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General Information Technology

Fundamentals of Information and Communications Technology

Data

Raw material for computer processing for example, numbers, text, images, and sounds, in a form that is suitable
for storage in or processing by a computer .

Information
Computer data that has been organized and presented in a systematic fashion to clarify the underlying meaning.

Data Information
 Not organized  Organized
 Meaningless  Meaningful
 Cannot take a decision  A decision can be taken

What is Information Technology?

Using the technologies from computer, electronics, and telecommunications to manage information.

Data Processing:
The process of converting raw data into information is called data processing.

Information Management
The acquisition, recording, organization, retrieval, display, and dissemination of information is called the Information
management.

Characteristics of Information

Timeliness: It should be available at the correct time.

Completeness: It should be sufficient for the purpose.
Accuracy: It should be correct and reliable.
Understandability: It should be clear in meaning, practical and simple.

IT Tools
IT tools are referred to as either hardware or software items used to process information. For example Input output
devices, application software..etc.

What is computer?
A computer is an electronic device used to process data. A computer can convert data into information that is useful
to people.

Characteristics of the Computer

Speed
A computer can do mathematical operations move and copy documents at a speed in the
order of million or billion instructions per second.

Reliability
Computer output is generally very reliable subject to the conditions that the input data is
correct and the program instructions should be reliable and correct.
-anooof- 1
 ( Garbage In Garbage Out- GIGO )
Storage capability
As various computer media can store millions of characters of data in a condensed form, there is a tremendous
saving in the storage area required to maintain the vital records necessary in a business environment.

Accuracy
Computers are very accurate. They can perform their millions of operations with great accuracy as their circuits
have no mechanical parts to wear and malfunction.

Present Role of IT in Society

Education Computer Aided Learning (CAL) / Computer Aided School Administration

Accounting and Banking

IT is used to automate manual accounting systems such as general ledger, sales and purchases, stock control ) In
banking the use of Automated Teller Machine

Transportation For reservation of seats, control of traffic and maintaining time-tables

Hospitals CAT scanners (Computer Axial Tomography) maintenance of patients’ records

Engineering
Computer Assisted Drawing- CAD ). (Computer Assisted Manufacture).

Defense tracking down of criminals. used to guide missiles.

Entertainment
s video games, music and movies purpose computers are used in modern house hold appliances like washing
machines, microwave ovens, television sets and video cassette players etc.

Functions of a Computer

RAW DATA & FACTS Process INFORMATION

What is a Computer?

A Computer is a programmable, multipurpose machine that accepts data (e.g. raw data, facts & figures) and
processes, it into information we can use.

Output
Input Process

History of Computers
Ancient Times
In the beginning, man used his fingers and toes to perform simple computations such as addition and subtraction.
Abacus in 3000BC
The first man-made computing device is the “Abacus”.

1614 AD – Napier's bones

John Napier, a Scottish mathematician, invented the Napier’s Bones - an aid to multiplication.

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Pascaline
In 1642, Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, invented an adding machine.
In 1674, Gottfried Wilhelm Von Leibniz made improvements on Pascal’s machine. With Leibniz’s improvements,
it was possible for the machine to divide and multiply

Charles Babbage (Father of Computers)

Charles Babbage made ANALYTICAL ENGINE (1833) DIFFERENTIAL ENGINE (1883)

PUNCHED CARD MACHINE was developed for speedy calculation by Herman Hollerith in 1887

1939- Dr. John Vincent Atanasoft produced the first prototype electronic computer

1944- Aitken built Mark 1 the first automatic, sequence controlled calculator;

1947 – Mauchy and Eckert built ENIAC

(Electronic Numeric Integrator And Calculator) 2nd Electronic digital computer

1949 - Maurice, Eckert and Von Neumann built EDVAC (Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer) the first
stored program computer.

