Chapter 3: The Visible Computer

Question 1

data storage

Answer 1

saving a permanent copy of your work so you can access it later

Question 2

computer

Answer 2

an electronic device that can perform calculations

Question 3

file extension

Answer 3

letters following a dot at the end of a filename that tell what type of file it is

Question 4

system tray

Answer 4

another name for notification area

Question 5

operating system (OS)

Answer 5

controls the hardware

Question 6

Charms bar

Answer 6

Windows 8 - the right-hand side of the screen which houses the charms. Accessed by placing the mouse cursor in the top- or bottom-right corner of the screen

Question 7

processing

Answer 7

when the operating system tells the hardware to do what the user has requested

Question 8

charm

Answer 8

a set of tools in Windows 8, including Search, Share, etc.

Question 9

side-by-side apps

Answer 9

Introduced in Windows 8 - two applications can be opened, one locked to the left side of the monitor, and one to the right.

Question 10

tiles

Answer 10

Windows 8 user interface elements

Question 11

file association

Answer 11

pairing of an application with a specific file type

Question 12

Windows logo key

Answer 12

Used to access the Start Menu/Screen on a Windows machine

Question 13

computing process

Answer 13

input-processing-output

Question 14

Aero

Answer 14

Windows 7 interface that allows transparency

Question 15

Settings app

Answer 15

Windows 10 - puts several

Question 16

Gadget

Answer 16

Windows 7 feature - clocks, calendar, etc.

Question 17

network connection

Answer 17

describes how one computer connects to other computers

Question 18

app

Answer 18

Windows 8 “full-screen” program

Question 19

input

Answer 19

things the user does

Question 20

Device Manager

Answer 20

used to examine all the hardware and drivers on a PC

Question 21

drive letter

Answer 21

letters that are used to identify a specific disc drive on a PC

Question 22

application

Answer 22

program

Question 23

Start screen

Answer 23

Windows 8 replacement for the start menu

Question 24

Spaces

Answer 24

Mac OS’s take on multiple desktops - these Spaces share the same Dock

Question 25

Utilities

Answer 25

(Mac OS) Includes tools beyond what System Preferences offers, including Terminal

Question 26

Desktop

Answer 26

the background "main" screen for a typical Windows PC or Mac OS PC

Question 27

System Preferences

Answer 27

(Mac OS) provides access to settings

Question 28

desktop environment (DE)

Answer 28

the graphical user environment for a Linux distribution

Question 29

root directory

Answer 29

the directory where the operating system is installed

Question 30

distribution (distro)

Answer 30

a specific version of Linux

Question 31

context menu

Answer 31

right-click menu that gives you various options in Windows

Question 32

multiple Desktops

Answer 32

a way to group open applications into separate desktops. Available in Windows 10, Linux, Mac OS

Question 33

hardware

Answer 33

physical parts of the computer that you can touch

Question 34

applet

Answer 34

programs in the Control Panel that allow you to control aspects of your computer

Question 35

notification area

Answer 35

shows programs running in the background

Question 36

Windows Explorer

Answer 36

(Windows Vista/7) Graphical utility to navigate and work with files

Question 37

System Tools

Answer 37

contains multiple tech utilities such as System Information and Disk Defragmenter

Question 38

Dock

Answer 38

MacOS - the area at the bottom-middle of the screen that shows frequently-used and currently-running applications

Question 39

command-line interface

Answer 39

an interface in which commands are typed at a prompt

Question 40

taskbar

Answer 40

shows running programs in Windows

Question 41

output

Answer 41

what the computer does to let you know it's followed your commands - an image on the screen, sound, etc.

Question 42

Mission Control

Answer 42

Mac OS - shows all open applications and allows you to switch between them

Question 43

user interface (UI)

Answer 43

collection of windows and icons that you can click and touch to interact with the operating system

Question 44

pinned app

Answer 44

Windows 8 - these are the default apps that the user has picked. The Start Screen only shows these by default.

Question 45

Finder

Answer 45

MacOS graphical utility that allows users to work with files

Question 46

Sidebar

Answer 46

Windows 7 feature that houses Gadgets

Question 47

Administrative Tools

Answer 47

Allows you to set up hard drives, manage devices, test system performance, and more.

Question 48

Metro UI

Answer 48

codename for the Windows 8 interface

Question 49

Start button

Answer 49

clicking on this in Windows gives you access to applications, files, etc.

Question 50

File Explorer

Answer 50

(Windows 8, 10) Graphical utility to navigate and work with files

Question 51

personal computer

Answer 51

typically runs Microsoft Windows (or other general-purpose consumer OSes)

Question 52

Control Panel

Answer 52

handles most of the maintenance, upgrade, and configuration aspects of Windows

Question 53

graphical user interface (GUI)

Answer 53

a user interface made up of windows and icons, as opposed to a command-line interface