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WJEC - CG1 - 1.5
Nature & Types of Software
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is an operating system and what is its purpose | An operating system acts as the interface between computer hardware and the user, simply managing operations on the computer. It also is vital in managing computer resources like memory, storage, network speed etc |
| What kind of input and output hardware does the Operating system manage | - Processing components (processor, ram, graphics cards) - Storage components (hard drives, flash memory) - Peripherals (mouse, keyboard, printer, monitors, speakers, diskdrives) |
| What software does hardware need to use to interact with the OS | Drivers, these are used by the operating system to understand the purpose and usage of the hardware attached to it |
| What would happen if the OS cant find Drivers for the hardware its interacting with | The Operating system will prompt the user to locate an appropriate driver for the unknown hardware (usually found on a disk) |
| What is spooling | Spooling, synonymous with printers, is a process whereby the operating system of the computer connected to the printer, will queue print jobs in a line so that the printer can run through them systematically |
| Why is spooling useful | - Multiple Computers can be connected to the printer at once - Users can carry on working while print jobs are being performed - Documents are printed as they are sent or can be given user subjective priorities |
| How does the OS manage Ram/Memory | It calculates the maximum ram currently installed and when a program runs, it assigns a portion to that program. This ensures that every program has enough memory to run it, if the processing requirement exceeds the max ram installed it wont run it |
| Why is memory management important | - program will crash loosing data to new programs being opened - spyware can read data if it isn't compartmentalised |
| Why does the OS need to manage Processes | The OS manages processing needs so that the computer may have multiple programs open and so the data is processed systematically avoiding data corruption. |
| What security does an OS have | - Password login combinations - hierarchy access levels (admin, user, guest) - User accounts can be managed, created and deleted - Important system files can be hidden and protected to ensure no program corruption can occur |
| What are the advantages of a hierarchical file system | - good organisation of files - certain directories can be blocked from view - Subdirectories can be copied/deleted at once |
| What file attributes are there | - Read only - Hidden - system - Archive |
| What is a FAT | File Allocation Table, gives details of the start and end locations of a file stored on the hard drive |
| What is fragmentation of storage | This is when a previously taken location on the disk of space (x) is deleted, a file the size of (2x) is saved, meaning part of it sits where the old file was, and some is moved to another location. |
| Why is fragmented data bad | - Slow read speed - Can |
| What is a counter measure for fragmentation | Defragmentation, this attempts to relink all the fragmented files into single files and then sequence in an order where no fragmentation occurs |
| What kinds of compression are there | Lossless - No data is lost Lossy - Some data is lost |
| Why is compression used | By compressing files, you can store more data on a hard drive and conserve space |
| What are some time saving features of a word processing program (word) | - Template - Mail Merge - Macros - Formulas - Look up Tables - Pivot Tables |
| Why use a template | A template being a partially completed document that will enable the user to write a document quickly as the layout and structure is already completed |
| Why use mail merge | Mail merge is designed to work in tandem with the template. It will use a personal contact mailing list by extracting contact information and other information to fill multiple documents simultaneously, saving time and effort and it will be accurate |
| Why use a macro | A macro provides a shortcut to a function, (ctrl-z is undo for example) this macro can be simple or complex but if an action is taken regularly, it will save time as the action can be shortened to a single step |
| Why use formulas in a spread sheet | A formula can provide the user with mathematical or logical functions to manipulate data they are entering in the spread sheet |
| What is a look up table | A drop down menu with predetermined options that ensure only a group of pre approved data is allowed to be used |
| Why use a pivot table | A pivot table takes all the data in a spread sheet and provides summaries about the data present, useful when handling large amounts of data |
| What is the structure of an email | (local segement)(@)(second level domain).(top level domain) |
| Why are emails advantageous | - fast, arrives instantly - environmentally friendly - send attachments - Multiple recipients - Any time read, the user doesnt need to be around |
| Why are emails disadvantageous | - they can be ignored (so can anything though) - Emails can be misconstrued as the tone is vague - SPAM - Virus - Never leaving the house (not serious) |
Created by:
delldom
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