Can someone explain some things about computers for me please?

Question

Okay, I'm taking ICT as a GCSE next year, but the thing is...I find it SO SO SO fecking difficult to understand sometimes.
I'm one of these kids, who used a walkman until I was about 12, I go to charity shops and buy video-tapes to play on my VHS, I didn't even have my own laptop until I was about 14 (I don't have an Ipod, Iphone, 3DS, Ipad etc...). I'm very happy with what I have got though.
But anyway, I'm good at fiddling with things and hoping they won't blow up, but when it comes to actually UNDERSTANDING how things work, I'm usless.
Anyway, here are some questions, and if you can answer them, could you please make it VERY simple for me please? :)

And please don't think I'm stupid, I'm not good with technology, maths, science, physics and all of that side of things, but my area is English, art, music, basically creativity. And I also teach myself.
Thank you. :)

1) What is the difference between a Mainframe and a Server? And what role do they play exactly?
2) Could I have an example of RAM and ROM please?
3) What EXACTLY is an OS, (Operating System) could I have an example? (I think it's like desktops...I'm not sure).

Thank you for any help you can offer!
I want to do well in my exams and prove to those d**ks who tell me that I'm stupid because I'm home-schooled.
Thanks. :)

Answer 1

Hey!



I don't know the difference between A Mainframe and a Server, but if you want to see a RAM? Here is a link to a picture: "http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qhCi6GNlyoI/URIiQxGeHuI/AAAAAAAAG_M/eZlTARw7zLs/s400/RAM.jpg"



An Os is an operatingsystem, just as Windows 7 or 8. Android is an Os, iOS is an operatingsystem(The system to iPhones, iPods and iPads) and MacOSX is an operatingsystem(System used on Macs)



Hope this helped you :)

Answer 2

1. A mainframe is a specific type of hardware. It means a high-end commercial system as opposed to a single-CPU architecture. A server is any computer that serves files. It's software-based. For example, I have an old PC that acts as my home mail and Wiki server.

2. RAM is memory that is active only when the system is powered on. When you turn it off, the memory is cleared, then filled with new data. ROM is static and can't be changed.

3. An OS manages the interaction between the human and the computer. It translates things like mouse clicks into machine code for execution. Examples include Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

Answer 3

1) A mainframe is a powerful computer that can handle many processes alone, usually used as a central-base computer for the bigger programs, or in a networked-computer system as the main computer. As industries call it: A big computer, main computer, or high-speed computer.



A server, on the other hand, is what it sounds like. It serves things. Servers usually hand out files to computers that request that file. Internet websites are ALWAYS ran off of servers, for example. You type in the URL address at the top, your computer contacts the website server for the page file, it gives it to your computer, and your computer displays it for your eyes to see. Servers tend to work faster at handing out files than just from a computer to another computer. It is usually safer also.



2) RAM stands for "Random Access Memory" and is used in a computer for immediate data that is to be called. It is the fastest memory in a computer that holds memory, and it is for that reason that your programs run as fast as they do now. It is called random access memory because it doesn't allocate memory in an organized manner, as per say in a hard drive or whatnot. Data stored in RAM are read just by going through the whole memory bank until all the data is found. Also, a good worthy note of RAM is that it is not permanent. For RAM to work, it must have a constant feed of power, otherwise it will be cleared of any data.



ROM stands for "Read-only Memory" and is used for storing data that can only be read and never altered. It's a much more permanent method to any other memory handling method. It is usually used in electronics that will never have input that could change it's data. It is also used in cases where altering the ROM data will severely destroy your electronic, which is why it is designed as a ROM data in the first place.



RAM example: It's sort of like a human's short-term memory.

ROM example: A book, if all you did with it was read from it.



3) An operating system is a program that is used to provide an interface to a user. Without an operating system, you'd have to learn code itself in order to use a computer. An operating system also handles translating human-readable actions/code to machine-readable code. Some operating system examples are Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.



Do keep in mind that the names I just gave you for the OS's are the superset names. There are subsets within each name I gave you.