Software, Operating Systems, Languages, and IDEs Vocabulary

Vocabulary practice cards covering software categories, operating system responsibilities, interrupts, programming languages, translators, and IDE tools.

System software

provides the services the computer requires

Application software

provides the services the user requires

Utility software

Programs designed to help maintain, enhance, and troubleshoot a computer system, such as antivirus and backup software.

Device drivers

Software that provides special instructions allowing the operating system to communicate with specific hardware peripherals.

Firmware

Built-in permanent software stored in non-volatile memory (such as ROM) that runs upon powering on to provide low-level control over hardware and initiate the boot process.

Operating System (OS)

A type of software that manages and controls the computer and its resources, serving as a platform for running applications and a bridge between hardware and software.

Graphical User Interface (GUI)

A visual interface allowing users to interact with electronic devices using graphical elements such as windows, icons, menus, and pointers.

Command line interface

A text-based user interface where the user interacts with the computer by typing in text commands.

Interrupt

A signal sent to the processor indicating that an event requires immediate attention.

Interrupt service routine (ISR)

A program carried out by the CPU to determine the cause of an interrupt and handle the correct response before resuming original tasks.

High-level languages

Programming languages designed for humans to easily read and write, using English-like instructions that are machine independent.

Low-level languages

Programming languages close to machine code (binary) that offer direct manipulation of hardware and fast execution, but are difficult to read and non-portable.

Assembly language

A form of low-level language that uses mnemonics, where each instruction has a 1:1 relationship with a single executable machine code instruction.

Mnemonics

Short symbolic codes used in assembly language that represent single executable machine code instructions.

Assembler

A platform-specific program that translates assembly language code into machine code.

Compiler

A platform-specific translator that checks high-level source code for errors all at once and translates the entire program into machine code before execution.

Interpreter

A translator that reads, checks for errors, translates, and executes high-level language programs line-by-line sequentially.

Integrated Development Environment (IDE)

Software that consolidates tools required to write, test, and debug programming code into a single interface.

Code editor

An IDE tool providing a workspace to write and edit program code, often featuring line numbering and syntax highlighting.

Run-time environment

An IDE feature allowing developers to execute and test a program within the environment to observe its behavior.

Prettyprint

An IDE tool that formats program code neatly with consistent indentation and spacing to enhance readability.