1
Q
Abstraction
A
To take a relatively complex system and simplify it for our use
2
Q
Algorithm
A
A series of steps that solves specific problems
3
Q
ASCII
A
The oldest character encoding standard used is ASCII. It represents the English alphabet, digits, and punctuation marks
4
Q
Binary system
A
The communication that computer uses is referred to as binary system, also known as base-2 numeral system
5
Q
Byte
A
A group of 8 bits
6
Q
Character encoding
A
is used to assign our binary values to characters so that we as humans can read them
7
Q
Computer
A
A device that stores and processes data by performing calculations
8
Q
Cryptography
A
The overarching discipline that covers the practice of coding and hiding messages from their parties.
9
Q
Decimal form- base 10 system
A
In the decimal system, there are 10 possible numbers you can use ranging from zero to nine.
10
Q
Digital divide
A
The growing skills gap between people with and without digital literacy skills
11
Q
Information technology
A
The use of digital technology, like computers and the internet, to store and process data into useful information
12
Q
Linux OS
A
Linux is one of the largest open source operating systems used heavily in business infrastructure and in the consumer space
13
Q
Logic gates
A
Allow transistors to do more complex tasks, like decide where to send electrical signals depending on logical conditions
14
Q
Open Source
A
This means the developers will let other developers share, modify, and distribute their software for free
15
Q
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)
A
Allows computing to go mobile
16
Q
Punch cards
A
A sequence of cards with holes in them to automatically perform calculations instead of manually entering them by hand
17
Q
RGB model
A
RGB or red, green, and blue model is the basic model for representing colours
18
Q
UTF-8
A
The most prevalent encoding standard today
19
Q
Address bus
A
Connects the CPU to the MCC and sends over the location of the data, but not the data itself.
20
Q
ATA
A
The most common interface that hard drives use to connect to our system.
21
Q
ATX (Advanced Technology eXtended)
A
The most common form factor for motherboards.
22
Q
Backward compatible
A
It means older hardware works with newer hardware.
23
Q
Bios (Basic Input Output Services)
A
The BIOS is software that helps initialise the hardware in our computer and gets out operating system up and running
24
Q
BYOD (Bring Your Own Device)
A
Refers to the practice of allowing people to use their own personal devices for work.
25
Cache
The assigned stored location for recently or frequently accessed data; on a mobile app it is where anything that was changed or created with that app is stored.
26
Charge cycle
One full charge and discharge of a battery
27
Chipset
It decides how components talk to each other on our machine.
28
Clock cycle
When you send a voltage to the clock wire
29
Clock speed
The maximum number of clock cycles that it can handle in a set in a certain time period.
30
Clock wire
When you send or receive data, it sends a voltage to that clock wire to let the CPU know it can start doing calculations
31
CPU
Central processing unit
32
CPU sockets
A CPU socket is a series of pins that connect a CPU's processor to the PC's motherboard.
33
Data sizes
Metrics that refer to data sizes including bit, byte, kilobyte, kibibyte, and megabyte.
34
DDR SDRAM (Double Date Rate SDRAM)
A type of RAM that faster, takes up less power, and has a larger capacity than earlier SDRAM versions.
35
Desktop
The main screen where we can navigate our files, folders, and applications
36
DIMM
Dual Inline Memory Module
37
Display port
Port which also outputs audio and video
38
DRAM
Dynamic Random Access Memory
39
Drivers
The drivers contain the instructions our CPU needs to understand external devices like keyboards, webcams, printers.
40
DVI
DVI cables generally just output video
41
Electrostatic discharge
Electrostatic discharge is a sudden and momentary flow of electric current between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short or dielectric breakdown.
