Computer Fundamentals and Programming

Computer

A computer is an

electronic programmable device that can store, retrieve and process data A computer is a device that acceptsinformation(i n the form ofdigitalizeddata) and manipulates it for some result based on aprogramor sequence of

Computer
It can
accept data store data process data as

desired, retrieve the stored data as and when required print the result in desired format

Characteristics
Speed Accuracy Automatic Endurance Adaptability / Versatile Reduction of Cost Diligence Power of Remembering No IQ No Feeling Storage

Capabilities
Ability to perform certain logic operations Ability to store and retrieve information Ability to control error Ability to check itself

Capabilities
Computers have the ability to perform arithmetic and logical

operations. Computers have the ability to store or remember a great amount and variety of information and retrieve or recall the information needed almost instantly. Computers have the ability to handle large volumes of repetitive tasks accurately over long periods of time for example, computing the scores of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) exams, Airline Reservation System, Social Security System. Computers can communicate with its operators and other machines. Communication may be in the form of printed output or messages sent on the screen (for example, ATM receipts, downloads/uploads, GPS, traffic control system, computerized packaging system). Computers are capable of remote processing where communication is established between the terminal, which is composed of screen display and keyboard, and the computer, simply by entering instructions in a local terminal

Limitations
It must be checked and repaired from time to

time. It cannot function alone without help from human It cannot think on its own It only understands computer language to execute command

Limitations
Computers are still subject to human direction

and control. They function only when input data and the necessary instructions to process the information have been provided. Computers can detect but generally cannot correct an inaccurate entry on their own. Computers are subject to occasional breakdown or computer malfunctions because of power failure, computer failure, humidity, temperature,maintenance, time, etc.

Classes by Size Classes by Function

Microcomputers (Personal computers)

Amicrocomputeris computer with

microprocessoras itscentral processing unit. They are physically small compared tomainframeand minicomputers. Many microcomputers (when equipped with a keyboard and screen for input and output) are alsopersonal computers(in the generic sense)

Minicomputers (Midrange computers)

Minicomputers are much smaller than mainframe

computers and they are also much less expensive. The cost of these computers can vary from a few thousand dollars to several hundred thousand dollars. They possess most of the features found on mainframe computers, but on a more limited scale. They can still have many terminals, but not as many as the mainframes. They can store a tremendous amount of information, but again usually not as much as the mainframe. Medium and small businesses typically use these computers.

Mainframe
Mainframe computers are very large, often filling an

entire room. They can store enormous of information, can perform many tasks at the same time, can communicate with many users at the same time, and are very expensive. The price of a mainframe computer frequently runs into the millions of dollars. Mainframe computers usually have many terminals connected to them. These terminals look like small computers but they are only devices used to send and receive information from the actual computer using wires. Terminals can be located in the same room with the mainframe computer, but they can also be in different rooms, buildings, or cities. Large businesses, government agencies, and universities

Supercomputer
Asupercomputeris focused on performing tasks

involving intense numerical calculations such as weather forecasting, fluid dynamics, nuclear simulations, theoretical astrophysics, and complex scientific computations. A supercomputer is a computer that is at the frontline of current processing capacity, particularly speed of calculation. The term supercomputer itself is rather fluid, and the speed of today's supercomputers tends to become typical of tomorrow's ordinary computer. Supercomputer processing speeds are measured in floating point operations per second orFLOPS

Servers
Serverusually refers to a computer that is

dedicated to providing a service. For example, a computer dedicated to adatabasemay be called a "database server". "File servers" manage a large collection ofcomputer files. "Web servers" processweb pagesandweb applications. Many smaller servers are actually personal computers that have been dedicated to providing services for other computers.

Workstations
Workstationsare computers that are

intended to serve one user and may contain special hardware enhancements not found on a personal computer.

Information Appliances
Information appliancesare computers

specially designed to perform a specificuserfriendlyfunction such asplaying music,photography, orediting text. The term is most commonly applied tomobile devices, though there are also portable and desktop devices of this class.

