This section contains 419 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |
In the context of computing, a driver is a program that controls a device. It accomplishes this control by acting as a communications translator. In other words, a driver mediates the communication between the particular device and the programs that use that particular device. Each device has its own commands that are recognized only by the driver. By contrast, most programs that utilize devices do so using generic commands. The driver functions to accept the generic commands from a program and then to translate these commands into the specialized commands recognized by the device.
By isolating the codes for a device in the particular driver and having a consistent interface between the driver and the device, adding a new device is easier. For example, if a printer is replaced, the operating system is not affected; only the information in a new driver need be installed. Examples of devices...
This section contains 419 words (approx. 2 pages at 300 words per page) |