1950 – Turing built Ace (Automatic Computing Engine) First programmable computer

1951 – Mauchy and Eckert built UNIVAC 1 (Universal Automatic Computer) first sold Commercially

!960 Gene Amdahl designed IBM System/360 main frame computer the first general purpose digital using
Integrated circuits
1963 – Olsen with Digital Equipment Corporation produced PDP-1 (Program Data Processor) the first Mini
Computer Ted Hoff of Intel Corporation produced microprocessor Intel 4004

1975 – H. Edward Roberts first Micro Computer

1976 – Seymour Cray CRAY-1 Super Computer

1977 – Stephen Wozniak and Steven Jobs built first Apple Micro Computer

1980 - Lower cost Personal Computers

Computer Generations

The First Generation Computers (1951 – 1958)

 The First Generation of Computers used vacuums tubes and wires for their circuitry
 Very large in size, very expensive to operate, generated a lot of heat, used a lot of electricity.
 All programming in machine language (0,1)

2nd Generation Computers (1959 – 1963)

 Transistors replaced vacuum tubes .
 Much smaller, faster and less energy consuming than 1st generation of computers.
 Programming was done using assemblers, a language closer to human language.
 Used mostly for accounting purposes.
 Punched cards as input device and printed paper for output.
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  Introduction of magnetic disks, printers, magnetic tapes .
 Processing speeds were also increased.
3rd Generation Computers (1964 – 1979)

 Computers became much smaller, much faster and much affordable due to the advent of Integrated Circuits
(IC) or Silicon chips.
 Interacted with computers through terminals with keyboard and monitors.
 Storage capacity and speed were also increased.
 Performed tasks that were impossible in the previous generations.
 Used for scientific and business purposes.
 Operating systems were designed.

4th Generation Computers (1979 to Present)

 Further development in Integrated Circuits known as Large Scale Integration (LSI) and Very Large Scale
Integration (VLSI)
 Became very smaller in size and lower in cost.
 Advent of mini and micro computers.
 Large memory capacity
 Processing speeds were increased

The 5th Generation Computers (Future)

 Based on Artificial Intelligence  Still in research

The Shapes of Computers Today

 Supercomputers  Workstations
 Mainframe Computers  Microcomputers, or Personal Computers
 Minicomputers

Supercomputers

 The most powerful computers.

 Used for problems requiring complex calculations..
 Used by universities, government agencies, and large businesses.

Mainframe Computers

• Mainframe computers can support hundreds or thousands of users, handling massive amounts of input,
output, and storage.
• Mainframe computers are used in large organizations where many users need access to shared data and
programs.
• Mainframes are also used as e-commerce servers, handling transactions over the Internet.

Minicomputers
• Smaller than mainframes but larger than microcomputers.
• Usually have multiple terminals.
• Used as network servers and Internet servers.

Workstations
• Powerful single-user computers.
• Used as network and Internet servers.
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Microcomputers or Personal Computers
Single-user computers. (Desktop, Laptop, Noteook, Netbook, PDA, Palmtop)

Based on the way a system performs computations, a computer can also be classified as Digital, Analog
and Hybrid

A total Computer System

• A complete computer system includes four distinct parts Hardware, Software, Data, and User
Hardware
• A computer's hardware consists of electronic devices; the parts you can see and touch
Software
Software (programs) consists of organized sets of instructions for controlling the computer.
Data
• Data consists of raw facts, which the computer can manipulate and process into information that is useful to
people.
Users (Liveware)
• People are the computer's operators, or users.

Different Types of Ports

A typical computer may provide a number of different types of ports to connect external devices to it.

Serial Port
A serial port is used to connect external modems or an older computer mouse to the computer. There are two serial
port versions : 9-pin or 25-pin version.

Video Graphic Accelerator Port (VGA Port)

This connector is used to connect a computer display monitor to a computer's video card.
Parallel Port

A Parallel port has 25 holes and is commonly known as the printer port. They are used to connect external devices
such as scanners and printers.

PS/2 Port
A PS/2 port, also referred to as a mouse port, is used to connect a mouse or keyboard with the computer.

