LESSON FOUR

COMPUTER ESSENTIALS. SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE

What is a computer?

A computer is an electronic machine, which can accept data in a certain form, process the data, and give the
result of the processing in a specified format as information.
First, data is fed into the computer’s memory. Then, when the program is run, the computer performs a set
of instructions and processes the data. Finally, we can see the results (the output) on the screen or in printed
form.
A computer system consists of two parts: hardware and software. Hardware is any electronic or
mechanical part you can see and touch. Software is a set of instructions, called program, which tells the
computer what to do. There are three basic hardware sections: the central processing unit (CPU), main
memory and peripherals.
Perhaps the most influential component is the central processing unit. Its function is to execute program
instructions and coordinate the activities of all the other units. In a way, it is the “brain” of the computer.
The main memory (a collection of RAM chips) holds the instructions and data, which are being processed
by the CPU. Peripherals are the physical units attached to the computer. They include storage devices and
input/output devices.
Storage devices (hard drives, DVD drives or flash drives) provide a permanent storage of both data and
programs. Disk drives are used to read and write data on disks. Input devices enable data to go into the
computer’s memory. The most common input devices are the mouse and the keyboard. Output devices
enable us to extract the finished product from the system. For example, the computer shows the output on
the monitor or prints the result onto paper by means of a printer.
On the rear panel of the computer there are several ports into which we can plug a wide range of peripherals
– a modem, a digital camera, a scanner, etc. They allow communication between the computer and devices.
Modern desktop PCs have USB ports and memory card readers on the front panel.

Let’s look deeper into the system and identify more details.
Hardware is the term given to the physical components of a computer: e.g. keyboard, monitor, system box
or floppy disk drive. Software, on the other hand, is electronic information: files, operating system,
graphics, computer programs are all example of software. The difference between hardware and software
reflects the duality between the physical and mental worlds: for example, your brain is hardware, whereas
your mind is software.
Software is the stuff that makes your computer do things for you. The computer without software would be
like a home entertainment system with no tapes, CDs, or movies - you have the machine, but there is nothing
to play on it. Software is continually developed. Each time the software maker (Microsoft, Adobe, Corel,
etc.) develops a new version of their software they assign it a version number. Before Microsoft Word 7,
there was Microsoft Word 6.0.1, and before that Word 6.0. The larger the developments made to the
software, the larger the version number changes. Usually a large change will result in a whole number
upgrade; a small change may result in a tenth of a decimal place. Hardware are those components or
physical pieces (things you can touch) that make up the computer.
The different pieces of the computer’s hardware are monitor, speakers, mouse, CDROM, floppy drive, hard
drive, keyboard, CPU, RAM, Processor, etc. Each piece plays a role in the operation of a computer.

DIFFERENT PARTS OF A COMPUTER AND THEIR USES

The standard computer consists of a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and the system unit. One can attach
accessories such as printers and scanners by means of ports. Increasingly in the workplace, computers are
connected to printers and other computers by means of a network.
The monitor
This is the Visual Display Unit (VDU). There are various technologies for the display
unit, cathode ray tube (CRT) or Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) or electro luminescent
screens or the projector. The monitor or screen displays your work.
Facing it down reduces reflected glare from room lights. This reflection may affect your
sight. Monitors come in different sizes. The (most important) size of the monitor is
measured diagonally on the screen (in inches). Based on this, the monitors range in
sizes of 12", 14", 15", 17", 19", 21", 29", etc.
Monitors are also characterized by the flatness of their screen. The flatter and the wider
screens are usually the better.

The system box or computer console

The system box is where all the computations that the computer performs take place.
Inside are the CPU processor, the motherboard, the hard disk, any network or sound
cards, memory chips (RAM), printer ports (at the back) and the drive bays for floppy
disks, Zip disks or CDs. Outside the casings are the power buttons (ON/OFF and
Restart) with some additional facilities like the casing USB ports,Webcams, etc.

The keyboard (Pressing)

This is the basic input device. It is one of the ways you can tell the computer what to do. It consists of the
standard typewriter keys as well as a numeric keypad and function keys. You can use it to give the computer
commands, name folders and files, and type text in word processing documents.
The keyboard is made of three main categories of keys with each used for a
different purpose.
i. Character Keys: These comprise of letters, numbers and the symbols. They
are used to insert/display readable characters on the screen, which is equivalent to
the keystroke pressed.
Letters a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, v, w, x, y, z
Numbers 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Symbols
Accent ` Dash/Minus - Equal = Opening Square [ Closing Square ]
Bracket Bracket
Backslash \ Semi-Colon ; Single-Quote ' Pipe | Greater than >
Less than < Comma , Period . Forward Slash / Question mark ?
Tilde ~ Exclamation ! At @ Pound # Dollar $
Mark
Percent % Caret ^ Ampersand & Asterisk * Opening (
Parenthesis
Closing ) Underscore _ Plus + Opening Curly { Closing Curly }
Parenthesis Bracket Bracket
Colon :
ii. Action Keys: These are not used to type anything, instead they cause an action. Escape, Tab, Caps Lock,
Shift, Control, Alt, Backspace, Enter, Windows,Win Menu, Print Screen, Scroll Lock, Pause Break, Number
Lock, Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, Page Down, Power, Sleep,Wake up, Up Arrow, Left Arrow,
Right Arrow, Down Arrow, and Space Bar.
iii. Application-Dependant Keys: These are called function keys. They are F1, F2, F3, F4, F5, F6, F7, F8,
F9, F10, F11, and F12. Although the F1 key is usually used to get help while working in Microsoft
Windows, the use of the other keys varies from one application to another. Eventually, the application you
use will give you instructions on what to do and how to use the function keys.
Key Combinations
Some keys can be combined to produce uppercase letters or to access the upper symbols of some keys (i.e.
the Shift and Control keys). Keys are also combined for many other reasons. In some situations, you have to
press keys simultaneously, which means that you may be expected to press two or more keys at the same
time, or almost at the same time. In some other situations, you may have to press and release one key,
followed by another.
Shortcuts
A shortcut is a quick action you ask a program to perform when you press one particular key or a
combination of keys. Some shortcuts are universal or almost, that is, the computer responds regardless of
what application is running. Some other shortcuts depend on what you have on your screen. Some shortcuts
are already known to the computer (as part of the operating system). Most other shortcuts are set by the
programmer of the particular application you are using. Yet some applications allow you to create your own
shortcuts. Some shortcuts are readily obvious and can be seen from the main menu of the application. Some
other shortcuts are either part of Microsoft Windows (and can be applied in your program) or are not easily
displayed, you might have to search the Help documentation of the program you are using.

