Extended Learning Module A

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• Extended Learning Module A
• Computer Hardware and Software

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Presentation Overview

• A Quick Tour of Technology
• Categories of Computers by Size
• Software Your Intellectual Interface
• Hardware Your Physical Interface
• The Complete Computer At Work

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Introduction

• Information technology (IT) computer-based tool
  that people use to work with information and
  support the information and information-processing
  needs of an organization.
• Hardware the physical devices that make up a
  computer.
• Software the set of instructions that your
  hardware executes to carry out a specific task
  for you.
• See the PDA, scanner, and monitor photos in
  Figure A.1

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A Quick Tour of Technology

• Six categories of hardware
• Input device
• Output device
• Storage device
• Central processing unit (CPU)
• Telecommunications device
• Connecting device
• See photos of devices in Figure A.2

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A Quick Tour of Technology

• Software types include
• Application software - solves specific problems
  or perform specific tasks.
• System software - handles tasks specific to
  technology management.
• Operating system software - controls application
  software and manages hardware devices.
• Utility software - provides additional
  functionality to the operating system.

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Categories of Computers By SizePersonal Digital
Assistants, Notebook Computers, and Desktop
Computers

• Personal digital assistant (PDA) - small
  hand-held computer that surfs the Web and
  performs simple tasks.
• Notebook computer - a fully functional computer
  that runs on battery power.
• Desktop computer - the most popular choice.
• See Figure A.4

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Categories of Computers By SizeMinicomputers,
Mainframe Computers, and Supercomputers

• Minicomputer used in a small to medium-size
  business environment.
• Mainframe computer used in a large business
  environment.
• Supercomputers - the fastest, most powerful, and
  most expensive type of computer.
• Notice Supercomputer photo from A.5

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Software Your Intellectual InterfaceApplication
Software

• Application software is used to meet specific
  information-processing needs, including such
  things as
• Payroll
• Customer relationship management
• Project management
• Training
• Word processing and many others.

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Software Your Intellectual InterfaceApplication
Software

• Personal productivity software - performs
  personal tasks, including such things as
  creating
• Memos
• Graphs
• Slide presentations

Team Work
Buying Personal Productivity Software Suites
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Software Your Intellectual InterfaceApplication
Software

• Vertical market software - unique to a particular
  industry. Examples include
• Patient-scheduling software
• Nursing allocation software
• Horizontal market software - general enough to be
  suitable for use in a variety of industries.
  Examples include
• Inventory management software
• Payroll software

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Software Your Intellectual InterfaceSystem
Software

• Operating system software - controls application
  software and manages how hardware devices work
  together.
• Microsoft Windows 2000 Pro
• Microsoft Windows 2000 ME
• Microsoft Windows XP Home
• Microsoft Windows XP Pro
• Mac OS
• Linux

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Software Your Intellectual InterfaceSystem
Software

• Utility software - adds additional functionality
  to the operating system.
• Anti-virus software
• Crash-proof software
• Uninstaller software
• Disk optimization software

Team Work
Evaluating Utility Software Suites
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Hardware Your Physical Interface

• Binary digit (bit) - the smallest unit of
  information.
• ASCII (American Standard Code for Information
  Interchange) - the coding system that most
  personal computers use to represent, process, and
  store information.
• Byte - a group of eight bits represents one
  natural language character.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceCommon Input
Devices

• Input device - a tool you use to capture
  information and commands. Examples include
• Keyboard
• Point-of-sale (POS)
• Microphone
• Mouse
• Trackball
• Pointing stick
• Touch pad
• Touch screen
• Bar code reader
• Optical mark recognition (OMR)
• Scanner

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceCommon Output
Devices

• Output device - a tool you use to see, hear, or
  otherwise accept the results of your
  information-processing requests.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceCommon Output
Devices

• CRTs look like television sets.
• Flat-panel displays thin, lightweight monitors
  that take up much less space than CRTs.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceCommon Output
Devices

• Resolution of a screen number of pixels it has.
• Dot pitch the distance between the centers of a
  pair of like-colored pixels.
• Resolution of a printer - the number of dots per
  inch (dpi) it produces, which is the same
  principle as the resolution in monitors.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceCommon Output
Devices

• Inkjet printers make images by forcing ink
  droplets through nozzles.
• Laser printers form images using an
  electrostatic process.
• Multifunction printers scan, copy, and fax, as
  well as print.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceCharacteristics
of CPUs and RAM

• CPU
• Speed measured in megahertz (MHz) and gigahertz
  (GHz).
• Contains control unit and arithmetic/logic unit
  (A/L unit) - see Fig A.12
• RAM
• Capacity measured in megabytes (millions of
  characters)

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceCommon Storage
Devices

• Common storage devices include
• Floppy disk
• High-capacity floppy disk
• Hard disk
• CD-ROM
• CD-R (compact disc recordable)
• CD-RW (compact disc rewritable)
• DVD-ROM
• DVD-R
• DVD-RW, or DVD-RAM, or DVDRW (all different
  names by different manufacturers)

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceTelecommunicatio
ns Devices

• Network - two or more computers connected so that
  they can communicate with each other and possibly
  share information, software, peripheral devices,
  and/or processing power.
• Telephone modem - a device that connects your
  computer to your phone line so that you can
  access another computer or network.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceTelecommunicatio
ns Devices

• Types of modems include
• Telephone modem
• Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) modem
• Cable modem
• Satellite modem
• Module E covers these in more detail.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceTelecommunicatio
ns Devices

• Communication software includes
• Connectivity software enables you to use your
  computer to dial up or connect to another
  computer.
• Web browser software enables you to surf the
  Web.
• E-mail software enables you to electronically
  communicate with other people by sending and
  receiving e-mail.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceConnecting
Devices

• Connecting devices enable your hardware to
  communicate with each other.
• Busses system and expansion.
• Expansion slots and cards.
• Ports and connectors USB, serial, parallel, and
  IrDA

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceConnecting
Devices

• Popular connectors include
• USB (universal serial bus) the most popular
  means of connecting devices to a computer.
• Serial connector usually has 9 holes but may
  have 25, which fit into the corresponding number
  of pins in the port.
• Parallel connector has 25 pins, which fit into
  the corresponding holes in the port.

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Hardware Your Physical InterfaceConnecting
Devices

• IrDA (infrared data association) ports are for
  wireless devices that work in essentially the
  same way as the remote control on your TV does.

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Putting it all together

• See example program on pp. 64-5.
• Describes simple program for adding two numbers
• Describes how the CPU processes the program
  statements to give output

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See you in class!