Q&A Hero

Q: Utility systems are customized by using the control panel, which is a Windows feature that provides options that set default values for the Windows operating system.

Q: Utility software provides additional functionality to the operating system. Utility software includes antivirus software, screen savers, and anti-spam software.

Q: Multitasking allows more than one piece of software to be used at a time. Multitasking is used when creating a graph in Excel and simultaneously printing a word processing document.

Q: Application software also supports a variety of useful features, one of which is multitasking.

Q: An iPod has a single-purpose embedded operating system.

Q: Application software is used in computer appliances and special-purpose applications, such as an automobile, ATM, or media player and is used for a single purpose.

Q: Operating system software controls the application software and manages how the hardware devices work together. When using Excel to create and print a graph, the operating system software controls the process, ensures that a printer is attached and has paper, and sends the graph to the printer along with instructions on how to print it. Some computers are configured with two operating systems so they can dual bootprovide the user with the option of choosing the operating system when the computer is turned on.

Q: System software controls how the various technology tools work together along with the application software. System software includes both operating system software and utility software.

Q: Utility software provides additional functionality to the operating system.

Q: A supercomputer is the fastest, most powerful, and most expensive type of computer. Organizations such as NASA that are heavily involved in research and number crunching employ supercomputers because of the speed with which they can process information. Other large, customer-oriented businesses such as General Motors and AT&T employ supercomputers just to handle customer information and transaction processing.

Q: A mainframe computer is designed to meet the computing needs of hundreds of people in a large business environment. Mainframe computers are a step up in size, power, capability, and cost from minicomputers.

Q: A common type of minicomputer is a server and is used for managing internal company applications, networks, and websites.

Q: A minicomputer is designed to meet the computing needs of several people simultaneously in a small to medium-size business environment.

Q: A workstation computer is similar to a desktop but has more powerful mathematical and graphics processing capabilities and can perform more complicated tasks in less time.

Q: A desktop computer sits on, next to, or under a users desk and is too large to carry around. The computer box is where the CPU, RAM, and storage devices are held with a monitor on top, or a vertical system box (called a tower) usually placed on the floor within a work area.

Q: A personal computer is a computer that is operated by a single user who can customize the functions to match personal preferences.

Q: A tablet computer has a flat screen that uses a mouse or fingertip for input instead of a keyboard. Similar to PDAs, tablet PCs use a writing pen or stylus to write notes on the screen and touch the screen to perform functions such as clicking on a link while visiting a website.

Q: A computer portable enough to fit on a lap or in a bag and has its own power source or battery.

Q: A handheld computer portable enough to fit in a purse or pocket and has its own power source or battery.

Q: Personal digital assistant (PDA) is a small handheld computer that performs simple tasks such as taking notes, scheduling appointments, and maintaining an address book and a calendar. The PDA screen is touch-sensitive, allowing a user to write directly on the screen, capturing what is written.

Q: A workstation is a cellular telephone with a keypad that runs programs, music, photos, email, and includes many features of a PDA.

Q: An appliance is a computer dedicated to a single function, such as a calculator or computer game.

Q: A tablet is a pen-based computer that provides the screen capabilities of a PDA with the functional capabilities of a laptop or desktop computer.

Q: A desktop computer is an electronic book that can be read on a computer or special reading device. Some are small enough to carry around, while others are the size of a telephone booth.

Q: An input device is equipment used to see, hear, or otherwise accept the results of information processing requests.

Q: Adaptive computer devices are input devices designed for special applications for use by people with different types of special needs.

Q: An input device is equipment used to capture information and commands.

Q: A hard drive is a secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated with a magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording heads in a hermetically sealed mechanism.

Q: Memory stick is an older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin plastic coated with a magnetically sensitive recording medium.

Q: Magnetic medium is a secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques to store and retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive materials.

Q: A megabyte (MB or M or Meg) is roughly 1 million bytes.

Q: Secondary storage consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data for long-term storage.

Q: Memory sticks provide nonvolatile memory for a range of portable devices including computers, digital cameras, MP3 players, and PDAs.

Q: Memory cards contain high-capacity storage that holds data such as captured images, music, or text files.

Q: Flash memory is a special type of rewritable read-only memory (ROM) that is compact and portable.

Q: ROM is nonvolatile, meaning it does not require constant power to function. ROM contains essential system programs that neither the user nor the computer can erase. Since the computers internal memory is blank during start-up, the computer cannot perform any functions unless given start-up instructions.

