THE COMPUTER SYSTEM


Computer is an electronic device that accepts
data as input, processes the input data by
performing mathematical and logical
operations on it, and gives the desired
output.
The computer system consists of four parts
(1) Hardware, (2) Software, (3) Data, (4) Users.
The parts of computer system

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 THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

 Hardware consists of the mechanical parts that
make up the computer as a machine.
 The hardware consists of physical devices of the
computer.
 The devices are required for input, output,
storage and processing of the data.
 Keyboard, monitor, hard disk drive, floppy disk
drive, printer, processor and motherboard are
some of the hardware devices.

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 THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

 Software is a set of instructions that tells the
computer about the tasks to be performed and how
these tasks are to be performed.
 Program is a set of instructions, written in a language
understood by the computer, to perform a specific
task.
 A set of programs and documents are collectively
called software.
 The hardware of the computer system cannot
perform any task on its own.
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 THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

 The hardware needs to be instructed about the task
to be performed.
 Software instructs the computer about the task to be
performed.
 The hardware carries out these tasks.
 Different software can be loaded on the same
hardware to perform different kinds of tasks.

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 THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

Data are isolated values or raw facts, which
by themselves have no much significance.
For example, the data like 29, January, and
1994 just represent values.
The data is provided as input to the
computer, which is processed to generate
some meaningful information.

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 THE COMPUTER SYSTEM

Users are people who write computer
programs or interact with the computer.
They are also known as skinware, liveware,
humanware or peopleware.
Programmers, data entry operators, system
analyst and computer hardware engineers
fall into this category.

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 The Input-Process-Output
Concept

A computer is an electronic device that
(1) accepts data, (2) processes data, (3)
generates output, and (4) stores data.
The concept of generating output information
from the input 4 data is also referred to as
input-process-output concept.

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 The Input-Process-Output
Concept

The input-process-output concept of the
computer is explained as follows—
Input The computer accepts input data from
the user via an input device like keyboard.
The input data can be characters, word, text,
sound, images, document, etc.

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 The Input-Process-Output
Concept

 Process The computer processes the input data.
 For this, it performs some actions on the data by
using the instructions or program given by the
user of the data.
 The action could be an arithmetic or logic
calculation, editing, modifying a document, etc.
 During processing, the data, instructions and the
output are stored temporarily in the computer’s
main memory.

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 The Input-Process-Output
Concept

 Output The output is the result generated after the
processing of data.
 The output may be in the form of text, sound, image,
document, etc.
 The computer may display the output on a monitor, send
output to the printer for printing, play the output, etc.
 Storage The input data, instructions and output are stored
permanently in the secondary storage devices like disk or
tape.
 The stored data can be retrieved later, whenever needed.
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 Components of Computer
Hardware

The computer system hardware comprises of
three main components —
1. Input/Output (I/O) Unit,
2. Central Processing Unit (CPU), and
3. Memory Unit.

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 Components of Computer
Hardware

The I/O unit consists of the input unit and
the output unit.
CPU performs calculations and processing on
the input data, to generate the output.
The memory unit is used to store the data,
the instructions and the output information.
illustrates the typical interaction among the
different components of the computer.
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 Components of Computer
Hardware

 Input/Output Unit The user interacts with the
computer via the I/O unit.
 The Input unit accepts data from the user and the
Output unit provides the processed data i.e. the
information to the user.
 The Input unit converts the data that it accepts from
the user, into a form that is understandable by the
computer.

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 Components of Computer
Hardware

 Similarly, the Output unit provides the output in a
form that is understandable by the user.
 The input is provided to the computer using input
devices like keyboard, trackball and mouse
 Some of the commonly used output devices are
monitor and printer.

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 Components of Computer
Hardware

 Central Processing Unit CPU controls, coordinates and
supervises the operations of the computer.
 It is responsible for processing of the input data. CPU consists
of Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU) and Control Unit (CU).
o ALU performs all the arithmetic and logic operations on the
input data.
o CU controls the overall operations of the computer i.e. it checks
the sequence of execution of instructions, and, controls and
coordinates the overall functioning of the units of computer.
 Additionally, CPU also has a set of registers for temporary
storage of data, instructions, addresses and intermediate results
of calculation.
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 Components of Computer
Hardware

 Memory Unit Memory unit stores the data,
instructions, intermediate results and output,
temporarily, during the processing of data.
 This memory is also called the main memory or
primary memory of the computer.
 The input data that is to be processed is brought
into the main memory before processing.
 The instructions required for processing of data
and any intermediate results are also stored in
the main memory.