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USB Port
A universal Serial Bus (USB) port is a fairly new port - introduced around 1997. This port can be used to connect all
kinds of external devices,

Serial Port Network Port PS/2 Port USB Port Parallel Port

Ethernet (Network) Port

This port is used to connect the computer to a network or to Internet.

Types of Hardware
A computer's hardware devices are categorized as follows:
• System Unit
• Mother Board
• Power supply
• Processor
• Memory
• Input and output (I/O) devices / peripheral devices
• Storage devices

Mother Board
The mother board is the main circuit board inside the computer. It can be considered as the main communication
centre through which all the components of the computer transmit data back and forth. All the main parts including
the CPU of the computer are typically plugged into the motherboard.

Power Supply
The regulated power supply inside the computer transforms mains electricity into DC current used in the computer. It
has an internal fan to cool the unit.

Peripheral Devices
Peripheral devices are the components of the computer which are situated outside the main casing of the computer.
Peripheral devices are typically connected to the computer by using ports.

Device Drivers
Virtually every hardware component located inside or connected externally to a computer requires associated
software component to enable that hardware to communicate and function with the operating system, other
applications and other hardware components of the computer. This software component is referred to as driver
software of that hardware component. Until you install the proper software derive for a hardware component that
hardware component remains logically isolated from the rest of the components of the computer.

System Unit
The system unit, or the cabinet houses most of the essential components of the computer system such as the
power supply, the motherboard, the CPU chip, specialized chips, the system clock, RAM, ROM, expansion boards
and bus lines.

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Looking Inside the Machine (System Unit)
The CPU
The procedure that transforms raw data into useful information is called processing.
This function is divided between the computer's processor and memory. The
processor is also called the central processing unit (CPU). It manages all devices
and performs the actual processing of data. The CPU consists of one or more chips
attached to the computer's main circuit board (the motherboard).The central
processing unit performs the majority of calculations and controls the operation of a
computer. CPUs are rated by the speed at which they can execute instructions. The speed of a CPU is measured in
Megahertz (MHz), and is also known as the clock speed. The higher the value of the speed the faster the computer
can run programs. The capacity of a CPU is expressed in terms of word size. A word is the maximum number of
bits that the CPU can manipulate or store at one time.

Different manufactures are making CPUs today. Some of these popular CPUs available today are the Intel, AMD,
Cyrix and Motorola.

Memory
The programs and data must be in the main memory to be used by the CPU. The main memory is the only large
storage area that the CPU can access directly. Memory of a computer is measured in Megabytes.

• Memory also consists of chips attached to the motherboard.

• Memory holds data and program instructions as the CPU works with them. This memory is called Random
Access Memory (RAM).
• The CPU can find any piece of data in RAM, when it needs it for processing.
• RAM is volatile, meaning it holds data only when the power is on. When the power is off, RAM's contents are
lost.

The three basic types of memory used in a computer are Cache Memory, Random Access Memory (RAM) and
Read Only Memory (ROM) .

Cache Memory
The CPU contains a small amount of internal memory to keep data temporally for its immediate computations. This
memory is called Level 1 cache. If the data required by the CPU is not in Level 1 cache, the Level 2 cache is
searched. The Level 2 cache is situated typically outside the processor chip. The advantage of cache memory over
normal RAM is that the cache can be searched quicker than the normal RAM.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

RAM or the main memory is the computer’s short-term memory that temporarily
holds data and instructions, which will be needed shortly by the CPU. Data and
instructions can be stored and retrieved from anywhere in the RAM, and the time
taken for such operations is approximately the same irrespective of the locations they are stored in the RAM. RAM is
volatile, which means that it loses its data when the computer is turned off. RAM is supplied in modules; small circuit
boards which can be plugged into the motherboard in special sockets. SIMM, DIMM, SD, DDR are types of RAM.

Read Only Memory (ROM)

A type of data storage device, which is manufactured with fixed contents. ROM is also known as firmware. ROM is
non-volatile storage in contrast to RAM. It retains its contents even when the power is switched off. ROM stores
critical programs such as the program that boots the computer. In addition, ROM is used extensively in calculators
and peripheral devices such as laser printers.

