Operating system software
Know the choice of operating system software available for a personal computer, e.g. open-source (Linux), Windows-based, Mac-based, and their typical costs.
Open Source
open source software is normally free software that is open for others to use without limitation or restriction. This type of software can have a large fan base and following that support the development of it, this means that any issues, bugs or problems are discussed and users and developers of the software talk and communicate to resolve, amend or upgrade the software to continue the push for a software package that meets the needs of its users. Most common operating systems that are open source are Linux based and as such they have been manipulated in many forms, it is best to describe Linux systems as crisps, you can have many flavours that some like and others do not, however they are still crisps, Linux and the many distributions are similar.
Windows
The windows operating system is possibly the most widely recognised operating system used by a significant amount of people globally. The operating systems that Microsoft produce can be used in a number of different situations, from PCs, to servers, databases and many others. The windows operating system is not free and to install it on to a computer or server will require a license key to be purchased. New PCs that are purchased normally have the windows operating system pre installed, however the cost of the licence is included within the list/purchase price
Personal computer specification Understand that PC specification and performance are a compromise between many different factors, including:
● costs
● technical skills and expertise of the people building the PC
● processor type and specification, e.g. AMD, Intel
● choice of processor informing choice of motherboard and vice versa
● motherboard and attached components need to be able to fit in the case
● choice of graphics card, e.g. AMD, NVIDIA
● memory type and size, e.g. DDR, SDRAM
● choice of operating system software
● choice of X86 or X64 architectures (which determine the type and amount of memory)
● storage devices, e.g. solid state drives (SSDs) versus magnetic
● component compatibility, e.g. motherboard and memory, processor and graphics card.
Links to Learning Outcomes |
Links to Assessment criteria |
|
|---|---|---|
|
Learning aim A: Understand the uses, costs and specifications of different personal computers |
1A.1 Identify the uses of at least two different personal computers and determine the cost to build each computer.
2A.P1 Explain the uses of at least two different personal computers and determine the cost to build each computer.
2A.M1 Review how the processor choice for a personal computer can affect performance.
2A.D1 Discuss how the specification for a personal computer can affect performance. |
Anonymous Assessment - Learners assess an anonymous piece of work containing deliberate mistakes against given success criteria.