computer science

Prey (software)

Prey (software) is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Prey (software) rather than just read about it. In short: Prey is a software and online platform for mobile device tracking, management, and protection available for laptops, tablets, and mobiles. The software and service is developed by the Chilean company Prey Inc., successor of the funding company Fork Ltd.

Key takeaways

Prey (software) belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Prey (software) to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Prey (software) from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Prey is a software and online platform for mobile device tracking, management, and protection available for laptops, tablets, and mobiles. The software and service is developed by the Chilean company Prey Inc., successor of the funding company Fork Ltd. Prey was originally created by the developer Tomás Pollak who together with Carlos Yaconi, the current CEO of the company, founded Fork Ltd. and released the first version of Prey for Linux.

Functioning Prey started as an anti-theft software for recovering lost mobile devices which evolved into remote management with device and data protection. The service works through a client, or application, installed on the devices that are to be protected.

Company Prey Inc. is a private software development company. Currently, it operates offices in San Francisco and in Santiago de Chile.

Features The main feature in the platform is location tracking for any of the supported devices, with active monitoring of device movement. The service also has automatic reactions to location triggers, such as unwanted movements, that trigger security actions instantly when the event is detected.

Provides a set of features that give the user remote security capabilities in case of theft or loss. Remotely recover or wipe information from a lost or stolen devices. Tools that streamline management processes and maintain a device inventory for global monitoring. Evidence generation tool for device recovery.

Source code The source code in Prey's agents, or applications, is open source code under the GNU General Public License (GPLv3). The online platform's code and infrastructure are private and property of Prey Inc.

Versions The first version of the agent was released originally for Linux and Mac OS X in March 2009 and for Microsoft Windows in April 2009. Currently, Prey is available for laptops, tablets and mobiles in the macOS, Windows, Linux, Android, and iOS operating systems.

References

External links Official website Prey on GitHub

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Prey (software)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Prey (software) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Prey (software) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Prey (software) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Prey (software)

In research: Prey (software) appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Prey (software) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Prey (software) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2009 software, Cross-platform free software, Free and open-source Android software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Prey (software) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Prey (software) in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Prey (software) means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Prey (software) out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Prey (software) in simple terms?

Why does Prey (software) matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Prey (software)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Prey (software).