 664
False.
What is a shell? Pg 664
A program that runs on top of the OS that makes it easier to use by changing the user interface.
What is cooperative multitasking? Pg 664
A method that depends on the application to be responsible for freeing the processor up for use by other applications after it is done using it.
What is multithreading? Pg 665
The ability of a single application to have multiple requests in to the processor at one time.
What determines hardware compatibility? Pg 666
Whether or not the OS has any trouble running drivers for the specific hardware. Also your system must have the minimum hardware requirements in order to run the programs.
Where can you find a list of which hardware/software is compatible with specific versions of windows? Pg 666
Microsoft’s Compatibility Center.
