Introduction to Computers and Programming

Theory Outline 1
BASE-164
 1.Introduction

• Think about some of the different ways that people use computers. In
school, students use computers for tasks such as writing papers, searching
for articles, sending email, and participating in online classes.
At work, people use computers to analyze data, make presentations,
conduct business transactions, communicate with customers and coworkers,
control machines in manufacturing facilities, and do many other things.
At home, people use computers for tasks such as paying bills, shopping
online, communicating with friends and family, and playing computer
games.

• And don’t forget that cell phones, iPods, car navigation systems, and many
other devices are computers too.

• The uses of computers are almost limitless in our everyday lives.

• Computers can do such a wide variety of
things because they can be programmed.
This means that computers are not
designed to do just one job, but to do any job
that their programs tell them to do.
A program is a set of instructions that a
computer follows to perform a task.
• Example, Two commonly used programs,
Microsoft Word and Adobe Photoshop.
• Microsoft Word is a word processing program
that allows you to create, edit, and print
documents with your computer.
• Adobe Photoshop is an image editing program
that allows you to work with graphic images,
such as photos taken with your digital camera.
• Programs are commonly referred to as
software.
• Software is essential to a computer because it
controls everything the computer does.
• All of the software that we use to make our
computers useful is created by individuals
working as programmers or software
developers.
 2. Hardware and Software

The physical devices that a computer is made of

are referred to as the computer’s hardware.
The programs that run on a computer are
referred to as software.
Hardware
• The term hardware refers to all of the physical
devices, or components, that a computer is
made of.
• A computer is not one single device, but a
system of devices that all work together.
A typical computer system consists of the
following major components:
• The central processing unit (CPU)
• Main memory
• Secondary storage devices
• Input devices
• Output devices
Typical components of a computer system
 The CPU
• When a computer is performing the tasks that a
program tells it to do, we say that the computer is
running or executing the program.
• The central processing unit, or CPU, is the part of a
computer that actually runs programs. The CPU is the
most important component in a computer because
without it, the computer could not run software.
• Today, CPUs are small chips known as microprocessors.
• In addition to being much smaller than the old
electromechanical CPUs in early computers,
microprocessors are also much more powerful
 Main Memory

• You can think of main memory as the computer’s

work area. This is where the computer stores a
program while the program is running, as well as
the data that the program is working with.
• For example, suppose you are using a word
processing program to write an essay for one of
your classes. While you do this, both the word
processing program and the essay are stored in
main memory.
• Main memory is commonly known as random-
access memory, or RAM. It is called this
because the CPU is able to quickly access data
stored at any random location in RAM.
• RAM is usually a volatile type of memory that
is used only for temporary storage while a
program is running. When the computer is
turned off, the contents of RAM are erased.
Inside your computer, RAM is stored in chips,
similar to the ones shown in fig.
 Secondary Storage Devices

• Secondary storage is a type of memory that

can hold data for long periods of time, even
when there is no power to the computer.
• Programs are normally stored in secondary
memory and loaded into main memory as
needed.
• Important data, such as word processing
documents, payroll data, and inventory
records, is saved to secondary storage as well.
• The most common type of secondary storage
device is the disk drive.
• A disk drive stores data by magnetically encoding it
onto a circular disk. Most computers have a disk
drive mounted inside their case.
• External disk drives, which connect to one of the
computer’s communication ports, are also
available.
• External disk drives can be used to create backup
copies of important data or to move data to
another computer.
• In addition to external disk drives, many types of
devices have been created for copying data, and for
moving it to other computers.
• For many years floppy disk drives were popular. A
floppy disk drive records data onto a small floppy disk,
which can be removed from the drive.
• Floppy disks have many disadvantages, however. They
hold only a small amount of data, are slow to access
data, and can be unreliable.
• The use of floppy disk drives has declined dramatically
in recent years, in favor of superior devices such as USB
drives.
• USB drives are small devices that plug into the
computer’s USB (universal serial bus) port, and
appear to the system as a disk drive. These
drives do not actually contain a disk, however.
• They store data in a special type of memory
known as flash memory. USB drives, which are
• also known as memory sticks and flash drives,
are inexpensive, reliable, and small enough
• to be carried in your pocket.
• Optical devices such as the CD (compact disc) and
the DVD (digital versatile disc) are also popular for
data storage.
• Data is not recorded magnetically on an optical disc,
but is encoded as a series of pits on the disc
surface. CD and DVD drives use a laser to detect the
pits and thus read the encoded data. Optical discs
hold large amounts of data, and because recordable
• CD and DVD drives are now commonplace, they are
good mediums for creating backup copies of data.
 Input Devices

• Input is any data the computer collects from people

and from other devices. The component that collects
the data and sends it to the computer is called an input
device. Common
• input devices are the keyboard, mouse, scanner,
microphone, and digital camera. Disk
• drives and optical drives can also be considered input
devices because programs and data
• are retrieved from them and loaded into the
computer’s memory.
 Output Devices

• Output is any data the computer produces for

people or for other devices. It might be a sales
report, a list of names, or a graphic image. The
data is sent to an output device, which
formats and presents it. Common output
devices are video displays and printers. Disk
drives and CD recorders can also be
considered output devices because the system
sends data to them in order to be saved.
• Software
• If a computer is to function, software is not
optional. Everything that a computer does,
• from the time you turn the power switch on until
you shut the system down, is under the
• control of software. There are two general
categories of software: system software and
• application software. Most computer programs
clearly fit into one of these two categories.
• Let’s take a closer look at each.
 System Software

• The programs that control and manage the basic operations of a computer are
generally
• referred to as system software. System software typically includes the
following types of
• programs:
• Operating Systems
• An operating system is the most fundamental set of programs on a computer.
The operating system controls the internal operations of the computer’s
hardware, manages all of the devices connected to the computer, allows data
to be saved to and retrieved from storage devices, and allows other programs
to run on the computer.
• Figure 1-6 shows screens from three popular operating systems: Windows
Vista, Mac OS
• X, and Linux.
• Utility Programs A utility program performs a
specialized task that enhances the computer’s
operation or safeguards data. Examples of utility
programs are virus scanners, file compression
programs, and data backup programs.
• Software Development Tools Software
development tools are the programs that
programmers use to create, modify, and test
software. Assemblers, compilers, and interpreters
are examples of programs that fall into this
category.
• Application Software
• Programs that make a computer useful for everyday tasks
are known as application software. These are the programs
that people normally spend most of their time running on
their computers.
• Figure 1-1, at the beginning of this chapter, shows screens
from two commonly used applications: Microsoft Word, a
word processing program, and Adobe
• Photoshop, an image editing program. Some other examples
of application software are spreadsheet programs, email
programs, web browsers, and game programs.