An operating system stands between the user and the PC. If you want to print the OS tells the printer to print. It looks after hardware resources like keyboard, mouse, USB. It manages software like word and user access (who logs in). It manages services like the internet (it connects you to the internet) and printing. It manages utilities like defragmenting the harddrive (telling the harddrive to put the seperated pieces of a programme together or next to each other on it) and backing up your work.
Examples of an OS are:
Windows- XP (buy it)
- Vista (buy it)
-7 (buy it)
Mac-OSX (comes with it)
Linux- red hat
- debian
-Ubuntu (free)
Ubuntu is free, it has an equivelent type of office called open office which is free, open surcce, runs on a lower specifications on the PC and can work on a live CD (the operating system is on a CD).
Here are some questions sir gave us and I will attempt to answer them however at the moment I'm not in a question answering mood so they probably won't be much help, anyways....
What are some different versions of Ubuntu?
Find information about the Google OS.
Find information about the type of recommended computer for this.
What do they mean by portable versions?
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Flowcharts
A flowchart is a visual representation of operations and sequences to be performed that solve a problem or complete a task. It is a visual algorithm. If you connect an arrow back to an earlier step you don't point it to the rectangle or paralleogram, you point it to the arrow coming out of it. With the rectangle you can have one flowline in and one out but with the diamond you can one in and two out. In the diamond it must be a yes or no question. You never have diagonal arrows. Here are some basic symbols and an example I made:
Here is an example of a flowchart for a coin toss where heads means one person pays and tails means the other person pays.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Selection and Repition
Solving a problem often involves making a decision between two or more options. In an algorithm this process of making a decision is called selection. Repition is important to get the desired effect or objective.
Here are some examples of an algorithm:
Moving through a set of traffic lights
1) start driving until a set of traffic lights are in sight
2) if the lights are green keep going at the same speed
3) if the lights are orange slow the speed of the car down
3) if the lights are red stop the car at the line or behind the car in front
Blowing up a balloon.
1) strech balloon a bit
2) inhale deeply and hold
3) raise balloon to lips
3) blow into the balloon
4) pinch the neck of the balloon
5) look to see if balloon is at a satisfactory size
6) if too small repeat steps 2-6
7) if too big open neck a little bit for 2 seconds
Here are some examples of an algorithm:
Moving through a set of traffic lights
1) start driving until a set of traffic lights are in sight
2) if the lights are green keep going at the same speed
3) if the lights are orange slow the speed of the car down
3) if the lights are red stop the car at the line or behind the car in front
Blowing up a balloon.
1) strech balloon a bit
2) inhale deeply and hold
3) raise balloon to lips
3) blow into the balloon
4) pinch the neck of the balloon
5) look to see if balloon is at a satisfactory size
6) if too small repeat steps 2-6
7) if too big open neck a little bit for 2 seconds
Algorithms
Here are some definitions:
unambiguous- clearly defined meaning, no doublt or misunderstanding
processor- the part of a computer that does most of the data processing
finite- has an end
algorithm- an umambiguous set of steps which when performed correctly by a processor, will result in a process being carried out in a finte time
To make an algorithm correct the sequence of steps must be in the correct order. Algorithms are composed of three basic structures, Sequence, Selection and Repition. Solving a problem often involves making a decision between two or more options. In an algorithm this process of making a decision is called selection.
Here are some examples of algorithms:
Calling a friend on the phone.
1) pick up the phone
2) enter their phone number in the correct sequence using the buttons with the numbers on them
3) press the 'talk' button
4) raise the phone to your ear
5) wait until your friend answers
6) if parent or older sibling answers, politely ask for friend
7) have the desired conversation with your friend
8) lower the phone from your ear
9) press the 'call end' button
10) put phone back in the holder
Making toast.
1) get bread out of cupboard
2) get toaster out of cupboard
3) plug the end of the cable into a power socket
4) turn on the power point
5) get 1 slice of bread out of the packet
6) slide bread into one of the openings in the top of the toaster
7) select the heat setting on the toaster
8) press down handle to start heating bred
9) wait for toast to pop up
10) get breadboard, knife and margarine out
11) put toast on breadboard
12) spread margarine on toast using knife
13) cut toast into half
14) if too hot to eat leave to cool for a few minutes
unambiguous- clearly defined meaning, no doublt or misunderstanding
processor- the part of a computer that does most of the data processing
finite- has an end
algorithm- an umambiguous set of steps which when performed correctly by a processor, will result in a process being carried out in a finte time
To make an algorithm correct the sequence of steps must be in the correct order. Algorithms are composed of three basic structures, Sequence, Selection and Repition. Solving a problem often involves making a decision between two or more options. In an algorithm this process of making a decision is called selection.
Here are some examples of algorithms:
Calling a friend on the phone.
1) pick up the phone
2) enter their phone number in the correct sequence using the buttons with the numbers on them
3) press the 'talk' button
4) raise the phone to your ear
5) wait until your friend answers
6) if parent or older sibling answers, politely ask for friend
7) have the desired conversation with your friend
8) lower the phone from your ear
9) press the 'call end' button
10) put phone back in the holder
Making toast.
1) get bread out of cupboard
2) get toaster out of cupboard
3) plug the end of the cable into a power socket
4) turn on the power point
5) get 1 slice of bread out of the packet
6) slide bread into one of the openings in the top of the toaster
7) select the heat setting on the toaster
8) press down handle to start heating bred
9) wait for toast to pop up
10) get breadboard, knife and margarine out
11) put toast on breadboard
12) spread margarine on toast using knife
13) cut toast into half
14) if too hot to eat leave to cool for a few minutes
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