Memory Capacity
It is important to know how many 0s and 1s can be stored in a computer? We need to know the memory capacity. In

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a binary system, each 0 or 1 is called a bit, which is short for binary digit. To represent numbers, letters or special
characters such as ! or %, bits are combined into groups. A group of 8 bits is called a byte, and a byte can represent
one character, digit or other value. For an example, 0100 0001 represents the letter A. The capacity of computer
memory or a diskette is expressed in numbers of bytes. Generally, it is given in kilobytes or megabytes. If your
computer has 32 MB of RAM, it can store 33,554,432 bytes of data. A written word might, on average, contain 6
bytes, so this translates to approximately 5.6 million words .

Input and Output Devices

• Input devices accept data and instructions from the user or from another computer system. The keyboard
and mouse are examples of input devices.
• Output devices return processed data back to the user or to another computer system. The printer and
monitor are examples.
• Communications devices (such as modems and network interface cards) perform both input and output,
allowing computers to share information.

Input Devices
The Keyboard - Standard Keyboard Layout
• A standard computer keyboard has about 100 keys.
• Most keyboards use the QWERTY layout, named for the first six keys in the top row of letters.

Most keyboards have keys arranged in five groups:

1. Alphanumeric keys (Alphabets & Numbers)

2. Numeric keypad (Number Keys on the right side)
3. Function keys (F1….. F12)
4. Modifier keys (Control, Alternate, Shift)
5. Cursor-movement keys (Arrow Keys)

The Mouse

• The mouse is a pointing device. You use it to move a graphical pointer on the screen.
• The mouse can be used to issue commands, draw, and perform other types of input tasks.

Using the mouse involves five techniques:

1. Pointing Move the mouse to move the on-screen pointer.

2. Clicking Press and release the left mouse button once.
3. Double-clicking Press and release the left mouse button twice.
4. Dragging Hold down the left mouse button as you move the pointer.
5. Right-clicking Press and release the right mouse button.

Variants of the Mouse

Trackballs

• A trackball is like a mouse turned upside-down.

• Use your thumb to move the exposed ball and your fingers to press the buttons.

Track pads
• A track pad is a touch-sensitive pad that provides the same functionality as a mouse.
• To use a track pad, you glide your finger across its surface.
• Track pads provide a set of buttons that function like mouse buttons.

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Light Pens

• With a pen-based system, you use an electronic pen to write on the screen and choose commands.
• Pens are common input devices for handheld computers, like “personal digital assistants (PDAs).”
• Pens are handy for making notes or selecting commands, not for inputting a lot of text.

Touch Screens

• Touch-screen systems accept input directly through the monitor.

• Touch screens use sensors to detect the touch of a finger.
• Touch-screen systems are useful for selecting options from menus.

Game Controllers
• The two primary types of game controllers are joysticks and game pads.
• Game pads usually provide controls for each hand.
• Joysticks are popular for flight simulator and driving games.

Optical Input Devices

• Bar Code Readers
• Image Scanners, OCR and OMR

Bar Code Readers

• Bar code readers can read bar codes—patterns of printed bars.
• The reader emits light, which reflects off the bar code and into a
detector in the reader. The detector translates the code into
numbers.
• Flatbed bar code readers are commonly found in supermarkets.
Courier services often use handheld readers.

Image Scanners and OCR

• Image scanners digitize printed images for storage and
manipulation in a computer.
• A scanner shines light onto the image and interprets the reflection.
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software translates scanned text into
editable electronic documents.

Optical Mark Reader (OMR)

A scanner that reads marks on specific areas of the page. OMR is used in Sri Lanka by the Examinations
Department for marking of MCQ type questions.

Audio-Visual (Multimedia) Input Devices

• Microphones and Speech Recognition • Video Input

Microphones and Speech Recognition

• Microphones can accept auditory input. A microphone requires a sound card in the PC.
• A sound card can digitize analog sound signals, and convert digital sound signals to analog form.
• With speech recognition software, you can use your microphone to dictate text, navigate programs, and
choose commands.
Video Input
• PC video cameras digitize full-motion images.
• Digital cameras capture still images.

