Computer Devices(Input and Output Device)

Input Device

The devices which are used to give data and instructions to the computer are called Input
Devices. Various types of input devices can be used with the computer depending upon the type of
data you want to enter in the computer, e.g., keyboard, mouse, joystick, light pen, etc.

1. Keyboard

 A simple device comprising keys and each key denotes either an alphabet, number or
number commands which can be given to a computer for various actions to be
performed
 It has a modified version of typewriter keys
 The keyboard is an essential input device and computer and laptops both use
keyboards to give commands to the computer

2. Mouse

 It is also known as a pointing device

 Using mouse we can directly click on the various icons present on the system and
open up various files and programs
 A mouse comprises 3 buttons on the top and one trackball at the bottom which helps
in selecting and moving the mouse around, respectively
 In case of laptops, the touchpad is given as a replacement of the mouse which helps in
the movement of the mouse pointer

3. Joy Stick

 It is a device which comprises a stick which is attached at an angle to the base so that
it can be moved and controlled
 Mostly used to control the movement in video games
 Apart from a computer system, a joystick is also used in the cockpit of an aeroplane,
wheelchairs, cranes, trucks, etc. to operate them well

4. Light Pen

 It is a wand-like looking device which can directly be moved over the device’s screen
 It is light-sensitive
 Used in conjunction with computer’s cathode ray tube

5. Microphone

 Using a microphone, sound can be stored in a device in its digital form

  It converts sound into an electrical signal
 To record or reproduce a sound created using a microphone, it needs to be connected
with an amplifier

6. Scanner

 This device can scan images or text and convert it into a digital signal
 When we place any piece of a document on a scanner, it converts it into a digital
signal and displays it on the computer screen

7. Barcode Reader

 It is a kind of an optical scanner

 It can read bar codes
 A source of light is passed through a bar code, and its aspects and details are
displayed on the screen

8. Trackball

 A trackball is similar to a mouse but is mounted in a fixed position. The user spins the ball
with fingers to move the pointer on the screen.
 A Trackball technology was used in earlier laptop computer which is now replaced with
track-pad.

Output Device

The devices which are used to display the results or information are called Output Devices.
You can view the output on the monitor or you can print it on a paper using a printer. Monitor and the
printer are the commonly used output devices.

1. Monitor

 The device which displays all the icons, text, images, etc. over a screen is called the
Monitor
 When we ask the computer to perform an action, the result of that action is displayed
on the monitor
 Various types of monitors have also been developed over the years

The two commonly used monitor types are:

1. Cathode Ray Tube(CRT)Monitor

2. Liquid crystal Display(LCD)Monitor
2. Printer

 A device which makes a copy of the pictorial or textual content, usually over a paper
is called a printer
 For example, an author types the entire book on his/her computer and later gets a print
out of it, which is in the form of paper and is later published
 Multiple types of printers are also available in the market, which can serve different
purposes

Printers are of different types. On the basis of their printing techniques, printers are grouped
as follows:
1.Character printer
2.Dot Matrix Printer
3.Line printer
4.Page printer
5.Inkjet Prtinter
6.Laser Printer
Character Printer
Character printer prints one character at a time, it prints at the speed of around 30 to 600
characters per second. Dot Matrix printer is an example of a character printer.

Dot Matrix Printer

This type of printer works like a typewriter. It creates an impression on the paper by pressing
the end of pins fixed in its print heads, against an inked ribbon. This printer is noisy with a
low print quality. Its speed is measured in CPS(Characters Per Second).

Line Printer

This is high speed printer that prints one line at a time. It is used when large quantity of
output is required as it produces the quick output. Examples of a Line printer are Drum
printer and the Chain printer. The noise level of these printers is high and speed ranges from
200 to 2000 LPM(Lines Per Minute).

Page Printer

Page Printer prints a whole page at a time. Examples of these printers are inkjet printer or a
Line printer because it has to store each page in memory before printing it.
Inkjet Printer

This type of printer prints by spraying tiny ink droplets on the paper. It can print in both,
color as well as black and white. The print quality of this printer is better than that of Dot
Matrix Printer and it prints without making any noise. Its speed is measured in PPM(Pages
Per Minute).

Laser Printer

In this type of printer, laser beam technology is used to print the text or graphics on the paper.
The speed of this printer is very fast and it gives out very fine quality prints. It’s speed is also
measured in PPM.

