FHSWIN - Installation (Continued)
Some Terminology
First, a little history...my introduction to computing came in 1965 when I was a Physics and Math student at FSU taking 2 non-credit courses on computer languages, including the two NEW ones of Fortran and Cobol. My first real exposure came in 1972 as a Programmer/Analyst working on the Personnel/Payroll System of Florida's Department of Transportation.At that time, the "Computer System" consisted of a room full of machines: the "computer", card reader/punch, card sorter, tape drives, printers et al. A "program" was a deck of cards, and information (entered into the system on decks of cards) consisted of text (words) and numbers, in meaningful groups (records), stored in collections (sets of data or "datasets"). A "file" might consist of multiple "datasets" storing different types of information on 2400' tapes. A "Database" might consist of multiple files and a "System" would be the collection of Databases and programs used in accomplishing the work of an organizational department. When "hard drives" were introduced for "mass storage" the need for organizing the many datasets on single drives led to a "Directory/Sub-Directory" organization for grouping the datasets.
At that time, Computer Programs consisted of "language statements", punched into cards, converted (compiled) into "machine instructions" which were punched back into cards in an "object deck". When placed on hard drives, along with all those datasets of information, the "Directories" in which the "object decks" were grouped were called "Libraries".
And all of those "Machines" and tangible equipment were called the "hardware" of the Computer System, and the information and programs were considered to be the "software". I usually speak of the "software" as all of the programs and supporting system files required for performing a particular task.
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