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 • These cameras break images into pixels and store data about each pixel.
• Video images may be compressed to use less memory and storage space.
• SD (Secure Digital), or MMC (Multi Media Cards) are used in digital cameras for storing images and videos.

Output Devices
Any peripheral that presents output from the computer, such as a screen or printer are called output devices. .
Although disks and tapes receive output, they are called "storage devices."Monitor, Speaker, Printer, Multimedia
Projector
Monitor
The display is the most-used output device on a computer. The display provides instant feedback by showing you
text and graphic images as you work or play. Most desktop displays use a cathode ray tube (CRT), while portable
computing devices such as laptop incorporate liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), gas plasma or
other image projection technology.

Categories of Monitors
Monitors are categorized by the technology they use:
• Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) monitors
• Flat-panel displays

CRT Monitors
• In CRT monitors, electrons are fired at phosphor dots on the screen.
• The dots are grouped into pixels, which glow when struck by electrons.
• In color CRTs, each pixel contains a red, green, and blue dot. These glow at varying intensities to produce
color images.

Flat-Panel Monitors
• Most flat-panel monitors use Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) technology.
• Flat-panel monitors take up less desk space.

When comparing monitors, consider four features:

1. Size 2. Resolution 3. Refresh Rate 4. Dot Pitch

Size
• A monitor's size is the diagonal measurement of its face, in inches.
• For years, 15" monitors (13"viewing area) were standard.
• Today, 17" monitors (15" viewing area) are common.
• Larger monitors are available, but can be expensive.

Resolution
• Resolution is the number of pixels on the screen, expressed as a matrix (such as 600x800).
• A 17" monitor offers resolutions from 640x480 up to 1280x1024.
• The Video Graphics Array (VGA) standard is 640x480. Super VGA (SVGA) monitors provide resolutions of
800x600, 1024x768 or higher.
• Resolution (image sharpness) is important especially for graphics, page layout, and CAD
•
A PC projector (Multimedia Projector)

• A PC projector connects to a PC and is used to project images on a large screen.

• Multimedia projectors have become the standard for presenting video and computer data. With projectors,
everyone can see the big picture, and the ideas and information you share will have the impact you need.

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Sound Systems
• Multimedia PCs come with a sound card, speakers, and a CD-ROM or DVD drive.
• A sound card translates digital signals into analog ones that drive the speakers.
• With the right software, you can use your PC to edit sounds and create special sound effects.

Devices that Output Hard Copy

Printers fall into two categories

1. Impact printers 2. Non-impact printers

• Impact printers use a device to strike an inked ribbon, pressing ink from the ribbon onto the paper.
• Non-impact printers use different methods to place ink (or another substance) on the page.
Impact Printetr Non-Impact Printer
Daisy wheel Laser
Dot matrix Ink jet
Line Bubble jet
Chain Thermal
Drum (a kind of inkjet)
When evaluating printers, consider four criteria:
• Image quality – Measured in dots per inch (dpi). Most printers produce 300 – 600 dpi.
• Speed – Measured in pages per minute (ppm) or characters per second (cps).
• Initial cost – Price
• Cost of operation – This refers to the cost of supplies used by the printer.

Dot Matrix Printers

A dot matrix printer's print head contains a cluster of pins. The printer can push the pins out to form patterns in rapid
sequence.
• The pins press an inked ribbon against the paper, creating an image.
• Lower-resolution dot matrix printers use nine pins. Higher-resolution models have 24 pins.
• Speed is measured in characters per second (cps). Some dot matrix printers print 500 cps.

Daisy Wheel Printer

A type of printer that produces letter-quality type. A daisy-wheel printer works on the same principle as a ball-head
typewriter. The daisy wheel is a disk made of plastic or metal on which characters stand out in relief along the outer
edge. to print different fonts.

