What is a window in a WIMP interface?

A window is a framed area of the screen in which one program or document is displayed, and several windows can be open at the same time.

What is an icon, and why is one used?

An icon is a small picture standing for a file, a program or an action, and a picture is recognised at a glance without having to be read.

Name two kinds of menu found in a WIMP interface.

A drop-down menu from a menu bar and a pop-up menu of options for the object clicked on are two kinds.

What is meant by direct manipulation?

Direct manipulation lets a user act on the object shown on screen itself, such as dragging a file onto a folder, rather than describing the action in words.

CCEA AS-Level Digital Technology 2650

Systems Analysis and Development Approaches

Topic overview The software crisis and the need for systems development User needs, time and cost Roles in a systems development team The purpose of analysis Fact-finding techniques Functional and non-functional requirements Data flow diagrams The waterfall model Rapid application development and Agile Resources, constraints and risks in a software project Project management, Gantt charts and critical path analysis Version management

Design, Development and Testing

Topic overview The purpose of systems design Storyboarding the user interface Prototyping the interface and the data model The development stage: turning a design into working code Why testing runs throughout development Levels of testing: unit and integration System testing Acceptance testing Alpha and beta testing The purpose and components of a test plan Types of test data

Implementation and System Security

Topic overview The purpose of system implementation Direct and parallel changeover Pilot and phased changeover User documentation Technical documentation Data conversion The purpose of system maintenance Corrective, adaptive and perfective maintenance Archiving data Backup and recovery Full, differential and incremental backups Disaster recovery plans

Programming

Topic overview The purpose of a computer program The integrated development environment Translation: compilers, interpreters and assemblers The stages of compilation and linking Algorithms, pseudocode and syntax Variables, constants and data types Sequence and selection Iteration: count-controlled and condition-controlled loops Flowcharts and algorithm representation Objects, classes and methods Inheritance and evaluating the object-oriented approach

Data, Information and Data Representation

Topic overview Bits, bytes and units of storage How many values a given number of bits can hold Converting decimal to binary Converting binary to decimal Two's complement and negative numbers Character sets: ASCII and Unicode Data, information and knowledge Factors affecting the quality of information Validation: range, type, length and presence checks Validation: format checks and lookup checks Check digits and the Modulus 11 method Batch totals, verification and the limits of checking

Computer Architecture and Processing Systems

Topic overview The processor, the clock and the registers The fetch-execute cycle Buses, input and output controllers and ports Main memory: RAM, ROM and addressing Cache memory and the memory hierarchy Factors that affect processing speed The need for secondary storage Magnetic, optical and flash storage media Choosing secondary storage for common applications Batch, real-time and transaction processing Automatic teller machines and point of sale terminals Smartphones: input, output and processing

System Software, Application Software and the User Interface

Topic overview User interfaces: WIMP, command line and forms dialogue Choosing and evaluating a user interface Inputting text, sound and video The purpose of an operating system How an operating system manages memory and processes Types of operating system Utility programs The need for data compression, lossless and lossy Zipping and archive files Common data file formats Application software: generic and special purpose Obtaining and delivering software

Web Technology and Multimedia

Topic overview The internet, the World Wide Web and web standards URLs, HTTP and the request-response cycle Domain names, DNS and IP addresses Web browsers, search engines, cache and cookies Web servers, hosting, ISPs and file transfer Intranets and how an organisation uses one Creating web pages with HTML HTML tags for text, lists, images and links Styling pages with CSS Multimedia assets in a web page Client-side and server-side processing Security over the internet: encryption, HTTPS and certificates

System Software, Application Software and the User Interface

12 subtopics
36 things to know
AS Unit 2

What System Software, Application Software and the User Interface covers

System Software, Application Software and the User Interface is examined in Unit AS 2, Fundamentals of Digital Technology. It covers user interfaces: WIMP, command line and forms dialogue, choosing and evaluating a user interface, Inputting text, sound and video, the purpose of an operating system, how an operating system manages memory and processes, types of operating system, utility programs, the need for data compression, lossless and lossy, zipping and archive files, common data file formats, application software: generic and special purpose and obtaining and delivering software.