3. Speakers

 A device through which we can listen to a sound as an outcome of what we command

a computer to do is called a speaker
 Speakers are attached with a computer system and also are a hardware device which
can be attached separately
 With the advancement in technology, speakers are now available which are wireless
and can be connected using BlueTooth or other applications

4. Projector

 An optical device which presents an image or moving images onto a projection screen
is called a projector
 Most commonly these projectors are used in auditoriums and movie theatres for the
display of the videos or lighting
 If a projector is connected to a computer, then the image/video displayed on the
screen is the same as the one displayed on the computer screen

5. Headphones

 They perform the same function as a speaker, the only difference is the frequency of
sound
 Using speakers, the sound can be heard over a larger area and using headphones, the
sound is only audible to the person using them
 Also known as earphones or headset

Operating System
An Operating System (OS) is a software that acts as an interface between computer
hardware components and the user. Every computer system must have at least one operating
system to run other programs. Applications like Browsers, MS Office, Notepad Games, etc.,
need some environment to run and perform its tasks.

 The OS helps you to communicate with the computer without knowing how to speak
the computer’s language. It is not possible for the user to use any computer or mobile
device without having an operating system.

History of OS

 Operating systems were first developed

in the late 1950s to manage tape storage
 The General Motors Research Lab
implemented the first OS in the early
1950s for their IBM 701
 In the mid-1960s, operating systems started to use disks
 In the late 1960s, the first version of the Unix OS was developed
 The first OS built by Microsoft was DOS. It was built in 1981 by purchasing the 86-
DOS software from a Seattle company
 The present-day popular OS Windows first came to existence in 1985 when a GUI
was created and paired with MS-DOS.

Functions of Operating System

Operating System functions may include managing memory, files, processes, I/O system &
devices, security, etc.
  Processor Management: An operating system manages the processor’s work by
allocating various jobs to it and ensuring that each process receives enough time from
the processor to function properly.
 Memory Management: An operating system manages the allocation and
deallocation of the memory to various processes and ensures that the other process
does not consume the memory allocated to one process.
 Device Management: There are various input and output devices. An OS controls the
working of these input-output devices. It receives the requests from these devices,
performs a specific task, and communicates back to the requesting process.
 File Management: An operating system keeps track of information regarding the
creation, deletion, transfer, copy, and storage of files in an organized way. It also
maintains the integrity of the data stored in these files, including the file directory
structure, by protecting against unauthorized access.
 Security: The operating system provides various techniques which assure the
integrity and confidentiality of user data. Following security measures are used to
protect user data:
o Protection against unauthorized access through login.

o Protection against intrusion by keeping Firefall active.

o Protecting the system memory against malicious access.

o Displaying messages related to system vulnerabilities.

 Error Detection: From time to time, the operating system checks the system for any
external threat or malicious software activity. It also checks the hardware for any type
of damage. This process displays several alerts to the user so that the appropriate
action can be taken against any damage caused to the system.
 Job Scheduling: In a multitasking OS where multiple programs run simultaneously,
the operating system determines which applications should run in which order and
how time should be allocated to each application.

Features of Operating System (OS)

Here is a list important features of OS:

 Protected and supervisor mode

 Allows disk access and file systems Device drivers Networking Security
 Program Execution
 Memory management Virtual Memory Multitasking
 Handling I/O operations
 Manipulation of the file system
 Error Detection and handling
  Resource allocation
 Information and Resource Protection

Advantage of Operating System

 Allows you to hide details of hardware by creating an abstraction

 Easy to use with a GUI
 Offers an environment in which a user may execute programs/applications
 The operating system must make sure that the computer system convenient to use
 Operating System acts as an intermediary among applications and the hardware
components
 It provides the computer system resources with easy to use format
 Acts as an intermediator between all hardware’s and software’s of the system

Disadvantages of Operating System

 If any issue occurs in OS, you may lose all the contents which have been stored in
your system
 Operating system’s software is quite expensive for small size organization which adds
burden on them. Example Windows
 It is never entirely secure as a threat can occur at any time

Windows

Windows is a graphical operating system developed by Microsoft. It allows users to view

and store files, run the software, play games, watch videos, and provides a way to connect to
the internet. It was released for both home computing and professional works.

Microsoft introduced the first version as 1.0

It was released for both home computing and professional functions of Windows on 10
November 1983. Later, it was released on many versions of Windows as well as the current
version, Windows 10.

In 1993, the first business-oriented version of Windows was released, which is known as
Windows NT 3.1. Then it introduced the next versions, Windows 3.5, 4/0, and Windows
2000. When the XP Windows was released by Microsoft in 2001, the company designed its
various versions for a personal and business environment. It was designed based on standard
x86 hardware, like Intel and AMD processor. Accordingly, it can run on different brands of
hardware, such as HP, Dell, and Sony computers, including home-built PCs.

