INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

Computer: A computer is an Electronic device that processes Data electronically to produce

Information.

Data: can be defined as raw facts & figures about a task, a project or a research being
carried out

Information: this is the results of data processing, otherwise referred as fully refined
data.

A computer system is made up of two major units I.e.

1. Hardwares

2. computer Softwares

1. Hardwares

Hardwares can be defined as all tangible components making a computer system, &
can simply be illustrated by the following block Diagram

INPUT Processing Unit OUTPUT units

Units (CPU)

Backing
Storage

Input Units

This comprises of all the tangible components used for data entry

Examples:
o Keyboard
o Mouse
o Scanner: used to feed pictorial data into the computer
o Plotter: used for drawing maps
o Joystick: provide motion, normally used for playing games
 o Bar Code Reader: used in wholesale / retail e.g. supermarkets to capture data in the bar code

Output Units

This comprises of all the tangible components used to give out data / Information from the
computer system.

Examples:
o Monitor
o Printer
o Speakers etc

Central Processing Unit (System Unit)

The central processing unit is compared to a ‘HEART’ in human person, it coordinates all processing
activities & ensures a smooth interaction between all the hardwares, without which results in its
‘death’.

Backing Storage

Can be mainly divided in to two

i. Primary storage

It’s used to hold programs and data temporarily when they are being used. It’s referred to as RAM
(Random Access Memory).

It is seen as a ‘scratch pad’, where all data is manipulated during processing / where all processing
cycles takes place.

The bigger this memory is the more programs you can run at any given time. When the computer is
switched off the content of RAM is lost (its volatile).

Ii Secondary storage

It’s used to store data permanently until they are needed for use later; an example of this is the
hard-disk drive. When information is saved, it’s written on the hard drive and retrieved from there
when needed (read).

In addition to hard drives, other secondary devices include floppy disks (diskettes), magnetic tapes,
CD-ROM, Flash disks, DVD’s etc.
2. COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Software are all program designed to operate a computer system and gives ‘Live’ to the
system.

A program is a set of instructions / commands written in a language known to the

computer telling the computer what to do, for a successful completion of a task.

Softwares can broadly be classified into two

a. System software.
b. Application software

a. System software

These are programs concerned with effective operation of the computer System, otherwise referred
to as Operating system.

Examples of operating systems are:

Dos
Windows 95 / 98 / XP / Vista etc
Mac Os

Windows Nt / 2000
Unix / Linux

b. Application software

These are software developed to handle the organization specific requirement i.e. they are written to
solve organization particular interests / problems.

The two classes of application software include:-

 i) Application packages-

These are programs that are developed and supplied by computer manufacturers, software
house, or bureau at a price. They are ready made programs that ca be ruddily purchased by
the user. They cover common business functions and have different applications.

Examples are:

• Word Processors:- used for preparation of documents e.g. Ms Word

• Spreadsheet:- used for manipulation of numerical data e.g. Ms Excel
• Database Management System:- used for record management e.g. Ms Access
• Presentation programs:- used for creating outputs for presentation e.g. Ms PowerPoint
• Desktop Publishing Programs:- used for creating publications e.g. Ms Publisher

ii) User Application programs (specialists application software)

These are programs designed to meet specifications of the user, they are not ready made but
are made on request by programmers or software houses. They sometimes take time to
develop.

Examples

• Supermarket application
• School managent application

3. Diagnostic Programs

This programs are designed to help troubleshoot for problems with a computer system

Examples

• Utility Programs
• Anti viruses
QUALITIES OF A COMPUTER.

• Its automatic- it works with minimum human intervention once supplied with the
necessary data and instructions.
• It’s a data processor- it processes raw facts to become information.
• It’s a storage device- it stores information for later reference.
• It’s electronic- it requires some form of power to drive it.

