CLEP: Intro to computing

[operalady]

Fascinating. Thank you all for your information. I should be strong in most of the categories operalady listed.

BTW....programming?!?! Why....? I know nothing outside of the basics of web development languages. What exactly do I need to know about programming? The context a certain language is used and the name of the most common languages is probably about all I've got going for me.

Augh, well if the DSST is easier I guess I'll go with that first if I can find a testing center...or is it prometric because I know where those guys are. They have an office across the street from me.

Finally would somebody be so kind as to elucidate what exactly "operations" and "[application?] development processes" could mean as far as the test goes....and maybe "interface" as well, because I'm having trouble envisioning the last one outside the obvious.

Interface:

• Multitasking – more than one program concurrently for a single user
  
• Shell – graphical user interface, outer layer to operating system
  
• GUI – graphic user interface (gooey), refers to the graphic user interface that allows users to drag with a mouse rather than enter text, divides screen into sections, icons, mouse, divides screen into sections, relies most on mouse, Advantage – easier for the novice
  
• command-line interface – CLI, mechanism for interacting with computer software or operating system by typing commands (DOS/UNIX)
  
• Menu interface – line of command options with a menu bar
  
• Know parts of a window, close, minimize, restore, menu bar, taskbar...
  

Programming

• History of programming languages - Language pre date the invention of the computer, directs behavior of machines (looms and player pianos)
  

Programming languages
machine language – machine code, 1st generation, system of instructions executed by the CPU, lowest level of computer programming
assembly language – 2nd generation, a family of low level languages for programming computers, and integrated circuits

• FORTRAN – assembly program, general purpose, suited for numeric computing and scientific computing
  
• BASIC – Beginners All Purpose Symbolic Instruction Code, family of high level programming languages, 1964 design, access to non science students, remains popular to this day
  

Procedural programming language – imperative language, uses procedures to operate on data structures

• PASCAL – influential imperative procedural programming language, designed as a small and efficient language to encourage good programming practices
  
• C – specified by an ISO standard (internal organization for standardization), used for developing portable apps, most popular
  
• Object-Oriented Programming – a programming paradigm that uses objects , data fields and methods to design applications and programs, polymorphisms, design patterns, inheritance and behavior sub-typing, bundles together, object operates in its own data structure
  
• C++ - a strategically typed, multiple paradigm complicated programming language, considered middle language, includes high and low, input statement includes extraction operator, Output stream – char or cout (C is input), Output statement – cout>>Circumference, Input statement – cin>>Radius
  

• Java – originally object oriented, programming language, SUN Microsystems, 1995, can run on any Java virtual machine
  
• JavaScript – object oriented language, used in the form of client side Java, web browsing and dynamic web pages
  
• PERL – high level dynamic programming language, designed by Wall of NASA, general purpose Linux language, wildly popular
  
• COBOL – common business oriented language, second oldest high level programming language, popular for business on large computers, invented by a woman, Grace Murray Hopper – laid foundation for COBOL
  

Prolog – declarative programming language

• UNICODE – 16 bit encoding system,
  
• ASNII - Abstract Syntax Notation One. 7 bit. The OSI language for describing abstract syntax.
  
• ANSI – 8 bit
  
• Hexadecimal – base 16
  
• Macro – program of recorded keystrokes
  
• CGI –computer generated imagery
  
• Algorithm – ordered steps, define how a task is to be done, essential, specify the specific instructions a computer should perform (in a specific order) to carry out a specified task, such as calculating employees’ paychecks or printing students’ report cards. Written in human readable language (pseudocode).
  
• Pseudocode – human readable language,
  

• “print the values of” - output
  
• Binary search algorithm – recursive structure
  
• Primitive – building block from which algorithms can be constructed
  
• Report generator – produces reports for end users
  
• Application Generator – creates software code based on description of data that needs to be processed
  

Programs

• Function – units of a program code that perform specific procedures, procedures that return a value to portion that invoked them
  
• Assembler – program that translates assembly language software programs into machine language
  
• Compiler - program that translates one text into another type of text, modifies the appearance, converts high language software programs into machine language for later
  
• Interpreter – program that converts software programs into machine language for immediate execution, Advantage – easier to develop
  
• Debugger – a program that debugs and tests other programs,
  

Logics

• Boolean Logic – A + B is true if A is true and B is true
  
• Boolean data types – take only values of T & F
  
• Declarative Programming logic – self contradictory statements, inconsistent
  
• Control Structure – controls logical sequence of instructions
  

Data types

• Abstract data types – user defined, include definitions of operations
  
• Complex data types consist of
  
• Predetermined storage system
  
• Collection of predefined operations
  
• Character data types – data expressed using symbols
  
• Halting problem – predicts when program will terminate under certain conditions, unsolvable, beyond computer’s capabilities
  
• BNF (Bakus Naur Form) – notation for representing syntax of programming languages
  

Difference between:

• Arrays – a collection of data items that can be selected by indices, computed at run time, group of elements of data types, organizes data so a related set of values can be easily stored or searched
  
• Loops – instructions that executes repeatedly
  
• Strings – sequence of computer symbols or digits in computer programming
  

These are part of the notes we used to study. Please verify my info as I am not a computer expert at all.