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• A computer system contains:

• hardware (equipment) so
ftw

re
ar e

wa
• software (programs)

rd
• people (programmers and end-

ha
users)

people
 Amity Business School

SOFTWARE

“Software is intangible; you are unable to physically touch software. A user can only
experience software. Software is the instructions that are given to the computer.”

HARDWARE

“Computer hardware is anything that is tangible. Anything that you touch is considered
hardware. For example this document was typed on a using a word processing program. The
document on the computer is called the softcopy. While the is printed copy is called the
hardcopy.”
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Hardware: The Basic Components of a Computer

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Input Devices
• Accept external data or commands
• Send data or commands to the processor
Processing Unit
• Also known as the Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• Executes computer instructions
• Manipulates input data into information people want
Output Devices
• Show people the processed data in understandable terminology
 Amity Business School

Bits & Bytes

The computer only understands two things; those two things are ON and OFF. On is represented by
the number (1), while off is represented by (0). This is based on the Binary number system, these
digits are known as bits.
The word BIT is a contraction of the words Binary dIgiT.

The word BYTE is a contraction of the words BinarY digiTs Eight. This means that one BYTE
consists of eight bits..

Kilobyte – Approximately 1,000 bytes. A kilobyte can store up to 1,024 characters of

information.
Megabyte – Approximately 1 Million bytes. A megabyte can store up to 1 Million
characters of information.
Gigabyte – Approximately 1 Billion bytes. A gigabyte can store up to 1 Billion
characters of information.
 Amity Business School

List of the PC Components

• CPU
• RAM
• ROM chips with BIOS and start-up programs.
• Drives: Hard disk(s), floppy drive(s), CD-ROM, etc.
• Ports, buses and expansion slots.
• Expansion cards: Graphics card (video adapter),
network controller,Sound card, video and TV card.
Internal modem
 Amity Business School

The Processor

• Consists of circuits that interpret and execute

program instructions
• Communicates with the input, output, and
storage devices

Memory
• Holds data after input and before processing
• Holds data after processing but before release to the output device
• Holds programs needed by the CPU
• Secondary storage devices such as disks store data and programs
 Memory
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Primary Secondary

RAM
Random Serial
Access Access
ROM

Disks Magn.
Erasable Permanent Tapes

EPROM EEPROM ROM PROM

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RAM

Random Access Memory is temporary spaced which can be

changed or erased. The RAM being referred to here is the
onboard memory that the CPU uses in order to store information
temporarily. When the computer is turned off the RAM is
completely erased.

ROM

Read Only Memory is permanent memory and cannot be erased,

whether or not the computer is turned off or on. ROM cannot even
be changed the information stored in ROM can only be read and
not updated, It contain instruction for the booting process.
 History of Computers Amity Business School

• Chinese introduced ABACUS around 3000 years B.C.

• In 17th century, A French mathematician Blaize Pascal
produced a mechanical digital calculator, which was
known as adding machine because it could only add and
subtract.
• Charles Babbage, a professor of mathematics gave the
idea of a “Difference Engine” in 1812. Theoretically it
could solve diff. equations. In
1833, he came out with
“ Analytical Engine”. Later this
machine proved to be the
basis of Modern Computer.
 The First Real Computers Amity Business School

• The scientists and mathematicians who designed and

built the first working computers:

Konrad Zuse
John Atanasoff
Howard Aiken
John Mauchly &
J. Presper Eckert
 First Generation (1951-57) Amity Business School

• Vacuum tubes
• Large computers
• Lot of Heat generation
• Extremely slow by today’s standards
• Prone to frequent failure
• Software used: machine and assembly language
• Includes the ABC, Mark I, ENIAC, UNIVAC,
and others of similar design
 Second Generation (1958-63) Amity Business School

• This generation begins with the first computers built with

transistors
• Which are much smaller, use less power, and create less heat than
vacuum tubes.
• As much as a thousand times faster than
first-generation computers
• More reliable, less prone to h/w failure and less expensive
• 1959, introduction of the removable disk pack, providing users
with fast access to stored data.
• Improved I/O devices, COBOL and FORTAN languages
• IBM 1620, IBM 1401
 Amity Business School

Third Generation (1964-69)

• In 1964, computer manufacturers began replacing transistors
with integrated circuits. A integrated circuit is a complete
electronic circuit with Hundreds of transistors packed into a
single integrated circuit on a silicon chip
• Dramatic reduction in size and cost, portable
• Significant increases in reliability, speed, and efficiency
• Mass production techniques to manufacture chips
inexpensively
• OS available with time sharing and multi programming
concepts.
• Introduction of ARPANET and the beginning of the internet.
Fourth Generation (1970-90) Amity Business School

• The most significant advancement during this generation

was the use of the microprocessor
• LSI and VLSI circuit technology (quarter of an inch square
was enough to contain as large number as 300,000
transistors.)
• Complete computer on a chip, very small in size
• Very reliable, much faster
• Radical change in the appearance, capability and
availability of computers
 Fifth Generation (1991-2000 Amity Business School

and beyond)
• Our current generation has been referred to as the “connected
generation”.
• The rapidly expanding Internet, World Wide Web, and the
intranets have created an information super highway, that has
enabled both computer professionals and home computer users
to communicate globally.
 Amity Business School

Classification of Computers
COMPUTERS

DIGITAL ANALOG HYBRID

Purpose wise Size and Performance wise

Embedded Special Super Mainframes Mini Micro

 DIGITAL COMPUTER : A computer that operates on data which is
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represented as binary digits (0s and 1s).All commonly-used
computers are digital.

