Laurie Shteir Temple University CIS Dept. Fasttrack to Computers

What do Computers Do??? ä A recipe following machine ä Example of a program in English - 6 instructions (the program), with 2 variables (J and K - the data). ä 1. move the number 1 into box J ä 2. move the number 1 into box K ä 3. output (print) the number in box J ä 4. add 2 to the number in box K ä 5. add the number in box K to the number in box J ä 6. go to step 3

Personal Computer

Computer System Computer System  Computer  Hardware  Software  Categories  Personal Computer  Mobile Computers and mobile devices  Game Consoles  Servers  Mainframes  Supercomputers  Embedded computer

Information  Information Technology(IT) is defined as a set of tools that helps you work with information and perform tasks related to information processing  What are some important qualities  Accuracy  Timeliness  Relevancy  Organization

Software Software ä Application Software ä Written to solve a particular problem or perform a specific operation ä Mac Write, EXCEL, FoxPro ä System Software ä Designed to coordinate the computers operations. It manages the activities and allows us to utilize its capabilities. A large portion of system software is called the Operating System ä DOS, Windows (Windows 3.0, 3.1, 3.11) ä Windows95, Windows 98, Windows Me ä Windows NT, Windows 2000 Professional ä Windows XP (new look, redesigned start menu, multiple user accounts, more networking features built in)

Categories of Computers ä Personal Computer ä Desktop, tower model, workstation, laptop ä Geared towards one user or connected to a network ä Around a 1, ä Several Hundred to several thousand ä Basic building block is called the processor ä PC(Windows) ä Apple Macintosh (Mac OS) ä Mobile Computers and Mobile Devices ä Laptop Computer (notebook), tablet PC, handheld computer,PDAs, smartphones ä A Mobile Computer:Personal Computer that you carry ä Mobile Device: Device small enough to fit in your hand ä Usually geared towards one person

Categories of Computers Game Consoles StandardHandheld Few Hundred dollars or less Mainframe Large, Powerful, expensive Partial room to a full room Can support hundreds to thousands of users $300,000 – several million Servers Controls access to hardware and software on a network Provides centralized storage Support up to several thousand connected computers Supercomputers Fastest and most powerful Scientific and large scale applications in medicine, aerospace, weather forecasting, nuclear energy

Categories of Computers ä Embedded Computer ä Component to a larger computer ä Consumer Electronics ä Home Appliances ä Office Machines

How are Computers Used ä Home Users ä Desktop Computers, PDAs, Productivity Software, Browser Software, Entertainment, ä Small Office/Home Office ä Desktop Computer, PDAs, Shared Network Printer, Productivity Software, Personal information manager, Company specific software, Browser software and ä Mobile Users ä Notebook computer + modem or a Tablet PC, Video Projector, Web-enabled PDA/smart phone, presentation software, Personal information Manager, Browser software, , company specific software ä Large Business Users ä Midrange server or mainframe, desktop or notebook computer, PDA,Productivity software, Personal information manager, Network software, Web Browser, , Company specific software ä Power Users ä Workstations to design plans, produce applications, create graphic art and multimedia, WEB based products, Desktop Publilshing, Multimedia authoring, computer aided design, Photo editing, Personal information Manager, Browser Software,

Personal Computer System Personal Computer System ä Input Hardware: Keyboard & Mouse ä Processing & Memory Hardware: Case, Power Supply, Processor Chip, Memory Chips, Motherboard, Expansion Slots ä Storage Hardware: Floppy Drive, Hard Drive, CD/DVD Drive ä Output Hardware: Monitor, Speakers, Printer, Video and Sound Cards ä Communications Hardware: Modem and Network

Software Copyrighted Software Software License Licenses for more than one person Site License Shareware Freeware Public-Domain Software Rental Software

Copyright Debate ä MP3 Digital music (Moving Picture Expert Group Layer 3) Issues File size Mobility Piracy Record Industry

Gift of Fire Gift of Fire äAutomates tasks to be more accurate, easier and faster äEnhances communication äChanges the way we live and do business äSecurity äPrivacy äDependency on large systems

Acronyms ä URLUniform Resource Locator ä GUIGraphical User Interface ä Transfer Protocol ä HTML:Hypertext Markup Language