Inkjet Printer
An inkjet printer is any printer that places extremely small droplets of ink onto paper to create an image. If you ever
look at a piece of paper that has come out of an inkjet printer, you know that:
• Ink jet printers are an example of non-impact printers.
• The printer sprays tiny droplets of ink onto the paper.
• Ink jet printers are available for color and black-and-white printing.
• Ink jet printers offer speeds of (2 – 4 pages per minute ppm) and resolution (300 – 600 dots per inch dpi),
comparable to low-end laser printers.
• Ink jet printers are inexpensive and have low operating costs.

Laser Printers
• Laser printers are non-impact printers.
• They use heat and pressure to bond particles of toner to paper.
• They use laser beams and the electro photographic method to print a full page at a time.

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 • The laser is used to "paint" a charged drum with light, to which toner is applied and then transferred onto
paper
• Laser printers are available for color and black-and-white printing.
• Low-end laser printers print in the 4 to 8 ppm range
• Midrange units print in the 40-60 ppm range
• High-end printers that print from 150 to more than 1,000 ppm.

Storage Devices
Primary Storage or memory devices
Primary memory is directly accessible by the processing unit of the computer. You can store and retrieve data much
faster with primary memory compared to secondary memory.

Secondary Storage Devices

Secondary or auxiliary storage devices are used to store large volumes of information more permanently. They can
be used as input and output devices.

• Storage devices hold data not currently being used by the CPU. Data is commonly stored on a magnetic or
optical disk. Each type uses a special medium for storing data on its surface.
• A disk drive is a device that reads data from and writes data to a disk. Most new computers feature a floppy
disk drive, a hard disk drive, and an optical disk drive.
• Storage devices can be categorized as magnetic tapes, magnetic disks and optical disk drives.
• The most common optical storage devices are CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives.

Measuring Data
The smallest unit of data that can be stored in a computer is a bit. A bit will have the value ‘0’ or ‘1’ . A large
collection of such ‘0’s or ‘1’s is what makes up data in a computer.

Smallest Unit - 1 bit

8 bits - 1 byte
1024 Bytes - 1 Kilobyte (KB)
1024 Kilobytes - 1 Megabyte (MB)
1024 Megabytes - 1 Gigabyte (GB)
1024 Gigabytes - 1 Terabyte
(In computer jargon, One Kilo = 2 10 =1024)

Hard Disks (Fixed Disks)

A hard disk drive is a device housed inside the computer, on which data is stored for later retrieval. Most computers
will have at least one hard disk.. A hard disk consists of multiple disk "platters" (magnetic surfaces) on which data is
electronically ‘written’. Data can be written or read from the hard disk. Hard disks are considered the most reliable
method of storage. Hard disk storage capacities range from a few hundred megabytes to many gigabytes.

Floppy Disk

A floppy disk or a diskette is a round flat removable piece of plastic plate coated with a Ferric Oxide layer, and
encased in a protective plastic cover, called the disk jacket. The Ferric Oxide layer is capable of holding a magnetic
field. Data is stored on a floppy disk by means of a disk drive, which alters the magnetic orientation of the particles
in the Ferric Oxide layer. Reading data from a diskette means that the data stored as a magnetic pattern on a
diskette is converted to electronic signals and transmitted to the memory of the computer. Writing data on a diskette
means electronic information is transformed into magnetic patterns and recorded magnetically on the diskette.
Floppy disks are made to be removable and easy to carry. They are more sensitive and unreliable than hard disks.
Floppy disks are also slower than hard disks and the storage capacity is typically 1.44 megabytes.

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Zip disks and Jaz disks
These disks are very similar to floppy disks except that they can be used to store large amounts of data. Zip disk
capacities range from 100 to 750 MB and Jaz disks come in 1 & 2 GB capacities. Both these disks are removable
and portable and provide much better performance than floppy disks.
Magnetic Tape
Magnetic tapes are similar to audiotapes and store data in a serial manner (i.e. data is stored one after the other on
the tape). These tapes can store large amounts of data but are primarily used for backup purposes because the
access speeds are slow.

