MIS Chapter 4

Output Device

most commonly computer monitors and printers, deliver information from the computer to a person

Workstation

powerful personal computers

Throughput

the number of bits per second that the bus can accommodate

Nonimpact Printer

type of printer that creates images without mechanically impacting the paper

Backward Compatibility

Compatibility of a device with another device that supports only an older standard. For example, USB 2.0 is backward-compatible with computers that support only USB 1.1 devices.

Source Data Input Device

machine reasoned devices, copy data directly from the source, ex: barcode or magnetic ink

Smartphone

mid-2000s term for PDAs that also serve as mobile phones

Tablet Computer

mobile computing device, creates an alternative to laptops and desktops

Storage Area Network (SAN)

network fully devoted to storage and transfer of data between servers and storage devices

Pixel

picture elements, small dots that make up images on monitors

Resolution

picture sharpness

Multithreading

processing more than one program or several parts of a program at the same time; each process is a thread

ROM (Read-only memory)

read only memory, smaller amount of RAM, Rom is nonvolatile, contains data and program instructions that do not change

RAID

redundant array of independent disks, data replicated no different disks to enhance processing speed and fault tolerance

Parallel Processing

running multiple processes at a time

Touch Screen

serves as both an input and output device, lets computer choose operations through touch

Trackball

similar to a mouse bunt the ball moves within the device rather than over a surface

Port

socks used to connect a computer to external devices such as printers, hard disks, scanners, remote keyboards and pointers

Solid State Storage

syn. flash memory, can be rewritten and hold content without electric power

USB Drive

syn. thumb drive or USB flash drive, independent memory device any storage device that connects to a computer through a USB socket, but especially flash drives.

Notebook Computer

synonym for a laptop; compact, light, personal computer that can be powered by a rechargeable battery

Multiprocessing

synonym for parallel processing, the action of several CPU's processing different data at the same time

Speech Recognition

synonym for voice recognition, process of translating human speech into computer readable data and instructions

Scalability

the ability to add more hardware or software to accommodate changing business needs

Supercomputer

the most powerful computers built specifically of assignments that require arithmetic speed, overly expensive and impractical for business

Hardware

All physical components of a computer or computer system.

Digital Video Disc (DVD)

A collective term for several types of high-capacity storage optical discs, used for data storage and motion pictures. Also called digital versatile disc.

Mainframe Computer

A computer larger than a midrange computer but smaller than a supercomputer.

Magnetic Disk

A disk or set of disks sharing a spindle, coated with an easily magnetized substance to record data in the form of tiny magnetic fields.

CRT (Cathode-ray tube)

A display (for a computer or television set) that uses an electronic gun to draw and paint on the screen by bombarding pixels on the internal side of the screen.

Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)

A flat panel computer monitor in which a conductive-film covered screen is filed with a liquid crystal whose molecules can align in different planes when charged with certain electrical voltage, which either blocks light or allows it to pass through the liquid. The combination of light and dark produces images of characters and pictures.

Flash Memory

A memory chip that can be rewritten and can hold its content without electric power. Thumb drives, as well as ROM, are made of flash memory.

Clustering

A model of computing in which a "cluster" of smaller computers are linked via networks to use the computing power of multiple smaller computers, rather than one large supercomputer.

Hard Disk

A stack of several rigid aluminum platters coated with easily magnetized substance to record data. Usually installed in the same box that holds the CPU and other computer components, but may be portable.

Byte

A standard group of eight bits.

Flash Drive

A storage device containing flash memory. Flash drives are used in numerous electronic devices and often are designed to connect to a computer through a USB port.

Magnetic-Ink Character Recognition (MICR)

A technology that allows a special electronic device to read data printed with magnetic ink. The data is later processed by a computer. MICR is widely used in banking. The bank code, account number, and the amount of a check are printed in magnetic ink on the bottom of checks.

Input Device

A tool, such as a keyboard or voice recognition system, used to enter data into an information system.

Microprocessor

An electronic chip that contains the circuitry of either a CPU or a processor with a dedicated and limited purpose, for example, a communications processor.

Mouse

An input device that controls an on-screen pointer to facilitate the point-and-click approach to executing different operations.

