Your app is not alone
You build a football app. It must run on a phone. It must talk to a server far away. It must read scores from another company. It may run on a computer in the cloud, which you rent for a short time.
Real software always works with other things. Today you learn how to join them together.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Existing application | A program that already exists. Your software works with it. | A spreadsheet, a bank system |
| Operating system | The main software of a device. It runs programs and controls the hardware. | Windows, Android, Linux |
| Cloud platform | Computers you rent over the internet and pay for as you use them. | AWS, Azure |
| Traditional platform | Computers you buy and run yourself in your own building. | |
| Driver | Software that lets an operating system talk to one device. | |
| Network | Computers joined together so they can send data to each other. | |
| Protocol | A set of rules for how two computers talk. | HTTP |
| Infrastructure as code | Writing the servers you need in a file, so a tool builds them for you. | |
| Container | A sealed box holding a program and all it needs to run. |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Cloud or traditional?
| Cloud platform | Traditional platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Where | In a data centre owned by a company | In your own room or building |
| Cost | Pay small amounts as you use it | Pay a lot at the start to buy machines |
| Grow | Add more in minutes | Order, wait, install |
| Control | The company looks after the hardware | You look after everything |
| Good for | A new app with unknown users | Data that must stay in your building |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Quick check: which platform?
Have a go
Quick check: which platform?
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Operating systems and devices
Your code runs on an operating system. Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS do things in different ways. File paths, permissions and programs are not the same on each.
A phone has a camera, GPS (it finds where you are) and sensors (parts that measure things, such as movement). A driver lets the system use each one. To use a device, ask the operating system. Do not talk to the hardware yourself.
Working with specific devices
| Device | What you can use | What to check first |
|---|---|---|
| Phone | Camera, GPS, touch, sensors | Did the user give permission? |
| Laptop | Keyboard, mouse, files | Which operating system? Which screen size? |
| Smart watch | Heart rate, small screen | Is there battery for it? |
| Games console | Controller, TV screen | Does the maker allow your software? |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Quick check: devices
Have a go
Quick check: devices
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.