Optical Disks
An Optical Disk is a removable disk on which data is written and read through the use of a laser beam. Few types of
optical technologies are used in computers. They are:

• Compact Disk- Read Only Memory (CD-ROM)

• Compact Disk- Rewritable (CD-RW)

Compact Disk- Read Only Memory (CD-ROM)

Compact Disk Read -Only Memory (CD-ROM) storage devices feature high capacity, low cost, and high durability.
However, because it is a read -only medium, the CD-ROM can only be read and not written on.

Rewritable Compact Disk (CD-RW)

Rewritable le Compact Disks allow user to rewrite onto the CD a number of times.

Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc (DVD)

DVD was originally called Digital Video Disc but is now known as Digital Versatile Disc. While a DVD disc is the
same size as a CD-ROM, and both store data in the same way, a single layer of a DVD can hold about seven times
as much data as a CD-ROM and there can be two layers per side and the disc can be double sided. The standard
capacity of a DVD disc is 4.7GB.

CD Vs DVD
A CD (Compact Disc) is a plastic disc where data is optically ‘written’ on its surface. The data written on the disc is
read using a CD-ROM drive which uses lasers for this purpose. Usually once the data has been ‘written’ (or ‘burnt’)
on to the CD, it is not possible to change it, hence Read Only Memory. The faster the CD-ROM drive can read a CD,
the faster the computer will be able to get data from the CD. Digital Versatile Discs (DVD) use a similar concept to
CDs except that they are able to use multiple surfaces on a single disc and so can be used to store larger amounts
of data. A typical CD can store 650 to 700 MB of data while a DVD can store from 2GB to 8 GB of data. Some CDs
are re-writeable. To ‘write’ to a CD, a drive called ‘CD Writer’ must be used.

Removable Disks
A disk module that is inserted into the drive for reading and writing and removed when not required. Floppy disks,
Zip disks, Jaz disks

USB drive / Pen drive

A flash memory card that plugs into the computer's USB port. Also known as a "pen drive," These small devices
provide up to 1GB of storage for users on the move.

Formatting
Hard disks and Diskettes must be formatted before saving data on them. Formatting can be considered as an
initialization process that prepares the disk or diskette electronically so that it can store data or programs.
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Partitioning
A reserved part of disk or memory that is set aside for some purpose. On a PC, new hard disks must be partitioned
before they can be formatted for the operating system, and the Fdisk utility is used for this task. It can make one
partition, creating one drive letter for the entire disk, or it can make several partitions sized to your requirements.
For example, drives C:, D: and E: could be the same physical disk, but they would act like three separate drives to
the operating system and user.

Block Diagram of the Computer System

By considering the functions performed by the various
components, a computer can be represented as a collection of
logical components. The main hardware components of a
modern computer system are the central processing unit (CPU),
the main memory, the secondary storage and the input-output
devices.

Input Unit
Data and instructions are given to the computer using the input
unit. Gets data from the user.

Output unit
Processed data are given back to the user through output unit.
Displays the results.

Memory Unit
Instructions and data are stored in this unit temporarily.

Secondary / Auxiliary / Backing Storage Unit

Secondary Storage Unit. Used for storing data and information permanently.

Central Processing Unit

It is the Main part of the computer system It interpretes the instructions in the program and executes one by one. It
consists three major units.

Control Unit
A part of the CPU. It Controls and directs the transfer of program instructions and data between various units.

Registers
A part of the CPU. They are used to store instructions and data for further use.

Arithmetic and Logical Unit (ALU)

A part of the CPU. Arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction etc. and logical operations like comparisons using
the operators <, >, <=, > = etc are carried out by this unit.

Software
Software refers to instructions which are used by the computer to perform various tasks.
Software tells the hardware how to process the data.

