Introduction to Computer

World
spring 2022

Introduction to Information a n d Communication Technologies

 Outline
◈ This lecture covers:
□ What computers are, how they work, and how they are used
□ Computer terminology
□ The basic types of computers in use today

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 Computers in Your Life

◈ Why learn about computers?

◈ Computers have become an integral part of our lives

◈ Basic computer literacy

□ Knowing about and understanding computers and their uses is an essential skill today
for everyone

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 Computers in Your Life
◈ Before 1980
□ Computers were large, expensive

□ Very few people had access to them

□ Computers were mostly used for high-volume processing tasks

◈ Microcomputers in the early 80s

□ Inexpensive personal computers

□ Computer use increased dramatically

◈ Today
□ More than 80% of US households include a computer, and most use computers
at work
□ Electronic devices are converging into single units with multiple capabilities

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 Computers in the Home
◈ Computers used for a variety of □ Telecommuting
tasks: ◈ Smart appliances
□ Looking up information and
news □ Traditional appliances with built-in
□ Exchanging e-mail computer or communication technology
□ Shopping and paying bills ◈ Smart homes
□ Watching TV and videos □ Household tasks are
□ Downloading music and movies monitored and controlled
□ Organizing digital photographs by a main computer in
the house
□ Playing games

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 Computers in Education
◈ Many students today have access to computers either
in a classroom or a computer lab
◈ Colleges and universities are even more integrated
□ Wireless hotspots allow usage of personal laptops to
connect to the college network
□ Some colleges require a computer for enrollment
◈ Distance learning
□ Students participate from locations other than the
traditional classroom setting using computers and
Internet access

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 Computers on the Job
◈ Computers have become a universal on-the-job tool for decision-making, productivity, and
communication
□ Used by all types of employees
□ Used for access control and other security measures
□ Use by service professionals is growing
□ Used extensively by the military
□ Employees in all lines of work need to continually refresh their computer skills

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 Computers on the Go
◈ Computers are encountered in nearly every
aspect of daily life
□ ATM transactions
□ POS systems at retail stores
□ Self-checkout systems
□ Portable computers or mobile devices
□ M-commerce systems
□ GPS systems

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What Is a Computer and What Does It Do?
◈ Computer: A programmable, electronic device that
accepts data, performs operations on that data, and
stores the data or results as needed
□ Computers follow instructions, called
programs, which determine
the tasks the computer will perform
◈ Basic operations
□ Input: Entering data into the computer
□ Processing: Performing operations on the data
□ Output: Presenting the results
□ Storage: Saving data, programs, or output
for future use
□ Communications: Sending or receiving data
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 Data vs. Information
◈ Data
□ Raw, unorganized facts
□ Can be in the form of text, graphics, audio, or video
◈ Information
□ Data that has been processed into a meaningful form
◈ Information processing
□ Converting data into information

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 Hardware
◈ Hardware: The physical parts of a computer
□ Internal hardware
◈ Located inside the main box (system unit) of the
computer
□ External hardware
◈ Located outside the system unit
◈ Connect to the computer via a wired or wireless
connection
□ There is hardware associated with all five
computer operations

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 Software
◈ Software: The programs or instructions used to
tell the computer hardware what to do. OR –
The set of instructions performs specific
tasks called software.
□ System software: The operating system starts
up the computer and controls its operation
◈ Without OS computer cannot function
◈ Boots the computer and launches programs at the
user’s direction
□ Application software: Performs specific tasks or
applications

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 Computers to Fit Every Need
◈ Six basic categories of computers:
□ Embedded computers
□ Mobile devices
□ Personal computers
□ Midrange servers
□ Mainframe computers
□ Supercomputers

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 Computers to Fit Every Need
◈ Embedded computer
□ Embedded into a product and designed to perform specific
tasks or functions for that product
□ Cannot be used as general-purpose computers
◈ Mobile device
□ A very small device with some type of built-in computing or
Internet capability
□ Typically based on mobile phones
◈ Personal computer
□ A small computer designed to be used by one person at a time
□ Also called a microcomputer

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 Computers to Fit Every Need
◈ Notebook (laptop) computers
□ Typically use clamshell design
□ Tablet computers
◈ Can be slate tablets or convertible tablets
□ Netbooks
◈ Small notebooks; rapidly growing type of PC
□ Ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs)
◈ Handheld computers
◈ Midrange server
□ A medium-sized computer used to host programs and data for a small network
□ Users connect via a network with a computer, thin client, or dumb terminal

