Introduction to I.T.

Thematic Vocabulary Unit Nº 275 v.5

        Main Definitions

1. IT / Information Technology |n| is the application of computers and elecommunications equipment to store, retrieve, transmit and manipulate data, often in the context of a business or other enterprise.
2. computer science / computing 1 |n| the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures. 
3. computer science / computing 2 |n| the study of computers and how they can be used.
4. computing |n| any goal-oriented activity requiring, benefiting from, or creating computers. Thus, computing includes designing and building hardware and software systems for a wide range of purposes; processing, structuring, and managing various kinds of information; doing scientific studies using computers; making computer systems behave intelligently; creating and using communications and entertainment media; finding and gathering information relevant to any particular purpose, and so on. The list is virtually endless, and the possibilities are vast and it defines five sub-disciplines of the computing field: Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Information Systems, Information Technology, and Software Engineering.
5. "Have you ever done any computing?"

      Main Parts of Computing System

1. computer |n| an electronic machine that uses programs to store and deal with large amounts of information quickly, and which is used for a wide range of different jobs.
2. "The information from the survey is being processed by computer."
3. machine |n| |specially spoken| a computer.
4. "I think there's something wrong with my machine, would to take a look at it?" 
5. hardware |n| computer equipment, rather than the programs that make it work.
6. "The company has spent millions of dollars replacing outdated computer hardware."
7. software |n| written programs or procedures or rules and associated documentation pertaining to the operation of a computer system and that are stored in read/write memory.
8. network / lan |n| a number of computers and other devices that are connected together so that equipment and information can be shared.
9. "The office network allows users to share files and software, and to use a central printer."
10. "All computer users are connected on a network."
11. "Most workplaces have a local network as well as access to the internet."
12. world wide web / WWW / the web |n| WWW are initials that stand for World Wide Web. The Web is one of the services available on the Internet. It lets you access millions of pages through a system of links. Because it is "world-wide", it was originally called the World Wide Web or WWW.
13. Wi-Fi |n| a system for communicating without wires over a computer network.
14. hotspot |n| an area that has an available wireless signal for Internet access (usually public).

        Software

1. application / app |n| a piece of software for a particular use or job.
2. "A graphic application."
3. backup |n| the procedure for making extra copies of data in case the original is lost or damaged.
4. "Automatic online backup"
5. file |n| a collection of information on a computer that is stored under a particular name.
6. "I seen to have lost the file with all my personal records on it."
7. "Just click on the icon to open the file."
8. "It's a good idea to save your files to a DVD ROM as a backup."
9. program |n| a set of instrucions used to tell a computer what to do.
10. "I didn't have on my computer to run the program."
11. "She was writing simple computer programs when she was eight years old."
12. software |n| the set of programs that tell a computer what to do.
13. "You need a special software to view the information in the file."
14. "The company develops interactive software for schoolchildren."

        People

1. computer expert / computer guru |n| an authority on computers and computing.
2. computer operator |n| a person responsible for monitoring and controlling computer systems especially mainframe computer systems in a company or organization. 
3. computer repair technician |n| a person who repairs and maintains computers and servers. The technician's responsibilities may extend to include building or configuring new hardware, installing and updating software packages, and creating and maintaining computer networks.
4. hacker |n| a programmer who breaks into computer systems in order to steal or change or destroy information as a form of cyber-terrorism.
5. "A hacker had managed to get into the system."
6. programmer / developer |n| a person whose jor is writing programs for computers.
7. software engineer |n|  a person who designs and writes and tests computer programs.
8. spammer |n| someone who sends spam.

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