QMCS 110

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QMCS 110

• Joseph A. Komar

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General Purpose Computers

• Entirely Electronic
• Internal Memory
• Program and Data Reside in Memory
• Program and Data Can be Modified

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Types of Computers

• Microcomputers
• Desktop
• Portable -- laptop, notebook, subnotebook, PDA
• Minicomputers
• Mainframes
• Supercomputers

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Information Systems

• People
• Procedures
• Software
• Hardware
• Data
• Purpose Turn Data Into Information

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Functional Elements
Input
Arithmetic
Memory
logic
Output
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Arithmetic Logic Unit

• Four Arithmetic Functions (,-,/,)
• Simple Decisions
• Is this number zero or not
• Is this number bigger than five or not
• Does this code match that code or not

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Control Unit

• Decodes Instruction Codes
• Traffic Cop for Computer Operation
• Synchronizes Operations

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Memory

• Read Only Memory (ROM)
• Very limited in size and intent
• Non-destructible (Always There)
• Used to boot the system
• Used in Lap Tops

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Memory

• Random Access Memory (RAM)
• Relatively Large Amount
• No Power --gt No Data
• Used for Programs and Data

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Memory

• Basic Building Block

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Memory

• Terminology

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Memory

• Kilobyte -- Thousands of Bytes
• Megabytes -- Millions of Bytes
• Gigabytes -- Billions of Bytes
• Terabytes -- Trillions of Bytes

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Input Devices

• Keyboard

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Input Devices

• Magnetic Tape
• Used Primarily for Backup

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Input Devices

• Disks - diskettes, hard disk, CD-ROM

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Input Devices

• Scanners -- Text and Graphics

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Input Devices

• Others
• Readers of all kinds
• Interface devices
• Video, Audio, etc.

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Output Devices

• Display Screen - CRT, Plasma, etc.

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Output Devices

• Magnetic Media
• Tape
• Disk
• CD -- WORM Drives

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Output Devices

• Dot Matrix Printer

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Output Devices

• Ink Jet and Bubble Jet
• Low Cost
• Color
• Print Media Needs

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Output Devices

• Laser Printers

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Thermal Printers

• Heat Elements
• Heat Sensitive paper
• Very High Quality Color
• Relatively Expensive

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Output Devices

• Others
• Plotters
• Film
• Video, Audio, etc.

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Hardware Components

• Processor - micro, mainframe, etc.
• Memory
• Bus and Channels
• Input/output Ports and Channels

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Software

• Operating System
• Basic operational tasks
• Easier Interface
• Dependent on hardware
• Specific to processor type
• MS DOS, Mac OS, NT, Unix, OS/2, VMS, etc.

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Software

• Programming Languages
• Machine Language
• Assemblers
• Compilers, Interpreters, etc.

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Software

• Software Tools
• Word Processing
• Spreadsheets
• Data Base Managers
• Graphics
• Presentation
• Communications, etc.

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Software

• Power Tools
• Personal Information Managers
• Groupware
• Project Management
• Desktop Publishing
• Multimedia
• Artificial Intelligence

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Software

• Applications Packages
• Accounting Packages
• Office Management
• Student Records
• Genealogy
• Investment Management
• Food Service Management, etc.

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What Should I Buy?

• What do you want to do with it?
• How much can you afford to spend?
• How much time do you want to devote to it?
• What kind of service and warranty are available?
• Is there training available?

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What Should I Buy?

• Megahertz -- the faster the better
• RAM -- the more the better
• Hard Disk -- the more the better
• Modem -- the faster the better
• Packaged Software -- do you need it?
• CD-ROM -- of course

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Data Communications

• Theme -- DIGITAL, DIGITAL, DIGITAL!
• On Campus -- FASTnet
• Off Campus
• Dial In Serial Line to UST
• SLIP/PPP from outside vendor to UST
• Commercial Services

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Data Communications

• Modems (MOdulation-DEModulation)
• External
• Internal
• Wireless
• FAX
• Rated at BAUD bits per second

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Data Communications

• Channels
• Telephone Lines (twisted pair)
• Coaxial Cable
• Fiber-Optic Cable
• Microwave
• Satellites

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Data Communications

• Transmission
• Bandwidth -- voice, medium, broad
• Serial versus Parallel
• Simplex, half duplex, duplex
• Asynchronous versus Synchronous
• Protocols -- TCP/IP, IPX, SNA, etc.

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Serial Versus Parallel
Serial One bit at a time through one wire.
Parallel Multiple bits at a time
through multiple wires.
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Simplex, Half Duplex, Duplex
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Asynchronous and Synchronous
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Star Topology
Nodes directly connected to a central server.
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Bus Topology
All nodes connected to a common bus where traffic
can go in either direction.
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Ring Topology
All nodes connected one to the next one.
Traffic flows in one direction only around the
ring.
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Hierarchical Topology
Traffic flows up and down the hierarchy of
machines.
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Data Communications

• Architectures
• Terminal network system
• Peer-to-peer networks
• Client/server networks
• Types -- LAN, MAN, WAN

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How to Get Future Handouts

• Go to any machine that has both a WWW browser and
  the Microsoft Office Suite (Word and Power Point)
• Open the WWW site KOMAR.CS.STTHOMAS.EDU
• Follow the links to get handouts

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How to Get Future Handouts

• When downloading files one of two things can be
  done
• It may open the application to view the handout
• SAVE AS a file on your disk
• It may just download the file to disk
• Save it to your disk
• Print Power Point Handouts (3 per page) and not
  the slides