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Introduction to Computers

Just What Is a Computer? A computer can: Accept input Process data Store data Produce output Utilize a series of stored instructions to direct the performance of these tasks Use of stored instructions differentiates a computer from many other types of devices

What is Data? Data is something that represents facts, ideas, symbols, characters, images, sounds, statistics or quantities regarding virtually anything Examples of electronic data might be: Text in a web page or Word document Photographs stored on a CD Music stored on your computer A movie stored on a DVD A list of your friend's birthdays stored in a file

Data is not necessarily Information Data is frequently not useful in its raw form A DVD has data but not in a form we can use A list of dates is data but lack meaning and context Information is data that has meaning because it has been translated or given context A movie shown on your TV is information DVD player & TV convert data to a form we can use A list of dates with the heading “My Friend’s Birthdays” is information The heading provides meaning to the data

many Devices Accept Input Calculator (numbers and operations) Car (speed and direction) Thermostat (temperature) Elevator (button "calls" to a floor) DVD player (audio and video signals from DVD)

Sources of Computer Input A computer typically accepts input from: Keyboard (text input) Mouse (move pointer, click to select) Touch screen (if equipped with one) A computer can also accept input from: Microphone (sound) Digital camera (pictures, images) Scanner (pictures, images) CD or DVD (programs, data, music, movies) The Internet (any sort of data)

Many devices Process data A car processes input from the steering wheel A thermostat reacts to changes in temperature A DVD player reads and processes data on a disk Most “processing” is of a mechanical sort Most devices process input in one particular way Inherent in design and very difficult to change What would it take to change your car’s steering mechanism to a joy stick type of approach?

Computers process electronic data Computers process data electronically in a central processing unit or CPU Instructions that determine how data should be processed are contained in a stored program The CPU simply executes the instructions found in the stored program Want to change how your data is processed? Just change the instructions in the stored program The stored program concept makes computers very flexible devices that can be adapted to many tasks

versatility of stored instructions Computers perform a wide variety of tasks Research a topic on the internet (web browsing) Organize findings into a paper (word processing) Listen to music (media player) Discuss findings with a friend (instant messenger) Very different tasks performed by the same device Each task utilizes a different stored program Device reacts very differently for different programs Stored program concept makes computers unique

Is the CPU the “brain” of a computer? CPU executes instructions found in a program Consider someone trying to complete a task What if they needed written instructions to complete any sort of task? What if they still needed those instructions even though they’d done that same task 100 times? Would you consider them “smart”? Where are the real “brains” of a computer?

Computers produce output Output must be information, not just data Therefore, output must be in a form we can use What devices format data in a way we can use? Monitor or touch screen Printer Speakers

Computers store data Computers store vast quantities of data Most other devices store little or no data Computers use 2 different means to store data Memory used to temporarily store data and instructions currently being processed Workspace for current tasks, like your desktop Data in memory is lost if no power Storage retains data on a semi-permanent basis Large amount of data for long-term, like your file cabinet Data in storage retained, even without power

What devices qualify as computers? Your car? A calculator? Your cell phone? A thermostat? A DVD player? An XBox game system?

Types of computers Personal computers are designed for 1 user at a time and include: Desktop Designed to mostly stay in one place Notebook Designed to be a mobile device Tablet Mobile device allowing user to write or type on the screen Lacks a physical keyboard, touch screen used instead

Types of computers Personal electronic devices are computers too: MP3 player – play music and videos PDA – personal digital assistant Send and receive e-mail To do lists, contacts, expenses Browse the world wide web A smart phone combines a PDA, MP3 player, cell phone, & camera all in one device Ongoing trend is to combine different types of electronic devices

Types of computers Mainframe computer A computer designed for many users with the ability to serve a large number of dumb terminals A dumb terminal is an input/output device consisting of a display, keyboard, and possibly a mouse, but no processor or storage devices

Types of computers Supercomputer Used to: Incredibly fast Solves highly complex problems involving thousands of variables Used to: model weather systems, especially hurricanes Code-breaking Complex simulations such as nuclear explosions Supercomputers typically combine the power of thousands of processors and storage devices

Personal computer components A personal computer nearly always consists of: System unit Central processing unit (CPU) Display device (monitor or touch screen) Keyboard (tablet has touch screen based keyboard) Pointing device (mouse, touchpad, or touch screen) Main storage device (hard drive or solid state) CD/DVD drive (desktop & most laptop computers) Network port or WiFi connection for Internet Speakers for sound

Personal computer components You can also add peripheral devices such as: CD/DVD drive if not included with computer Tablets don’t usually include one Some laptops exclude to save size and weight Printer – a requirement for many Scanner – input device to digitize images Often found in multi-function print devices Digital camera Joystick – used in many computer games

A computer needs software Hardware consists of physical components If you can touch it, it’s hardware Software is the stored instructions or programs your computer relies on to tell it what to do Two main types of software: System software - controls all the activities and functions of the computer Application software – performs a specific task needed by a user

Think of it in terms of a house A house has many electrical devices people use such as lights and televisions (applications) These devices use the electrical system supplied by the builder (system software) People use the shower (application) The shower needs the plumbing system (system software) to supply water People use the plumbing and electrical systems indirectly when they use certain devices In computers, system software provides commonly needed services to application software

Compatibility between computers Relies on two factors that determine platform: Processor Operating system – the primary component of system software Application software is always for a given platform Windows apps won’t run on a Linux OS and vice-versa Mac apps won’t run on a Windows OS and vice-versa Windows applications won’t run on a mainframe Both processor and OS are different in that case