A computer is a device that processes data according to a set of instructions known as a program. The equipment is known as the hardware and the programs and data are the software. A special set of programs, called an operating system, provides an interface for the user and allows applications programs to communicate with the hardware. Common application programs include wordprocessors for creating and editing texts, spreadsheets for calculating mathematical formulae and databases for storing data in a way that allows the data to be sorted and searched. Anti-virus programs are used to detect and remove viruses (harmful programs that can reproduce themselves and attach themselves to other programs). Some operating systems have graphical...