Chapter 2

Chapter 2

1. standardisation

   • a set of standard (rules) that hardware and software must adhere to
     • w3c: the world wide web consortium develops the standards for the interent
     • ISO: the international organisation for standardisation currently has over 14000 standards

2. hardware

   • physical components that make up the computer
   • examples are a mouse, keyboard, processor, monitor and printer
   • things you can touch

3. software

   • two main types of software
     • application
       • such as word processing, spreadsheets and databases
     • system software (operating systems)
       • control the working of the computer

4. if a piece of hardware lacks standards the disadvantages are:

   • costs - if you buy a computer that does not meet global standards, you may have to pay for specific parts which could be expensive.
   • if you dont buy parts that are compatible with the computer, it might not work correctly or at all.
   • technical support - support is likely to be limited and expensive
   • availability - if there is limited availibilty of a piece of hardware, the supply may also be limited.