APINFO: The Evolution of Technology, Introduction to Computers, Networks, and the World Wide Web

Vocabulary flashcards covering the evolution of technology, computer hardware and software generations, networking fundamentals, protocols, and the World Wide Web.

Technology

Tools, machines, and systems that help humans solve problems (such as phones, cars, computers, and medicine).

Technological Evolution

The theory of radical transformation of society through technological development.

Computer

A machine that manipulates data according to a list of instructions, capable of performing computations and making logical decisions millions or billions of times faster than human beings can.

Information

The output that comes after processing data through a computer.

ENAIC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator)

The first electronic computer developed in 1946 by Mr. J. Presper Eckert and Mr. John Mauchly at the University of Pennsylvania, which used $18{,}000$ vacuum tubes and weighed $30$ tons.

Integrated Circuit (IC)

The fabrication of thousands of electronic components on a single silicon chip, used to replace transistors in third generation computers.

Large Scale Integrated Circuits (LSI)

Technology introduced in fourth generation computers (1971 to 1980) that replaced ICs by fitting a greater number of electronic components on a silicon chip.

Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits (VLSI)

Technology introduced in fifth generation computers (1980 to present) that replaced LSI to create computers with very high performance and very low size and cost.

Hardware

The computer's physical components that you can touch with your fingers.

Software

The set of instructions supplied to computer hardware that directs it to accomplish a task.

System Software / Operating System

Software used to control all components of a computer and serve as an interface between the user and hardware.

Application Software

Software designed or used for a specific purpose of the user (e.g., MS-WORD, MS-EXCEL, Paint, games).

Utility Software

Software used to remove problems or solve complex situations in a computer (e.g., Partition Magic, Backup utility, Antivirus, Data Recovery, Win Ghost).

Bit

A single binary digit, either $0$ or $1$.

Byte

Any combination of $0$ or $1$, also referred to as an octet.

Information Processing Cycle

A process consisting of four parts that involve specific computer components: Input, Processing, Output, and Storage.

Networking

The exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions.

Network Device

An item that uses networks or has internet access (e.g., computers, cell phones, gaming consoles).

Local Area Network (LAN)

A network supplying networking capability to a group of computers in close proximity to each other (such as in an office building, school, or home) for sharing resources.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A network that interconnects users with computer resources in a geographic area or region, designed for a town, city, or large university.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

A network that spans a large geographic area such as a state, province, or country, and connects multiple smaller networks (such as LANs or MANs).

Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi)

Wireless networking that allows computers and other devices to communicate over a wireless signal.

Ethernet Cable

A type of network cable for local area networks consisting of a coaxial cable that carries frequency signals between computers at a rate of $10\,\text{megabits per second}$.

Router

A device whose primary function is to connect networks together to allow data to move from one network to another, while also acting as a firewall against unwanted outside access.

Modem

Short for Modulator-deModulator; a device or program that enables a computer to transmit data over a telephone or cable line.

Internet Service Provider (ISP)

A company that provides personal and business access to Internet services (e.g., Windstream, AT & T, Time Warner, Verizon).

Internet Protocol (IP)

The method by which information is sent between any two computers on the Internet, utilizing numerical address values ranging from $0$ to $255$.

Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)

A set of rules used along with the Internet Protocol to send data in the form of message units between computers over the internet.

Internet

A massive, global network of networks connecting millions of computers worldwide to provide information and communication facilities.

Intranet

A computer network with restricted access within a company or school that uses software and protocols developed for the Internet.

Server

A computer in a central location that runs software or stores data, allowing multiple clients to connect for their processing needs.

Web Browser

A software application or computer program that allows for browsing and accessing sites or information on the World Wide Web or network.

Domain Name

An identifier used to represent one or more IP addresses and specify particular web pages in URLs (e.g., www.google.com).

World Wide Web (WWW)

A network of online interlinked content and HTML pages that is accessed via HTTP over the Internet medium.

Web Page

A document on the web identified by a unique address called a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

An addressing system representing web addresses used to identify documents on the web.

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

An international community founded in 1994 by Tim Berners-Lee at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology devoted to developing open web standards.

Hypertext

Text which contains links to other texts, a concept first coined by Ted Nelson around 1965.

Hypermedia

A term used for hypertext that is not constrained to text and can include video and sound.

Web 2.0

The second generation of the World Wide Web, referring to features, online tools, and platforms that allow people to collaborate and share information online.