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Top 10 Lists: Week 00

  1. Operating System
    Operating System is a software that manages the computer hardware, as well as providing an environment for application programs to run. Internally, operating systems vary greatly, since they are organized along many different lines.

  2. Interrupt
    Warning or notification that inform device about one finished operation.

  3. Application Programming Interfaces
    A set of functions available to use by an application programmer in the making of an application. API helps programmers to design application “the generic way” so it can run on operating systems that run the same/similar API.

  4. Double Data Rate (DDR)
    DDR is a next-generation of SDRAM with twice transfer data rate. The next generation (DDR2, DDR3, DDR4) have similar shape as DDR1 with every DDR generation have a unique design on the 240-pin.

  5. Multiprocessor System
    A system with two or more one-CPU-processors runs together for a faster data processing. The speed ratio is not N as the processors also have other operations to do.

  6. Boot Loader
    A software responsible for load and transfer control to current (or user) operating system kernel. One example of a boot loader is GNU GRUB.

  7. Basic Input-Output System (BIOS)
    BIOS is responsible to prepping computer’s hardware component before OS boot (entering boot loader). BIOS can also be used to making changes to the computer’s hardware configuration like priority boot, change clock, etc.

  8. Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
    Most about UEFI is covered on list about BIOS, the difference between two is UEFI looks way more modern than BIOS. If BIOS uses monospace typeface, then UEFI includes graphical image and graph.

  9. The Von-Neumann Model
    Von-Neumann proposed a basic computer architecture that consist of four components: Control Unit, Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU), Registers (consists of MAR, MDR, AC, PC, CIR), and Input-Output. Designed in 1945, Von-Neumann model is based on the stored-program computer concept.

  10. CPU (Kernel vs User Mode) User mode usually used for application-related process, for every application runs by itself and not affecting other applications. While kernel mode mostly running core operations of the computer, they run altogether and if one is broke down the others can be affected.