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 Components of Computer
Hardware

 The output is stored in memory before being
transferred to the output device.
 CPU can work with the information stored in the
main memory.
 Another kind of storage unit is also referred to as the
secondary memory of the computer.
 The data, the programs and the output are stored
permanently in the storage unit of the computer.
 Magnetic disks, optical disks and magnetic tapes are
examples of secondary memory.
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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 Computers have proliferated into various areas of
our lives.
 For a user, computer is a tool that provides the
desired information, whenever needed.
 You may use computer to get information about the
reservation of tickets (railways, airplanes and cinema
halls), books in a library, medical history of a person,
a place in a map, or the dictionary meaning of a
word.
 The information maybe presented to you in the form
of text, images, video clips, etc.

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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 Some of the application areas of the computer are:
 Education Computers are extensively used, as a tool and
as an aid, for imparting education.
 Educators use computers to prepare notes and
presentations of their lectures.
 Computers are used to develop computer-based training
packages, to provide distance education using the e-
learning software, and to conduct online examinations.
 Researchers use computers to get easy access to
conference and journal details and to get global access to
the research material.

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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 Entertainment Computers have had a major
impact on the entertainment industry. The
 user can download and view movies, play
games, chat, book tickets for cinema halls, use
 multimedia for making movies, incorporate
visual and sound effects using computers,
 etc. The users can also listen to music, download
and share music, create music using
 computers, etc.
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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

Sports A computer can be used to watch a game,
view the scores, improve the game, play games
(like chess, etc.) and create games.
They are also used for the purposes of training
players.

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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 Advertising Computer is a powerful advertising media.
Advertisement can be displayed on different websites, electronic-
mails can be sent and reviews of a product by different customers can
be posted.
 Computers are also used to create an advertisement using the visual
and the sound effects.
 For the advertisers, computer is a medium via which the
advertisements can be viewed globally.
 Web advertising has become a significant factor in the marketing
plans of almost all companies.
 In fact, the business model of Google is mainly dependent on web
advertising for generating revenues.
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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 Medicine Medical researchers and practitioners use computers
to access information about the advances in medical research or
to take opinion of doctors globally.
 The medical history of patients is stored in the computers.
 Computers are also an integral part of various kinds of
sophisticated medical equipment's like ultrasound machine,
CAT scan machine, MRI scan machine, etc.
 Computers also provide assistance to the medical surgeons
during critical surgery operations like laparoscopic operations,
etc.

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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

Science and Engineering Scientists and
engineers use computers for performing
complex scientific calculations, for designing
and making drawings (CAD/CAM
applications) and also for simulating and
testing the designs. Computers are used for
storing the complex data, performing
complex calculations and for visualizing
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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 Science and Engineering Scientists and engineers use
computers for performing complex scientific calculations,
for designing and making drawings (CAD/CAM
applications) and also for simulating and testing the
designs.
 Computers are used for storing the complex data,
performing complex calculations and for visualizing
dimensional objects. Complex scientific applications like
the launch of the rockets, space exploration, etc., are not
possible without the computers.

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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 Home Computers have now become an integral part of
home equipment.
 At home, people use computers to play games, to
maintain the home accounts, for communicating with
friends and relatives via Internet, for paying bills, for
education and learning, etc.
 Microprocessors are embedded in house hold utilities
like, washing machines, TVs, food processors, home
theatres, security devices, etc.

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 APPLICATION OF
COMPUTERS

 The list of applications of computers is so long that it is
not possible to discuss all of them here.
 In addition to the applications of the computers discussed
above, computers have also proliferated into areas like
banks, investments, stock trading, accounting, ticket
reservation, military operations, meteorological
predictions, social networking, business organizations,
police department, video conferencing, telepresence, book
publishing, web newspapers, and information sharing.

