Output Devices

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 Monitors
• Most common output device
• Connects to the video card
• Categorized by color output
– Monochrome
• One color with black background
– Grayscale
• Varying degrees of gray
– Color
• Display 4 to 16 million colors

4A-2
 Monitors
• Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
– Most common type of monitor
– Electrons fired from the back
– Electrons excite phosphor to glow
– Phosphor is arranged in dots called pixels
– Dot mask ensures proper pixel is lit
 Monitors
• CRT color
– Phosphor dots arranged in triads
– Red, green, and blue dots
– Three colors blend to make colors
– Varying the intensity creates new colors
 Monitors
• CRT drawbacks
– Very large
– Very heavy
– Use a lot of electricity
 Monitors
• Liquid Crystal Display (LCD)
– Commonly found on laptops
– Desktop versions exist
– Solve the problems of CRT
– Fluorescent lights provide illumination
 Monitors
• Passive matrix LCD
– Pixels arranged in a grid
– Pixels are activated indirectly
• Row and column are activated
– Animation can be blurry
 Monitors
• Active matrix LCD
– Each pixel is activated directly
– Pixels have 4 transistors
• One each for red, green, blue
• One for opaqueness
– Transistors arranged in a thin film
– Animation is crisp and clean
 Monitors
• Drawbacks to LCD
– More expensive than CRT
– Must sit directly in front of screen
– Can be more fragile than CRT
Difference between CRT and LCD
• Size
• Resolution
• Pixel Density
• Brightness
• Power Consumption
• Flicker
• Pixel Response Time
• Viewing Angle
• Viewing area
• Cost
 Monitors
• Paper-white displays
– High contrast between fore and background
• Electro-luminescent displays (ELD)
– Similar to LCD
– Uses phosphor to produce light
• Plasma monitor
– Gas is excited to produce light
Monitors and Video Cards
• Monitors impacts user effectiveness
• Monitors should have
– Crisp text
– Clear graphics
– Adjustable controls
– Clear edges
 Size of monitor

Based on two parameters

– Aspect ratio
– Screen size
Screen Size
Measured in inches like 14,15,17,19,21 .
Measured diagonally
Actual size
Distance from corner to corner
Viewable size
Useable portion of the screen
 Resolution

– Number of pixels on the screen

– Higher number creates sharper images
– Higher number creates smaller images
 Refresh rate

– Number of time the screen is redrawn

– Modern equipment sets this automatically
– Improper settings can cause eyestrain
– Measured in Hertz
– Varies from 60-75Hz
 Dot pitch

– Distance between the same color dots

– Ranges between .15 mm and .40 mm
– Smaller creates a finer picture
– Should be less than .22
 Video Cards
• Device between the CPU and monitor
• Better cards result in better output
• Removes burden of drawing from CPU
• Have their own processor and RAM
• Modern cards have up to 512 MB RAM
• Capable of rendering 3D images
 Data Projectors
• Replaced overhead and slide projectors
• Project image onto wall or screen
• LCD projectors
– Most common type of projector
– Small LCD screen
– Very bright light
– Require a darkened room
Digital Light Projectors

– A series of mirrors control the display

– May be used in a lighted room
 Sound Systems

• Integral part of the computer experience

• Capable of recording and playback
 Sound card

– Device between the CPU and speakers

– Converts digital sounds to analog
– Can be connected to several devices
– Modern cards support Dolby Surround
Sound
Headphones and headsets

– Replacement for speakers and

microphones
– Offer privacy
– Does not annoy other people
– Outside noise is not a factor
– Headsets have speakers and a microphone
 Printing

McGraw-Hill Technology Education Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Commonly Used Printers
• Impact printers
– Generate output by striking the paper
– Uses an inked ribbon
• Non-impact printers
– Use methods other than force
– Tend to be quiet and fast
 Dot matrix printers

Impact printer
Used to print to multi-sheet pages
Print head strikes inked ribbon
Can print special characters
 Speed measured in characters per second
varies from 200 to 500 cps
 Daisy Wheel Printer
• Letter quality printer
• Speed up to 90 cps.
• Can print only alphanumeric
• Cannot print graphics
• Cannot change font
• Slower and more expensive
 Drum Printers
• Line printer
• Speed varies from 150 lines to 2500
lines per minute
• Noisy
• Expensive
• Fonts cannot be changed
 Ink-jet printers

– Non-impact printer
– Inexpensive home printer
– Color output common using CMYK
• Cyan, magenta, yellow, black
– Sprays ink onto paper
– Speed measured in pages per minute
– Quality expressed as dots per inch
– Typically with a resolution of 600dpi or
more
Dots Per Inch
 Laser printer

– Non-impact printer
– Produces high quality documents
– Color or black and white
– Print process
• Laser draws text on page
• Toner sticks to text
• Toner melted to page
– Speed measured in pages per minute
– Quality expressed as dots per inch
– Print 4-32 pages per minute
– Resolution from 300-1200 dpi
All-in-one peripherals

– Scanner, copier, printer and fax

– Popular in home offices
– Prices are very reasonable
 Comparing Printers
• Determine what you need
• Determine what you can spend
• Initial cost
• Cost of operating
• Image quality
• Speed
Special purpose printers

– Used by a print shop

– Output is professional grade
– Prints to a variety of surfaces
 Photo printers

– Produces film quality pictures

– Prints very slow
– Prints a variety of sizes
Thermal wax printers

– Produces bold color output

– Color generated by melting wax
– Colors do not bleed
– Operation costs are low
– Output is slow
Dye sublimation printers

– Produces realistic output

– Very high quality
– Color is produced by evaporating ink
– Operation costs are high
– Output is very slow
 Plotters

