INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

Introduction to the World of Computers

Lecture 1
 TOPICS to be COVERED
1.1 Introduction to the World of Computer & Computer in your Life

1.2 Data vs Information and Generation of Computers

1.3 Parts of Computer System: Hardware, Software and Users

1.4 Categories of Computer

1.5 Computer Networks and the Internet

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 UNIT 1.1

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers in Your Life

Why learn about computers?

Pervasive computing
Also known as ubiquitous computing
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

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 4
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 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 60% of US households include a computer, and most use computers at work
Electronic devices are converging into single units with multiple capabilities

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 5
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers in the Home
Computers used for a variety of tasks:
Looking up information and news
Exchange e-mail
Shopping and paying bills
Downloading music and movies
Organizing digital photographs
Playing games
Telecommuting
Convergence
The computer has become the central part of home entertainment
Dual-mode mobile phones

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 6
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers in the Home

Wireless networking
Computers can be used in nearly any location
Smart appliances
Traditional appliances with built-in computer or communication technology
Smart homes
Household tasks are monitored and controlled by a main computer in the
house

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 7
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers in Education
K-12 schools now use the computer as an overall student-based
learning tool
Colleges and universities are even more integrated
Classrooms, computer labs, dorms, libraries
Wireless hotspots and Internet assignments
Teachers
Prepare handouts, exams, and class presentations
Maintain course Web pages
Distance learning
Students participate from locations other than the traditional
classroom setting using computers and Internet access

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 8
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers in the Workplace
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

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 9
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers on the Go
Computers are encountered in nearly every as-
pect of daily life
Portable PCs and handheld computers
Wi-Fi hotspots and Internet cafes
ATM machines and retail stores
Self-checkout systems and consumer kiosks
M-commerce systems
GPS systems

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 10
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 What Is a Computer and What Does It Do?
Computer: A programmable, electronic device that ac-
cepts 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

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 11
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 UNIT 1.2

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 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

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 13
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers Then and Now
The computer as we know it is a fairly recent invention
The history of computers is often referred to in terms of gen-
erations
Each new generation is characterized by a major technological de-
velopment

Pre computers and early computers (before 1945)

Abacus, slide rule, mechanical calculator
Punch Card Tabulating Machine and Sorter

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 14
Morley and Charles S. Parker.] 14
 Computers Then and Now
First-generation computers (1946-1957)
Based on vacuum tubes
Large in size
Used machine language (i.e. 1's and 0's)
Used punched cards for input output was printed on
paper
First-generation computers could solve only one problem at a
time because they needed to be physically rewired with cables to
be reprogrammed
Used a great deal of electricity, and generated a lot of heat
used for scientific and research purposes
Examples are ENIAC and UNIVAC

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 15
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers Then and Now
Second-generation computers (1958-1963)
Used transistors
Computers were smaller, more powerful, cheaper, more efficient,
and more reliable
Assembly language and a high-level language FORTRAN were in-
troduced
Punch cards and magnetic tape were used to input and store
data
Used for commercial productions, scientific and engineering
analysis and design
Examples are IBM 7094 and IBM 1401.

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 16
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers Then and Now
Third-generation computers (1964-1970)
Used integrated circuits (ICs)
Keyboards and monitors introduced
Less expensive
Pascal and COBOL were used
The use of computers was extended to database management and
automatic industrial control.
Examples are IBM 360 and IBM 370.

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 17
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers Then and Now
Fourth-generation computers (1971-present)
Use microprocessors
Use keyboards, mice, monitors, and printers
Use magnetic disks, flash memory, and optical disks for storage
More high-level languages were introduced like C, C++, Java, etc.
These computers are used in almost every field of life, like space
applications, business and art work
Computer networks, wireless technologies, Internet introduced
Examples are IBM PC, Apple Macintosh

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 18
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers Then and Now

Fifth-generation (now and the future)

Infancy stage
Devices are still being developed
No precise classification
May be based on artificial intelligence (AI)
The branches of AI include; Machine Learning, Deep Learning.
Natural Language Processing, Robotics and Expert Systems
Likely use voice input

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 19
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 UNIT 1.3

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 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 and plug
into ports located on the exterior of the
system unit
Hardware associated with all five
computer operations

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 21
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Hardware
Input devices
Used to input data into the computer
Keyboards, scanners, cameras, microphones, joysticks,
finger print readers etc.
Processing devices
Perform calculations and control computer’s operation
Central processing unit (CPU) and memory
Output devices
Present results to the user
Monitors, printers, speakers, projectors, etc.

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 22
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Hardware

Storage devices
Used to store data on or access data from storage media
Hard drives, DVD disks and drives, USB flash drives, etc.
Communications devices
Allow users to communicate with others and to electronically ac-
cess information
Modems, network adapters, etc.

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 23
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Software

Software: The programs or instructions used to tell the computer

hardware what to do
System software: The programs that allow a computer to operate
Operating system:
Boots the computer and launches programs at the user’s direction
Most use a GUI to interact with the user via windows, icons, menus,
buttons, etc.
Windows, Mac OS, Linux, etc.

