ModuleOne
| Hardware
And Software
Candidates
should understand the relationship between hardware
and software and be able to define
both. |
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| Definitions:
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Hardware |
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The
hardware is the physical part of
a computer system; the machinery
and equipment. |
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Software |
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Software
is the computer program that tells a computer's hardware
what to do. |
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System
Software |
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System software
is the operating system that controls
the basic functioning capabilities of the computer, |
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Network
Software |
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Network
software enables multiple computers
to communicate with one another. |
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Language
Software |
| |
Language
software
is used to develop programs. |
Classification
Of Software
Candidates
should be aware of how software is classified. They should be able to
explain what is meant by system software
and application software.
See Above
Internal
Components Of A Computer
There are
many different components of a computer:
The
Processor or the Central Processing Unit (CPU)
controls the transmission of data from input devices to memory, processes
the data, and then controls the transmission of information from main
memory to output devices.
The
Main Memory is where the currently running programs
and the data that the processor is using, is stored. Main Memory is
volatile.
The
Secondary Memory is a more permanent storage
of data in a non-volatile state. It is for 'long-term' memory.
Input
Devices include the keyboard, mouse, touch-screen,
bar-code readers, and scanners.
Output
Devices are hardware like the visual display
unit (VDU), the printer and the speakers.
| Different
Level Programming Languages
There
are three imporant levels of language. These three levels are
Binary, Assembly Code, and then the Imperative high level languages.
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| Levels:
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Binary
Code (Machine Code) |
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Binary Code is executed by the machine
directly, without translation like the other two levels. It consists
of 1s and 0s.
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Pros: |
As it doesnt have to be translated, and
there isn't any unneeded coding, it is very fast at being executed.
If there is part of a game, or a program, that needs to be done
fast, then it is known for the programmer to do part of it in Binary. |
Cons: |
As the code talks directly to the computer,
it takes a long time to do tasks. Although being executed fast,
it takes a programmer a long time to write. There are not many programmers
who can write in Binary. |
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Assembly
Code |
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In the 1950s, when computers were first
used comercially, Machine Code gave way to Assembly Code. It allowed
the programmers to use Mnemonics |
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System
Software |
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System software
is the operating system that controls
the basic functioning capabilities of the computer, |
|
Network
Software |
| |
Network
software enables multiple computers
to communicate with one another. |
| |
Language
Software |
| |
Language
software
is used to develop programs. |
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