Two types of Software

1. System software 2. Application software

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System Software
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 of the computer hardware.
System software can be further classified as:
1.Operating Systems 2.Utilities and Service Programs

What is an Operating System

• It is an extended machine
– Hides the messy details which must be performed
– Presents user with a virtual machine, easier to use
• It is a resource manager
– Each program gets time with the resource
– Each program gets space on the resource

Operating systems
• MS DOS
• MS windows
• Windows 3.0 • Windows 95,97
• Windows 3.1 • Windows 98,2000,ME,XP, Vista, 7
• Windows 3.15

Other Operating Systems

 LINUX  Ubuntu  OS2
 UNIX  MAC OS
 Different operating systems are designed for different hardware platforms or for different
functions.
 Operating systems may provide different types of user interfaces such as Command Line Interface
and Graphical User Interface (GUI).

The First OS with a GUI: Macintosh Operating System

• The Macintosh OS supports the graphical nature of the Macintosh computer.
• The Mac OS brought the first truly graphical user interface to consumers.
• The Mac OS also brought interface conformity to the desktop. All applications running under the Mac OS,
therefore, provided the same "look and feel" to the user.

The First OS made by Microsoft with a GUI is Windows 3.x

• Windows 3.0, 3.1, and 3.11 are called the Windows 3.x family.
• Windows 3.x brought a GUI and multitasking capabilities to PCs running DOS.
• Windows 3.x is an operating environment because it ran on top of DOS, which was the actual OS..

What are System Utility Programs?

Utility programs help manage, maintain and control computer resources. These programs are available to help
you with the day-to-day chores associated with personal computing and to keep your system running at peak
performance.

Some examples of utility programs include:

Backup software � Disk defragmenter Compilers
Scandisk Assemblers Virus Scanners

Backup software

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Backup software assists you in making copies your files and even the entire computer hard drive. It is important for you to
back up your files regularly. If you own a computer, you should backup your valuable data on your hard drive regularly.

Scandisk
Scandisk is a utility program provided with Windows computers. This program examines your disks to see if there
are any potential problems on the disk, such as bad disk areas. Since disks are magnetic media, all disks,
including your hard drive can be corrupted.

Disk Defragmenter
This type of software assists you in keep reorganizing your disk drives. After files are saved, deleted and resaved again, the
disk can become uneven or fragmented. —available space is in small blocks located throughout the disk. Disk
defragmenters gather those free spots and put them together to enable you to continue to save your data in the most
efficient manner.

A Device driver
A Device driver, often called a driver for short, is a computer program that enables another program, typically, an operating
system (e.g., Windows /Linux) to interact with a hardware device. A driver is essentially an instruction manual that provides
the operating system with the information on how to control and communicate with a particular piece of hardware Because
of the diversity of modern hardware and operating systems, there are many ways in which drivers can be used. Drivers are
used for interfacing with:
Printers Video adapters Network cards
Sound cards Modems Scanners

Virus Scanning Programs (Anti Virus Software)

A utility or software that searches a hard disk (storage media) for malicious codes (viruses) and removes any that
are found. Most antivirus programs include an auto-update feature that enables the program to download profiles
of new viruses so that it can check for the new viruses as soon as they are discovered.

Programming Tools or Programming Languages

A programming language is a program or application that software developers use to create, debug, or maintain other
programs and applications.
E.g Pascal, Visual Basic, Java, C#

Compiler
A compiler is a program that translates a source program written in a high-level programming
language (such as C, Java, or VB) into machine code,all at once.

Assembler
A utility program called an assembler, is used to translate assembly language statements into the
target computer’s machine code.

Application software
Application software is designed to perform useful general-purpose tasks

Common types of application software are:

Word Processing MS-Word, Word Pad
Spreadsheet MS-Excel, Lotus123
Database Management System MS-Access, Oracle,
Presentation Software MS-Power Point
Desktop Publishing and Graphic Design MS- Publisher, Adobe Page Maker
Photo Shop, Corel Draw,
Web Design and Development MS-Front Page, Macro Media Dreamweaver
Web Browser Google Chrome, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox

MS-Office Star Office Open Office

MS-Word Star Writer Open Officer-Writer
MS-Excel Star Calc Open Office-Calc
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MS-Powerpoint Star Impress Open Office Impress
MS-Access Star Base Open Office Base

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