Embedded Computers
Embedded computersare computers that are a

part of a machine or device. Embedded computers generally execute aprogramthat is stored innon-volatile memoryand is only intended to operate a specific machine or device. An automobile may contain a number of embedded computers; however, a washing machine and aDVD playerwould contain only one. Thecentral processing units(CPUs) used in embedded computers are often sufficient only for the computational requirements of the specific application and may be slower and cheaper than CPUs found in a personal computer.

Calculating Machines
The first calculating device called ABACUS

was developed by the Egyptian and Chinese people. The word ABACUS means calculating board. It consisted of sticks in horizontal positions on which were inserted sets of pebbles.

Napiers bones
English mathematician John Napier built a

mechanical device for the purpose of multiplication in 1617 A D. The device was known as Napiers bones.

Slide Rule
English mathematician Edmund Gunter

developed the slide rule. This machine could perform operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. It was widely used in Europe in 16th century.

Pascal's Adding and Subtractory Machine

Blaise Pascal developed a machine at the age

of 19 that could add and subtract. The machine consisted of wheels, gears and cylinders.

Leibnizs Multiplication and Dividing Machine

The German philosopher and mathematician

Gottfried Leibniz built around 1673 a mechanical device that could both multiply and divide.

Babbages Analytical Engine

It was in the year 1823 that a famous English

man Charles Babbage built a mechanical machine to do complex mathematical calculations. It was called difference engine. Later he developed a general-purpose calculating machine called analytical engine. Charles Babbage is called the father of computer.

Mechanical and Electrical Calculator

In the beginning of 19th century the

mechanical calculator was developed to perform all sorts of mathematical calculations. Up to the 1960s it was widely used. Later the rotating part of mechanical calculator was replaced by electric motor. So it was called the electrical calculator.

Modern Electronic Calculator

The electronic calculator used in 1960 s was

run with electron tubes, which was quite bulky. Later it was replaced with transistors and as a result the size of calculators became too small. The modern electronic calculator can compute all kinds of mathematical computations and mathematical functions. It can also be used to store some data permanently. Some calculators have in-built programs to perform some complicated calculations.

First Generation Computers

First generation computers used Thermion valves. These computers were large in size and writing programs on them was difficult. Some of the computers of this generation were:
ENIAC
It was the first electronic computer built in 1946 at

University of Pennsylvania, USA by John Eckert and John Mauchy. It was named Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). The ENIAC was 30 50 feet long, weighed 30 tons, contained 18,000 vacuum tubes, 70,000 registers, 10,000 capacitors and required 150,000 watts of

First Generation Computers

EDVAC
It stands for Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer and

was developed in 1950. The concept of storing data and instructions inside the computer was introduced here. This allowed much faster operation since the computer had rapid access to both data and instructions. The other advantages of storing instruction was that computer could do logical decision internally.

EDSAC
It stands for Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer and was

developed by M.V. Wilkes at Cambridge University in 1949. Computer setup.

UNIVAC-1
Ecker and Mauchly produced it in 1951 by Universal Accounting

Limitations of First Generation Computer

Followings are the major drawbacks of First generation computers. 1. The operating speed was quite slow. 2. Power consumption was very high. 3. It required large space for installation. 4. The programming capability was quite low.

Second Generation Computers

Around 1955 a device called Transistor replaced the bulky electric tubes in the first generation computer. Transistors are smaller than electric tubes and have higher operating speed. They have no filament and require no heating. Manufacturing cost was also very low. Thus the size of the computer got reduced considerably. It is in the second generation that the concept of Central Processing Unit (CPU), memory, programming language and input and output units were developed. The programming languages such as COBOL, FORTRAN were developed during this period. Some of the computers of the Second Generation were
IBM 1620: Its size was smaller as compared to First

Generation computers and mostly used for scientific purpose. IBM 1401: Its size was small to medium and used for business applications. CDC 3600: Its size was large and is used for scientific purposes.