42
External Data Bus (EDB)
It's row of wires that interconnect the parts of our computer
43
Factory reset
Resetting a device to the settings it came with from the factory
44
Form factor
A mathematical way to compensate for irregularities in the shape of an object by using a ratio between its volume and height
45
Hard drive
It is a long term memory component that holds all of our data, which can include music, pictures, applications
46
Hardware
External or internal devices and equipment that help you perform major functions
47
HDD (Hard disk drive)
Hard disk drives, or HDDs, use a spinning platter and a mechanical arm to read and write information
48
HDMI
A type of cable that outputs both video and video
49
Heatsink
It is used to dissipate heat from our CPU
50
Instruction set
A list of instructions that our CPU is able to run
51
ITX (Information Technology eXtended)
A form factor for motherboards that is much smaller than ATX boards
52
Land Grid Array (LGA)
It is a type of CPU socket that stick out of the motherbaord
53
Lightning adaptor
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
54
Mb/s
megabit per second, which is a unit of data transfer rate
55
Memory controller chip (MCC)
A bridge between the CPU and the RAM
56
Micro display port
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
57
Micro HDMI
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
58
Micro USB
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
59
Mini HDMI
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
60
Motherboard
The body or circulatory system of the computer that connects all the pieces together
60
Mini USB
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices
61
Northbridge
interconnects stuff like RAM and video cards
62
NVMe (NVM Express)
interface standard which allows greater throughput of data and increased efficiency
63
Overclocking
it increases the rate of your CPU clock cycles in order to perform more tasks
64
PCI Express
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
65
Peripherals
the external devices which we connect to our computer that add functionality, like: a mouse, a keyboard, and a monitor
66
Pin Grid Array (PGA)
CPU socket where the pins are located on the processor itself
67
Ports
Connection points that we can connect devices to that extend the functionality of our computer
68
POST (Power On Self Test)
It figures out what hardware is on the computer
69
Power supply
Converts electricity from our wall outlet onto a format that our computer can use
70
Programs
Basic instructions that tell the computer what to do
71
RAM
Random Access Memory
72
Registers
An accessible location for storing the data that our CPU works with
73
Reimaging
The process of reimaging involves wiping and reinstalling an operating system using a disk image which is a copy of an operating system
74
Return merchandise authorisation (RMA)
The process of receiving returned merchandise and authorising a refund
75
ROM chip (Read Only Memory)
A read-only memory chip where the BIOS is stored
76
RPM
Revolutions per minute
77
Safe operating temperature
The temperature range in which rechargeable batteries must be kept in order to avoid damage
78
SATA
The most popular serial ATA drive, which uses one cable for data transfers
79
SDRAM
It stands for Synchronous DRAM, this type of RAM is synchronised to our systems' clock speed allowing quicker processing of data
80
SOC (System On a Chip)
Packs the CPU, Ram, and sometimes even the storage onto a single chip
81
Southbridge
It maintains our IO or input/output controllers, like hard drives and USB devices that input and output data
82
SSD
Solid State Drive
83
Standoffs
Used to raise and attach your motherboard to the case
84
Thermal past
A substance used to better connect our CPU and heat sink, so the heat transfers from to the other better
85
Type-C connector
A type of USB connector meant to replace many peripheral connections
86
UEFI
Unified Extensible Firmware Interface
87
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
A connection standard for connecting peripherals to devices such as computers
88
USB-C adapter
One of the standard power, data and display connector types used in mobile devices.
