Wednesday, September 29, 2010

ITGS Notes #8

RAM (random access memory)
  • Used to store program instructions and data temporarily
  • Unique addresses and data can be stored in any location
  • Can quickly retrieve information
  • Will not remain if power goes off (volatile)

    ROM (read-only memory)
  • Information stored permanently on a chip
  • Contains startup instructions and other permanent data
    CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor)
  • Special low-energy kind of RAM Flash memory
  • Used for phones, pagers, portable computers, handheld computers, and PDAs

    Buses, Ports, and Peripherals
  • Information travels between components on the motherboard through groups of wires called system buses, or just buses.

    Buses
  • Typically have 32 or 64 wires
  • Connect to storage devices in bay
  • Connect to expansion slots
  • Connect to external buses and ports
Slots and ports
  • Make it easy to add external devices, called peripherals.
  • New laser etching technology called extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) could reduce chip size and increase performance radically.
  • Superconductors that transmit electricity without heat could increase computer speed a hundredfold.
  • The optical computer transmits information in light waves rather than electrical pulses.
  • A computer manipulates patterns of bits—binary digits of information.
  • The CPU follows software instructions, reduced to strings of bits, to perform the calculations and logical manipulations that transform input data into output.
  • Not all CPUs are compatible with each other.
The CPU uses:
  • RAM (random access memory) as a temporary storage area—a scratch pad—for instructions and data
  • ROM (read-only memory), which contains unchangeable information that serves as reference material for the CPU as it executes program instructions
    -The CPU and main memory are housed in silicon chips on the motherboard.
Consumer Applications:

-Many software companies have repleaced their printed documentation with

  • tutorials,

  • reference matierals

  • help files

  • on-line help
Upgrading: 

  • Users can upgrade a program to the new version by paying an upgrade fee to the software manufacturer.

  • Newer Releases often have additional features and fewer bugs
Compatibility :

  • it allows software to function proberly with the hardware, operating system, and peripherals

  • programs written for one typer of computer system may not work no another
Disclaimers:

  • Software manufacturers limit their liability for software problems by selling software "as is"
Licensing: Commercial Software is copyrighted so it can't be legally duplicaed for distribution to others

  • Software License

  • Volume License
Distribution: Software is distributed via:

  • direct sale

  • retail stores

  • mail order catalogs

  • websites

  • not all software is copyrighted
Web Applications fall into several categories:
-some simple Web applications perform simple data-processing tasks that could also be performed by traditional programs running on stand alone PCs.
-Most Web Applications take advantage of the Web's connectivity
-Many Web applications leverage the web's as a huge respository of information
-some web applications support online business transactions
-news-oriented web applicationsprovide up to the minute reports on a myriad of subjects
-other web applications support a more traditional form of information broadcasting


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