Dot Matrix Printer

An older type of printer of which the printhead consists of a matrix of little pins; thus, each printed character is made up of tiny dots.

Bit

Binary digit; either a zero or a one. The smallest unit of information used in computing.

CPU Clock

Circuitry in a computer's central processing unit (CPU) that synchronizes all tasks performed by the CPU.

Magnetic Tape

Coated polyester tape used to store computer data; similar to tape recorder or video tape.

Compact Disc (CD)

Collective term for several types of lower-capacity storage optical discs, used for data storage and music or audio. Compare to digital video disc (DVD).

Direct-Attached Storage (DAS)

Direct-attached storage (DAS) is computer storage that is directly attached to one computer or server and is not, without special support, directly accessible to other ones.

MIPS

Millions of instructions per second; an inaccurate measure of computer speed.

Multicore Processor

Most modern computer set up, combines two or more CPUs or core on a single chip

Impact Printer

Printer that creates images on the page using mechanical impact. A dot-matrix printer is an impact printer.

RAM (Random Access Memory)

Random access memory, computer's internal memory, holds data and program instructions, volatile because it clears when computer is turned off or when a program is allowed to erase it

Flat-Panel Monitory

a computer display device that has a slim profile, sharper images, and lower power consumption than older CRT monitors.

Fault Tolerance

The ability of a system to continue to function despite a catastrophe or other usually disruptive events. Fault tolerance systems are usually redundant.

Network-Attached Storage (NAS)

a device to appliance especially designed for networked storage

Cloud Storage

The availability of network-accessible storage from an off-site computer or storage device.

Control Unit

The circuitry in the CPU that fetches instructions and data from the primary memory, decodes the instructions, passes them to the ALU for execution, and stores the results in the primary memory.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The circuitry of a computer microprocessor that fetches instructions and data from the primary memory and executes the instructions. The CPU is the most important electronic unit of the computer.

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

The electronic circuitry in the central processing unit of a computer responsible for the arithmetic and logic operations.

Direct Access

The manner in which a record is retrieved from a storage device, without the need to seek it sequentially. The record's address is calculated from the value in its logical key field.

Internal Memory

The memory circuitry inside the computer, communicating directly with the CPU. Consists of RAM and ROM.

Data Word

The number of bits that a CPU retrieves from memory for processing in one machine cycle. When all other conditions are equal, a machine with a larger data word is faster.

Motherboard

The primary circuit board in a computer, also called the system board.

Clock Rate

The rate of repetitive machine cycles that a computer can perform; also called frequency. Measured in GHz.

Ergonomics

The science of designing and modifying machines to better suit people's health and comfort.

Bus

The set of wires or soldered conductors in the computer through which the different components (such as the CPU and RAM) communicate. It also refers to a data communications topology whereby communicating devices are connected to a single, open-ended medium.

Machine Cycle

The steps that the CPU follows repeatedly; fetch an instruction, decode the instruction, execute the instruction, and store the result.

Imaging

The transformation of text and graphical documents into digitized files. The document can be electronically retrieved and printed to reconstruct a copy of the original. Imaging has saved much space and expense in paper-intensive business areas.

Server

a midrange category of computers that are smaller and less powerful than mainframes, used a a shared resource to conner hundreds of users to variety of computers to serve applications and data through inter and intranets

Stylus

a pen-like pointing and drawing device used for PDAs or tablets

Trackpad

a user controls the cursor by moving his or her finger along a touch-sensitive pad

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

accepts flash drives to read data

Solid State Disk (SSD)

alternative to magnetic disk, not disk shaped, 250x faster than actual disks, used by businesses to store frequently used software

Storage-As-A-Service

an alternative to on-site storage by outsourcing data storage services, i.e. cloud services

Technology Convergence

building several technologies into a single piece of hardware i.e smartphones: PDA + Cell phone

Sequential Storage

data organized one record after another

Storage

different types of media that store data, magnetic discs or tapes, optical disks, DVDs, and flash memory

Optical Disc

discs that are recorded on by treating the disc surface so that it reflects or does not reflect light

Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID)

fastest growing data technology, transfers data without physically touching the hardware device, cost effective

Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

handheld computer

Personal Computer

is the collective name for several types of computers