COS Final Exam Review UPDATED
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Altair - CORRECT ANSWER - the first personal/mini computer
ENIAC - CORRECT ANSWER - Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer; a U.S.
government sponsored machine developed to calculate the settings used for weapons
UNIVAC - CORRECT ANSWER - Universal Automatic Computer; the first commercially
successful electronic digital computer, operated on magnetic tape instead of punch cards
Steve Jobs - CORRECT ANSWER - built the Apple 1 and 2 personal computer with
Wozniak, co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple
Steve Wozniak - CORRECT ANSWER - built the Apple 1 and 2 personal computer with
Jobs, co-founder of Apple
Bill Gates - CORRECT ANSWER - co-founder and chairman of Microsoft, made a
BASIC interpreter for the Altair with Paul Allen
Paul Allen - CORRECT ANSWER - co-founder of Microsoft, made a BASIC interpreter
for the Altair with Bill Gates, founder of Vulcan Inc.
How did Microsoft become the dominant software company? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Microsoft's BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market
copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February
1976, Gates wrote an Open Letter to Hobbyists in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could
not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.[32]
This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that
software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS
in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various
, systems.[31] The company moved from Albuquerque to its new home in Bellevue, Washington
on January 1, 1979.[30]In 1980, IBM approached Microsoft to write the BASIC interpreter for
its upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they
needed an operating system, Gates referred them to Digital Research (DRI), makers of the
widely used CP/M operating system.[34] IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly,
and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the
licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable
operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using 86-DOS (QDOS), an operating
system similar to CP/M that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products (SCP) had made for
hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing
agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC,
Microsoft delivered it to IBM as PC-DOS in exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000. Gates did
not offer to transfer the copyright on the operating system, because he believed that other
hardware vendors would clone
Visicalc - CORRECT ANSWER - the first "killer app" (meaning that it was so useful that
it propelled hardware sales)
Vacuum tubes - CORRECT ANSWER - used in the earliest generation of electronic
computers; act as computer switches by allowing or blocking the flow of electrical current; take
up a lot of space
Transistor - CORRECT ANSWER - electrical switches that are built out of layers of a
special type of material called semiconductor, which is any material that can be controlled to
either conduct electricity or act as an insulator to prohibit it from passing through; they were
smaller and less expensive than vacuum tubes
integrated circuits - CORRECT ANSWER - "chips"; tiny regions of semiconductor
material such as silicon that support a huge number of transistors
IP address - CORRECT ANSWER - Internet Protocol Address; a unique identification
number that defines each computer, service, or other device that connects to the Internet; fulfills
the same function as a street address
ACTUAL Exam Questions and CORRECT
Answers
Altair - CORRECT ANSWER - the first personal/mini computer
ENIAC - CORRECT ANSWER - Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer; a U.S.
government sponsored machine developed to calculate the settings used for weapons
UNIVAC - CORRECT ANSWER - Universal Automatic Computer; the first commercially
successful electronic digital computer, operated on magnetic tape instead of punch cards
Steve Jobs - CORRECT ANSWER - built the Apple 1 and 2 personal computer with
Wozniak, co-founder and chief executive officer of Apple
Steve Wozniak - CORRECT ANSWER - built the Apple 1 and 2 personal computer with
Jobs, co-founder of Apple
Bill Gates - CORRECT ANSWER - co-founder and chairman of Microsoft, made a
BASIC interpreter for the Altair with Paul Allen
Paul Allen - CORRECT ANSWER - co-founder of Microsoft, made a BASIC interpreter
for the Altair with Bill Gates, founder of Vulcan Inc.
How did Microsoft become the dominant software company? - CORRECT ANSWER -
Microsoft's BASIC was popular with computer hobbyists, but Gates discovered that a pre-market
copy had leaked into the community and was being widely copied and distributed. In February
1976, Gates wrote an Open Letter to Hobbyists in the MITS newsletter saying that MITS could
not continue to produce, distribute, and maintain high-quality software without payment.[32]
This letter was unpopular with many computer hobbyists, but Gates persisted in his belief that
software developers should be able to demand payment. Microsoft became independent of MITS
in late 1976, and it continued to develop programming language software for various
, systems.[31] The company moved from Albuquerque to its new home in Bellevue, Washington
on January 1, 1979.[30]In 1980, IBM approached Microsoft to write the BASIC interpreter for
its upcoming personal computer, the IBM PC. When IBM's representatives mentioned that they
needed an operating system, Gates referred them to Digital Research (DRI), makers of the
widely used CP/M operating system.[34] IBM's discussions with Digital Research went poorly,
and they did not reach a licensing agreement. IBM representative Jack Sams mentioned the
licensing difficulties during a subsequent meeting with Gates and told him to get an acceptable
operating system. A few weeks later Gates proposed using 86-DOS (QDOS), an operating
system similar to CP/M that Tim Paterson of Seattle Computer Products (SCP) had made for
hardware similar to the PC. Microsoft made a deal with SCP to become the exclusive licensing
agent, and later the full owner, of 86-DOS. After adapting the operating system for the PC,
Microsoft delivered it to IBM as PC-DOS in exchange for a one-time fee of $50,000. Gates did
not offer to transfer the copyright on the operating system, because he believed that other
hardware vendors would clone
Visicalc - CORRECT ANSWER - the first "killer app" (meaning that it was so useful that
it propelled hardware sales)
Vacuum tubes - CORRECT ANSWER - used in the earliest generation of electronic
computers; act as computer switches by allowing or blocking the flow of electrical current; take
up a lot of space
Transistor - CORRECT ANSWER - electrical switches that are built out of layers of a
special type of material called semiconductor, which is any material that can be controlled to
either conduct electricity or act as an insulator to prohibit it from passing through; they were
smaller and less expensive than vacuum tubes
integrated circuits - CORRECT ANSWER - "chips"; tiny regions of semiconductor
material such as silicon that support a huge number of transistors
IP address - CORRECT ANSWER - Internet Protocol Address; a unique identification
number that defines each computer, service, or other device that connects to the Internet; fulfills
the same function as a street address
