Computer Basics and Operating

Systems

introductory presentationprepared by Ms. Devery Rodgers, M.Ed.

National University

Hardware and SoftwareHardware refers to objects that you can actually touch, like disks, disk drives, display screens, keyboards, printers, boards, and chips. In contrast, software is untouchable. Software exists as ideas, concepts, and symbols, but it has no substance.

Books provide a useful analogy. The pages and the ink are the hardware,

while the words, sentences, paragraphs, and the overall meaning are the software. A computer without

software is like a book full of blank pages -- you need software to make

the computer useful just as you need words to make a book meaningful.

Bits and Bytes

Computers don’t speak English. Their language is binary. Binary language consists of combinations of 1's and 0's that represent characters of other languages (in our case, the English language). We refer to these 1's and 0's because it’s easier than visualizing positive and negative current flows or open and closed circuits which is what actually happens inside computers. A combination of eight bits represents one character in our language. One character in our language (eight bits) is referred to as a byte. (For example: 01000001 is a byte that represents an uppercase A; each 1 or 0 is a bit.)

Computer MemoryKilobytes, Megabytes, and Gigabytes

If you understand that a byte is one character in binary language, you’ve got it made

because:

1000 bytes =1 K (1,000 characters = 1 kilobyte)

1,000,000 bytes =1 meg (MB) (1,000,000 characters = 1 megabyte)

1,000,000,000 bytes =1 gig (GB) (1,000,000,000 characters = 1 gigabyte)

1,000,000,000,000 bytes =1 tera (TB) (1,000,000,000,000 characters = 1 terabyte)

The Apple II was the first true "personal computer.“ It was factory built, in-expensive and easy to learn and use. Provided with the most extensive set of software and low cost floppy disks, the Apple II was also the first personal computer capable of color graphics and easy modem operation. Development of  the Visicalc spreadsheet program created a business tool that made adoption of Apple II a regular part of business.

Radio Shack's TRS-80 selling for about $500 complete with video monitor and BASIC took the personal computer market by storm.  It used a Z-80 processor cassette recorder for program and data storage. Later models incorporated disk drives and more memory. The Model III, housed in one case, became the most popular personal computer in schools and homes, rivaling the Apple II.  Radio Shack also built other types of personal computers including the first practical laptop, the Model 100.

Apple vs. IBM

IBMs and Macintoshes

Parts of a Computer System

Input Devices

Output Devices

Processing Component

s

Storage Devices

Input and Output DevicesWhatever goes into the computer is input. Input can take a variety of forms, from commands you enter from the keyboard to data from another computer or device. A device that feeds data into a computer, such as a keyboard or mouse, is called an input device.

Anything that comes out of a computer is output. Output can be

meaningful information or gibberish, and it can appear in a variety of

forms -- as binary numbers, as characters, as pictures, and as printed pages. Output devices

include display screens, loudspeakers, and printers.

external modem

internal modem

Input Devices

digital camera

digitizing tablet

HMD (head-mounted display)

IrDA (infared data)

joystick

keyboard

light pen

lip stick/puff stick

microphone

mouse

pointing stick

scanner

stylus

tablet

touchpad

Trackball

webcam

Output Devices

display screens/monitors

printers

speakers

Storage DevicesInternal and External Memory

InternalROM

(Read-Only Memory)Basic InstructionsCannot be erased

RAM(Random-access

Memory)Working Memory

Erased when turned off

External5.25-inch disksused with first PCs

used before hard disk drives

3.5-inch diskspopular floppies

zip disks1 year in, 1 year out

CD-Rpresent rage

Memory SticksUSB port dream

Any Questions?

Which of these is an output device?

speakers

bits

Zip disk

What category does a modem fall under?

Platform

Storage Device

Input Device

Which is an example of software?

Hard disk

printer

Windows XP

Which storage device holds the most data?

CD-R

3.5-inch floppy

Hard Drive

Which of these is an input device?

keyboard

printer

floppy disk

Which would be an example of hardware?

Macintosh

mouse

Windows 2000

Which platform was created first?

Macintosh

IBM

Apple

Which byte term holds the most data?

gigabyte

terrabyte

kilobyte

Nope, try again.

Whoopee-zow-wee!Correct answer!