Lunar Boom Town/McDonald's Restaurant

cave explore cave explorer Data Data consists of raw facts and figures

Knowledge In information technology, knowledge is, to an enterprise or an individual, the possession of information or the ability to quickly locate it.

Information In general, raw data that (1) has been verified to be accurate and timely, (2) is specific and organized for a purpose, (3) is presented within a context that gives it meaning and relevance, and which (4) leads to increase in understanding and decrease in uncertainty. The value of information lies solely in its ability to affect a behavior, decision, or outcome. A piece of information is considered valueless if, after receiving it, things remain unchanged. For the technical meaning of information see information theory.

GIGO Garbage in Garbage out

Hardware Hardware is the equipment which makes up the computer system. (If you can kick it, it’s hardware!). Hardware consists of... - input devices such as keyboard, mouse, joystick - the Central Processing Unit (CPU) - which does all the processing - output devices such as a printer, monitor, graph plotter - backing storage devices such as disc drive, hard drive - media such as discs, tapes, paper etc

Software Software is the programs which run the system. The main program which runs the computer system is called the Operating System. Other programs (called Applications programs) include ... • Word Processing programs, • Database programs, • Spreadsheet programs, • Graphics programs etc.... • Computer game

Mainframe Computer powerful computers used mainly by large organizations for critical applications, typically bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing.

Micro computer A microcomputer is a computer with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. They are physically small compared to mainframe and minicomputers. Many microcomputers (when equipped with a keyboard and screen for input and output) are also personal computers (in the generic sense

Embedded System An embedded system is a computer system designed to perform one or a few dedicated functions often with real-time computing constraints. It is embedded as part of a complete device often including hardware and mechanical parts. By contrast, a general-purpose computer, such as a personal computer (PC), is designed to be flexible and to meet a wide range of end-user needs. Embedded systems control many devices in common use today

RAM Random-access memory (RAM) is a form of computer data storage. Today, it takes the form of integrated circuits that allow stored data to be accessed in any order (that is, at random). "Random" refers to the idea that any piece of data can be returned in a constant time, regardless of its physical location and whether it is related to the previous piece of data

ROM Read-only memory (ROM) is a class of storage media used in computers and other electronic devices. Data stored in ROM cannot be modified, or can be modified only slowly or with difficulty, so it is mainly used to distribute firmware (software that is very closely tied to specific hardware, and unlikely to need frequent updates). In its strictest sense, ROM refers only to mask ROM (the oldest type of solid state ROM), which is fabricated with the desired data permanently stored in it, and thus can never be modified. However, more modern types such as EPROM and flash EEPROM can be erased and re-programmed multiple times; they are still described as "read-only memory"(ROM)[citation needed] because the reprogramming process is generally infrequent, comparatively slow, and often does not permit random access writes to individual memory locations. Despite the simplicity of mask ROM, economies of scale and field-programmability often make reprogrammable technologies more flexible and inexpensive, so mask ROM is rarely used in new products as of 2007.