- Chapter 1
All computers take in information called input and give out information called output
The computer’s versatility is built upon its:
- Hardware : The pysichal part
- Software: The instructions that tells hardware how to transform the input data (information in a form it can read) into the necessary output.
- 1939: Konrad Zuse completed the first programmable, general-purpose digital computer.
- At about the same time, the British government was assembling a top-secret team of mathematicians and engineers to crack Nazi military codes.
- 1943: The team led by mathematician Alan Turing and others completed Colossus, considered by many to be the first electronic digital computer.
- 1939: Iowa State University professor John Atanasoff developed what could have been the first electronic digital computer, the Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC).
- 1944: Thanks to a one million dollar grant from IBM, Harvard professor Howard Aiken developed the Mark I.
Trainsistors replaced vacuum tubes starting in 1956,by the mid-1960s transistors were replaced by intergrated circuits.
Integrated circuits brought:
- Increased reliability
- Smaller size
- Higher speed
- Higher efficiency
- Lower cost
- Desktop computer
- Embedded computer
- Personal computer
- Mainframes
- Supercomputer
- Chapter 2
Basic Functions of a Computer :
- Receive input : Accept information from the outside world
- Process information : Perform arithmetic or logical operations on information
- Produce output : Communicate information to the outside world
- Store information : Move and store information in memory
- Input devices : Keyboards and pointing devices
- Output devices : Display, Printer and speakers
- Central Processing Unit (CPU)
- ASCII
- Unicode
- Byte = 8 bits
- Kilobyte = 1 thousands bytes
- Megabyte = 1 milion bytes
- Gigabyte = 1 billion bytes
- Terabytes = 1 trillion bytes
- Used to store program instructions and data temporarily
- Unique addresses anda data can be stored in any location
- Can quickly retrieve information
- Will not remain if power goes off (volatile)
- Information stored permanently on a chip
- Contains startup instructions and other permanent data
- Special low-energy kind of RAM
- Used for phones,pagers,portable computers and PDAs
- Chapter 3
- Keyboard : used to enter letters, numbers, and special characters
- Pointing Devices : like mouse, touchpad, pointing stick
- Reading Tools : read marks representing codes specially designed for computer input
- Screen Output
- Paper Output
- Fax Machines and Fax Modems
- Sound Card
- Synthesizers
- Chapter 4
- Supports multitasking
- Manages virtual memory
- Maintains file system
- Responsible for authentication and author-Win
- Windows Vista
- Windows Server 2003
- Windows XP
- Windows ME
- Microsoft Windows CE
- Mac OS X
- Mac OS 9
- Linux,Unix
- Chapter 5
- One of the pioneers of the computer hardware and software
- Working with a word processor involves several steps : entering text, editing text, formatting the document, proofreading the document, saving the document on disk, printing the document
- Even though the computer was designed to work with numbers, it can be an important tool for working with words as well.
- Word processing software enables you to use commands to edit text on screen, without having to retype messages.
- Outlining software, spell checkers, and online references can be very helpful.
- Desktop publishing produces professional-quality text-and-graphics documents.
- Spreadsheets can be used for tracking, calculating, forecasting, and almost any other task that involves repetitive numeric calculations. Most spreadsheet programs have charting capabilities.
- Specialized software allows you to perform accounting tasks, tax preparation, and a variety of business functions without the aid of spreadsheets.
- Symbolic mathematic and statistical-analysis software can help present data in meaningful ways.
- Scientific visualization software can help us understand relationships that are invisible to the naked eye.
- Computer modeling and simulation can be powerful tools for understanding the world and making better decisions.
- Chapter 6
Palette of tools mimics real-world painting tools
Bitmapped graphics : pictures that show how the pixels are mapped on the screen.
Color depth : the number of bits devoted to each pixel.
Resolution : the density of the pixels
Computer Aided Design (CAD) software: Allows engineers, designers, and architects to create designs on screen for products ranging from computer chips to public buildings, can test product prototypes , Cheaper, faster, and more accurate than traditional design-by-hand techniques
Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) is the process by which data related to the product design are fed into a program that controls the manufacturing of parts.
Computer-Integrated Manufacturing (CIM) refers to the combination of CAD/CAM and is a major step toward a fully automated factory.
Analog and Digital Video : A video digitizer can convert analog video signals from a television broadcast or videotape into digital data
Audio digitizer – captures sound and stores it as a data file
Synthesizer – an electronic instrument that synthesizes sounds using mathematical formulas
MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) – standard interface that allows electronic instruments and computers to communicate with each other
- Chapter 7
A database: A collection of information stored on computer disks
Advantages offered by computerized databases:
- Make it easier to store large quantities of information
- Make it easier to retrieve information quickly and flexibly
- Make it easy to organize and reorganize information
- Make it easy to print and distribute information in a variety of ways
- Import: receive data in the form of text files
- Browse: navigate through information
- Query: find records that match specific criteria
- Batch processing: users accumulate transactions and input them into the computer in large batches
- Real-Time computing: allows instant access to information
- Interactive processing: has replaced batch processing for most applications
o Users can now interact with data through terminals, viewing and changing values online in real-time.
o Batch processing is still used for jobs in which it makes sense to do a lot of transactions at once.
- Data Mining:
- The discovery and extraction of hidden predictive information from large databases
- Uses statistical methods and artificial intelligence technology
