Chapter 1: The bigger picture Flashcards
A computing system is a:
Dynamic collection of Hardware, softare and data
Hardware is:
The physical elements of a computing system
Software are:
Programs that provide instructions that a computer executes
When did the 1st gen for hardware and software begin and end?
1951-1959
Name the 1st gen hardware and its downfall:
Vaccum Tubes : generated too much heat, required a lot of space.
1st gen input/output were:
Input: card reader, replaced my magnetic tape drives
Output: punched card/line printer
The 1st gen memory device was:
The magnetic drum that rotated under a read/write head.
The 1st gen memory device was:
The magnetic drum that rotated under a read/write head.
1st Gen softwawre was:
Name the programming language, how it was written, and what it did.
Machine language, written in Binary, gave instructions to electrical circuitry.
2nd gen for hardware and software was from when to when?
1959-1965
What was the 2nd gen hardware, and what was its benefit:
Transistor, smaller, faster, more durable.
2nd Gen memory device was:
Magnetic cores (immediate-access memory device)
2nd Gen Auxiliary storage device was:
Magnetic disk (data could be accessed immediately)
2nd gen software was:
High-level languages such as Fortran, COBOL, Lisp
3rd gen started and ended when?
1965-1971
What was the 3rd gen hardware, and what was its benefit:
Intergrated circuit - smaller,cheaper,faster than the circuit board
3rd Gen memory device was:
The transistor
3rd gen input/output was:
A keyboard, screen and terminal
3rd gen software was:
Operating systems, which decided which programs run, and when
4th gen timeline was:
1971-1989 software, 1971 - present day for hardware.
4th gen software was:
Programming languages such as C++, C, Pascal.
for users : Spreadsheets, word processors and database management systems.
4th gen software was:
Programming languages
What happened in the 4th gen ,in terms of hardware?
Large-scale integration - great advances in chip technology, more chips on an integrated circuit, pcs were emerging, laptops emerging, workstations emerging.
5th gen timeline for software was:
1990 - the present day.
What happened in terms of software in the 5th gen?
Windows began to dominate the market.
Internet became widespread
Object-oriented design
Explain parallel computing:
Relies on INTERCONNECTED central processing and/or memory units, that INCREASE PROCESSING SPEED
Networking:
Ethernet - cheap cable that connects machines, allowing them to connect with other machines
