Computer System VS Operating System
Operating System :
The most important
program that
runs on a
computer. Every general-purpose computer must have an operating system to run other programs. Operating systems perform basic tasks, such as recognizing
input from the
keyboard, sending
output to the
display screen, keeping track of
files and
directories on the
disk, and controlling
peripheral devices such as
disk drives and
printers.
Operating systems can be classified as follows:
multi-user : Allows two or more users to run programs at the same time. Some operating systems permit hundreds or even thousands of concurrent users.
multiprocessing :
Supports running a program on more than one
CPU.
multitasking : Allows more than one program to run concurrently.
multithreading : Allows different parts of a single program to run concurrently.
real time: Responds to input instantly. General-purpose operating systems, such as
DOS and
UNIX, are not real-time.
Operating systems provide a
software platform on top of which other programs, called
application programs, can run. The application programs must be written to run on top of a particular operating system. Your choice of operating system, therefore, determines to a great extent the applications you can run. For
PCs, the most popular operating systems are DOS,
OS/2, and
Windows, but others are available, such as
Linux.
Computer System:
A complete, working
computer. The computer system includes not only the computer, but also any
software and
peripheral devices that are necessary to make the computer function. Every computer system, for example, requires an
operating system.
--------------------------------------------------------------
Computer Storage VS Data Storage
Computer Storage
An electronic memory device; "a memory and the CPU form the central part of a computer to which peripherals are attached"
computer memory,
memory board,
store,
memory,
storage register - (computer science) memory device that is the part of computer memory that has a specific address and that is used to hold information of a specific kind
scratchpad - (computer science) a high-speed internal memory used for temporary storage of preliminary information
virtual memory,
virtual storage - (computer science) memory created by using the hard disk to simulate additional random-access memory; the addressable storage space available to the user of a computer system in which virtual addresses are mapped into real addresses
volatile storage - computer storage that is erased when the power is turned off
Data Storage
A data storage device is a device for recording (storing) information (data). Recording can be done using virtually any form of energy, spanning from manual muscle power in handwriting, to acoustic vibrations in phonographic recording, to electromagnetic energy modulating magnetic tape and optical discs.
A storage device may hold information, process information, or both. A device that only holds information is a recording medium. Devices that process information (data storage equipment) may either access a separate portable (removable) recording medium or a permanent component to store and retrieve information.
Electronic data storage is storage which requires electrical power to store and retrieve that data. Most storage devices that do not require vision and a brain to read data fall into this category. Electromagnetic data may be stored in either an analog or digital format on a variety of media. This type of data is considered to be electronically encoded data, whether or not it is electronically stored in a semiconductor device, for it is certain that a semiconductor device was used to record it on its medium. Most electronically processed data storage media (including some forms of computer data storage) are considered permanent (non-volatile) storage, that is, the data will remain stored when power is removed from the device. In contrast, most electronically stored information within most types of semiconductor (computer chips) microcircuits are volatile memory, for it vanishes if power is removed.
With the exception of barcodes and OCR data, electronic data storage is easier to revise and may be more cost effective than alternative methods due to smaller physical space requirements and the ease of replacing (rewriting) data on the same medium. However, the durability of methods such as printed data is still superior to that of most electronic storage media. The durability limitations may be overcome with the ease of duplicating (backing-up) electronic data.
-----------------------------------------------------
Data VS Information
Data
1. Factual information, especially information organized for analysis or used to reason or make decisions.
2. Computer Science Numerical or other information represented in a form suitable for processing by computer.
3. Values derived from scientific experiments.
4. Plural of
datum.
Information
1. Knowledge derived from study, experience, or instruction.
2. Knowledge of specific events or situations that has been gathered or received by communication; intelligence or news. See Synonyms at
knowledge.
3. A collection of facts or data: statistical information.
4. The act of informing or the condition of being informed; communication of knowledge: Safety instructions are provided for the information of our passengers.
5. Computer Science Processed, stored, or transmitted data.
6. A numerical measure of the uncertainty of an experimental outcome.
7. Law A formal accusation of a crime made by a public officer rather than by grand jury indictment.
