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An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources, and provides common services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also include accounting software for cost allocation of processor time, mass storage, peripherals, and other ...
Microarchitecture, also known as computer organization, refers to high-level hardware questions such as the design of the CPU, memory, and memory interconnect. [26] Memory hierarchy ensures that the memory quicker to access (and more expensive) is located closer to the CPU, while slower, cheaper memory for large-volume storage is located ...
In the late 1940s, application software was custom-written by computer users to fit their specific hardware and requirements. System software was usually supplied by the manufacturer of the computer hardware and was intended to be used by most or all users of that system. Many operating systems come pre-packaged with basic application software.
Also chassis, cabinet, box, tower, enclosure, housing, system unit, or simply case. The enclosure that contains most of the components of a computer, usually excluding the display, keyboard, mouse, and various other peripherals. computer fan An active cooling system forcing airflow inside or around a computer case using a fan to cause air cooling.
Hardware is also an expression used within the computer engineering industry to explicitly distinguish the (electronic computer) hardware from the software that runs on it. But hardware, within the automation and software engineering disciplines, need not simply be a computer of some sort. A modern automobile runs vastly more software than the ...
A device driver is a computer program encapsulating, monitoring and controlling a hardware device (via its Hardware/Software Interface (HSI)) on behalf of the OS. It provides the operating system with an API, procedures and information about how to control and communicate with a certain piece of hardware.
In computer architecture, a bus (historically also called a data highway [1] or databus) is a communication system that transfers data between components inside a computer or between computers. [2] It encompasses both hardware (e.g., wires, optical fiber) and software, including communication protocols. [3]
Dell Inspiron One 23 Touch as an example of an AIO desktop PC. An all-in-one (AIO) desktop computer integrates the system's internal components into the same case as the display, thus occupying a smaller footprint (with fewer cables) than desktops that incorporate a tower. [47] The All-in-one systems are rarely labeled as desktop computers.