Chapter 1-Notes.

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1411100

Intro to IT

Chapter 1: Our Digital Planet

1. Today Computers are used in everyday life.
Whether it is Water and Electricity, Police and
Emergencies or Trains and Metros, all are
dependent on Computers. Thus Computers have
become a necessity for us.
2. While WWW has existed from 1990s, this
century has seen further enhancement in the use
of Information Technology with the introduction
of MySpace (2003), Face Book (2004) and Flicker.
3. Thirty years back, we could not imagine how
the Computer usage will become so widespread.
Devices like Laptops, I phones Play stations and
software like Google, YouTube, eBay have
completely changed the lifestyle of the society.
4. The following is the Chronology of the
development of Computers:
- 1815: Analytical Engine (Charles Babbage).
- 1939: Z1 Computer (Konrad Zuse); Z1 first
programmable computer.
- 1939: ABC Computer (John Atanasoff); It was
capable to solve a system of linear equations.
- 1943: Colossus (Alan Turing); Colossus was used
to crack Nazi military codes.

- 1944: Mark I (Howard Aiken); It is an automatic

general purpose calculator.
- 1945: UNIVAC (John Mauchly & Eckhrt); first
commercial computer.
(Note the developments during the World War II
period).
5. The Hardware also underwent enormous
changes: 1939: Vacuum Tubes, 1956: Transistors,
1960: Integrated Circuits (Silicon Chips).
6. Silicon Chips revolutionized the process
because it could accommodate hundreds of
Transistors in a single chip.
7. Moores Law predicted that the number of
transistors that could be packed into a silicon chip
of the same price would double every two years.
8. The first Microprocessor was developed 1n
1971 by INTEL. Microprocessors contained all the
Computational components of a Computer in a
single chip.
9. This further lead to two different classes of
Computers: General Purpose computers called
PCs and Special Purpose computers called
Embedded Computers.
10. The Embedded Computers used the Firmware
i.e. Software permanently etched onto the silicon.
These devices were used in Applications such as
Controlling
Temperature
and
Humidity,
Monitoring Heart Rate etc. Over 90 percent of the

world's microprocessors are found in embedded

computers.
11. There are three Types of PCs: Desktop,
Workstation and Laptop.
12. Desktop Computers rest on top of the Desk
most of the time. They consist of a Tower and
other Components.
13. The Tower contains: Microprocessor, Memory,
Hard Disk DVD Drive etc.
14. Other essential components of a Desktop
Computer are: Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse, and
Speaker.
15. Workstations are High end desktop
Computers, which are connected to a mainframe.
16. The minimum components that a Workstation
must have are: the Display Unit, the Keyboard and
the Mouse.
17. All-in-one (New breed) is a desktop computer
where you have the hardware plugged in the
monitor as one unit.
18. Laptops are Portable Computers with less than
7 lbs weight. They are normally expensive and
cannot be upgraded easily.
19. Handheld devices are small enough to tuck
into a Pocket. Examples are PDAs and Smart
Phones.
20. The Computers that are used as Central
Computers to a Network are called Servers. They
normally have faster Processor and more memory
and provide Software and Resources to the
Network users.
21. Mainframe Computers are used by large
Organizations such as Banks and Airlines. Multiple
Communications with the Mainframe is possible
through a Process called Timesharing.
22. The most powerful computers in use today are
called Supercomputers. They are used for
applications such as Weather forecasting,
Computer animation and Telephone Network
Design.
23. The Internet was developed in 1960s and till
1980s it was used only for Research, or Email.
24. WWW was developed in 1990s and this made
Internet accessible to everyone. By 2005, more
than a billion people were using the internet. The
Internet usage was further powered by the use of
Multimedia.
25. Web Browsers like Internet Explorer made
Navigation through the Web very simple.
Hypertext linked together millions of Web Pages.
Internet shopping through eBay and Real-time

Chapter 1-Notes.docx

Multiplayer games software made the Internet

widely popular.
26. We have had an Agricultural age and an
Industrial Age. Now we are in the Information
Age. Many people earn their livelihood by using
this Technology.
27. Technology has enhanced humanity however
it brought a lot of ethical issues such as privacy,
software piracy, etc.
28. The future could bring the emergence of biodigital technology, computer chips embedded
within human bodies.

1411100

Intro to IT