Information and Communication Technology

Some Important Glossaries Related to Computer

Computer is an electronic device capable of performing both Arithmetic and Logic functions. In this respect, a modern calculator can be considered as the simplest form of computer.

Digital computer : The computers operate on discrete numbers represented by a finite sequence of digits are called digital computers. These are general purpose machines and work on the principle of counting. Simply speaking, a digital computer accepts discrete numbers as input and after performing the desired processing on them produces discrete numbers as output.

Analog computer : The computers work on the principle of measurement is called analog computers. The changes in physical quantities such as pressure, force, temperature, voltage, velocity, flow, acceleration etc. are measured by these computers. Analog computers are mostly of special purpose computers.

Hybrid computer : A hybrid computer is the combination of both analog computer and digital computer.

Hardware All the physical components of a computer are collectively called hardware.

CPU is the brain of computer. This term is used to identify Microprocessors. It stands for Central Processing Unit.

Bit : A bit (short for binary digit) is the smallest unit of data in a computer. A bit has a single binary value, either 0 or 1. Although computers usually provide instructions that can test and manipulate bits, they generally are designed to store data and execute instruction 006Es in bit multiples called bytes. In most computer systems, there are eight bits in a byte. The value of a bit is usually stored as either above or below a designated level of electrical charge in a single capacitor within a memory device.

Cache Memory : Cache memory is a random access memory (RAM) that a computer microprocessor can access more quickly than it can access regular RAM. As the microprocessor processes data, it looks first in the cache memory and if it finds the data there (from a previous reading of data), it does not have to do the more time-consuming reading of data from larger memory.

Chipset : A chipset is a group of integrated circuits (microchips) that can be used together to serve a single function and are therefore manufactured and sold as a unit. The most common chipset reference is the input/output control chips of a motherboard.

DRAM : Dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is the most common kind of random access memory (RAM) for personal computers and workstations. Memory is the network of electrically-charged points in which a computer stores quickly accessible data in the form of 0s and 1s. Random access means that the PC processor can access any part of the memory or data storage space directly rather than having to proceed sequentially from some starting place. DRAM is dynamic in that, unlike static RAM (SRAM), it needs to have its storage cells refreshed or given a new electronic charge every few milliseconds.

Firmware : Firmware is a programming that is inserted into programmable read-only memory (programmable ROM), thus becoming a permanent part of a computing device. Firmware is created and tested like software (using microcode simulation). When ready, it can be distributed like other software and, using a special user interface, installed in the programmable read-only memory by the user. Firmware is sometimes distributed for printers, modems, and other computer devices.

Gigabyte (GB ) : A gigabyte (pronounced GIG-a-bite with hard G's) is a measure of computer data storage capacity and is "roughly" a billion bytes. A gigabyte is two to the 30th power, or 1,073,741,824 in decimal notation.

Hard Disk : Hard disk is part of a unit, often called a "disk drive," "hard drive," or "hard disk drive," those stores and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on an electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces. Today's computers typically come with a hard disk that contains 100's of billion's of bytes (gigabytes) of storage.

Kilobyte (KB ): As a measure of computer memory or storage, a kilobyte (KB or Kbyte*) is approximately a thousand bytes (actually, 2 to the 10th power, or decimal 1,024 bytes).

Megabyte (MB ): As a measure of computer processor storage and real and virtual memory , a megabyte (abbreviated MB) is 2 to the 20th power bytes, or 1,048,576 bytes in decimal notation.

Serial ATA : Serial ATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment or SATA) is a new standard for connecting hard drives into computer systems. As its name implies, SATA is based on serial signalling technology, unlike current IDE (Integrated Drive Electronics) hard drives that use parallel signalling.

Virtual Memory: Virtual (or logical) memory is a concept that, when implemented by a computer and its operating system, allows programmers to use a very large range of memory or storage addresses for stored data. The computing system maps the programmer's virtual addresses to real hardware storage addresses. Usually, the programmer is freed from having to be concerned about the availability of data storage.

Zip Drive : A Zip drive is a small disk drive used primarily for backing up and archiving personal computer files. It comes in external and internal models. The disks used to save data are very portable, making a zip drive, the preferred way to maintain backups. The trademarked Zip drive was developed and is sold by Iomega Corporation. Zip drives and disks come in two sizes. The 100 megabyte size actually holds 100,431,872 bytes of data or the equivalent of 70 floppy diskettes. There is also a 250 megabyte drive and disk. The Iomega Zip drive comes with a software utility that lets you copy the entire contents of your hard drive to one or more Zip disks.