Disk space is comparatively slow, large, cheap, and permanent. RAM is used by the microprocessor as its working space. Files are stored on hard disks. Review Files Files are the basic unit in which bytes of information are organized on disks. Special types of files are programs and folders .
Programs are instructions that computers can carry out.
See Using Electronic Files for basic information on how to work with files. While the computer is on, the OS is always running. We will focus on elements common to all GUIs. Applications are programs that allow the user to actually accomplish work on the computer. They instruct the computer to do specific tasks with a certain end in mind.