Optical disk

It is a storage medium from which data is read and to a written by a laser The optical disk can store
much more data up to a 6 gigabytes (6 billion bytes) it is the most portable magnetic media such as
floppies .

There are three types of optical disk, CD-ROM, WORM and erasable.

Utility program

Utility programs, commonly referred to as just "utilities," are software programs that add functionality
to your computer or help your computer perform better. These include antivirus, backup, disk repair, file
management, security, and networking programs. Utilities can also be applications such as screensavers,
font and icon tools, and desktop enhancements. Some utility programs help keep your computer free
from unwanted software such as viruses or spyware, while others add functionality that allows you to
customize your desktop and user interface. In general, programs that help make your computer better
are considered utilities. And unlike water and electric bills, computer utilities don't send you a bill every
month.

Interpreter

An interpreter is a program that reads and executes code. This includes source code, pre-compiled code,
and scripts. Common interpreters include Perl, Python, and Ruby interpreters, which execute Perl,
Python, and Ruby code respectively.

Interpreters and compilers are similar, since they both recognize and process source code. However, a
compiler does not execute the code like and interpreter does. Instead, a compiler simply converts the
source code into machine code, which can be run directly by the operating system as an executable
program. Interpreters bypass the compilation process and execute the code directly.

Shareware

Shareware is software that you can use on a trial basis before paying for it. Unlike freeware, shareware
often has limited functionality or may only be used for a limited time before requiring payment and
registration. Once you pay for a shareware program, the program is fully functional and the time limit is
removed.

In the 1980s and 1990s, shareware was a popular way for small developers to distribute software. The
advent of CDs allowed multiple developers to deliver their software programs as a collection, such as
"Top 100 Mac Games." Other shareware collections included utilities, graphics programs, and
productivity applications. In many cases, these programs were fully functional and simply requested a
donation from users. Programs that incessantly reminded users to register and pay for the software
became known as "nagware."

Spreadsheets solfware
Presentation graphic

ABC computer

Mark 1

EDVAC

ASCII

Stands for "American Standard Code for Information Interchange." ASCII character encoding provides a
standard way to represent characters using numeric codes. These include upper and lower-case English
letters, numbers, and punctuation symbols.

GUI

Stands for "Graphical User Interface" and is pronounced "gooey." It is a user interface that includes
graphical elements, such as windows, icons and buttons. The term was created in the 1970s to
distinguish graphical interfaces from text-based ones, such as command line interfaces. However, today
nearly all digital interfaces are GUIs.

The first commercially available GUI, called "PARC," was developed by Xerox. It was used by the Xerox
8010 Information System, which was released in 1981. After Steve Jobs saw the interface during a tour
at Xerox, he had his team at Apple develop an operating system with a similar design. Apple's GUI-based
OS was included with the Macintosh, which was released in 1984. Microsoft released their first GUI-
based OS, Windows 1.0, in 1985.

Analog

Analog is an adjective that describes a continuous measurement or transmission of a signal. It is often

contrasted with digital, which is how computers store and process data using ones and zeros.

While computers are digital devices, human beings are analog. Everything we perceive, such as what we
see and hear, is a continuous transmission of information to our senses. This continuous stream of input
is not estimated, but received and processed by our brains as analog data.

digital

Digital information is stored using a series of ones and zeros. Computers are digital machines because
they can only read information as on or off -- 1 or 0. This method of computation, also known as the
binary system, may seem rather simplistic, but can be used to represent incredible amounts of data. CDs
and DVDs can be used to store and play back high-quality sound and video even though they consist
entirely of ones and zeros.

Unlike computers, humans perceive information in analog. We capture auditory and visual signals as a
continuous stream. Digital devices, on the other hand, estimate this information using ones and zeros.
The rate of this estimation, called the "sampling rate," combined with how much information is included
in each sample (the bit depth), determines how accurate the digital estimation is.

Microcomputer

A microcomputer is a computer designed for individual use. The term was introduced in the 1970s to
differentiate desktop computer systems from larger minicomputers. It is often used synonymously with
the term "desktop computer," but it may refer to a server or laptop as well.

In the 1960s and 1970s, computers were much larger than today, often taking up several cubic feet of
space. Some mainframe computers could even fill a large room. Therefore, the first computers that
could fit on a desktop were appropriately labeled "microcomputers" in comparison to these larger
machines.

The first microcomputers became available in the 1970s and were used primarily by businesses. As they
became cheaper, individuals were able to buy their own microcomputer systems. This led to the
personal computer revolution of the 1980s, in which microcomputers became a mainstream consumer
product.

Supercomputer

As the name implies, a supercomputer is no ordinary computer. It is a high performance computing

machine designed to have extremely fast processing speeds. Supercomputers have various applications,
such as performing complex scientific calculations, modeling simulations, and rendering large amounts
of 3D graphics. They may also be built to simply showcase the leading edge of computing technology.

