Software Flashcards
What does software refer to
Digital items made up of 1s and 0s that tell your computer what to do
What does system software do (5)
Translates the instructions from your software to a language your hardware can understand
Sends these instructions to the correct hardware
Receives information from the hardware and sends it to the software
Allows different applications to communicate with one another
Makes sure all the hardware and software on your computer are working correctly
What is virtualisation
The act of creating a virtual version of something
What are utilities
Small programs which help users to maintain their computers
What is system software
A type of computer program that is designed to run a computer’s hardware and application programs
What is the user interface
The way in which people interact with computer programs or a website
What is a driver
A set of instructions that tells the operating system how to communicate with a specific piece of hardware
What is a stand-alone operating system
A complete operating system that works directly on a computer to make sure that the tasks of the operating system are completed
What is a network operating system
An operating system that is designed to help other computers on a network
What is an embedded operating system
An object, software or hardware that is independent and does not need an external program or device to run it
What does the operating system do
Controls your hardware and software, provides a user interface and manages the resources of the computer
What are the 7 tasks of the operating system
Managing and interpreting signals sent and received by your hardware
Communicating with different hardware devices
Managing a computer’s memory and storage
Monitoring your hardware’s performance
Providing an interface
Allowing the computer’s hardware to interact with its software
Allowing computers to connect and communicate over a network
Look at table on page 4 of Software
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What is machine code
The executable instruction code provided by all running computer system programs and applications
What is binary
A numbering scheme with only two possible values for each digit: 1 and 0
What type of code can your CPU understand
Interpreted or Compiled code
What does an interpreter do
Reads the first line of code, interprets it into machine code and sends it to the CPU to be processed. It goes line by line
What is an example of an interpreted language
JavaScript
What does a compiler do
Takes the entire source code and translates it into machine code
What are two examples of compiled code
Delphi and Java
Look at table on page 7
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What are the 3 techniques used by the CPU to complete tasks
Multitasking
Multiprocessing
Multithreading
What is multitasking
The ability of the OS to quickly switch between many computing tasks to give the impression that the different applications are executing simultaneously
How does multitasking work
Instructions from different processes are sent to a single processor
What is multithreading
Operations within a single application are divided into threads. Each of the threads can run in parallel. The OS divides processing time among each thread within the application
What are threads
A way for a program to split itself into two or more simultaneously running tasks
What is multiprocessing
Similar to multitasking but multiprocessing uses multiple processors to complete tasks. Each core is able to complete program instructions on its own
Why don’t multi-core processors improve the performance on any single process
Most applications require the instructions to be executed one after another and therefore it is pointless to have one core complete the first instructions while another completes the last instruction
What are the four most popular reasons for using a virtual machine
Allows you to install different operating systems
Allows you to install an application that may contain a virus
Image of the virtual harddrive can be used to back up your computer or transfer all your data to a new computer
Enables mobile developers to develop applications for different versions of Android and IOS
