BrokenClaw | December 3, 2007
A database is a computer application used primarily by businesses to keep track of all types of data. In fact, any computerized business uses a database of one kind or another. What makes a database useful is the fact that each piece of data, called a record, is entered into the system individually, but remains [...]
BrokenClaw | December 2, 2007
A spreadsheet is a computer application used primarily to create, edit, and display financial and mathematical data on a grid of columns and rows. The name pre-dates computer applications, from the days when a large handwritten worksheet had to be spread across multiple sheets of paper. Each box on a spreadsheet is called a cell. [...]
BrokenClaw | December 1, 2007
A word processor is a computer application used to create and edit any kind of document. Besides letters and reports, modern word processors are sophisticated enough to produce just about any type of professional quality document, including newsletters, pamphlets, brochures, manuals, and even books. The first word processors in the 1970s were actually stand-alone office [...]
BrokenClaw | November 5, 2007
A file on a computer is a distinct collection of data which is encoded in a particular way for its particular use. This special encoding is the file format. To the casual user, file formats are essentially invisible because they are automatically handled by the software they use. File formats can be divided into some [...]
BrokenClaw | November 4, 2007
Open source software is a description of the way that some software is distributed. It refers to the fact that the writers or developers of the software publicly share the source code (see below). This policy is the opposite of most commercial software, where the source code is considered a trade secret and is never [...]
BrokenClaw | November 3, 2007
For an introductory discussion, see The Operating System. Most home computers use a version of one of two commercial operating systems. The most widely used is the family of Microsoft Windows®. The other is a product of Apple Inc, called Mac OS®. The first version of Windows to reach widespread use was released in 1992. [...]
BrokenClaw | November 2, 2007
The operating system, abbreviated OS, is the foundation layer of software that makes it possible for the computer to run other programs, also called applications. When you turn on a computer, the first thing that runs is the BIOS, the Basic Input/Output System. The BIOS is what checks connections to the hardware, such as the [...]
BrokenClaw | November 1, 2007
Software is the term used to describe the sets of instructions that make computers worthwhile. The word software is an invention of computer science, to differentiate it from hardware. It can refer to the whole collection of instructions on a computer, or it can refer to a specific task. Software which does a specific task [...]