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 COMPUTER
TECHNOLOGY

 COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY You have certainly
seen and, we would guess, used a computer.
Nevertheless, let’s define what it is.
 A computer is a programmable, multiuse machine
that accepts data—raw facts and figures—and
processes, or manipulates, it into information we
can use, such as summaries, totals, or reports.
 Its purpose is to speed up problem solving and
increase productivity.

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Information Technology
 COMMUNICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY

 COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
 Unquestionably you’ve been using communications
technology for years. Communications technology , also
called telecommunications technology , consists of
electromagnetic devices and systems for communicating
over long distances.
 The principal examples are telephone, radio, broadcast
television, and cable TV.
 In more recent times, there has been the addition of
communication among computers—which is
 what happens when people “go online” on the internet.
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Information Technology
 COMMUNICATIONS
TECHNOLOGY

 COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY
 In this context, online means using a computer or some other
information device, connected through a network, to access
information and services from another computer or information
device.
 A network is a communications system connecting two or more
computers; the internet is the largest such network.
 Information technology is already affecting your life in exciting
ways and will do so even more in the future.

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Information Technology
 Virtual

 Virtual means that something is created, simulated,
or carried on by means of a computer or a computer
network, and we certainly have come a long way
toward becoming a cashless society.
 Some banks and other businesses are backing an
electronic-payment system that allows internet users
to buy goods and services with micropayments,
electronic payments

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Information Technology
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

 Hardware: Hardware consists of all the machinery and
equipment in a computer system. The hardware
includes, among other devices, the keyboard, the screen,
the printer, and the “box”—the computer or processing
device itself. Hardware is useless without software.
 Software: Software , or programs , consists of all the
electronic instructions that tell the computer how to
perform a task. These instructions come from a software
developer in a form (such as a CD, or compact disk) that
will be accepted by the computer.

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Information Technology
 Three Directions of
Computer Development:

Miniaturization, Speed, &
Affordability

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Information Technology
 Three Directions of
Computer Development:

 MINIATURIZATION Everything has become smaller.
ENIAC’s old fashioned radio-style vacuum tubes gave
way after 1947 to the smaller, faster, more reliable
transistor.
 A transistor is a small device used as a gateway to transfer
electrical signals along predetermined paths (circuits).
 The next step was the development of tiny integrated
circuits. Integrated circuits are entire collections of
electrical circuits or pathways that are now etched on tiny
squares (chips) of silicon half the size of your thumbnail.

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Information Technology
 Three Directions of
Computer Development:

 Silicon is a natural element found in sand.
 In pure form, it is the base material for computer
processing devices.
 The miniaturized processor, or microprocessor, in a
personal desktop computer today can perform
calculations that once required a computer filling an
entire room.

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Information Technology
 Three Directions of
Computer Development:

 SPEED Thanks to miniaturization and new material
used in making processors, computer makers can
cram more hardware components into their
machines, providing faster processing speeds and
more data storage capacity.
 AFFORDABILITY Processor costs today are only a
fraction of what they were 15 years ago. A state-of-
the-art processor costing less than 20k provides the
same processing power as a huge 1980s computer
costing more than 1 billiomilliomn.
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Information Technology
 Three Directions of Communications
Development: Connectivity, Interactivity, &
Multimedia

CONNECTIVITY

 Connectivity refers to the connection of computers
to one another by a communications line in order to
provide online information access and/or the
sharing of peripheral devices.
 The connectivity resulting from the expansion of
computer networks has made possible email and
online shopping

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Information Technology
 Three Directions of Communications
Development: Connectivity, Interactivity, &
Multimedia

INTERACTIVITY

 Interactivity refers to two-way communication; the user
can respond to information he or she receives and
modify what a computer is doing.
 That is, there is an exchange or dialogue between the user
and the computer, and the computer responds to user
requests.
 A non interactive program, once started, continues
without requiring human contact, or interaction. The
ability to interact means users can be active rather than
passive participants in the technological process.
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Information Technology
 Three Directions of Communications
Development: Connectivity, Interactivity, &
Multimedia

MULTIMEDIA

 Radio is a single-dimensional medium (sound),as is most
email (mainly text).
 As mentioned earlier in this chapter, multimedia refers to
technology that presents information in more than one
medium—such as text, pictures, video, sound, and
animation—in a single integrated communication.
 The development of the World Wide Web expanded the
internet to include pictures, sound, music, and so on, as
well as text.

