_TERMCONTRAST_

DATA vs. INFORMATION

Data is raw material & unorganized facts
that need to be processed
When data are processed, organized, structured or
presented in a given context so as to make them useful,
they are called Information.

Data are plain facts. The word "data" is plural for "datum."
When data are processed, organized, structured or presented in a
given context so as to make them useful, they are called Information.

It is not enough to have data (such as statistics on the economy).
Data themselves are fairly useless. But when these data are interpreted
and processed to determine its true meaning, they becomes useful and
can be called Information. Data is the computer's language.
Information is our translation of this language.

COMPUTER STORAGE vs. DATA STORAGE

Computer storage - an electronic memory device; "a memory and the CPU form
the central part of a computer to which peripherals are attached"
Computer data storage, often called storage or memory, refers to computer
components, devices, and recording media that retain digital data used
for computing for some interval of time. Computer data storage provides
one of the core functions of the modern computer, that of information
retention. It is one of the fundamental components of all modern computers,
and coupled with a central processing unit (CPU, a processor), implements
the basic computer model used since the 1940s.
In contemporary usage, memory usually refers to a form of semiconductor
storage known as random access memory (RAM) and sometimes other forms of
fast but temporary storage. Similarly, storage today more commonly refers
to mass storage - optical discs, forms of magnetic storage like hard disks,
and other types slower than RAM, but of a more permanent nature. Historically,
memory and storage were respectively called primary storage and secondary storage.
The contemporary distinctions are helpful, because they are also fundamental
to the architecture of computers in general. The distinctions also reflect
an important and significant technical difference between memory and mass
storage devices, which has been blurred by the historical usage of the term storage.
Nevertheless, this article uses the traditional nomenclature.

Data Storage
Data storage can refer to:

* Computer data storage; memory, components, devices and media that retain digital computer data used for computing for some interval of time.
* Any data storage device; that records (stores) or retrieves (reads) information (data) from any medium, including the medium itself.


OPERATING SYSTEM vs. COMPUTER SYSTEM

Operating system (commonly abbreviated to either OS or O/S) is an
interface between hardware
and user; it is responsible for the management and coordination
of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer.
The operating system acts as a host for computing applications that are
run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating system
is to handle the details of the operation of the hardware. This relieves
application programs from having to manage these details and makes it
easier to write applications. Almost all computers (including handheld
computers, desktop computers, supercomputers, video game consoles) as
well as some robots, domestic appliances (dishwashers, washing machines),
and portable media players use an operating system of some type. [1] Some of
the oldest models may however use an embedded operating system, that may be
contained on a compact disk or other data storage device.

Computer System:
A complete, working computer. The computer system includes not only
the computer, but also any software and peripheral devices that are
necessary to make the computer function. Every computer system, for example,
requires an operating system.