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Flashcards: IT System Tech
Hardware
physical components of a computer or other electronic system
Software
the programs and other operating information of a computer
ICT system
(information and communication technologies) a set of technological tools used to share or exchange information
Computer
an electronic device for the storing and processing of data according to instructions given to it in a variable program
IPO
input process output module
Data
information that can be interpreted and used by computers
Information
the desired form of data is transformed into after processing
Laptop
a personal computer which can easily moved
Desktop
a computer display area represented by the objects found on a physical desk
Server
a system which provides resources data or services to other computers
Embedded computer
a dedicated computer system which forms part of a larger machine or system
Tablet
a personal portable computer with a touchscreen interface
Smartphone
a mobile or cellular phone which runs off a mobile operating system
Operating system
software which manages the computers memory and processes as well as it's software and hardware.
Application software
a computer program designed to carry out a specific task other than the operation of the computer itself
CPU
The primary component of a computer which acts as it's control center
ALU
perform arithmetic and logical operations as part of the computer's CPU
CU
circuitry within the computers processor which directs operations
BIOS
a microprocessor used to start the computer system after it is powered on
UEFI
updated version of BIOS
CMOS
a battery powered memory chip which holds the initialization data
RAM
random access memory is the computers short term memory
ROM
a type of storage computer storage containing permeant data which can be read not written to
HDD
a mass storage device which hold long term data
SSD
a mass storage device which hold long term data
Hybrid drive
a computer storage device which combines the best part of SSD and HDD
Flash drive
a data device which uses flash memory
Optical
computing using light waves as sources for data processing
SD card
flash memory card used in portable devices
Input device
a piece of equipment used to provide data to a computer
Output device
a piece of equipment which receives data from one form and converts it to another form
USB port
mechanism used to connect peripheral devices to computer
HDMI port
high definition multimedia interface
Parallel processing
a method of computing where two or more processors handle separate parts of an overall task
Hyper threading
a hardware innovation which allows more than one thread to run on each core
Multiprocessing
the utilization of two or more central processing units in a single computer
Latency
the time taken for data to pass from one part of a network to another
SRAM
a type of random access memory which uses latching circuitry
Processor caching
caches store temporary information for the processor to use
Disk caching
a temporary computer memory which stores frequently used data
Browser caching
a storage location used to temporarily store data for a browser server or app
Web caching
the activity of storing data for reuse
System clock
an electronic device which emits a high frequency signal synchronizing components
Over clocking
increasing a components CPU to speed up it's performance
Clock multiplication
changing clock speed
Internal bus / FSB
a type of data bus which only acts internally in a computer
Data bus
transfers data between a computers memory and it's CPU
Address bus
an element in a CPU which transmits the location of stored information
Control bus
carries control signals from a the processor to other components
PCI express
interface standard connecting high speed input output
SATA
control and transport protocol that defines how data is transferred
Modular design
breaking down a design into smaller parts for easier replacement or upgrade
Ports
a point where connections start or end
Cards
a device which adds functionality to a computer
Onboard busses
an electronic pathway through which data can be transferred
Graphics processor
an electronic circuit which can perform mathematical calculations at high speed
Math processor
a specialized component which manipulates numbers more quickly than the basic microprocessor
IRQs
a signal sent to the processor to momentarily stop operations
IO
device or operation which transfers data to or from a computer system
Paging
storage method used in operating systems to retrieve processes from the secondary storage to main memory as pages
Swapping
the moving of data between the secondary storage and main memory
Utilities
a type of system software used to anylise configure optimize and manage a computer
Drivers
a set of files which tells a hardware component how to function
Source code
programing components created by a programmer and saved in a file
Executable code
machine code which is the set of native instruction
Proprietary software
software which is privately owned and distributed
Freeware
proprietary software which is free
Freemium software
have to pay for full version
Creative commons
licenses which enable the free distribution of copywrited work
High level language
language which allows the user to program in a language independent of what the computer runs on
Low level language
a language with minimal difference from the computers base language
Compiler (1 & 2 stage)
program which turn high level code to the computer's language
Interpreters
a program which directly executes instructions without having them previously compiled to machine language
Assemblers
program which converts assembly language code into machine code
Product key
certifies the copy of the program is original
Activation code
key used to activate program after installation
Firewall
network security device which monitors incoming and outgoing network traffic
Anti
malware - a type of software program which protects against malicious software