Introduction to Computer

Computer
A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored
in its own memory that can accept data (input), process the data according to specified
rules, produce information (output), and store the information for future use1.

Functionalities of a computer2
Any digital computer carries out five functions in gross terms:

Computer Components
Any kind of computers consists of HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE.

Hardware:
Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitutes a computer
system. Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components of a computer
such as the monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard drive disk (HDD),
system unit (graphic cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard and chips), etc. all of
which are physical objects that can be touched.

1
Input Devices
Input device is any peripheral (piece of computer hardware equipment to provide data
and control signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other
information appliance.
Input device Translate data from form that humans understand to one that the computer
can work with. Most common are keyboard and mouse

2
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
A CPU is brain of a computer. It is responsible for all functions and processes. Regarding
computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system.

The CPU is comprised of three main parts :

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU):
Executes all arithmetic and logical operations. Arithmetic calculations like as addition,
subtraction, multiplication and division. Logical operation like compare numbers, letters, or
special characters
Control Unit (CU):
controls and co-ordinates computer components.
Read the code for the next instruction to be executed.
Increment the program counter so it points to the next instruction.
Read whatever data the instruction requires from cells in memory.
Provide the necessary data to an ALU or register.
If the instruction requires an ALU or specialized hardware to complete, instruct the hardware
to perform the requested operation.
* Registers :
Stores the data that is to be executed next, "very fast storage area".

Primary Memory:-
RAM: Random Access Memory (RAM) is a memory scheme within the computer system
responsible for storing data on a temporary basis, so that it can be promptly accessed by the
processor as and when needed. It is volatile in nature, which means that data will be erased
once supply to the storage device is turned off. RAM stores data randomly and the processor
accesses these data randomly from the RAM storage. RAM is considered "random access"
because you can access any memory cell directly if you know the row and column that
intersect at that cell.
ROM (Read Only Memory): ROM is a permanent form of storage. ROM stays active
regardless of whether power supply to it is turned on or off. ROM devices do not allow data
stored on them to be modified.

Secondary Memory:-
Stores data and programs permanently :its retained after the power is turned off

Hard drive (HD): A hard disk is part of a unit, often called a "disk drive," "hard drive," or
"hard disk drive," that store and provides relatively quick access to large amounts of data on
an electromagnetically charged surface or set of surfaces.
Optical Disk: an optical disc drive (ODD) is a disk drive that uses laser light as part of the
process of reading or writing data to or from optical discs. Some drives can only read from
discs, but recent drives are commonly both readers and recorders, also called burners or
writers. Compact discs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs are common types of optical media which
can be read and recorded by such drives. Optical drive is the generic name; drives are usually
described as "CD" "DVD", or "Blu-ray", followed by "drive", "writer", etc. There are three
main types of optical media: CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc. CDs can store up to 700 megabytes
(MB) of data and DVDs can store up to 8.4 GB of data. Blu-ray discs, which are the newest
3
type of optical media, can store up to 50 GB of data. This storage capacity is a clear
advantage over the floppy disk storage media (a magnetic media), which only has a capacity
of 1.44 MB.
1. Flash Disk
A storage module made of flash memory chips. A Flash disks have no mechanical
platters or access arms, but the term "disk" is used because the data are accessed as if
they were on a hard drive. The disk storage structure is emulated.

Output devices
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate
the results of data processing carried out by an information processing system (such
as a computer) which converts the electronically generated information into human-
readable form.

4
Software
Software is a generic term for organized collections of computer data and instructions,
often broken into two major categories: system software that provides the basic non-
task-specific functions of the computer, and application software which is used by users
to accomplish specific tasks.

