vocabulary simplified

Computer — comprised of:

a. hardware- it’s hard. You can drop it, break it, bump into it.

b. software- it’s invisible. It’s the programming code written on disks. You buy software like applications, fonts, games. It comes on a disk or you download from another computer to yours, like over the internet.

Operating system

Runs all the basic computer functions, like an engine in a car. You can have a car, but if you don’t have an engine it won’t go anywhere.

Drivers

Software that allows computer work with peripheral hardware, like printers and scanners. Must be installed, usually.

Applications

Programs that let you make stuff on the computer, like word processing, page layout, digital imaging.

Plug-ins

Small programs designed to enhance existing software with additional functions. They may cause problems when you go from one computer to another because you won't have the plug in on the other computer.

They may be called extensions.

CPU

Central processing unit. The chip that runs the show.

Also called a microprocessor.

Data bus

a combination of software, hardware, and electrical wiring that creates a way for all the different parts of your computer to communicate with each other. All the cables and wires connect to the bus.

Hard disk

Hardware pieces that hold data. Sort of like a filing cabinet.

RAM

Random access memory.

The word memory generally refers to RAM, which is temporary, volatile, storage space, as opposed to permanent storage space.

You might think of your computer’s hard disk as a filing cabinet, with each gigabyte or megabyte of space representing one drawer. The computer takes things out of the hard disk and places them on its desk, but its desk is called random access memory or RAM. So when you open an application like a word processing application, the computer gets a copy of that application out and puts the copy into memory, or places it on the desk. Sort of like putting a typewriter on the desk.

So you crash if too much stuff is on the desk.

Whatever you did in RAM goes away, if not saved, when you turn off the computer.

ROM

Read only memory.

System information that is built into the ROM chips inside the computer. This is information that gets the system up and running.

How is screen size measured?

a. diagonally in inches

b. number of pixels, width by height

Text file formats:

1. Open, meaning they can move between Mac & PC and software.

ASCII and RTF are examples of “open format”

2. Program-specific, such as Microsoft Word.

Program specific formats lose formatting when you transfer to a Mac.

ASCII may not have all the information necessary, especially missing may be numbers and special characters.

RTF is probably the best choice. Keeps typographic information.