What Happens Inside Your Computer When a Key is Pressed?
In this step, we’re going to look at what happens when you press a key on the keyboard. The process of pressing a key in something like Microsoft Word and …
Course: Understanding Computer Systems
The Startup Sequence of a Computer
In this step, you’ll learn how the components of a computer work together from the moment you press the “on” button. The startup sequence From the moment you press the …
Sensor Examples
In this article, you will discover some sensor examples. Most of the input devices we’ve looked at so far are human-controlled — the keyboard, the mouse, the microphone. The original …
The 3 types of computer software
Software is used to control a computer. There are different types of software that can run on a computer: system software, utility software, and application software. Let’s take a closer …
Starting up the Operating System
When your computer has completed the startup sequence, the BIOS passes control to the operating system. Operating systems control the computer’s resources, software, and hardware. Examples of common operating systems …
The speed & perception of computer systems
Over time, CPUs have grown faster and more powerful. You might therefore expect that computers would always be faster nowadays than in the past — and they often are. Speed …
Layers of an Operating System
Operating systems can be broken down into a number of discrete layers, each with its own privileges. This system is known as a protection ring. What is a Protection Ring? …
What is an operating system?
What is an operating system? Operating systems are software systems that control the computer’s resources. It is software that allows applications to interact with the hardware on a computer. The …
CPU Scheduling Algorithms
On a single-core processor, a CPU can only execute one instruction at a time. But what if multiple processes (computer programs) all want to run at the same time? This …
Interview: making computing more accessible
The development of different input and output devices, as well as new software, has increased the accessibility of computing to those with different needs. For example, the Xbox Adaptive Controller …
Examples of Input and Output Devices
Before computers were sophisticated enough to handle and process all the steps that modern processors can handle, they had simpler methods for inputting and outputting information. Punched Cards Input, Output …