ADVANTAGES OF A COMPUTER

• Speed:- performs tasks in very short periods (in comparison to working manually)
• Consistency: - creates the same results given the same data and instructions.
• Secrecy:- information is fairly protected if the computer system is well managed
• Versatility: - can do the same thing over and over again without being worn out.
• Saves space:- computers store large chunks of information in limited space therefore
becomes space economical
• Efficient and Accurate:- they have minimal chances of making mistakes if the data and
instructions are correct
• They are flexible i.e. can adapt to any workload without much strain.

DISADVANTAGES OF COMPUTERS

• Computers are expensive

• Cuts down on employment opportunities
• Need expertise, which is expensive to hire and maintain
• They create eye problems
• Loss of information if not well managed

FIELDS WHERE COMPUTERS ARE APPLIED

Weather Forecasting
Mathematic and statistical analysis
Design Work
Medical Diagnosis
Education
Business

CLASSIFICATION OF COMPUTERS
 Computers can be classified in to the following

i) Mainframe computers

It’s a large and powerful computer which is a general purpose. It has a range of input and output
devices and in most cases several CPUs. It’s a very expensive computer.

ii) Mini-computers

They can be described as a scale-down version of the main frame. They also have a range of input and
output devices.

iii) Microcomputers

They are small in size, cheap, general-purpose computers.

They are mostly used in small size businesses for type-setting, graphic designing and publishing.
They are commonly referred to as Personal computers (PCs) since they support a single user at any
given time.

iv) SUPERCOMPUTERS

A Supercomputer is a computer that is at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly

speed of calculation. Supercomputers are used for highly calculation-intensive tasks such as problems
including weather forecasting, climate research, molecular modeling (computing the structures and
properties of chemical compounds, biological macromolecules, polymers, and crystals), and physical
simulations (such as simulation of airplanes in wind tunnels, simulation of the detonation of nuclear
weapons, and research into nuclear fusion).

NB: The trend in computer technological revolution is that there has been;

i) Continual decrease in computer size

ii) Increase in processing speed
iii) Improved power of processing
iv) Lesser power consumption
v) Decrease in their related facilities e.g. cost
vi) Number of component per circuit IC greatly increased, e.g. transistors, capacitors, diodes etc
per chip.

Computer crimes

These are criminal acts that are done using computers

Its takes the following forms

i) computer piracy - its illegal copying of personal software / Illegal duplication

ii) Sale of copyrighted software, often in form to make product appear legitimate.
iii) Soft lifting:- it’s a form of piracy that occurs when extra copies of a program e.g. games are
made within an organization for employees to use. Disk swapping among friends and
colleagues is also included in this category of swapping.

Data security and control

Computerized systems are very important to organizations and companies of all kinds and therefore
the security of information is vital.

The computers themselves are not always the most important part. However, in most cases the
organization’s information stored in the computer and the programs which process that information
are more important.

Threats to computers and data security are classified as either internal or external threats.

External threats

• Fire, floods, earthquakes and other natural disasters are the potential threats to computers
but not the most common.

• Theft of equipment e.g. PC’s, CPU, printers and even memory chips after a break into a
building (these are some of the most common).

• Espionage (intelligence): this refers to illegal handling of information to be used for some pre-
defined purpose. E.g. access to a payroll or accounting information should be restricted thus
such information should be shielded away fro external and internal spies.
Internal threats

The internal threats include;

• Virus-these are programs developed with the intention to destroy the computer systems.
• Hacking-these refers to illegal access of information to be used in other businesses instead of
the one intended.
• Hardware failure-this refers to the computer system not working as intended due to technical
complications.
• Fraud-it is the access of information with the intention of carrying out illegal business.
• Corruption of databases-it refers to the files that store instructions, commands and even
information failing to operate as expected or rather being not available(its also referred to as
software failure)

Control measures:

1) Introducing passwords and creating access levels so that departments are only allowed to access
data of that particular department with the supervisor accessing and controlling all the data.
2) Backing-up data oftenly and keeping a number of back-up copies in different locations.
3) Reinforcing the doors and windows in the computer rooms to act as anti-burglary measure.
4) Installing anti-virus software and regularly updating them.