HASOPL Lesson 1

• Hardware are the physical, tangible parts of a computer
• Software are the programs and data
• Programs are a series of instructions
• Central Processing Unit a chip that executes program commands
• Main Memory primary storage area for programs
• Secondary Memory provides long-term storage
• Input and Output Devices allows user interaction
• Operating System controls all machine activities
• Operating System manages resources such as the CPU and memory
• Operating System provides the user interface to the computer
• Application Program generic term for any kind of software
• Analog continuous, in direct proportion to the data represented
• Digital the information is broken down into pieces, and each piece is represented seperately
• Magnetic Tape is a sequential access device since its data is arranged in a linear order
• Central Processing Unit is also called a microprocessor
• Central Processing Unit follows the fetch-decode-execute cycle
• Fetch retrieve an instruction from main memory
• Decode determines what the instruction is
• Execute carries out the instruction
• Arithmetic/Logic Unit performs calculations and decisions
• Control Unit coordinates the processing steps
• Registers are referred to as small storage areas
• System Clock controls the speed of the CPU
• System Clock generates an electronic pulse at regular intervals
• Monitor has a certain maximum resolution, indicating the number of picture elements (pixels)
• Modem allows information to be moved across a telephone line
• File server is a network computer dedicated to storing programs and data that are shared among network users
• Point-to-point connections are when each computer in networks can be directly connected to each other
• Local-Area Networks covers a small distance and a small number of computers
• Local-Area Networks often connects the machines in a single room or building
• Wide-Area Networks connects two or more LANs, often over long distances
• Internetworking is defined as communication among networks
• Protocol is a set of rules that determine how things communicate with each other
• Internet Protocol determines the format of the information as it is transferred
• Transmission Control Protocol dictates how messages are reassembled and handles lost information
• Domain Name System is a software that translates the internet address into an IP address
• World-Wide Web allows many different types of information to be accessed using a common interface
• Browser is a program which accesses and presents information
• Uniform Resource Locator indicates a protocol (http), a domain, and possibly specific domains
• The software which manages internet communication follows a protocol called TCP/IP