4.6.1 Hardware & Software

• What is hardware in a computer system?

  The physical components of a computer system
• What is software in a computer system?

  Program code that performs tasks
• What is the relationship between hardware and software?

  Hardware supports software execution and functionality
• What is system software?

  Software that operates and maintains the computer
• What is application software?

  Programs that complete specific tasks for users
• What are the types of system software?

  Operating systems, utility programs, libraries, translators
• What is the role of an operating system (OS)?

  To hide hardware complexities and manage resources
• What does memory management do in an OS?

  Tracks memory and allocates it to processes
• What is the heap in memory management?

  Unallocated sections of memory
• What happens when an application finishes using memory?

  Memory is returned to the heap
• How does the OS manage input/output devices?

  Controls allocation and usage of I/O devices
• What is a device driver?

  Enables communication between device and OS
• What is virtual memory?

  A section of hard drive used for temporary data
• What is the purpose of virtual memory?

  To extend physical memory capacity using disk
• What is application software used for?

  Completing specific tasks for users
• What are the functions of an operating system?

  File handling, I/O management, memory management
• What tasks do utility programs perform?

  Backup, disk defragmentation, data compression
• What do library programs provide?

  Access to useful functions for programs
• What is the role of translators in software?

  Convert between different programming languages
• What is resource management in an OS?

  Allocating memory and resources to programs
• What is scheduling in memory management?

  Allocating memory to processes efficiently
• What is round-robin scheduling?

  Allocating CPU time slices to jobs
• What does the OS do with print jobs?

  Allocates and manages print jobs for printers
• What is the purpose of memory management techniques?

  To efficiently manage memory allocation
• What is the significance of not overwriting existing programs?

  To prevent data loss and maintain functionality
• How does the OS handle I/O device requests?

  Creates a queue based on priority
• What is the main function of utility programs?

  Perform maintenance tasks for the computer
• What is the role of libraries in programming?

  Provide reusable functions for programs
• What is the function of a compiler?

  Convert high-level code to machine code
• What is the function of an assembler?

  Convert assembly language to machine code
• What is the function of an interpreter?

  Execute high-level code line by line
• What is the purpose of security in an OS?

  To protect data and manage access
• What is file handling in an OS?

  Managing files and directories on storage
• What is I/O management in an OS?

  Controlling input and output operations
• What is processor management in an OS?

  Allocating CPU time to processes
• What is the significance of sharing runtime across programs in libraries?

  Reduces memory usage and programming effort
• What is the purpose of data backup in utility programs?

  To prevent data loss and ensure recovery
• What is disk defragmentation in utility programs?

  Reorganizing fragmented data on a disk
• What is data compression in utility programs?

  Reducing file size for storage efficiency
• What is encryption in utility programs?

  Securing data by converting it into code