CIS Final
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- structured design
- approach in which all program logic is constructed from a combination of three control structures
- head crash
- occurs when a read/write head touches the surface of a platter
- compiler
- converts entire source program into machine language at one time
- wide area
- network connects computers in a large geographical area
- integrated circuit
- microscopic pathway that carries an electrical current
- refresh rate
- speed that monitor redraws images on screen
- dedicated line
- type of connection that always is established
- Internet Service Provider
- regional or national access provider
- smart card
- stores data on a thin microprocessor embedded in the card
- COBOL
- widely used procedural language for business
- visual
- programming language that provides a graphic interface for creating source code
- pseudocode
- abbreviated form of English to outline program logic
- cluster
- consists of two to eight sectors
- dead code
- program instruction that is never executed
- port
- interface to the system unit
- machine language
- each computer can understand directly only one language called
- ethernet
- LAN technology that allows PCs to contend for access to the network
- emoticons
- express feelings
- cylinder
- vertical section passing through all platters
- test data
- sample data that mimics the real data that a program will process in production
- GPS receiver
- on a computer chip is worn as a watch or a chain to track parolees
- ghosting
- screen savers developed to prevent this
- e-commerce
- business transactions over an electronic network
- solid line
- connects symbols to show direction
- downloading
- process of a computer receiving information from a server
- printer
- output device that produces text on a physical medium
- syntax
- set of rules and grammar
- GPS
- consists of one or more earth based receivers that accept signals from satellites
- user name
- unique combination of characters that identifies a user
- dots per inch
- measures printer resolution
- field
- combination of one or more related characters or bytes
- fax
- device that transmits & recieves documents over telephone lines
- network topography
- layout of devices in a communications network
- communications software
- consists of programs that help establish connection
- toggle key
- can be switched between 2 states
- storage media
- physical material on which items are kept
- star
- network where all devices are connected to a central computer
- read/write head
- mechanism that actually reads or writes items on a floppy
- repetition
- control structure where one or more actions are to be performed repeatedly
- chip
- piece of semi-conducting material no bigger than a 1/2 in square
- output device
- conveys information generated by a computer to a user
- electromagnetic radiation
- monitors produce a small amount of this
- Ada
- programming language originally intended to be a standard for the DOD
- relational
- database which stores data in tables that consist of rows and columns
- operating system
- set of programs that coordinates the activities between computer hardware resources
- Uniform Resource Locator
- unique address of a web page
- search engine
- software that finds web pages/sites
- paging
- technique of swapping items between memory and storage
- input device
- hardware that allows you to enter programs
- database administrator
- creates and maintains the data dictionary
- register
- temporary storage location that holds data & instructions in the processor
- dot pitch
- measure of image clarity determined by vertical distance between pixels
- C++
- object oriented programming language
- machine independent
- language which can run on many different types of computers
- bit
- smallest unit of data
- cursor
- device that looks similar to a mouse but has a window with cross hairs
- bugs
- errors in syntax or logic
- data type
- specifies the kind of data a field can contain
- structured query language
- most relational database products for mainframes include
- operating system
- loaded into memory from the computer's hard disk at start
- input/output
- shown by a parallelogram in a flow chart
- proprietary
- privately owned software limited to a specific vendor
- RPG
- primarily used for application development on IBM
- computer communication
- process in which one computer transfers data to another computer
- user interface
- part of the software with which you interact
- nanosecond
- billionth of a second
- transistor
- acts as an electric switch that open and closes the circuit
- digital signal
- consists of individual electrical pulses that represent bits
- macro
- series of statements that instructs an application how to complete a task
- information
- data processed by a computer
- buffer
- area of storage in which data is placed while waiting to be transferred to the printer
- bar code
- ID code that consists of a set of vertical lines and spaces
- formatting
- process of preparing a disk for reading and writing
- single user/multitasking
- operating system that allows a single user to work three applications from the memory at the same time
- query
- retrieve specific data in a database
- address
- unique number identifying location of a byte in memory
- track
- narrow recording band that forms a full circle on a disk
- validity check
- analyzes entered data to ensure that it is correct
- resolution
- density of dots that determines the sharpness of an image
- booting
- process of starting a computer by loading an operating system
- decoding
- process of translating instruction into signals the computer can execute
- sequential access
- refers to reading or writing data consecutively
- assembly language
- instructions are written using symbolic instruction codes
- keyguard
- metal or plastic plate placed over keyboard to allow users to rest their hands w/o pressing keys
- swap file
- area of hard disk used for virtual memory
- solution algorithm
- written description of the step by step procedures for a module
- hardware
- input/output devices, system unit, communication/storage devices
- buses
- used to transfer bits from input devices to memory
- kiosk
- free standing computer usually with a touch screen
- access time
- speed of a storage device
- table
- file in a relational database
- data warehouse
- huge database that stores historical transactions
- object query language
- every object-oriented database uses a query language called
- cache
- stores frequently used instructions & data
- fragmented
- when contents of a file are scattered across two or more sectors, the file is