LESSON 1

COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

2005 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All rights reserved

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Define information technology (IT) and its two basic categories: Hardware and software 2. Describe the categories of computers based on size 3. Compare the roles of personal productivity, vertical market, and horizontal market software
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

4. Describe the roles of operating system and utility software as components of system software 5. Define the purpose of each of the six major categories of hardware

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Many Tools of IT

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So..
IT is any computer-based tool that people use
to work with information and support the information and information-processing needs of an organization.

IT includes the Internet, spreadsheet software,

a satellite, a gamepad for playing video gamesthe list of the technology you can find in your immediate life is almost endless.

A QUICK TOUR OF TECHNOLOGY

Hardware the physical devices that make up a computer (often referred to as the computer system)

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Six Categories of Hardware

1. Input device tool that you use to enter information and commands 2. Output device tool you use to hear, see, or otherwise recognize the results of your information-processing requests 3. Storage device tool you use to store information for use at a later date

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Six Categories of Hardware

4. Central processing unit (CPU) the hardware that interprets and executes software and coordinates all hardware. Random access memory (RAM) temporary holding area for information, as well as system and application software instructions
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Six Categories of Hardware

5. Telecommunications device tool you use to send information to and receive it from another person or computer in a network 6. Connecting hardware any hardware that lets you connect peripherals to your computer, such as cables, ports, expansion boards, etc.
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Software
The set of instruction that your hardware executes to carry out a specific task for you

First Major Category of Software

1. Application software enables you to solve specific problems or perform specific tasks
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Examples of Application Software

Personal productivity software helps you perform personal tasks

Writing memos Creating graphs Creating slide presentations

Software suite several applications bundled together (usually productivity software)

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Examples of Application Software

Web authoring helps you design and develop Web sites Graphics helps you create and edit photos and art Communications helps you communicate with others

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Examples of Application Software

Database management system (DBMS) helps you specify the logical organization for a database; access and use the information within a database

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Classifications of Application Software

Personal Productivity Software application software for general use
Ms Office, Explorer, Mozilla Firefox

Vertical market software application software for a specific industry

Patient-scheduling software Restaurant management software

Horizontal market software application software suitable for use in many industries
Payroll, inventory, and billing
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Second Major Category of Software

2. System software - handles tasks specific to technology management and coordinates the interaction of all technology devices
Operating system software controls application software and manages hardware devices

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Examples of Operating System Software

Microsoft Windows XP Home update of Office Microsoft Windows XP Pro update of Office Pro Mac OS Operating system for Macs Linux powerful open-source operating system

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Multitasking

Multitasking working with more than one application at a time

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Third Major Category of Software

3. Utility software provides additional functionality to your operating system software

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Examples of Utility Software

Anti-virus software detects and removes or quarantines computer viruses Crash-proof software helps save information if your system crashes Uninstaller software removes software from your hard disk Disk optimization software organizes information on your hard disk
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Types of Application & System Software

Components of Top Software Suites

Categories of Computers by Size: PDA, Tablet PC, Notebook, Desktop

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Minicomputers, Mainframes, and Supercomputers

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YOUR TASK!
No
1 CPU Speed Storage disk capacity
Personal

Mini

Main

Super

2 3
4 5 6 7

Person
Prices Capabilities Uses Manufacturer

Pre-Computer Calculations
Counting on fingers and toes Stone or bead abacus
Calculate comes from calculus, the Latin word for stone

1642: first mechanical adding machine

Invented by Blaise Pascal Wheels moved counters Modified in 1674 by Von Leibnitz

Age of industrialization
Mechanical loomed used punch cards

Early Computing
19th Century
Charles Babbage proposed the Analytical Engine, which could calculate, store values in memory, perform logical comparisons Never built because of lack of electronics

1880s
Holleriths punched cards used to record census data using On/Off patterns The holes turned sensors On or Off when run through tabulating machine This company became the foundation for IBM

Electronic Computers
1946 - First Generation Computer
ENIAC Programmable 5000 calculations per second Used vacuum tubes Drawbacks were size and processing ability

1950s
ENIAC replaced by UNIVAC 1, then the IBM 704 Calculations jumped to 100,000 per second

Waves of Computing
Late 1950s - Second Generation
Transistors replaced vacuum tubes 200,000 to 250,000 calculations per second

