NME I

COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS
Unit I:Introduction to Computers - Generations of Computer – Data and Information
– Components of Computer – Software – Hardware – Input Devices - Output Devices
–– Types of Operating System

INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS
Computer A computer is an electronic device, operating under the control of instructions stored in
its own memory that can accept data (input), process the data according to specified rules, produce
information (output), and store the information for future use
Functionalities of a computer
Any digital computer carries out five functions in gross terms:

GENERATION OF COMPUTER:
The modern computer took its shape with the arrival of your time. It had been around 16th
century when the evolution of the computer started. The initial computer faced many changes,
obviously for the betterment. It continuously improved itself in terms of speed, accuracy, size,
and price to urge the form of the fashionable day computer. This long period is often
conveniently divided into the subsequent phases called computer generations:
 First Generation Computers (1940-1956)
 Second Generation Computers (1956-1963)
 Third Generation Computers (1964-1971)
 Fourth Generation Computers (1971-Present)
 Fifth Generation Computers (Present and Beyond)

 First Generation Computers: Vacuum Tubes (1940-1956)

The technology behind the primary generation computers was a fragile glass device,
which was called vacuum tubes. These computers were very heavy and really large in
size. These weren’t very reliable and programming on them was a really tedious task as
they used high-level programming language and used no OS. First-generation computers
were used for calculation, storage, and control purpose. They were too bulky and large
that they needed a full room and consume rot of electricity.
  Second Generation Computers: Transistors (1956-1963)

Second-generation computers used the technology of transistors rather than bulky vacuum tubes.
Another feature was the core storage. A transistor may be a device composed of semiconductor
material that amplifies a sign or opens or closes a circuit.
Transistors were invented in Bell Labs. The use of transistors made it possible to perform
powerfully and with due speed. It reduced the dimensions and price and thankfully the warmth
too, which was generated by vacuum tubes. Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory,
programming language and input, and output units also came into the force within the second
generation.

 Third Generation Computers: Integrated Circuits. (1964-1971)

During the third generation, technology envisaged a shift from huge transistors to integrated
circuits, also referred to as IC. Here a variety of transistors were placed on silicon chips, called
semiconductors. The most feature of this era’s computer was the speed and reliability. IC was
made from silicon and also called silicon chips.

 Fourth Generation Computers: Micro-processors (1971-Present)

In 1971 First microprocessors were used, the large scale of integration LSI circuits built on one
chip called microprocessors. The most advantage of this technology is that one microprocessor
can contain all the circuits required to perform arithmetic, logic, and control functions on one
chip.
The computers using microchips were called microcomputers. This generation provided the even
smaller size of computers, with larger capacities. That’s not enough, then Very Large Scale
Integrated (VLSI) circuits replaced LSI circuits.

 Fifth Generation Computers

The technology behind the fifth generation of computers is AI. It allows computers to behave
like humans. It is often seen in programs like voice recognition, area of medicines, and
entertainment. Within the field of games playing also it’s shown remarkable performance where
computers are capable of beating human competitors.
The speed is highest, size is that the smallest and area of use has remarkably increased within the
fifth generation computers. Though not a hundred percent AI has been achieved to date but
keeping in sight the present developments, it is often said that this dream also will become a
reality very soon.

DATA AND INFORMATION

Data can be defined as a representation of facts, concepts, or instructions in a formalized manner,
which should be suitable for communication, interpretation, or processing by human or electronic
machine.
Data is represented with the help of characters such as alphabets (A-Z, a-z), digits (0-9) or special
characters (+,-,/,*,<,>,= etc.)
Information is organized or classified data, which has some meaningful values for the receiver.
Information is the processed data on which decisions and actions are based.
For the decision to be meaningful, the processed data must qualify for the following characteristics
−
 Timely − Information should be available when required.
 Accuracy − Information should be accurate.
 Completeness − Information should be complete.

COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER

There are 5 main computer components that are given below:

o Input Devices
o CPU
o Output Devices
o Primary Memory
o Secondary Memory

The operations of computer components are given below:

1) Inputting: It is the process of entering raw data, instructions and information into the computer.
It is performed with the help of input devices.
2) Storing: The computer has primary memory and secondary storage to store data and
instructions. It stores the data before sending it to CPU for processing and also stores the processed
data before displaying it as output.