89
Android
A mobile operating system based on Linux
90
Application
A computer program designed for a specific use
91
BIOS/UEFI
A low-level software that initialises our computer's hardware to make sure everything is good to go
92
Block storage
It improves faster handling of data because the data isn't stored in one long piece but in blocks, so it can be accessed more quickly
93
Boot
To start up a computer
94
Bootloader
A small program that loads the operating system
95
Chrome OS
A Linux-based operating system designed by Google
96
Command Line Interface (CLI)
A shell that uses text commands to interact with the operating system
97
Computer file
Data that we store and a file can be anything, a word document, a picture, a song, literally anything
98
Data blocks
Data that can be broken down into many pieces and written to different parts of the hard disk
99
Distributions
Some common Linux distributions are Ubuntu, Debian, and Red Hat
100
Etcher.io
A tool you can use to load an install image onto your USB device and make it bootable
101
File extension
The appended part of a filename that tells us what type of file it is in certain operating systems
102
File handling
A process of storing data using a program
103
File system
A system used to manage files
104
Finder
The file manager for all Macs
105
Folders/Directories
Used to organise files
106
Hardware resource deficiency
It refers to the lack of system resources like memory, hard drive space, et cetera
107
HFS+/APFS
HFS+ is a journaling system developed by Apple Inc. and APFS is another but more encrypted Apple journaling system
108
Hostname
Used to identify the computer when it needs to talk to other computers
109
Input/Output device
A device that performs input and output, including monitors, keyboards, mice, hard disk drives, speakers, bluetooth headsets, webcams, and network adapters
110
Install image
A downloadable operating system image used to install an operating system on a device
111
I/O management
Anything that can give us input or that we can use for output of data
112
iOS
A mobile operating system developed by Apple Inc.
113
Kernel
The main core of an operating system that creates processes, efficiently schedules them, and manages how processes are terminated
114
Logs
Files that record system events on our computer
115
Mac OS
Apple's operating system
116
Memory management
One of the functions that a kernel performs; it optimises memory usage and make sure our applications have enough memory to run
117
Metadata
Tells us everything we need to know about a file, including who created it, when it was last modified, who has access to it, and what type of file it is
118
Microsoft Terminal Services Client
A client program used to create RDP connections to remote computers
119
Open SSH
Operating system
120
PC
Personal computer, which technically means a computer that one person uses
121
Plink (PuTTY Link)
A tool built into the command line after PuTTY is installed that is used to make remote SSH connections
122
Powershell
A shell (program that interprets text commands) for Windows
123
Power user
Above average computer users
124
Process management
The capacity to manage the many programs in a system - when to run them, the order they run in, how many resources they take up, how long they run, etc.
125
Qwiklabs
An online platform which provides training in cloud services
126
Remote connection
The ability to connect an authorised person to a computer or network remotely; allows us to manage multiple machines from anywhere in the world
127
Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)
A secure network communication protocol developed by Microsoft that allows a user to connect to another device remotely
128
Scalability
The measure of a system's ability to increase or decrease in performance and cost in response to varying loads in system processing demands
129
Shell
A program that interprets text commands and sends them to the OS to execute
130
SSH (Secure shell)
A protocol implemented by other programs to securely access one computer from another
131
SSH authentication key
A secure authentication method for accessing a computer from other device
132
SSH client
A program you must have installed on your device in order to establish an SSH connection with another
133
SSH server
Software installed on a machine that allows for that device to accept an SSH connection
134
Standardisation
The process of developing and implementing common technical standards for IT products, systems, and processes
135
Swap space
The allocated space where the virtual memory is stored on the hard drive when the amount of physical memory space is used up or full
136
System
A group of hardware components and software components that work together to run the programs or processes in the computer
137
System settings
Settings like display resolution, user accounts, network, devices, etc.
138
Task bar
It gives up quick options and shows us information like network connectivity, the date, system notifications, sound etc
139
Terminal
A text based interface to the computer
140
Time slice
A very short interval of time that gets allocated to a process for CPU execution
141
Ubuntu
The most popular Linux consumer distribution
142
User name
A unique identifier for a user account
143
User space
The aspect of an operating system that humans interact with directly like programs, such as text editors, music players, system settings, user interfaces, etc.
144
Virtual Box
An application you can use to install Linux and have it completely isolated from your machine
145
Virtual machine (VM)
An application that uses physical resources like memory, CPU and storage, but they offer the added benefit of running multiple operating systems at once.
