1.6.1 Ethical, Legal, Cultural and Environmental Impact
This section of the course is simultaneously the most in depth and interesting of all topics we study. The legal side of computing is fascinating in its own right, but the often forgotten environmental impact of the technology we consume is more prevalent than ever in a world where nearly everyone recognises the impact of […]
1.5.2 - Utility Software
Utilities are pieces of software which perform a single, specific task in a computer system and usually do so in the background with little or no user interaction. Utilities have been around since the dawn of computing and basically fall into the category of "useful little programs." We usually use them to do simple, repetitive […]
1.5.1 - Operating Systems
Operating Systems are the single most important piece of software on any computer system. All computer systems must have an operating system in order to work, whether you notice it or not! Any OS is an incredibly complex and intricate piece of software, written by some of the best programmers to have ever touched a […]
1.4.2 - Identifying and Preventing Vulnerabilities
In the previous section, 1.4.1 - Threats to Computer Systems and Networks, we looked at a fairly comprehensive rundown of the most common and prevalent attacks that exist to compromise system security, steal data and gain access to computers. This section focuses more on preventative measures - how can we ensure that computer systems are […]
1.4.1 - Threats to Computer Systems and Networks
As the number of network connected devices increases, so does the proportion of poorly designed and insecure devices. Many people do not understand the significance of poor security, whether that is in devices they own or their own personal security such as selecting weak passwords that are easy to guess or compromise. Any device which […]
1.3.2 - Wired and Wireless Networks, Protocols and Layers
In the last section we focussed on what networks are, why they are used and covered a broad range of related topics such as how networks are categorised, topologies, performance factors, internet technologies and more. The second half of this part of the GCSE specification concentrates almost solely on how data is transmitted through a […]
1.3.1 - Networks and Topologies - Part 2 - Performance, Authority and The Cloud
In this section (click to jump): Performance Factors People that look after networks are odd people. I once convinced a student that every network had a guardian figure called the Server Room Urchin, a being that only existed in networking and server rooms. Their sole existence revolved around massaging data through the cables and overseeing […]
1.3.1 - Networks and Topologies - Part 1 - Types, Topologies and Hardware
Today, our world is connected in ways which were unimaginable a generation ago. We take for granted the ability to communicate in real time, across the world using both audio and video. In recent times it is possible for anyone to become a published author or to create their own TV channel with the click […]
1.2.5 - Compression
Compression is all about making things smaller and take up less space. The need to make things take up less space is certainly not unique to computing and there are countless examples in history of clever techniques and innovations designed to compress data. The goal of compression is to take a file, whether it is […]
1.2.4 - Data Storage - Encoding Sound
The final stop on our encoding journey is sound. In this section we learn how sound waves are translated into a digital, binary form and conversely, how a computer transforms digital data back in to analogue sound. If you have studied image encoding, you will have noticed that not everything in computing and encoding is […]