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 24
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Software

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 25
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Application Software
Application software: Performs specific
tasks or applications
Creating letters, budgets, etc.
Managing inventory and customer databases
Editing photographs
Scheduling appointments
Viewing Web pages
Sending and receiving e-mail
Recording / playing CDs
Designing homes
Playing games

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 26
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computer Users and Professionals

Computer users (end users)

People who use a computer to obtain information

Computer professionals include:

Programmers
Systems analysts
Computer operations personnel

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 27
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 UNIT 1.4

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computers to Fit Every Need
Six basic categories of computers
Embedded computers
Mobile devices
Personal computers
Midrange servers
Mainframe computers
Supercomputers

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 29
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Embedded Computers
Embedded computer: Embedded into a product and designed to per-
form specific tasks or functions for that product
Cannot be used as general-purpose computers
Often embedded into:
Household appliances
Thermostats
Sewing machines
A/V equipment
Cars

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 30
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Mobile Devices
Mobile device: A very small device
with some type of built-in computing or
Internet capability
Typically based on cellular phones
Examples:
Smart phones
Smart watches
Handheld gaming devices
Portable digital media players

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 31
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Personal Computers/Desktop PCs
Personal Computer: A computer system de-
signed to be used by one person at a time
Also called a microcomputer
Can be desktop or portable computers

Desktop PCs: Fit on or next to a desk

Can use tower case, desktop case, or all-in-
one
Can be PC-compatible or Macintosh
Not designed to be portable

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 32
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Portable PC’s
Notebook (laptop) computers
Typically use clamshell design
Tablet PCs
Can be slate tablets or convertible

• Handheld computers
– Size of a paperback book or pocket calculator
– Some include phone capabilities
– Ultra Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC): Fully-functioning handheld

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 33
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Portable PC’s

Most include wireless networking capabilities

Can synch (share information) with a desktop
computer as needed
Can use a docking station or notebook stand as
needed

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 34
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Thin Clients and Internet Appliances
Thin client or network computer (NC): designed to
utilize a company network for much of its processing capa-
bilities. Instead of using local hard drives for storage, pro-
grams are typically accessed from and data is stored on a
network server.
Lower cost and easier maintenance
Limited or no local storage
Not able to function as a computer if network is down
Internet appliance: Specialized network computer de-
signed for Internet access and/or e-mail exchange
Often set-top boxes
Can include Internet-enabled gaming consoles

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 35
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Midrange Servers
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
May consist of a collection of individual circuit
boards called blades (blade servers)

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 36
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Mainframe Computers
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
Located in climate-controlled data centers and
connected to the rest of the company computers via a
network
Larger, more expensive, and more powerful than
midrange servers
Usually operate 24 hours a day
Also called high-end servers or enterprise-class
servers

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 37
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Supercomputers
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
Used for space exploration, missile guidance,
satellites, weather forecast, oil exploration,
scientific research, complex Web sites, decision
support systems, 3D applications, etc.

Grid computing: Using the unused processing

power of a large number of computers to work to-
gether on a single task

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 38
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 UNIT 1.5

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Computer Networks and the Internet
Computer network: A collection of hardware and other devices
that are connected together.
Users can share hardware, software, and data
Users can communicate with each other
Network servers: Manage resources on a network
Clients: Access resources through the network server
Computer networks exist in many sizes and types
Home networks, School and small business networks
Large corporate
Public wireless networks
The Internet

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 40
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 What Are the Internet and the www?
Internet: The largest and most well-known computer net-
work 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 Ex-
plorer, Safari, Firefox, Opera, etc.
A wide variety of information is available through the Web

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 41
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Accessing a Network or the Internet
Need a modem or network adapter
Some networks require a username and password
Internet connections can be:
Direct (always-on) connections
Dial-up connections
Internet addresses are used to access resources on the Internet
IP address: Numeric address that identifies computers (207.46.138.20)
Domain name: Text-based address that identifies computers (microsoft.com)
Uniform resource locator (URL): Identifies Web pages (http://www.pbskids.org)
E-mail address: Identifies people for e-mail exchange ([email protected])

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 42
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 IP Addresses and Domain Names
IP addresses are numeric and unique
Domain Names: Correspond to IP addresses
Top-level domains (TLDs) identifies type of organization
or its location

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 43
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)
URL: Uniquely identifies a Web page
URLs are text addresses used to access websites. A URL is
typed into a browser address bar using the following format:
protocol://website address/path/file name
The protocol is usually either http or https.
The website address is:
» domain host (www),
» domain name (website name),
» domain type (.com, .org, .net, .gov, for example),
» and sometimes country code (.uk, .de, .cy, for example).

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 44
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)
The path is the web page, but is often omitted and it then becomes
the root
directory of the website (see example below).
The file name is the item on the web page. For example:
https://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/ict

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 E-Mail Addresses
E-mail addresses consist of:
Username: A persons’ 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

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 46
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Surfing the Web
Web browser: Used to display Web pages
Browser home page: The first page displayed
when the browser is opened
To load 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 His-
tory list

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 47
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Searching the Web

Search site: Web page that helps you find

Web pages containing the in formation you are
seeking
Typically search using keywords
Reference sites: Look up addresses,
telephone numbers, ZIP codes, maps, etc.

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 48
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 E-Mail
Electronic mail (e-mail): electronic
messages exchanged via a private network or
the Internet
Can be conventional or Web-based
Can contain photos, attached files, etc.

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 49
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 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
Also risks
Computer viruses
Identity theft and phishing
Privacy issues
Differences in online communications
The anonymity factor
Information integrity (not all information on the Internet is accurate)

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 50
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 Summary

Computers in Your Life

What Is a Computer and What Does It Do
Computers to Fit Every Need
Computer Networks and the Internet
Computers and Society

Reference:
[Book By :Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow 15th International Edition, Deborah 51
Morley and Charles S. Parker.]
 INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

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