146
Virtual memory
A combination of hard drive space and RAM that acts like memory which our processes can use
147
VPN (Virtual private network)
A secure method of connecting a device to a private network over the internet
148
ARPANET
The earliest version of the Internet that we see today, created by the US government project DARPA in the 1960s
149
Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
Regulates the information we show to children under the age of 13
150
Clients
A device that receives data from a server
151
DARPA
A US government project in the 1960s that went on to create the earliest version of the Internet that we see today
152
Domain name
A website name, the part of the URL following www.
153
Domain Name System (DNS)
A global and highly distributed network service that resolves strings of letters, such as a website name, into an IP address
154
Ethernet cable
It lets you physically connect to the network through a cable
155
Fiber optic cable
Fiber optic tables contain individual optical fibers which are tiny tubes made of glass about the width of a human hair. Unlike copper, which uses electrical voltages, fiber cables use pulses of light to represent the ones and zeros of the underlying data
156
Globalisation
The movement that lets governments, businesses, and organisations communicate and integrate together on an international scale
157
Hubs
Devices that serve as a central location through which data travels through
158
Internet
A worldwide system of interconnected networks
159
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Where website names are registered
160
Internet of Things (IoT)
The concept that more and more devices are connected to the internet in a smarter fashion such as smart thermostats that turn off the air conditioner when you leave and turn it on when you come back
161
Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4)
An address that consists of 32 bits separated into four groups
162
Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
An address that consist of a 128 bits, four times the amount that IPv4 uses
163
Internet service provider (ISP)
A company that provides a consumer an internet connection
164
IP address
A numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication
165
MAC address
A globally unique identifier attached to an individual network interface. It's a 48-bit number normally represented by six groupings of two hexadecimal numbers
166
Network
The interconnection of computers
167
Network Address Translation (NAT)
A mitigation tool that lets organisations use one public IP address and many private IP addresses within the network
168
Networking
Managing, building and designing networks
169
Networking protocols
A set of rules for how we transfer data in a network
170
Network stack
A set of hardware of software that provides the infrastructure for a computer
171
Router
A device that knows how to forward data between independent works
172
Server logs
Text files that contains recorded information about activities performed on a specific web server in a defined period of time
173
Servers
Devices that provide data to other devices that request that data, also known as a client
174
Switches
Devices that help our data travel
175
Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
A protocol that handles reliable delivery of information from one network to another
176
Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
A web address similar to a home address
177
WannaCry Attack
A cyber attack that started in Europe and infected hundreds of thousands of computers across the world
178
Wireless networking (Wi-Fi)
Networks you connect to through radios and antennas
179
World Wide Web (WWW)
The information system that enables documents and other web resources to be accessed over the Internet.
180
Application software
Any software created to fulfil a specific need, like a text editor, web browser, or graphics editor
181
Assembly language
A language that allowed computer scientists to use human readable instructions, assembled into code that the machines could understand
182
Automation
It makes processes work automatically
183
Coding
Translating one language to another
184
Compiled programming language
A language that uses human readable instructions, then sends them through a compiler
185
Copyright
Used when creating original work
186
.exe
A file extension found in Windows for an executable file
187
Firmware
Software that's permanently stored on a computer component
188
GIT
A version control system that helps keep track of changes made to files and directories
189
Interpreted programming language
A language that isn't compiled ahead of time
190
Programming
Coding in a programming language
191
Programming language
Special languages that software developers use to write instructions for computers to execute
192
Script
It is run by an interpreter, which interprets the code into CPU instructions just in time to run them
193
Scripting
Coding in a scripting language
194
Software
The intangible instructions that tell the hardware what to do
195
Software bug
An error in software that causes unexpected results
196
Software management
A broad term used to refer to any and all kinds of software that are designed to manage or help manage some sort of of project or task
197
198
System software
Software used to keep our core system running, like operating system tools and utilities.
199
404 Not Found
An error message you might see on websites that have been moved or deleted
200
Error message
Helpful indicators that can point you in the right direction
201
Permission denied
An error message you might find when accessing a protocted
202
Root cause
The main factor that's causing a range of issues
203
