the operating system

Question 1

why is the operating system an important part of software?

Answer 1

you couldn’t run any of your other software without it

Question 2

operating systems ____ hardware and ____ software

Answer 2

manage, run

Question 3

the operating system is the software that’s responsable for making sure everything _____

Answer 3

runs smoothly

Question 4

popular examples of desktop operating systems

Answer 4

windows, macOS, and linux

Question 5

some other functions of the operating system:

Answer 5

• managing the memory and the processor
• creating and managing user accounts to
  ensure that a user’s files are secure
• allowing the user to access the computer in an easy way by providing a user interface
• allowing the user to create and exit files and organising where they’re sorted

Question 6

user interfaces make _____ the computer easier

Answer 6

navigating

Question 7

graphical user interfaces (GUIs)

Answer 7

they are visual - they use icons, menus and windows to make it easy for everyday users to interact with the computer system

they normally allow the user to customise how the interface looks with different colours or by changing the layout

Question 8

how are Android and IOS’s interfaces designed for touch screen devices?

Answer 8

their interfaces use finger gestures like pinching and swiping instead of a mouse

Question 9

command-line interfaces

Answer 9

they are text based - the user types in comands which the operating system then carries out

Question 10

why might we use a command-line interface?

Answer 10

this type of interface is more complicated to use but can be more powerful, which is why programmers sometimes prefer it

Question 11

advantage of operating systems

Answer 11

they make finding files easier, as they keep them in an organised structure

Question 12

how is data stored?

Answer 12

in files and directories

Question 13

what is a file?

Answer 13

a block o fdata that’s stored under one name, called its filename
e.g. an image file, or a letter written in a word processor

Question 14

what is the extra bit at the end of a file name called, and what is it used for?

Answer 14

an extenstion, it is used to identify the file format and which program should be used to open it

Question 15

what is a directory?

Answer 15

it tells the operating system where on a disk the files are, how big each file is, when it was created, and so on.

in most operating systems, these directories are called folders

Question 16

what is a subfolder

Answer 16

they are folders within folders

Question 17

why might we use subfolders?

Answer 17

they’re useful when dealing with loads of files

Question 18

what is a filepath

Answer 18

it describes the files location

Most filepaths start off with a letter that shows which drive or device the file is stored on, then some subfolders, then the filename and its extension

Question 19

label this filepath

C:\Users\h.potter\Documents\mMap.png

Answer 19

C: - drive letter
Users\h.potter\Documents - subfolders
mMap - file name
.png - extension

Question 20

what are some file related operations in the file menu that the operating system carries out?

Answer 20

‘New’ - creates a new file
‘Save’ - stores a file
‘Save as’ - stores a copy of the file under a different file name

Question 21

what are some file management operations

Answer 21

‘Rename’ - changes the filename

‘Delete’ - removes a stored file, which means it cannot be opened again