Okay, so in the CPU, there are 3 main parts -
The control unit, which controls all the operations going on.
The ALU (Arithmetic and Logic Unit), which does all the calculations and logical opperations.
And finally, the Immediate Access Store (main memory), which holds current programs or the ones waiting to happen.
There are a couple of typed of computer and I know all the details of them all, but here's the list anyway -
Mainframe
Microcomputer
Laptop
Palmtop
Embedded computer
Again, another thing I know all about are bits and bytes. One bit is either a 0 or a 1, and one character is equal to a byte, or 8 bits. There are 1024 bytes in a kilobyte, 1024 kilobytes in a megabyte, and 1024 megabytes in a gigabyte.
There are two types of memory in a computer - RAM and ROM, which again, I know all about.
But, there's a bunch of different types of backing storage, listed below...
Magnetic Tape -- used for backup and archiving
Magnetic Hard Tape -- fast storage + access to data, not portable, more data than a floppy and robust.
Floppy Disk -- portable, easily damaged
ZIP -- portable, special ZIP drive needed, up to 250Mb on disc
Disk Cache -- temporary, fast
Optical Disks -- laser technology used to read data
CD-ROM/DVD/CDRW -- stores more data, portable, expensive.
Then there's a huge amount of input and output devices, and different types of software which I know all about, so I'm moving straight on to types of operating system.
There are loads in my booklet, but I'm just gonna go over the main 3 for GCSE level. They are -
Batch Processing System -- which collects and groups data, then processes it at a later stage. This is used for payroll, stock control and billing systems.
Realtime Systems -- when inputs immediate affect the outputs and timing is critical. This is used for the control of nuclear power plants, oil refining, chemical processing and air traffic control.
Realtime Transaction -- when inputs immediately affect outputs but timing isn't critical. This is used for not so dangerous things, like airline booking systems.
Now, on to HCI (human-computer interfaces). Most modern computers operate though GUI's, and have added features like on screen help, customized user environments, on screen assistants and tutorials.
Advantages -
- user friendly
-minimum training
- run more than one piece of software at once (so easy to transfer data)
Disadvantages -
- take up more RAM
- makes the PC run slower
Okay, and now I've lost my patience with this. Ah well.