ANALOG COMPUTER : A computer that uses analog methods to

process data. An analog computer operates with numbers represented
by directly measurable quantities (such as temperature changes or
voltages) which vary continuously, whereas a digital computer works
with signals which are either on or off (binary 0 or 1).All ordinary
computers are digital; analog computers are employed for special
uses
Like scientific applications
HYBID COMPUTER : A computer which is a combination of
analog and digital computer systems. A hybrid computer uses
analog-to-digital conversion and digital-to-analog conversion, and
may input or output either analog or digital data. One use for these
computers is in robotics.
 Supercomputers Amity Business School

• Fastest and most expensive processors on the planet

• Consist of several processors running together thereby making
them immensely faster and powerful.
• Used extensively by government researchers, weather
forecasting, nuclear science etc.
• Some of them are equal
to that of
40,000 micro computers.
• Param, Anurag,
Cray x-MP/14,
 Mainframes / Minicomputers
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Mainframes
• many users can access computer
resources simultaneously using time-
sharing Example : IBM 4381
• Used for processing vast amounts of
data quickly
• Designed for multiple users
• Often known as a server
Minicomputers
• smaller and less expensive than
mainframes, multi-user and also use
time-sharing, MAGNUM
 Special-Purpose Computers Amity Business School

• Special-Purpose
– often attached to sensors to measure
and/or control the environment
– programs etched in silicon so they
can’t be altered (firmware)

• Embedded
– enhance consumer goods
– control a variety of hardware
devices, including robots
 Amity Business School
System Software

System Software releases to the set of programs

which are provided by the manufacturers and
include the operating system, languages, compilers,
data management programs such as disk space
allocation and utilities.
 Operating Systems: Hidden
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Software

• Operating systems tell

computer hardware what to
do
• An operating system is a set
of programs that lies
between applications
software and the computer
hardware
• The supervisor program
loads other operating
programs into memory as
and when needed
 Operating System
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•An Operating System or OS is a software program that enables the

computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer
software. Without a computer Operating System a computer would
be useless.
•An operating system is similar to a government. The components of a
computer system are its hardware, software and data. The operating
system provides the means for the proper use of these resources in the
operation of the computer system.
•We can view an operating system as a resource allocator. A
computer system has many resources (hardware and software) that
may be required to solve a problem: CPU time, memory space, file
storage space, I/O devices and so on. The operating system acts as the
manager of these resources and allocates them to specific programs
and users as necessary for tasks.
 : Amity Business School

Functions of an OS

An OS has 3 main functions:

Proc
Devic essor
e man Mem
• Manage computer resources Oper ory
mana agem
ating
ent mana
• Establish a user interface gem Syste geme
Stora
ent Hous
nt
• Execute and provide services forge m m e kee
anag User ping
applications software emen interf
t ace
 Types Of Operating System Amity Business School

• GUI - Short for Graphical User Interface a GUI Operating

System contains graphics and icons and is commonly
navigated using by using a computer mouse. Below are
some examples of GUI Operating Systems. 
Windows 98, Windows 2000

• CUI - Short for Character User Interface a CUI Operating

System contains command prompt. And we use text
commands for doing all the things. Below are some
examples of GUI Operating Systems. 
DOS, UNIX
 Types Of Operating System Amity Business School

Cont…
Multi-user - A multi-user Operating System allows for multiple
users to use the same computer at the same time and/or different
times Below are some examples of multi-user Operating Systems.
Linux , UNIX , Windows 2000

Multiprocessing - An Operating System capable of supporting

and utilizing more than one computer processor. Below are
some examples of multiprocessing Operating Systems.
Linux, UNIX , Windows 2000
 Types Of Operating System Amity Business School

Cont…

Multitasking - An Operating systems that is capable of

allowing multiple software processes to be run at the same time.
Below are some examples of multitasking Operating Systems.
UNIX, Windows 2000

Multithreading - Operating systems that allow different parts

of a software program to run concurrently. Operating systems
that would fall into this category are:
Linux,UNIX,Windows 2000
 Amity Business School

Programming terminology
• Language Translator
• Assemblers - Assembly Language
• Compiler - C,C++, Java, COBOL
• Interpreter- VB, Basic

Source Program
Compiler Object Code
in High Level
 Communications Amity Business School

• Communications is now mostly via the Internet, but Many businesses

have long been heavy users of communications, among them:

– weather forecasters
– stock brokers
– the government
Office Suites
• Typically include:
– word processing, spreadsheet, database
 Business SoftwareAmity Business School

•Companies often use a mix of off-

the-shelf and custom-made
software
•An aircraft company may use
spreadsheets heavily, but
•They will not find an off-the-shelf
package for designing planes
 Software for a Small Business
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• Accounting (Companies may use accounting software

ranging from a simple spreadsheet to a specialized
accounting package that prints checks and has payroll
capability)
• Writing and advertising (Heavy users of: Word
processing Desktop publishing)
• Customer service
• Keeping up and making contacts
• Making sales presentations