Introduction to IT - Google Docs

Intro to IT Definitions Part 1 1. Data analysis is when a data analyst collects, cleans, interprets, and models data to help companies solve questions and problems related to that data. 2. In general, an analysis is a detailed examination of anything with the hope of learning as much as possible. 3. Alternatively called technical support and user support, support describes a group of individuals or help documents used to assist users with a product or group of products. Support is commonly required when an end user experiences a problem or wants additional information on a product. When making a phone call or sending an e-mail, you're making a support request. These requests are handled by one or more technicians who often track the request using a ticket or unique id. For example, when sending Computer Hope a question, it's assigned a CHID number (e.g., CHID: 123456). That unique number can track the progress of the answer to the question and reference the history of the question. 4. Department or Job designed with assisting users with their computer-related questions and issues. A help desk only supports employees in the same company or third-party companies under special contacts. 5. Also called a support specialist, a technician is an individual capable of providing technical support or assistance to users with computer hardware or software. Commonly, a technician has years of experience with computers, software, and related hardware. 6. In general, data is any set of characters that is gathered and translated for some purpose, usually analysis. If data is not put into context, it doesn't do anything to a human or computer. There are multiple types of data. Some more common types of data include the following: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Single character Boolean (true or false) Text (string) Number (integer or floating-point) Picture Sound Video 7. Raw data is data that's collected and stored, but not yet been processed. For example, many sites collect data about each person who visits. The information they collect is raw until it is processed and sorted to make it easier for the web designer to understand. 8. When referring to network or data security, integrity, also know as data integrity, is data that is intact. More specifically, data that may only be accessed, modified, or copied by those who are authorized to do so. Any data with lost integrity is said to be compromised. 9. Information is defined in terms of data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. Information is a collection of processed data from a variety of sources. 10. In general, knowledge is the familiarity or understanding of a topic that's gained through experience or study. For example, someone with computer knowledge has a broad understanding of computers, and the software and hardware used on a computer. 11. Knowledge is a dynamic combination of experience, values, contextual information, expert insight, and grounded intuition that provides an environment and framework for evaluating and incorporating new experiences and information. It originates and is applied in the minds of knowers. The key term associated with knowledge is context. 12. IT is a system of moral principles a person should follow while using a computer at their home, school, and office. The Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility has developed the following Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics as a guideline of how to be ethical on your computer. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ten Commandments of Computer Ethics Thou shalt not use a computer to harm other people. Thou shalt not interfere with other people's computer work. Thou shalt not snoop around in other people's computer files. Thou shalt not use a computer to steal. Thou shalt not use a computer to bear false witness. Thou shalt not copy or use proprietary software you have not purchased. 8. Thou shalt not use other people's computer resources without authorization or proper compensation. 9. Thou shalt not appropriate other people’s intellectual output. 10. Thou shalt think about the social consequences of the program you are writing or the system you are designing. 11. Thou shalt always use a computer in ways that insure consideration and respect for your fellow humans. 13. When referring to a computer, system or system unit is used to distinguish the complete computer. See our computer definition for full information about a computer. 14. When referring to an Apple Macintosh, System is the computer's operating system, or macOS. System is commonly followed by a number, for example, System 7. 15. Alternatively called information processing cycle, IPOS (input, processing, output, and storage) is a series of events that allow a computer to work. Information processing cycle steps Below are brief explanations of each step in the information processing cycle, with examples of the steps. Input Information (input) is entered into the computer using an input device. For example, using a keyboard to type a person's name into a computer. Processing Perform operations (processing) on the data to get information. For example, the computer processes the user's name entered in the input step. Output Present the results (output) of what was processed. For example, if the computer processed the inputted user's name and found results, those results would be displayed. Storage Store the data and information in temporary storage while used, and then optionally on a storage device for permanent storage. For example, if after inputting the person's name, the person's record was opened and updated, it could be stored for future reference. 16. Sometimes abbreviated as SW and S/W, software is a collection of instructions that enable the user to interact with a computer, its hardware, or perform tasks. Without software, most computers would be useless. For example, without your Internet browser software, you could not surf the Internet or read this page. Without an operating system, the browser could not run on your computer. 17. Sometimes called machine code or object code, machine language is a collection of binary digits or bits that the computer reads and interprets. Machine language is the only language a computer can understand. 18. The exact machine language for a program or action can differ by operating system. The specific operating system dictates how a compiler writes a program or action into machine language. 19. Computer programs are written in one or more programming languages, like C++, Java, or Visual Basic. A computer cannot directly understand the programming languages used to create computer programs, so the program code must be compiled. Once a program's code is compiled, the computer can understand it because the program's code is turned into machine language. 20. Sometimes called assembly or ASM, an assembly language is a low-level programming language. 21. Programs written in assembly languages are compiled by an assembler. Every assembler has its own assembly language, which is designed for one specific computer architecture. 22. A programming language is a computer language programmers use to develop software programs, scripts, or other sets of instructions for computers to execute. 23. Although many languages share similarities, each has its own syntax. Once a programmer learns the language's rules, syntax, and structure, they write the source code in a text editor or IDE. Then, the programmer often compiles the code into machine language that can be understood by the computer. 24. Scripting languages, which do not require a compiler, use an interpreter to execute the script. 25. The top 10 languages are: JavaScript, Java, Python, PHP, C++, C#, TypeScript, Shell, C, and Ruby. 26. Programmer is limited to high level control constructs such as while loops, for loops, and if/else statements and not allowed to use primitive GOTO statements 27. Coined by Alan Kay, object-oriented programming, also known as OOP or OO programming, is a programming language paradigm. In an object-oriented program, the code can be structured as reusable components, some of which may share properties or behaviors. 