Operating System

An operating system, or "OS," is software that communicates with the hardware and allows other
programs to run. It is comprised of system software, or the fundamental files your computer needs to
boot up and function. Every desktop computer, tablet, and smartphone includes an operating system
that provides basic functionality for the device.

Common desktop operating systems include Windows, OS X, and Linux. While each OS is different, most
provide a graphical user interface, or GUI, that includes a desktop and the ability to manage files and
folders. They also allow you to install and run programs written for the operating system. Windows and
Linux can be installed on standard PC hardware, while OS X is designed to run on Apple systems.
Therefore, the hardware you choose affects what operating system(s) you can run.

Compiler

A compiler is a software program that compiles program source code files into an executable program. It
is included as part of the integrated development environment IDE with most programming software
packages.
The compiler takes source code files that are written in a high-level language, such as C, BASIC, or Java,
and compiles the code into a low-level language, such as machine code or assembly code. This code is
created for a specific processor type, such as and Intel Pentium or PowerPC. The program can then be
recognized by the processor and run from the operating system.

Commercial Software

Computer software comes in three different flavors: freeware, shareware, and commercial software.
Freeware is free to use and does not require any payment from the user. Shareware is also free to use,
but typically limits the program's features or the amount of time the software can be used unless the
user purchases the software. Commercial software requires payment before it can be used, but includes
all the program's features, with no restrictions or time limits.

Word Processor

A word processor, or word processing program, does exactly what the name implies. It processes words.
It also processes paragraphs, pages, and entire papers. Some examples of word processing programs
include Microsoft Word, WordPerfect (Windows only), AppleWorks (Mac only), and OpenOffice.org.

The first word processors were basically computerized typewriters, which did little more than place
characters on a screen, which could then be printed by a printer. Modern word processing programs,
however, include features to customize the style of the text, change the page formatting, and may be
able to add headers, footers, and page numbers to each page. Some may also include a "Word Count"
option, which counts the words and characters within a document.

Open Source

When a software program is open source, it means the program's source code is freely available to the
public. Unlike commercial software, open source programs can be modified and distributed by anyone
and are often developed as a community rather than by a single organization. For this reason, the
phrase "open source community" is commonly used to describe the developer of open source software
development projects.

CRT

Stands for "Cathode Ray Tube." CRT is the technology used in traditional computer monitors and
televisions. The image on a CRT display is created by firing electrons from the back of the tube to
phosphors located towards the front of the display. Once the electrons hit the phosphors, they light up
and are projected on the screen. The color you see on the screen is produced by a blend of red, blue,
and green light, often referred to as RGB.

WYSIWYG
Stands for "What You See Is What You Get," and is pronounced "wihzeewig." WYSIWYG refers to
software that accurately represents the final output during the development phase. For example, a
desktop publishing program such as Photoshop is a WYSIWYG graphics program because it can display
images on the screen the same way they will look when printed on paper. Word processing programs
like Microsoft Word and Apple Pages are both WYSIWYG editors, because they include page layout
modes that accurately display what the documents will look when printed.

WWW

Stands for "World Wide Web." It is important to know that this is not a synonym for the Internet. The
World Wide Web, or just "the Web," as ordinary people call it, is a subset of the Internet. The Web
consists of pages that can be accessed using a Web browser. The Internet is the actual network of
networks where all the information resides. Things like Telnet, FTP, Internet gaming, Internet Relay Chat
(IRC), and e-mail are all part of the Internet, but are not part of the World Wide Web. The Hyper-Text
Transfer Protocol (HTTP) is the method used to transfer Web pages to your computer. With hypertext, a
word or phrase can contain a link to another Web site. All Web pages are written in the hyper-text
markup language (HTML), which works in conjunction with HTTP.

Minicomputer

While a minicomputer sounds like a small computer, the name can be a bit misleading. In fact,
minicomputers are several times the size of desktop PCs and are only one step below mainframes in the
hierarchy of computer classes.

The term "minicomputer" was introduced in the 1960s to describe powerful computers that were not as
large as mainframes, which sometimes could fill an entire room. Instead, most minicomputers were a
few feet wide and several feet tall. They were primarily used by large businesses during the 1960s and
1970s to process large amounts of data. Some minicomputers also functioned as servers, allowing
multiple users to access them from connected terminals.

As computer processors became smaller and more powerful, microcomputers began to rival
minicomputers in processing power. Therefore, in the 1980s, minicomputers started becoming less
relevant and eventually became obsolete. Today, rack-based servers perform similar functions to
minicomputers.

Mainframe

A mainframe is an ultra high-performance computer made for high-volume, processor-intensive

computing. They are typically used by large businesses and for scientific purposes. You probably won't
find a mainframe in any household. In the hierarchy of computers, mainframes are right below
supercomputers, the most powerful computers in the world. (Which is why they are aptly named
"supercomputers.") Yet a mainframe can usually execute many programs simultaneously at a high
speed, whereas supercomputers are designed for a single process. Currently, the largest manufacturers
of mainframes are IBM and Unisys.