Which of these would not be part of a computer system?

d. None of the above.

While internal memory and the processor are obviously fundamental components, in this modern age of cloud computing it should be quite clear that external storage plays a very import role in many computer systems. Hard drives weren't popular until the 1980s, so in the past usually all non-volatile high-capacity storage was external. Whether you need external storage for programs or data, it's a necessary part of the system.

They're not asking if it's part of "the computer", they're asking about "the computer system". A system which includes input, processing, and output -- without any one of those three elements you cannot have a meaningful computing system. External storage is used as both input and output. External storage is a type of peripheral device which is part of the system.

"The C# compiler takes as input the high-level C# program and outputs an equivalent program written using the Microsoft Intermediate Language." It is quoted exactly from Computing with C# and the .NET Framework by Art Gittleman, as linked in the source below.

A. External Storage.

In today's computers, cloud storage is an integral part of the computing environment, but it is not part of the actual computer system. To illustrate this further, let's consider the Internet. If you were to include cloud storage as part of the computer system, then you'd have to include the Internet as part of the computer system too, because it is the means of connectivity between the external storage and the computer system. I'll bet that everybody will agree that the Internet is clearly not part of the computer system.

Would the air around a flying airplane be considered to be part of the airplane? The airplane cannot fly without it. Again, I suspect that we will all agree that the air is not part of the airplane.

How about an external hard drive? If its connected via a USB cable, its still not part of the system. Its an accessory to the system.

A. I would say external storage. I have an external storage device, but don't think it would be considered

a part of the computer.