Editions of Windows

Microsoft has produced several editions of Windows, starting with Windows XP. These
versions have the same core operating system, but some versions included advance features
with an additional cost. There are two most common editions of Windows:

 Windows Home
 Windows Professional

Windows Home

Windows Home is basic edition of Windows. It offers all the fundamental functions of
Windows, such as browsing the web, connecting to the Internet, playing video games, using
office software, watching videos. Furthermore, it is less expensive and comes pre-installed
with many new computers.

Windows Professional

Windows Professional is also known as Window Pro or win Pro. It is an enhanced edition of
Windows, which is beneficial for power users and small to medium-size businesses. It
contains all features of Windows Home as well as the following:

 Remote Desktop: Windows Professional editions allow users to create a remote

desktop connection. It provides users the option to connect with another computer
remotely, including share the control of its mouse, keyboard, and view display. It is
mainly accessed with the help of port 3389. Additionally, we can also use the
TeamViewer or VNC application to create a remote desktop connection.
 Trusted Boot: It provides security as encrypting to the boot loader and protects the
computer from rootkits (Collection of software tools that allow users to enter another
computer through an unauthorized way known as rootkits).

 Bitlocker: It allows users to encrypt a storage drive by using AES (Advanced

Encryption Standard) algorithm. This feature is present in Windows 7, and Windows
Vista (Only ultimate and Enterprise versions), including Windows Server 2008.
Business laptops or computers mainly use the Bitlocker feature to protect their data on the
computer. As if your computer has been stolen, it is very difficult to break the Bitlocker
password. It can be unlocked by entering the correct password only. Furthermore, if you
forget your Bitlocker password, it cannot be retrieved.

 Windows Sandbox: A sandbox is located on a computer, network, or an online

service enables users to experiment or test computer security without interrupting the
system.
 Hyper-V: It stands for a hypervisor, and developed by Microsoft Corporation on 26
June 2008. It is also called Windows Server Virtualization. Hyper-V is used for
virtualization of x86-64 servers, running virtual machines and third party software
like VirtualBox.

 Group policy management: An admin can specify group policies in an organization

to manage different Windows users.

 It provides support for the systems that have more than 128 GB of RAM.

 Furthermore, it also offers more Windows update installation options as well as

flexible scheduling and postponement around 34 days.

Features of Windows

Microsoft Windows includes a lot of features to help users. Some of its excellent features are
as follows:

Control Panel: Windows provides a Control Panel feature that includes many tools to configure and
manage the resources on their computer. For example, users can change settings for audio, video,
printers, mouse, keyboard, network connections, date and time, power saving options, user accounts,
installed applications, etc.

File Explorer: It is also known as Windows Explorer, which displays your files and folders on the
computer. It allows users to browse the data on the hard drive, SSD and other inserted removable
disks like pen drives and CDs, and you can manage the content according to the requirements such as
delete, rename, search, and transfer the data.

Internet browser: As the internet browser is very important to search for anything, view pages,
online shopping, play games, watch videos, etc. Windows come with a pre-installed internet browser.
in Windows 10, the Edge internet browser is the default browser. Furthermore, Internet Explorer was
the default browser in Microsoft Windows from the Windows edition 95 to 8.1 version.

Taskbar: Windows comes with a taskbar that displays currently opened programs, it also allows
users to access any specific programs. Additionally, it includes the notification area on the right side
that shows date and time, battery, network, volume, and other background running applications.

Start menu: Microsoft Windows contains a start menu to the left side of the taskbar. It displays
programs and utilities that are installed on the computer. It can be simply opened by clicking on the
Start menu button or pressing the start key on the keyboard.

Task Manager: Windows includes the task manager feature that provides detail of the running
applications or programs on the computer. You can also check how much of the system resources,
such as RAM, CPU, disk I/O, are being used by each of the applications.

UNIX Operating System

UNIX is a powerful Operating System initially developed by Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie at AT&T
Bell laboratories in 1970. It is prevalent among scientific, engineering, and academic institutions due
to its most appreciative features like multitasking, flexibility, and many more. In UNIX, the file system
is a hierarchical structure of files and directories where users can store and retrieve information
using the files.

Features of UNIX Operating System

Multitasking:
 A UNIX operating system is a multitasking operating system that allows you to
initiate more than one task from the same terminal so that one task is performed as a
foreground and the other task as a background process.

Multi-user:

 UNIX operating system supports more than one user to access computer resources
like main memory, hard disk, tape drives, etc.
 Multiple users can log on to the system from different terminals and run different
jobs that share the resources of a command terminal.

 It deals with the principle of time-sharing.

 Time-sharing is done by a scheduler that divides the CPU time into several segments
also called a time slice, and each segment is assigned to each user on a scheduled
basis.

 This time slice is tiny.

Portability:

This feature makes the UNIX work on different machines and platforms with the easy
transfer of code to any computer system. Since a significant portion of UNIX is written in C
language, and only a tiny portion is coded in assembly language for specific hardware.

