Glossary of Computer Terms—O

Glossary of Computer Terms—O

O

OBJECT: Something that contains both the data and the application that operates on that data.

OBJECT CODE: Machine language code produced by a translator program, such as an assembler, interpreter, or compiler. Instructions in object code can be executed by a Central Processing Unit (CPU). See SOURCE CODE.

OOP: Stands for Object Oriented Program. A larger program made up of smaller objects.

OPEN SOURCE: Computer programs whose original source code was revealed to the general public so that it could be developed openly. Software licensed as open source can be freely changed or adapted to new uses, meaning that the source code of the operating system is freely available to the public. Programmers may redistribute and modify the code, as long as they don’t collect royalties on their work or deny access to their code. Since development is not restricted to a single corporation more programmers can debug and improve the source code faster

OPERATING SYSTEM: A set of instructions that tell a computer on how to operate when it is turned on. It sets up a filing system to store files and tells the computer how to display information on a video display. Most PC operating systems are DOS (disc operated system) systems, meaning the instructions are stored on a disc (as opposed to being originally stored in the microprocessors of the computer). Other well-known operating systems include UNIX, Linux, Macintosh, and Windows.

OPERATION CODE (OP-CODE): Part of a computer instruction word that designates the function performed by a specific instruction. For example, op-codes for arithmetic instructions include: “ADD”, “SUB”, “MUL” and “DIV”.

OUTPUT: Data that come out of a computer device. For example, information displayed on the monitor, sound from the speakers, and information printed to paper. 
OVERFLOW: An error condition occurring in a computer when a mathematical operation produces a result having a magnitude that exceeds the capacity of the computer’s arithmetic register.