28. Object-oriented programming can improve the developer's ability to quickly prototype software, extend existing functionality, refactor the code, and maintain it as it's developed. 29. As a verb, to program a computer is the writing of instructions, statements, or commands that instruct the computer how to process data. There are several programming languages used to program a computer. 30. As a noun, a program, also called an application or software, is a set of instructions that process input, manipulate data, and output a result. For example, Microsoft Word is a word processing program that allows users to create and write documents. 31. A shell is a software program used to interpret commands that are input via a command-line interface, enabling users to interact with a computer by giving it instructions. Some examples of shells are MS-DOS Shell (command.com), csh, ksh, PowerShell, sh, and tcsh. 32. More commonly known as a driver, a device driver or hardware driver is a group of files that enable one or more hardware devices to communicate with the computer's operating system. Without drivers, the computer could not send and receive data correctly to hardware devices like printers. 33. With computer software, a service is software that performs automated tasks, responds to hardware events, or listens for data requests from other software. In a user's operating system, these services are often loaded automatically at startup, and run in the background, without user interaction. 34. For example, in Microsoft Windows, many services are loaded to accomplish different functions. They respond to user keyboard shortcuts, index and optimize the file system, and communicate with other devices on the local network. An example of a Windows service is Messenger, which allows users to send messages to other Windows users. 35. A utility or software utility is computer system software intended to analyze, configure, monitor, or help maintain a computer. Usually, a utility is smaller than a standard program and may be included with an operating system or installed separately. 36. A VM (virtual machine) is a software program that is capable imitating a physical device, such as a computer. A good example of a software application capable of doing this is VMware. 37. System software is software on a computer that is designed to control and work with computer hardware. The two main types or categories of system software are the operating system and the software installed with the operating system, often called utility software. In some cases, the operating system and utility software depend on each other to function properly. 38. Some system software is used directly by users and other system software works in the background. System software can allow users to interact directly with hardware functionality, like the Device Manager and many of the utilities found in the Control Panel. 39. An operating system or OS is software installed on a computer's hard drive that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer and software programs would be useless. 40. With earlier computers, the user interacted with them using a command line interface, which required memorization of commands. Today, almost every computer uses a GUI (Graphical User Interface) operating system that's easy to use and operate. 41. When referring to an operating system, the kernel is the first section of the operating system to load into memory. As the center of the operating system, the kernel needs to be small, efficient, and loaded into a protected area in memory, to prevent overwriting. It can be responsible for such things as disk drive management, interrupt handler, file management, memory management, process management, etc. 42. A script or scripting language is a computer language with several commands within a file capable of being executed without being compiled. Examples of server-side scripting languages include Perl, PHP, and Python. The best example of a client side scripting language is JavaScript. Advantages of scripts: ● Open source, allowing users to view and edit the script if needed. ● Does not require the file to be compiled, but may be when necessary. ● Easy to learn and write. ● Easy to port between different operating systems. ● Much faster to develop than an actual program - some individuals and companies write scripts as a prototype for actual programs. Disadvantages of scripts: ● Open source, allows others to view source code, which may be prohibited by some companies. ● Requires the user to install an interpreter or separate program before the script can run. ● In some situations, they may be slower than a compiled program. 43. Compile is the creation of an executable program from code written in a compiled programming language. Compiling allows the computer to run and understand the program without needing programming software used to create it. When a program is compiled it is often compiled for a specific platform (e.g., IBM platform) that works with IBM compatible computers, but not other platforms (e.g., Apple platform). 44. In computer programming, an interpreted programming language does not need to be compiled before its programs are executed. Instead, another program, called an interpreter, reads the program line by line, translates, and executes it on the fly at run time. 45. A compiled program generally performs better for the end user, because its machine code can be highly optimized during the compilation process. In contrast, interpreted languages can offer unique benefits to the programmer. 46. Many computer languages can be either compiled or interpreted. 47. A translator or language translation program is a software application or service that translates text or speech from one language to another. 48. Translators can also interpret programming code, converting it to instructions that a computer can understand and execute. 49. For example, a compiler is an example of a translator that takes a programming language (e.g., C++) and translates into machine language or assembly language the computer can understand. 50. When Apple introduced the iPhone, they popularized the term "app," but an app (application) and program are the same thing. Today, most people think of an "app" as an application on an Apple computer, smartphone, or tablet. A program is thought of as something that runs on a computer (e.g., a Windows computer). 51. A command is an instruction that is given to a program or operating system to perform an action. 52. Proprietary software, also known as closed-source software, is copyrighted software that prohibits the redistribution or modification of its program. Legal information about a program is in the license agreement. 53. Proprietary software is also software designed to work on a specific hardware platform or operating system. 54. Any software that must be purchased to be used. The complete opposite of a commercial software program would be freeware. 55. Short for Structured Query Language, SQL, originally known as SEQUEL (structured English query language), was developed by Dr. Edgar F. Codd at the IBM research center in 1974. Today, SQL has become the de facto standard database language. SQL statements are used to tell the database server to perform an action or retrieve data. 56. Open source describes a program or file that can be freely modified by anyone. Open source allows users or organizations to adjust the program's functionality to perform for their specific needs. There are numerous open source licensing agreements a program or file may follow. Therefore, it is best to refer to the appropriate documentation to see what the original developer allows and prohibits. 57. Also called demoware or trial software, shareware is a limited version of software intended to demonstrate its features on the user's computer before purchase. It can be downloaded and installed on the user's computer, and shared with other users, free of charge. If the user likes the software, the full-featured version of the software can be purchased from the software publisher. 58. The idea behind shareware is "try before you buy." The shareware model lets you try the program to make sure it's something you find useful or enjoy. And importantly, it lets you make sure the program works on your computer before you spend any money on it.