2. INPUT
Input is the term denoting either an entrance or
changes which are inserted into a system and which
activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept,
used in the modeling, system design and system
exploitation. It is usually connected with other terms,
e.g., input field, input variable, input parameter, input
value, input signal, input device and input file.
Computer Science Information put into a
communications system for transmission or into a
computer system for processing.
Computer Science A position, terminal, or station
at which input enters a system. Go to Input devices
5. PROCESS
In computing, a process is an instance of a computer
program, consisting of one or more threads, that is
being sequentially executed by a computer system that
has the ability to run several computer programs
concurrently.
A computer program itself is just a passive
collection of instructions, while a process is the
actual execution of those instructions. Several
processes may be associated with the same program;
for example, opening up several instances of the
same program often means more than one process is
being executed. In the computing world, processes
are formally defined by the operating system (OS)
running them and so may differ in detail from one
Go to examples of
processes
8. OUTPUT
Output is the term denoting either an exit or
changes which exit a system and which
activate/modify a process. It is an abstract concept,
used in the modeling, system design and system
exploitation.
Anything that comes out of a computer. Output
can be meaningful information or gibberish, and it
can appear in a variety of forms -- as binary
numbers, as characters, as pictures, and as printed
pages. Output devices include display screens,
loudspeakers, and printers.
Go to Output
devices
11. Computer data storage, often called storage or memory,
refers to computer components, devices, and recording
media that retain digital data used for computing for some
interval of time. Computer data storage provides one of the
core functions of the modern computer, that of information
retention. It is one of the fundamental components of all
modern computers, and coupled with a central processing
unit (CPU, a processor), implements the basic computer
model used since the 1940s.
In contemporary usage, memory usually refers to a form of
semiconductor storage known as random-access memory
(RAM) and sometimes-other forms of fast but temporary
storage. Similarly, storage today more commonly refers to
mass storage - optical discs, forms of magnetic storage like
hard disk drives, and other types slower than RAM, but of a
more permanent nature. Historically, memory and storage
STORAGE
Next
12. The contemporary distinctions are
helpful, because they are also fundamental
to the architecture of computers in general.
The distinctions also reflect an important
and significant technical difference
between memory and mass storage
devices, which has been blurred by the
historical usage of the term storage.
Nevertheless, this article uses the
traditional nomenclature.
STORAGE
Back Go to Storage
devices