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 Computers to Fit Every Need
◈ Mainframe computer
□ Powerful computer used by several large organizations to
manage large amounts of centralized data
□ Standard choice for large organizations, hospitals, universities, large
businesses, banks, government offices
□ Also called high-end servers or enterprise-class servers
◈ Supercomputer
□ Fastest, most expensive, most powerful type of computer
□ Generally run one program at a time, as fast as possible
□ Commonly built by connecting hundreds of smaller computers,
supercomputing cluster

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 Introduction to Computer
World
spring 2022
Introduction to Information a n d Communication Technologies
CSD-102

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 Outline
◈ This lecture covers:
□ An overview Internet
□ Online Communication
□ Societal impacts of computers
□ An overview of the history of computers

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 What Are the Internet and the World Wide
Web?
◈ Internet: The largest and most well-known computer network in the world
◈ Individuals connect to the Internet using an Internet service provider (ISP)
◈ World Wide Web: One resource (a vast collection of Web pages) available through
the Internet
□ Web sites contain Web pages stored on Web servers
□ Web pages viewed using a Web browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Safari, Firefox,
Opera, etc.)
◈ A wide variety of information is available through the Web

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What Are the Internet and the World Wide
Web?

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 Surfing the Web
◈ Web browser: Used to display Web pages
◈ Browser starting or home page: The first page displayed when the browser is
opened
◈ To navigate to a Web page, you can:
□ Type a URL in the Address bar
□ Click a hyperlink on a displayed Web page
□ Select a Favorite/Bookmark or page from the History list

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 Searching the Web
◈ Search site: Web page that helps you find Web pages containing the information
you are seeking
□ Typically search using keywords
◈ Reference sites: Look up addresses,
telephone numbers, ZIP codes,
maps, etc.

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 Email
◈ Electronic mail (e-mail): electronic messages
exchanged between computers on a network
□ Can be conventional or Web-based
□ Can contain photos, attached files, etc.
◈ E-mail addresses consist of:
□ Username: A person’s identifying name for a
particular domain
□ The @ symbol
□ Domain name for the computer that will be
handling the person’s e-mail (mail server)
◈ Pronouncing Internet addresses

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 Computers and Society
◈ The vast improvements in technology over the past
decade have had a distinct impact on daily life, both at
home and at work
◈ Many benefits of a computer-oriented society:
□ Ability to design products before construction leads to
safer products
□ Earlier medical diagnoses
□ Devices that allow challenged people to perform job
tasks
□ Documents e-mailed or faxed in moments
□ Download information, music, programs, movies, and
more on demand

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 Computer Oriented Society
◈ Benefits
□ Faster pace of daily chores and tasks
□ Online business and personal world
□ Communication throughout the world
□ Enhancing knowledge
□ Job influences
□ Entertainment
□ Research

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 Computer Oriented Society

◈ Risks and disadvantages

□ Security and privacy issues
◈ Computer viruses and malware
◈ Privacy issues
□ Excessive use
◈ lack of human communication for face-to-face conversation and more communication through
the computer. This affects our society’s confidence when they are in in-personal
conversation.

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 Computers Then and Now
◈ First-generation computers (1946-1957)
□ Powered by vacuum tubes
□ Used a great deal of electricity, and generated a lot of heat
◈ Second-generation computers (1958-1963)
□ Used transistors
□ Computers were smaller, more powerful, cheaper, more energy-efficient, and more
reliable
□ Punch cards and magnetic tape were used to input and store data

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 Computers Then and Now
◈ Third-generation computers (1964-1970)
□ Used integrated circuits (ICs)
□ Keyboards and monitors introduced
◈ Fourth-generation computers (1971-present)
□ Use microprocessors
□ IBM PC, Apple Macintosh
□ Use keyboards, mice, monitors, and printers
□ Use magnetic disks, flash memory, and optical disks for storage
□ Computer networks, wireless technologies, Internet introduced

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 Computers Then and Now
◈ Fifth-generation (now and the future)
□ No precise classification
□ May be based on artificial intelligence (AI)
□ Likely use voice and touch input
□ May be based on optical computers and utilize nanotechnology

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 Computers Then and Now

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