File Security and Protection:

Being a multi-user system, UNIX makes special consideration for file and system security.
UNIX has different levels of security using assigning username and password to individual
users ensuring the authentication, at the level providing file access permission viz. read, write
and execute and lastly file encryption to change the file into an unreadable format.

Command Structure:

UNIX commands are easy to understand and simple to use. Example: "cp", mv etc. While
working in the UNIX environment, the UNIX commands are case-sensitive and are entered in
lower case.

Communication:
 In UNIX, communication is an excellent feature that enables the user to communicate
worldwide. It supports various communication facilities provided using the write command,
mail command, talk command, etc.

Open Source:

UNIX operating system is open source it means it is freely available to all and is a
community-based development project.

Accounting:

UNIX keeps an account of jobs created by the user. This feature enhances the system
performance in terms of CPU monitoring and disk space checking. It allows you to keep an
account of disk space used by each user, and the disk space can be limited by each other. You
can assign every user a different disk quota. The root user can perform these accounting tasks
using various commands such as quota, df, du, etc.

UNIX Tools and Utilities:

UNIX system provides various types of tools and utilities facilities such as UNIX grep, sed
and awk, etc. Some of the general-purpose tools are compilers, interpreters, network
applications, etc. It also includes various server programs which provide remote and
administration services.

The structure of Unix OS Layers are as follows

Types of Shell in UNIX System:

 Bourne Shell: This Shell is simply
called the Shell. It was the first Shell
for UNIX OS. It is still the most
widely available Shell on a UNIX
system.
 C Shell: The C shell is another popular shell commonly available on a UNIX system.
The C shell was developed by the University of California at Berkeley and removed
some of the shortcomings of the Bourne shell.
  Korn Shell: This Shell was created by David Korn to address the Bourne Shell's user-
interaction issues and to deal with the shortcomings of the C shell's scripting quirks.

Hardware

Hardware represents the physical and tangible components of a computer, i.e. the
components that can be seen and touched.

Examples of Hardware are the following −

 Input devices − keyboard, mouse, etc.

 Output devices − printer, monitor, etc.

 Secondary storage devices − Hard disk, CD, DVD, etc.

 Internal components − CPU, motherboard, RAM, etc.

Software

Software is a set of programs, which is designed to perform a well-defined function. A

program is a sequence of instructions written to solve a particular problem.

There are two types of software −

 System Software
 Application Software

System Software
The system software is a collection of programs designed to operate, control, and extend the
processing capabilities of the computer itself. System software is generally prepared by the
computer manufacturers. These software products comprise of programs written in low-level
languages, which interact with the hardware at a very basic level. System software serves as
the interface between the hardware and the end users.

Application Software

Application software products are designed to satisfy a particular need of a particular

environment. All software applications prepared in the computer lab can come under the
category of Application software.

Application software may consist of a single program, such as Microsoft's notepad for
writing and editing a simple text. It may also consist of a collection of programs, often called
a software package, which work together to accomplish a task, such as a spreadsheet
package.

Examples of Application software are the following −

 Payroll Software
 Student Record Software
 Inventory Management Software
 Income Tax Software
 Railways Reservation Software
 Microsoft Office Suite Software
 Microsoft Word
 Microsoft Excel
 Microsoft PowerPoint

Relationship between Hardware and Software

 Hardware and software are mutually dependent on each other. Both of them must
work together to make a computer produce a useful output.
 Software cannot be utilized without supporting hardware.

 Hardware without a set of programs to operate upon cannot be utilized and is useless.
  To get a particular job done on the computer, relevant software should be loaded into
the hardware.

 Hardware is a one-time expense.

 Software development is very expensive and is a continuing expense.

 Different software applications can be loaded on a hardware to run different jobs.

 A software acts as an interface between the user and the hardware.

 If the hardware is the 'heart' of a computer system, then the software is its 'soul'. Both
are complementary to each other.

Disk Operating System

MS-DOS is one of the oldest and widely used operating system. DOS is a set of computer
programs, the major functions of which are file management, allocation of system resources,
providing essential features to control hardware devices.

DOS commands can be typed in either upper case or lower case.

Features of DOS

Following are the significant features of DOS −

 It is a single user system.

 It controls program.

 It is machine independence.

 It manages (computer) files.

 It manages input and output system.

 It manages (computer) memory.

 It provides command processing facilities.

 It operates with Assembler.

Types of DOS Commands

Following are the major types of DOS Command −

 Internal Commands − Commands such as DEL, COPY, TYPE, etc. are the internal
commands that remain stored in computer memory.
 External Commands − Commands like FORMAT, DISKCOPY, etc. are the external
commands and remain stored on the disk.