3) Processing: It is the process of converting the raw data into useful information. This process is
performed by the CPU of the computer. It takes the raw data from storage, processes it and then
sends back the processed data to storage.

4) Outputting: It is the process of presenting the processed data through output devices like
monitor, printer and speakers.

5) Controlling: This operation is performed by the control unit that is part of CPU. The control
unit ensures that all basic operations are executed in a right manner and sequence.

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

Hardware: Computer hardware is the collection of physical elements that constitutes a computer
system. Computer hardware refers to the physical parts or components of a computer such as the
monitor, mouse, keyboard, computer data storage, hard drive disk (HDD), system unit (graphic
cards, sound cards, memory, motherboard and chips), etc. all of which are physical objects that can
be touched

Software is a generic term for organized collections of computer data and instructions, often
broken into two major categories: system software that provides the basic nontask-specific
functions of the computer, and application software which is used by users to accomplish specific
tasks. Software Types

A. System software is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the individual
hardware components of a computer system so that other software and the users of the system see
it as a functional unit without having to be concerned with the low-level details such as transferring
data from memory to disk, or rendering text onto a display. Generally, system software consists of
an operating system and some fundamental utilities such as disk formatters, file managers, display
managers, text editors, user authentication (login) and management tools, and networking and
device control software.

B. Application software is used to accomplish specific tasks other than just running the computer
system. Application software may consist of a single program, such as an image viewer; a small
collection of programs (often called a software package) that work closely together to accomplish a
task, such as a spreadsheet or text processing system; a larger collection (often called a software
suite) of related but independent programs and packages that have a common user interface or
shared data format, such as Microsoft Office, which consists of closely integrated word processor,
spreadsheet, database, etc.; or a software system, such as a database management system, which is
a collection of fundamental programs that may provide some service to a variety of other
independent applications.

INPUT DEVICES

Input device is any peripheral (piece of computer hardware equipment to provide data and control
signals to an information processing system such as a computer or other information appliance.
Input device Translate data from form that humans understand to one that the computer can work
with. Most common are keyboard and mouse

Example of Input Devices:- 1. Keyboard 2. Mouse (pointing device) 3. Microphone 4. Touch

screen 5. Scanner 6. Webcam 7. Touchpads 8. MIDI keyboard 9. 10.Graphics Tablets 11.Cameras
12.Pen Input 13.Video Capture Hardware 14.Microphone 15.Trackballs 16.Barcode reader
17.Digital camera 18.Joystick 19.Gamepad 20.Electronic Whiteboard

OUTPUT DEVICES

An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of
data processing carried out by an information processing system (such as a computer) which
converts the electronically generated information into humanreadable form.

Example on Output Devices: 1. Monitor 2. LCD Projection Panels 3. Printers (all types) 4.
Computer Output Microfilm (COM) 5. Plotters 6. Speaker(s) 7. Projector
 TYPES OF OPERATING SYSTEMS

An Operating System performs all the basic tasks like managing files, processes, and memory.
Thus operating system acts as the manager of all the resources, i.e. resource manager. Thus, the
operating system becomes an interface between user and machine.

1. Batch Operating System –

This type of operating system does not interact with the computer directly. There is an
operator which takes similar jobs having the same requirement and group them into
batches. It is the responsibility of the operator to sort jobs with similar needs.

2. Time-Sharing Operating Systems –

Each task is given some time to execute so that all the tasks work smoothly. Each user
gets the time of CPU as they use a single system. These systems are also known as
Multitasking Systems.

3. Distributed Operating System –

These types of the operating system is a recent advancement in the world of computer
technology and are being widely accepted all over the world and, that too, with a great
pace. Various autonomous interconnected computers communicate with each other using a
shared communication network.
 4.Network Operating System –
These systems run on a server and provide the capability to manage data, users, groups,
security, applications, and other networking functions. These types of operating systems
allow shared access of files, printers, security, applications, and other networking
functions over a small private network.

5. Real-Time Operating System –

These types of OSs serve real-time systems. The time interval required to process and respond to
inputs is very small. This time interval is called response time.
Real-time systems are used when there are time requirements that are very strict like missile
systems, air traffic control systems, robots, etc.