Where it is assessed

AS Unit 2

Fundamentals of Digital Technology.

Check the CCEA specification ↗

The 12 subtopics

Each one has its own page. CCEA AS Digital Technology students sit this topic in the first year.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Your recallNot started

Key term

Why does a WIMP interface demand more of the hardware than a command line does?

Key term

How do the input devices of a personal computer differ from those of a tablet or smartphone?

Key term

Why does running very many programs at once eventually slow all of them down?

Key term

Why does a WIMP interface suit a beginner?

Key term

What is an operating system?

Key term

What is a single-user operating system?

Key term

What is a utility program?

Key term

What is data compression?

Key term

Is zipping lossless or lossy?

Key term

What is stored in a txt file?

Key term

How does application software differ from system software?

Key term

What is custom-built software?

Key term

What is a user interface?

Evaluation

What is the main disadvantage of a WIMP interface for an experienced user?

Key term

Name three ways text can be entered into a computer without typing it.

Key term

Why can application software not deal with the hardware itself?

Process

What is a process?

Key term

Distinguish between single-user single-tasking and single-user multitasking.

Key term

Why are utility programs needed alongside an operating system?

Key term

Give three reasons for compressing data.

Key term

What must be done to a zipped file before a program can work on it?

Evaluation

Give two advantages of the txt format.

Key term

What is generic application software?

Key term

What is off-the-shelf software?

Key term

What do the letters WIMP stand for?

Key term

State two drawbacks of a command line interface.

Key term

What does optical character recognition do?

Key term

What is a device driver?

Key term

Why must memory be allocated by the operating system rather than by each program?

Key term

What is a multi-user operating system?

Key term

Distinguish between a full backup and an incremental backup.

Key term

Why does compression matter so much for streaming video?

Key term

How does a zip file preserve a folder structure?

Evaluation

What is the main limitation of a txt file for producing a report?

Key term

Name four types of generic application software.

Evaluation

Give two advantages of custom-built software.

Take System Software, Application Software and the User Interface further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

Generic software vs Special purpose software
Generic software: a broad tool the user shapes to whatever task is in hand. Special purpose software: it is built around a single job and arrives ready to do it.
Multitasking vs Multiprocessing
Multitasking: switching a single core rapidly between jobs so they appear simultaneous. Multiprocessing: using several cores so they genuinely are.
Multithreading vs Multitasking
Multithreading: dividing one program into strands that share its memory. Multitasking: switching a single core rapidly between jobs so they appear simultaneous.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1
What is a user interface?
Model answer
A user interface is the part of a system through which a person gives instructions to a computer and receives its responses.
2
What do the letters WIMP stand for?
Model answer
WIMP stands for windows, icons, menus and pointer.
3
What is a window in a WIMP interface?
Model answer
A window is a framed area of the screen in which one program or document is displayed, and several windows can be open at the same time.
4
What is an icon, and why is one used?
Model answer
An icon is a small picture standing for a file, a program or an action, and a picture is recognised at a glance without having to be read.
5
Name two kinds of menu found in a WIMP interface.
Model answer
A drop-down menu from a menu bar and a pop-up menu of options for the object clicked on are two kinds.
6
What is meant by direct manipulation?
Model answer
Direct manipulation lets a user act on the object shown on screen itself, such as dragging a file onto a folder, rather than describing the action in words.

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Systems Analysis and Development Approaches

Design, Development and Testing

Implementation and System Security

Programming

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System Software, Application Software and the User Interface revision questions

Is System Software, Application Software and the User Interface examined at AS in CCEA Digital Technology?: Yes. It sits in AS Unit 2, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.
What does System Software, Application Software and the User Interface cover in CCEA AS-Level Digital Technology?: 12 subtopics: user interfaces: wimp, command line and forms dialogue, choosing and evaluating a user interface, inputting text, sound and video, the purpose of an operating system, how an operating system manages memory and processes, types of operating system, utility programs, the need for data compression, lossless and lossy, zipping and archive files, common data file formats, application software: generic and special purpose and obtaining and delivering software. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.
How is System Software, Application Software and the User Interface organised?: By the CCEA 2650 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.

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