Software Types
A. System software is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the
individual hardware components of a computer system so that other software and
the users of the system see it as a functional unit without having to be concerned
with the low-level details such as transferring data from memory to disk, or
rendering text onto a display. Generally, system software consists of an operating
system and some fundamental utilities such as disk formatters, file managers,
display managers, text editors, user authentication (login) and management tools,
and networking and device control software.
B. Application software is used to accomplish specific tasks other than just running the
computer system. Application software may consist of a single program, such as an
image viewer; a small collection of programs (often called a software package) that
work closely together to accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet or text processing
system; a larger collection (often called a software suite) of related but independent
programs and packages that have a common user interface or shared data format,
such as Microsoft Office, which consists of closely integrated word processor,
spreadsheet, database, etc.; or a software system, such as a database management
system, which is a collection of fundamental programs that may provide some service
to a variety of other independent applications.
C. Comparison Application Software and System Software
System Software Application Software
Computer software, or just software is a
general term primarily used for digitally Application software, also known as an application or an
stored data such as computer programs and "app", is computer software designed to help the user to
other kinds of information read and written perform specific tasks.
by
computers. App comes under computer
software though it has a wide scope now.
Example: 1) Opera (Web Browser)
1) Microsoft Windows
2) Microsoft Word (Word Processing)
2) Linux
3) Microsoft Excel (Spreadsheet software)
3) Unix
4) MySQL (Database Software)
4) Mac OSX
5) Microsoft PowerPoint (Presentation Software)
5) DOS
6) Adobe Photoshop (Graphics Software)
Interaction: Users always interact with application software while doing
Generally, users do not interact with system
different activities.
software as it works in the background.
Dependency: System software can run independently of Application software cannot run without the
the presence of the system software.
application software.

5
Computers can be generally classified by size and power as follows, though there is
Considerable overlap:
• Personal computer: A small, single-user computer based on a microprocessor. In
addition to the microprocessor, a personal computer has a keyboard for entering
data, a monitor for displaying information, and a storage device for saving data.
• workstation : A powerful, single-user computer. A workstation is like a personal
computer, but it has a more powerful microprocessor and a higher-quality
monitor.
• minicomputer : A multi-user computer capable of supporting from 10 to hundreds of
users simultaneously.
• mainframe : A powerful multi-user computer capable of supporting many hundreds
or thousands of users simultaneously.
• supercomputer : An extremely fast computer that can perform hundreds of millions
of instructions per second.

Laptop and Smartphone Computers

LAPTOP: A laptop is a battery or AC-powered personal computer that can be easily
carried and used in a variety of locations. Many laptops are designed to
have all of the functionality of a desktop computer, which means they can
generally run the same software and open the same types of files. However,
some laptops, such as netbooks, sacrifice some functionality in order to be
even more portable.

Netbook: A netbook is a type of laptop that is designed to be even more portable.

Netbooks are often cheaper than laptops or desktops. They are generally less
powerful than other types of computers, but they provide enough power for
email and internet access, which is where the name "netbook" comes from.
Mobile Device: A mobile device is basically any handheld computer. It is designed to
be extremely portable, often fitting in the palm of your hand or in your pocket.
Some mobile devices are more powerful, and they allow you to do many of

6
 the same things you can do with a desktop or laptop computer. These include
tablet computers, e-readers, and smartphones.

Tablet Computers: Like laptops, tablet computers are designed to be portable.

However, they provide a very different computing experience. The most
obvious difference is that tablet computers don't have keyboards or touchpads.
Instead, the entire screen is touch-sensitive, allowing you to type on a virtual
keyboard and use your finger as a mouse pointer. Tablet computers are mostly
designed for consuming media, and they are optimized for tasks like web
browsing, watching videos, reading e-books, and playing games. For many
people, a "regular" computer like a desktop or laptop is still needed in order
to use some programs. However, the convenience of a tablet computer means
that it may be ideal as a second computer.

Smartphones: A smartphone is a powerful mobile phone that is designed to run a

variety of applications in addition to phone service. They are basically small
tablet computers, and they can be used for web browsing, watching videos,
reading e-books, playing games and more.

7
8
9
10