Section 6

A generic term for the physical parts of the computer, both internal and external

A generic term for any program that can be run on a computer

programs that perform specific tasks that would need doing even if computers didn’t exist. e.g. editing text, carrying out calculations

Programs that perform specific common task related to running the computer. e.g. zipping files

code, data, and resources that can be called by other programs.

Software that converts programming language instructions into 0s and 1s (machine code).

Compilers: a program that translates a high-level language into machine code by translating all of the code. Assembler: a program that translates a program written in assembly language into machine code. Interpreter: a program for translating a high-level language by reading each statement in the source code and immediately performing the action.

A suite of programs designed to control the operations of the computer.

The concept that all of the complexities of using a computer are hidden from the user and other software by the operating system.

How an operating system manages hardware and software to optimise the performance of the computer