1. Introductory Concepts CIS 100: Introduction to Computers Mr. A. Craig Dixon Spring 2006

2. Introductory Concepts2 What is a computer? A general definition A person or device that calculates Includes pre-electricity devices like the abacus and Babbage’s difference engine A modern definition An electronic device that takes data as input and creates information as output

3. Introductory Concepts3 Data vs. Information Data – raw facts and figures, unprocessed actions Information – data that is organized, meaningful and / or useful Metadata – data whose sole purpose is to describe or clarify other data. Metadata helps turn data into information.

4. Introductory Concepts4 Data vs. Information 783159246 783-15-9246 SSN: 783-15-9246 John Doe’s social security number is 783-15-9246. An example:

5. Introductory Concepts5 Functions of a Computer Accept input Process data Produce output Store and retrieve data

6. Introductory Concepts6 Components of a Computer Hardware – devices that can be physically manipulated by the user Examples: keyboard, mouse, monitor, printer Software – instructions (programs) to be executed by the computer Examples: Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Word, Norton Anti-virus

7. Introductory Concepts7 Types of hardware Internals Peripherals Media

8. Introductory Concepts8 Internal hardware Typically not manipulated by the user Handles data processing Tasks are usually subdivided Processor – does the bulk of the processing Math co-processor – handles math operations Video card – performs display-related calculations Sound card – passes data to sound devices Most hardware, both internal and external, is connected to the motherboard, which is itself internal hardware.

9. Introductory Concepts9 Peripheral hardware Connected to the system unit via wires or infrared signals May be manipulated by the user Divided into two categories Input devices Output devices

10. Introductory Concepts10 Input devices Convert analog data from the user (keystrokes, mouse movements, voice, etc.) into a form the computer can understand Includes keyboard, mouse, scanner, camera, and microphone

11. Introductory Concepts11 Output devices Convert data from the computer to a form that can be understood by the user. Includes monitor, printer, and speakers

12. Introductory Concepts12 Hardware Summarized Hardware Internal External InputOutputHardware Motherboard, video card, sound card, etc. Keyboard, mouse, camera, microphone, etc. Printer, speakers, monitor, etc.

13. Introductory Concepts13 Types of Software Application software Utilities System software Malware

14. Introductory Concepts14 Application software Allows the user to manipulate data and create information Most software is application software Examples: Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, and PowerPoint, Adobe Photoshop, games, etc.

15. Introductory Concepts15 Utilities Manipulate data based on parameters specified by the user Often perform maintenance tasks or file format conversions May be included as part of a larger application Examples: Norton Anti-virus, WinZip, Nero, Disk Defragmenter, Ad-Aware

16. Introductory Concepts16 System software Consists of BIOS, operating system, and drivers BIOS – Basic Input / Output System; executed first on boot-up Operating system – Allows the computer to respond to user commands Examples: Microsoft Windows, MacOS, Linux, OS/2, Solaris Drivers – Tells the computer how to utilize certain pieces of hardware Some devices that require drivers: Mice, sound cards, video cards, printers

17. Introductory Concepts17 Plug-and-Play Drivers Beginning with Windows 95, the Windows operating system shipped with a set of standard hardware drivers called plug-and-play drivers. Hardware manufacturers created their products to use these standard drivers rather than shipping proprietary drivers with their products. Windows can detect plug-and-play hardware as soon as it is connected to the computer, even on the fly. Since the plug-and-play drivers are already present, the user can begin using the hardware immediately.

18. Introductory Concepts18 Malware Software intended to cause annoyance or damage Often installed covertly along with an application Examples: Viruses, worms, Trojan horses, adware, and spyware

19. Introductory Concepts19 Media Hardware on which data is stored May be inside the system unit, connect directly to the system unit, or require a disk drive to be read Includes floppy disks, Zip disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, flash memory, RAM, ROM, hard disks, and tape backups Floppy disks, Zip disks, and tape backups are magnetic media (data is stored on a thin layer of rust.) Hard disks, CD-ROMs and DVDs are optical media (read by a laser) RAM and ROM connect directly to the motherboard inside the system unit

20. Introductory Concepts20 Measuring storage capacity All forms of media have a maximum capacity, measured in bytes. Metric prefixes are used to denote large numbers of bytes. Kilobyte (KB) = 1024 bytes Megabyte (MB) = ~1,000,000 bytes Gigabyte (GB) = ~1,000,000,000 bytes Terabyte (TB) = ~1,000,000,000,000 bytes

21. Introductory Concepts21 Breakdown of Media MediaCapacitySpeed RAM 32MB – 2 GBVery fastSelf-contained Hard disk 40 GB – 200 GBFastSelf-contained CDs 650 MB – 1 GBModerateRequires drive DVDs 4.7 GB – 17 GBModerateRequires drive Flash 16 MB – 2 GBModerateEither Zip disk 100 MB – 250 MBSlowRequires drive Floppy 1.44 MBSlowRequires drive