Computers: Tools for an Information Age

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ComputersTools for an Information Age

• An Overview

CIS 105 Mesa Community College
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Topics

• Computer Literacy
• Information Literacy
• Definition of a Computer
• The information processing cycle Input,
  Processing, Output, and Storage
• Categories of computers

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Computer Literacy

• Computers are used everywhere in society home,
  school, work.
• To take full advantage of computers and to be an
  informed consumer, individuals should become
  computer literate.
• Computer Literacy involves having knowledge and
  understanding of computers and their uses.
• Includes being aware of the various components in
  a computer system and understanding how they work
  together (hardware).
• Need to learn to use various applications
  (software).
• Need to know some of the related jargon (RAM,
  Bytes, SATA, etc).

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Information Technology

• Information Technology or IT
• IT is the set of techniques used in information
  handling and retrieval of information
  automatically.
• IT includes computers, telecommunications
  (networks), and software.
• Throughout the course well be looking at the
  various components in detail.

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Information Literacy

• Information Literacy is knowing how to find,
  analyze, evaluate, and use information.
• A lot of information is published or readily
  available on the Internet, including public
  records. Users need to validate the information
  before using it.
• Individuals and businesses collect and store a
  lot of information on their computers.
• It needs to be accurate, organized and
  retrievable in order for it to be useful.
• This means having a good initial design and
  maintaining the data.

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Definition of a Computer

• A computer is an electronic device, operating
  under the control of instructions stored in its
  own memory that accepts data (input) and
  processes it to produce useful information
  (output) that can also be stored for future use.
• A computer system includes all of the hardware
  (including peripheral devices) and software
  installed in a computer.

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Personal Computer System
Peripheral Devicesare the External Devices
System Unit is the case that contains the
internal devices.
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Computer System Components

• Hardware refers to the electronic and mechanical
  components usually tangible
• Software refers to the applications or programs
  that contain instructions that tell the hardware
  what to do.
• Two categories Operating System and Applications
• People
• Computer Engineers design hardware
• Computer programmers write software
• Users purchase and use the hardware and software

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Information Processing Cycle

• A computer systems hardware and software
  support the Information Processing Cycle the
  process of converting raw data to information
  and/or storing.

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Raw Data vs. Information

• Raw Data may include a collection of unorganized
  facts
• Words
• Numbers
• Images
• Sounds

• Information is data that is organized,
  meaningful, and useful
• Reports
• Newsletters
• Receipt or Invoice
• Picture
• Checks

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Why is a Computer Powerful?

• Speed of light... Can calculate, sort, edit text,
  graphics, sound and video very fast.
• Reliability electronic components last a long
  time.
• Power surges or overheating can damage them.
• Most failures are in mechanical devices (hard
  drives).
• Software conflicts cause hardware problems.
• Accuracy given the same input and processes, a
  computer will produce the same output each time.
• Garbage in, Garbage out means that the accuracy
  of a computers output depends on the accuracy of
  the input.
• Storage access to hard drives and other media
  is relatively fast and efficient.
• Computers can be networked to share peripheral
  devices and to facilitate communication.

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Where are Computers Used?

• Everywhere.
• See textbookfor additional examples of how
  computers are used in various careers.

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Computer Categories

• Personal Computers (PC)
• Micros and Workstations
• Notebook
• Portable, laptop, Tablets
• Mobile Devices
• Portable Digital Assistant (PDA ), Handhelds,
  Smart Phones
• Servers
• Web, Print, Network Servers
• Mainframe and Supercomputers (Cray)
• Support many users
• Cluster of computers
• Host applications

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Commercial Computing Timeline

• 1946 The Vacuum Tube
• 1958 Transistors incorporated, but were
  invented in 1947.
• 1964 The Integrated Circuit a
  complete electronic circuit on a small chip of
  silicon.
• 1971 Microprocessor a separate
  general-purpose processor on a chip
• Next slide Apple and IBM

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Commercial Computing Timeline

• 1976 Apple II Computer (Steve Jobs and Steve
  Wozniak)
• 1981 IBM PCs
• IBM shared blue printsso IBM-compatibles
  became available.
• MS-DOS Microsoft Disk Operating System (Bill
  Gates)
• Bill Gates and Paul Allenfounded Microsoft in
  1975
• See Textbook for other significant and more
  recent events

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Sources

• Capron Computers Tools for An Information Age,
  8th Ed. 2003
• Pfaffenberger Computers in Your Future 2003
• Shelly Discovering Computers 2008
• Microsoft Clipart
• Webopedia