The Mouse (Clicking and Dragging)

This is another input device used to move a small white arrow pointer-the Cursor
(but the shape will change depending on the context in which the mouse is being
used) on the screen. By pointing and clicking, you can carry out commands. The
computer may ask you to verify that you are sure to rename a file, by clicking on
the “Ok” button. A mouse is primarily made of three parts: the buttons, the
handling area, and the sensor (rolling object or light). There are either one, two or
three mouse buttons. By default, a mouse has two buttons: left and right. Most
mice nowadays are also equipped with a wheel on top of the middle button called the Scroll Button.
To use the mouse, the first decision you make is to know which of your two hands you will be using to
handle the mouse. By default, the mouse is configured to work for the right hand. If you are left-handed, the
settings can be changed to suit your needs: Start  Control Panel  Double-click Mouse  on the Buttons
Tab, Check the Switch Primary and Secondary Buttons check box.
You can also change the cursor from the default Up-Left Pointing to another but you should know that this
is best determined by the computer as this varies from program to program. To change, click the Pointer’s
Tab. Also click the other tabs to review the different properties.
Note: The expression "by default" means "if everything is not (yet) changed from the original or normal
settings".
The tip of the mouse pointer must be positioned on the item you want to use (Pointing). To select an item,
point to the item and click once (Selection. Left Clicking). Double-clicking (left button) on an icon
invokes a command or launches an application. Dragging an item (icon or other object) from one location to
another, position the mouse pointer on the item, click and hold the mouse buttons (left, right) down, and
move the item to the new location. Right Clicking (right button) invokes a shortcut (contextual) menu that
contains all the actions that are related to the item. Some applications, namely programs used to manipulate
text (they are called word processors), allow you to triple-click.
On Windows machines, there is a left and right mouse button. Most time you use the left mouse button (if
you are right-handed). On some newer Macs, the same feature can be used with their single mouse button by
holding down the Control key as you click an item on the screen.
The Peripherals
All the parts we have reviewed so far are usually
required for the computer to function. Some other
parts, not required, can also be connected to the
computer to complement it. A peripheral is an object
attached to the computer to help it perform some
necessary assignments none of the other parts can
handle. In most scenarios, no peripheral is required
but nowadays, it is unusual for a computer not to have
any peripheral at all. The most used peripherals are
the printer, a digital camera, a scanner, a projector, an
external drive (such as an external CD burner for an
old computer), etc.

Match these words from the text (1-9) with the correct meanings (a-i).

1 software a the brain of the computer

2 peripherals b physical parts that make up a computer system
3 main memory c programs which can be used on a particular computer system
4 hard drive (also known as hard disk)
5 hardware d the information which is presented to the computer
6 input e results produced by a computer
7 ports f input devices attached to the CPU
8 output g section that holds programs and data while they are executed or processed
9 central processing unit (CPU) h magnetic device used to store information
i sockets into which an external device may be connected

DID YOU KNOW - FACTS about computers

Computer is without doubt and dispute, the human’s best invention. All the rapid advancement is the
technology and other fields is mostly due to this invention. Computer is not only a useful machine
but it also helps us to complete a task in few minutes which otherwise takes hours to complete.
Computer is based on the mechanical and mathematical facts and it was basically to compute and
calculate. With the passage of time, computer’s use was started in every field of life, today no matter
what field are you in, and you will see a computer placed on your desk because without it, nothing
can be done fast as required.

Keyboard
 The alphabets are scattered on the key board keeping in view the ease for the typist. The longest
word that can be typed using letters in one row of keyboard is “typewriter”.
The Typist
 A professional typist types fast and types great amount of words daily. If we measure this as
distance, than it will become 12.6 miles a day for the fingers of the typist to cover each day.
Z1 And Z2
 The world’s first computer was given name Z1 and it was invented by Konrad Zuse in 1936. The
next machine he invented was given the name Z2 and this was the first fully functional electronic
machine.
First Mouse
 Mouse is the external device to computer and the first ever mouse was made by Doug Englebart in
1964. This mouse was made of wood. Initially it was named “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display
System”