Q: Random access memory is the portion of a computers primary storage that does not lose its contents when one switches off the power.

Q: Cache memory is a small unit of ultra-fast memory that is used to store recently accessed or frequently accessed data so that the CPU does not have to retrieve this data from slower memory circuits such as RAM.

Q: Volatility refers to a device's ability to function with or without power. RAM is volatile, meaning it must have constant power to function; its contents are lost when the computers electric supply fails.

Q: Random access memory (RAM) is the computers primary working memory, in which program instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the processors high-speed external data bus.

Q: Primary storage is the computer's main memory, which consists of the random access memory (RAM), cache memory, and read-only memory (ROM) that is directly accessible to the CPU.

Q: Complex instruction set computer (CISC) chips is a type of CPU that can recognize as many as 100 or more instructions, enough to carry out most computations directly.

Q: Megahertz is the number of billions of CPU cycles per second.

Q: Gigahertz is the number of millions of CPU cycles per second.

Q: The control unit performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations.

Q: The arithmetic-logic unit includes instructions and literally tells the other hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions.

Q: The central processing unit (CPU) (or microprocessor) is the actual hardware that interprets and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together.

Q: A computer is an electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data.

Q: Complex instruction set computer chips limit the number of instructions the CPU can execute to increase processing speed.

Q: A Gantt chart is a graphical network model that depicts a project's tasks and the relationships between them.

Q: A kill switch is a trigger that enables a project manager to close the project before completion.

Q: Status reports are periodic reviews of actual performance versus expected performance.

Q: The responsibility matrix defines all project roles and indicates what responsibilities are associated with each role.

Q: The project managers are individuals and organizations actively involved in the project or whose interests might be affected as a result of project execution or project completion.

Q: The project scope statement links the project to the organization's overall business goals. It describes the business need (the problem the project will solve) and the justification, requirements, and current boundaries for the project.

Q: The project requirements document defines the specifications for product/output of the project and is key for managing expectations, controlling scope, and completing other planning efforts.

Q: Project objectives are quantifiable criteria that must be met for the project to be considered a success.

Q: Project assumptions represent key dates when a certain group of activities must be performed.

Q: The Project Management Office (PMO) is an internal department that oversees all organizational projects.

Q: A project objective is any measurable, tangible, verifiable outcome, result, or item that is produced to complete a project or part of a project.

Q: Project assumptions are specific factors that can limit options including budget, delivery dates, available skilled resources, and organizational policies.

Q: Project constraints are factors considered to be true, real, or certain without proof or demonstration.

Q: The executive sponsor is the person or group who provides the financial resources for the project.

Q: A communication plan defines the how, what, when, and who regarding the flow of project information to stakeholders and is key for managing expectations.

Q: Project deliverables represent key dates when a certain group of activities must be performed.

Q: Project milestones are any measurable, tangible, verifiable outcome, result, or item that is produced to complete a project or part of a project.

Q: A web service is a markup language for documents, containing structured information.

Q: Extensible Markup Language is an open-standards way of supporting interoperability.

Q: Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a markup language for documents, containing structured information.

Q: A web service is an open-standards way of supporting interoperability.

Q: Loose coupling is the capability of two or more computer systems to share data and resources, even though they are made by different manufacturers.

Q: A service is the capability of services to be joined together on demand to create composite services, or disassembled just as easily into their functional component.

Q: Interoperability is the capability of two or more computer systems to share data and resources, even though they are made by different manufacturers.

Q: Loose coupling is the capability of services to be joined together on demand to create composite services, or disassembled just as easily into their functional component.

Q: A service is a business task.

Q: Interoperability is a business task.

Q: An SOA service is simply a business task, such as checking a potential customers credit rating when opening a new account.

Q: It is important to understand that SOA is not a concrete architecture; it is thought that leads to a concrete architecture. It might be described as a style, paradigm, concept, perspective, philosophy, or representation. That is, SOA is an approach, a way of thinking, a value system that leads to decisions that design a concrete architecture allowing enterprises to plug in new services or upgrade existing services in a granular approach.

Q: SOA promotes a scalable and flexible enterprise architecture that can implement new or reuse existing MIS components, creating connections among disparate applications and systems.

Q: SOA ensures that MIS systems can adapt quickly, easily, and economically to support rapidly changing business needs.