Programs that help a computer system to work (e.g. operating system, disk defragmenter or compilers)
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What is an Applications Software?
Programs that perform a specific task (e.g. stock control program or computer game) and generic programs that can be used for general-purpose tasks (e.g. a word-processing program)
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What is an Operating System?
The program that controls the running of the computer
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What does a ROM chip do?
Allows the computer to find the main part of the operating system on the hard drive
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What is a Read Only Memory (ROM)?
Memory that cannot be changed by the program or user
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What is this process ^ called?
Booting
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What is Random Access Memory (RAM)?
A fast, temporary type of memory in which programs, applications and data are stored
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What functions can an operating system carry out?
It loads and runs programs, it maximises the use of memory (RAM), it handles outputs and inputs, it deals with interruptions if they occur and it maintains security of the system
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What is an Applications Software specific to?
A particular operating system
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What is a Single-program system?
An operatin system which only runs one program at a time.When one program has completed its processing, then the next program is loaded up and run. This sort of operating system is much slower than multi-programming systems and is not found very much
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What is a Batch-processing system?
a program, together with an data it needs, is called a job. In a batch-processing system, jobs that are waiting to be run are collected and stores in a job queue and then are all processed together
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Where are Batch-processing systems used?
businesses where there is no urgency that jobs are processed
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What are the advantages of a Batch-processing system?
Processing can be done at off-peak teams and no huma n intervention is required once the batch has started
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What is the job of an Operating system?
Share the resources (e.g. processing time) and they decide the order in which programs are run
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What are the advantage of Multi-programming system?
More programs are processed in less time than in a Operating system (where only one program is processed at a time)
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What is Multi-programming know as on a mircocomputer? What does it do?
Multi-tasking - gives the appearance that the computer is running more than one program at a time
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What is a large mainframe computer?
A computer that may have a numbe rof workstations connected directly to it
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What do workstations consist of? What do they do?
Input devices (e.g. a keyboard) - they send data to the computer
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What is a network?
A system of connected computers
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What is a distributed system?
The processing and resources are shared between different computers. It is the operating system that has to make sure that each of the computers in the system communicates properly.
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What is a sensor and what do they do?
monitor a process by taking environmental measurements and sending them to the computer as input. The computer processes the data immediately and takes action if necessary
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Where can Real-time operating systems be found?
in embedded computers. The operating system is stored in a ROM chip and runs and manages a single program that operates (e.g. a washing machine)
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What is an embedded computer?
They have a specific function within a larger system. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware
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What are transactions?
Every time an item is sold or bought
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What is an example of a real time transaction system?
A theatre seat booking system
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What is intercative computing?
A user inputs a command to a computer, which may then respond with a request for further input of data
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What is an eample of where an interactive computing system is found?
When you take cash out of ATM machines
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
What is a Systems Software?
Back
Programs that help a computer system to work (e.g. operating system, disk defragmenter or compilers)
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