Mid-1960s - Third Generation

Integrated circuitry and miniaturization

1971 - Fourth Generation

Further miniaturization Multiprogramming and virtual storage

1980s - Fifth Generation

Millions of calculations per second

Microcomputers
1975
ALTAIR flicking switches

1977
Commodore and Radio Shack produce personal computers

1979
Apple computer, the fastest selling PC thus far

1982
IBM introduced the PC, which changed the market

Categories of Computer Systems

Categories of Input Devices

GO TO WEBOPEDIA AND FIND THE MEANING

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Categories of Output Devices

GO TO WEBOPEDIA AND FIND THE MEANING

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Important Considerations for Monitors

Viewable image size (VIS) the size of the image on a monitor Resolution of a screen the number of pixels it has Pixels (picture elements) the dots that make up the image Dot pitch the distance between the centers of two like-colored pixels
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Important Considerations for Printers

Resolution of a printer the number of dots per square inch (dpi) it produces Types
Inkjet printer makes images by forcing ink through nozzles Laser printer forms images using the same electrostatic process that photocopiers use Multifunction printer scan, copy, and fax, as well as print
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Categories of Storage Devices

GO TO WEBOPEDIA AND FIND THE MEANING

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Common Types of Flash Memory

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CPU and RAM

CPU and RAM work together to form the brain of your computer CPU speed measured in gigahertz (GHz)
GHz number of billions of CPU cycles per second CPU (machine) cycle retrieve, decode, and execute instruction, then return result to RAM if necessary
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CPU Components
CPU components
Control unit directs what happens in the CPU and the rest of your computer Arithmetic logic unit (ALU) performs arithmetic, comparison, and logic operations CPU cache CPU memory where instructions wait until theyre needed CPU clock beats to keep instructions and information moving in synchronized fashion
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Microcomputer Circuit Board, also known as a Motherboard

System Bus

System bus electrical pathways that move information between motherboard components, especially between CPU and RAM

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CPU and RAM at Work

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CPU (Machine Cycle)

1. Retrieve: The control unit sends to RAM for the instructions and information it needs 2. Decode: CPU gets the instruction out of cache and examines it to see what to do 3. Execute: Does what the instruction says to do 4. Store: Sends the result of processing to be stored in RAM if necessary

CPU and RAM at Work

Computer System Concept

CPU and RAM at Work

Connecting Hardware Outside to the Hardware Inside

Port place on your system unit, monitor, or keyboard through which information and instructions flow to and from computer

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Microprocessors
Semiconductor chips integrate memory, logic, and control circuits for entire CPU Speed depends on number of bits processed at one time; amount of data that can be moved between devices; and cycle speed (MHz) RISC (reduced instruction set computing) increases speed; used for scientific, workstation computing

Parallel processing

Multiple CPUs work simultaneously on same problem More than one instruction processed at a time

Massively parallel computers: use hundreds, thousands of processing chips

Sequential and parallel processing

Categories of Connectors and Ports

GO TO WEBOPEDIA AND FIND THE MEANING

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Common Ports and Connectors

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Wireless Connections

Infrared IR or IrDA (infrared data association) uses red light to send and receive information Bluetooth transmits information as radio waves for a distance of 30 feet WiFi (wireless fidelity) or IEEE 802.11a, b, or g transmits information as radio waves for a distance of up to 300 feet
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Interface Between End Users and Computer

SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS
1. What are the two categories of information technology 2. What are the six categories of hardware? 3. What is the difference between application software and system software? 4. What is the difference between vertical and horizontal market software? 5. What do the terms bit and byte mean?
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SHORT-ANSWER QUESTIONS
6. What is the difference between a CRT and a flatpanel display 7. How is the resolution of a printer comparable to the resolution of a screen? 8. How does a CD differ from a floppy disk? 9. What are three types of flash memory cards? 10. Which wireless standard is used by networks?

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 Do some comparisons shopping for three types of computers: Desktops, notebooks, and tablet PCs. Choose three websites that sell computer systems. Choose the most expensive and least expensive computer systems you can find for each of the three types of computers. Create a table for each of the three types of computers and compare them based on the following criteria:
Type and speed of CPU Type and speed of RAM Amount of CPU cache System bus speed Hard disk capacity and speed (revolutions per minute or rpm) Number and type of ports

Case Study 1
Do you agree that Apple will dominate the digital music market for years to come? Can the technology and business strategies Steve Jobs implemented with the closed system of the iPod be applied successfully to the iMac and other Apple closedsystem computer products? Will the cachet of the iPod and the capabilities of Boot Camp and the Leopard version of Apples OS X lure more Windows PC users to the Mac lineup of desktops and portables?

Case Study 2
Do some research on the more popular PDAs available today. What are the different operating systems? What different functionality do they offer? Are they compatible with each other? Take a guess-which one will come out on top?