Chapter 1 - Computers and Digital Basics
Integrated circuit (IC)
A super-thin Alice of semiconducting material packed with microscopic circuit elements, such as wires, transistors, capacitors, logic gates, and resistors
Digital divide
A term that refers to the gap between people who have access to technology and those who do not
Memory
An area of a computer that temporarily holds data waiting to be processed, stored, or output
Digital revolution
An ongoing process of social, political, and economic change brought about by digital technology, such as computers and the Internet
Sniffing
Another technique for guessing a password, intercepts information sent out over computer networks
Client
Any software or digital device, such as a computer, that requests data from a server is referred to as a ______.
Data Processing
Based on an input processing-output cycle. Data goes into a computer, it is processed, and then it is output.
Open source
Bucking protectionist trends are __________ projects that promote copying, free distribution, peer review, and user modification.
Globalization
Can be defined as the worldwide economic interdependence of countries that occurs as cross-border commerce increases and as money flows more freely among countries
Personal computing
Characterized by small, standalone computers powered by local software.
Social media
Cloud-based applications designed for social interaction and consumer-generates content. They include social networking services, wikis, blogging services, photo sharing services, and microblogging sites
Instruction set
Collection of preprogrammed activities
Programming language
Computer programmers create programs that control digital devices. These programs are usually written in a high-level _______, such as C, BASIC, COBOL, or Java
Numeric data
Consists of numbers that can be used in arithmetic operations
Compiler
Converts all the statements in a program in a single batch and the resulting collection of instructions, object core, is placed in a new file
Operating system (OS)
Essentially the master controller for all the activities that take place within a computer
Binary number aystem
Has only two digits: 0 and 1
Dictionary attack
Helps hackers guess your password by stepping through a dictionary containing thousand of the most commonly used passwords
System board
Houses all essential chips and provides connecting circuitry between them
Central processing unit (CPU)
In a computer, most processing takes place in a component called the _______.
Phishing
In which a hacker poses as a legitimate representative of an official organization such as your ISP, your bank, or an online payment service in order to persuade you to disclose highly confidential information
Gigabyte (GB or Gbyte)
Is 1 billion bytes. Typically used to refer to storage capacity
Kilobyte (KB or Kbyte)
Is 1,024 bytes. Often used when referring to the size of small computer files
Megabyte (MB or Mbyte)
Is 1,048,576 bytes. Often used when referring to the size of medium to large computer files
Input
Is whatever is typed, submitted, or transmitted to a computer system. Can be supplied by a person, by the environment, or by another computer
Cloud computing
Provides access to information, applications, communications, and storage over the Internet
Local software
Refers to any software that is installed on a computers hard drive.
Data representation
Refers to the form in which data is stored, processed, and transmitted
Intellectual property
Refers to the ownership of certain types of information, ideas, or representations. It includes patented, trademarked, and copyrighted material, such as music, photos, software, books, and films. In the past, such works were difficult and expensive to copy.
Instruction cycle
Refers to the process in which a computer executes a single instruction
Upload
Refers to the process of copying files from your client computer to a server
Download
Refers to the process or copying a file from a server to your own client computer
Data
Refers to the symbols that represent facts, objects, and ideas
Analog data
Represented using an infinite scale of values
Object code
Resulting collection of instructions from compiler
Authentication protocol
Security experts use the term _____ to refer to any method that confirms a person's identity using something the person knows, something the person possesses, or something the person is.
Apps
Software applications are sometimes referred to as ____, especially in the context of handheld devices
Keylogger
Software that secretly records a user's keystrokes and sends the information to a hacker. A ___ is a form of malicious code called a Trojan horse, or Trojan
Videogame console
Such as Nintendo's Wii, Sony's PlayStation, or Microsoft's Xbox, is not generally referred to as a personal computer because of its history as a dedicated game device
Digital data
Text, numbers, graphics, sound, and video that have been converted into discrete digits such as 0s and 1s
Microprocessor
The CPU of most modern computers is a ________, which is an electronic component that can be programmed to perform tasks based on data it receives
Storage
The area where data can be left on a permanent basis when it is not immediately needed for processing
Convergence
The expansion of cloud computing is due in part to _____, a process by which several technologies with distinct functionalities evolve to form a single product
Source code
The human-readable version of a program created in a high-level language by a programmer
Machine language
The list of codes for a microprocessor's instruction set
Arithmetic logic unit (ALU)
The part of the microprocessor that performs arithmetic operations, such as addition and subtraction. It also performs logical operations, such as comparing two numbers to see if they are the same
System software
The primary purpose of ____________ is to help the computer system monitor itself in order to function efficiently
Digitization
The process of converting text, numbers, sound, photos, and video into data that can be processed by digital devices
Server
The purpose of a _____ is to serve computers on a network
Output
The result produced by a computer
Computer program
The series of instructions that tells a computer how to arty out processing tasks
Software
These programs form the _______ that sets up a computer to do a specific task. When a computer "runs" ______, it performs the instructions to carry out a task
Brute force attack
Uses password-cracking software, but it's range is much more extensive than the dictionary attack
Identity theft
When someone gains unauthorized access to your personal data and uses it illegally
Biometrics
A person can be identified by ______, such as a fingerprint, facial features (photo), or a retinal pattern
User ID
A series of characters - letters and possibly numbers or special symbols - that becomes a person's unique identifier
Application software
A set of computer programs that helps a person carry out a task
Machine code
A set of machine language instructions for a program
Web
(Short for World Wide Web) is a collection of linked documents, graphics, and sounds that can be accessed over the Internet
Workstation
1. It can simply refer to an ordinary personal computer that is connected to a network. 2. Refers to powerful desktop computers used for high-performance tasks, such and medical imaging and computer-aides design, that require a lot of processing speed
Supercomputer
A computer falls into the ______ category if it is, at the time of construction, one of the fastest computers in the world
Internet
A global computer network originally developed as a military project, and was then handed over to the National Science Foundation for research and academic use
Computer network
A group of computers linked together to share data and resources
Byte
A group of eight bits is called a ____ and is usually abbreviated as an uppercase B
Handheld computer
A handheld device that allows you to install applications can be classified as a _________ to distinguish it from the dedicated handheld devices that do not offer apps
Mainframe computer
A large and expensive computer capable of simultaneously processing data for hundreds or thousands of users
Personal computer
A microprocessor based computing device designed to meet the computing needs of an individual
Computer
A multipurpose device that accepts input, processes data, stores data, and produces output, all according to a series of stored instructions
File
A named collection of data that exists on a storage medium, such as a hard disk, CD, DVD, or flash drive