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Information Technology
 When Computers & Communications Combine:
Convergence, Portability, Personalization,
Collaboration, & Cloud Computing

CONVERGENCE

 Convergence describes the combining of several industries
through various devices that exchange data in the format
used by computers.
 The industries are computers, communications, consumer
electronics, entertainment, and mass media.
 Convergence has led to electronic products that perform
multiple functions, such as TVs with internet access,
cellphones that are also digital cameras, and a refrigerator
that allows you to send email.

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Information Technology
 When Computers & Communications Combine:
Convergence, Portability, Personalization,
Collaboration, & Cloud Computing

 PORTABILITY In the 1980s, portability, or mobility,
mean trading off computing power and convenience
in return for smaller size and weight.
 Today, however, we are close to the point where we
don’t have to give up anything.
 As a result, experts have predicted that small,
powerful, wireless personal electronic devices will
transform our lives far more than the personal
computer has done so far.

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Information Technology
 When Computers & Communications Combine:
Convergence, Portability, Personalization,
Collaboration, & Cloud Computing

 COLLABORATION

 New York Times technology writer John Markoff, “A
remarkable array of software systems makes it
simple to share anything instantly, and sometimes
enhance it along the way.
 BusinessWeek writer Robert Hof observes that the
huge numbers of people “online worldwide—along
with their shared knowledge, social contacts, online
reputations, computing power, and more—are
rapidly becoming a collective force of unprecedented
power College of Communication and
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Information Technology
 When Computers & Communications Combine:
Convergence, Portability, Personalization,
Collaboration, & Cloud Computing

 COLLABORATION

 New York Times technology writer John Markoff, “A
remarkable array of software systems makes it
simple to share anything instantly, and sometimes
enhance it along the way.
 BusinessWeek writer Robert Hof observes that the
huge numbers of people “online worldwide—along
with their shared knowledge, social contacts, online
reputations, computing power, and more—are
rapidly becoming a collective force of unprecedented
power College of Communication and
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Information Technology
 CLOUD COMPUTING

 basically means that, instead of storing your
software or data on your own PC or your own
company’s computers, you store it on servers on the
internet.

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Information Technology
 Ethics

 Every computer user will have to wrestle with
ethical issues related to the use of information
technology.
 Ethics is defined as a set of moral values or
principles that govern the conduct of an individual
or a group.
 Because ethical questions arise so often in connection
with information technology,

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Information Technology
 SPEED & SCALE

SPEED & SCALE


 Great amounts of information can be stored,
retrieved, and transmitted at a speed and on a scale
not possible before.
 Despite the benefits, this has serious implications
“for data security and personal privacy,” as well as
employment, Forester and Morrison say, because
information technology can never be considered
totally secure against unauthorized access.

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Information Technology
 UNPREDICTABILITY

UNPREDICTABILITY

 Computers and communications are pervasive,
touching nearly every aspect of our lives.
 However, at this point, compared to other pervasive
technologies such as electricity, television, and
automobiles information technology seems a lot less
predictable and reliable.

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Information Technology
 UNPREDICTABILITY

COMPLEXITY

Computer systems are often incredibly complex—some so
complex that they are not always understood even by their
creators.
“This,” say Forester and Morrison, “often makes them
completely unmanageable,” producing massive foul-ups or
spectacularly out-of-control costs.
 Ethics and security can often be talked about in the same
breath, since secure computer systems obviously go a
long way toward keeping people ethical and honest.

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Information Technology
 UNPREDICTABILITY

COMPLEXITY

Computer systems are often incredibly complex—some so
complex that they are not always understood even by their
creators.
“This,” say Forester and Morrison, “often makes them
completely unmanageable,” producing massive foul-ups or
spectacularly out-of-control costs.
 Ethics and security can often be talked about in the same
breath, since secure computer systems obviously go a
long way toward keeping people ethical and honest.

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Information Technology