– Large high quality blueprints

– Older models draw with pens
– Operational costs are low
– Output is very slow
 Plotters
• Used to draw high-resolution charts,
graphs, circuit diagrams
• Produce continuous lines and accurate
• Multi colour plotters use different
coloured pens
• Mainly used for CAD and CAM
applications
Software
 Software

Programs
contains a set of instructions

Software
organized collection of computer data and programs
 Types of Software
• System software: The class of computer
instruction that serve primarily as an
intermediary between computer hardware and
application programs; provides important self-
regulatory functions for computer systems.
• Application software: The class of computer
instructions that direct a computer system to
perform specific processing activities and
provide functionality for users.
 Systems Software
• System control programs: Software
programs that controls the use of the
hardware, software, and data resources of a
computer system.
• Operating system: The main system control
program, which supervises the overall
operations of the computer, allocates CPU
time and main memory to programs, and
provides an interface between the user and
the hardware.
 System Software
Device drivers
 Every device have a driver program
 Translator between OS and device
 Not an independent program
 System Software
Language Translators
 Compiler
 Interpreter
 Assembler
 System Software
System utility
 File Management
 Backup
 Data Recovery
 Virus Protection
 Disk Management
 Firewall
 Disk cleanup
 Application Software
• Proprietary application software. Software that
addresses a specific or unique business need for a
company ; may be developed in-house or may be
commissioned from a software vendor.
• Contract software. Specific software programs
developed for a particular company by a vendor.
• Off-the-shelf application software. Software
purchased, leased, or rented from a vendor that
develops programs and sell them to many
organizations; can be standard customizable.
• Package is a commonly used term for a computer
program (or group of programs) that have been
developed by a vendor and is available for purchase
in a prepackaged form.
Types of Personal Application
Software
• Personal application software is general-
purpose, off-the-shelf application programs
that support general types of processing (e.g.
Microsoft Office).
• Spreadsheets. Software that uses a grid of
coded rows and columns to display numeric
or textual data in cells (e.g. Microsoft Excel).
• Macros. Sequences of commands used in
spreadsheet software that can be executed
with just one simple instruction.
Types of Personal Application
Software (Continued)
• Integrated packages. Spreadsheet packages
that offer data management and graphical
capabilities in addition to regular spreadsheet
functionality.
• Data management. Software that supports
the storage, retrieval, and manipulation of
related data.
• Word processing. Software that allows the
user to manipulate text using many writing
and editing features (e.g. Microsoft Word).
Personal Application Software
(Continued)
• WYSIWYG. Acronym for ‘ what you see is
what you get’ (pronounced ‘ wiz-e-wig’,
indicating that text material is displayed on
the computer screen just as it will look on
the final printed page.
• Desktop publishing software. Software
that enables microcomputers to combined
photographs and graphic images with text,
to produce a finished, camera-ready
document.
Personal Application Software
(Continued)
• Graphics software. Software that enable the
user to create, store, and display or print
charts, graphs, maps, and drawings.
• Presentation graphic software. Software
that enables users to create graphically rich
presentations by “pasting” graphic images into
a textual presentation (e.g. Microsoft
PowerPoint).
• Analysis graphic software. Software that
provides the ability to convert previously
analyzed data into graphic formats (e.g. bar
charts, pie charts).
Computer-aided Design (CAD) &
Multimedia Software
• Computer-aided Design (CAD) Software
allows designers to design and build
production prototypes in software, test them,
compile parts lists, out-line assembly
procedures, and then transmit the final design
directly to machines.
• Multimedia software: Software that
combines spatially based media (text and
images) with time based media ( sound and
video) for input or output of data.
 Operating System
Basics

McGraw-Hill Technology Education Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 Functions of Operating Systems
• Process Management
• Memory Management
• File Management
• Device Management
• Security Management
• User Interface

4A-53
Types of Operating Systems
• Real-time operating system
– Very fast small OS
– Built into a device
– Respond quickly to user input
– MP3 players, Medical devices
Types of Operating Systems
• Single user/Single tasking OS
– One user works on the system
– Performs one task at a time
– MS-DOS and Palm OS
– Take up little space on disk
– Run on inexpensive computers
Types of Operating Systems
• Single user/Multitasking OS
– User performs many tasks at once
– Most common form of OS
– Windows XP and OS X
– Require expensive computers
– Tend to be complex
Types of Operating Systems
• Multi user/Multitasking OS
– Many users connect to one computer
– Each user has a unique session
– UNIX, Linux, and VMS
– Maintenance can be easy
– Requires a powerful computer
Multi user/Multi tasking OS
Providing a User Interface
• User interface
– How a user interacts with a computer
– Require different skill sets
Providing a User Interface
• Graphical user interface (GUI)
– Most common interface
• Windows, OS X, Gnome, KDE
– Uses a mouse to control objects
– Uses a desktop metaphor
– Shortcuts open programs or documents
– Open documents have additional objects
– Task switching
– Dialog boxes allow directed input
Graphical User Interface
Providing a User Interface
• Command line interfaces
– Older interface
• DOS, Linux, UNIX
– User types commands at a prompt
– User must remember all commands
– Included in all GUIs
Command Line Interface
 Running Programs
• Many different applications supported
• System call
– Provides consistent access to OS features
• Share information between programs
– Copy and paste
– Object Linking and Embedding
 Managing Hardware
• Programs need to access hardware
• Interrupts
– CPU is stopped
– Hardware device is accessed
• Device drivers control the hardware
Organizing Files and Folders
• Organized storage
• Long file names
• Folders can be created and nested
• All storage devices work consistently
 Discussion
• University Questions
– Explain the various components of
computer
– Explain any five I/O devices
– List the characteristics of monitor
– Define the following
• Software
• OS
• Off the shelf and proprietary
• System software and application software
• Compiler and interpreter