Third Generation Computers

The third generation computers were introduced in

1964. They used Integrated Circuits (ICs). These ICs are popularly known as Chips. A single IC has many transistors, registers and capacitors built on a single thin slice of silicon. So it is quite obvious that the size of the computer got further reduced. Some of the computers developed during this period were IBM-360, ICL-1900, IBM-370, and VAX750. Higher level language such as BASIC (Beginners All purpose Symbolic Instruction Code) was developed during this period. Computers of this generations were small in size, low cost, large memory and processing speed is very high.

Fourth Generation Computers

The present day computers that you see today are

the fourth generation computers that started around 1975. It uses large scale Integrated Circuits (LSIC) built on a single silicon chip called microprocessors. Due to the development of microprocessor it is possible to place computers central processing unit (CPU) on single chip. These computers are called microcomputers. Later very large scale Integrated Circuits (VLSIC) replaced LSICs. Thus the computer which was occupying a very large room in earlier days can now be placed on a table. The personal computer (PC) that you see in your school is a Fourth Generation Computer.

Fifth Generation Computers

The computers of 1990s are said to be Fifth

Generation computers. The speed is extremely high in fifth generation computer. Apart from this it can perform parallel processing. The concept of Artificial intelligence has been introduced to allow the computer to take its own decision. It is still in a developmental stage.

Hardware Software Peopleware Dataware

Hardware
Hardware

refers to the physical component of the computer system

Monitor

Speaker

Keyboard

Printer

Mouse

System Unit

Floppy Disk Drive

CD-ROM Drive

Software
Software, or programs, instructs the

computer what to do. It is used to access, identify, and process information. Serving as the intermediary between computer users and the computer hardware Software refers to the intangible part of the computer system that consists of routines and programs, procedures and specialized aids that make the hardware components perform their functions. The two types of software are Operating Systems and Applications.

Operating System
Operating System is a software that manages all the applications in the computer and controls the hardware which loads these applications into the computers memory, runs these applications, and manages peripheral devices, such as disks and printers.

DOS

Application Software
Application Software are programs designed to perform specific data processing tasks for a particular application; oriented towards the solution of a specific problem than to a general class of problems
Word Processors for creating letters, memos, reports, and other

write-ups. (OOo Writer, Wordstar, MS Word, WordPerfect) Electronic Spreadsheet especially designed for accounting and budget applications for it turns the screen into an electronic columnar pad where figures can be entered, automatically computed, and displayed. Plus: charts and graphs. (OOo Calc, Lotus, Symphony, MS Excel, Quatro) Database Management System coordinates the use of records and databases. (OOo Base, MS Access, DBase, Foxbase, Image, Informix, Oracle, Minisis) Multimedia, Desktop, and Image Editing Software used to create publication documents, images, stationeries, cards, posters, pie charts, line graphics and other drawings. (Pagemaker, Scribus, GIMP, Photoshop, Ventura Professional, WordPerfect, Flash, Blender)

Application Software
Entertainment Software (games, media players, media

authoring/editing software, etc.) for fun and relaxation. Examples: Tetris, Pacman, Word Wizard, Real Player, WinAmp, QuickTime Movie, Windows Media Player, Windows MovieMaker, Flash Anti-Virus Utilities special programs created to cure infected files or prevent virus infection Examples: Central Point Anti-Virus (CPAV), VirusScan, Virex (Virus Exterminators), Fox Patrol, AVG Engineering/Architectural Tools facilitate the design of structures like bridges, building, cars, and the like, used by engineers and architects. Example: CAD/CAM Network and Communications Software includes browsers, email clients, instant messaging programs, and other similar programs Examples: Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Thunderbird, MS Internet Explorer, MS Outlook, Yahoo Messenger, Skype

Peopleware
Peopleware refers to people who directly use and

work with computer. Refers to personnel who manage and use the computer system, who design the applications and systems software, who write and encode the programs, who run the hardware, etc.

Computer Technician

Call Center Agent

Computer Programmer

Dataware
This is the systematic and organized

collection of data and procedures relevant to the organization. Data is processed following a procedure to generate information for the use of its management and environment.

Number System