CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO
COMPUTER SYSTEM
• This chapter will cover the following topics:
– Computer Hardware and Information Technology
Infrastructure
• The Computer System
• How Computers Represent Data
• The CPU and Primary Storage
• Microprocessors and Processing Power
• Multiple Processors and Parallel Processing
– Storage Input, and Output Technology
• Secondary Storage Technology
• Input and Output Devices
– Categories of Computers and Computer Systems
– Computer Software
– Programming Languange
Computer Hardware and Information
Technology Infrastructure
• Components of IT infrastructure consist of
software, data, and networks – require
computer hardware for their storage or
operation.
 The Computer System
• Computer system consists of (see Figure
0.1):
– central processing unit (CPU)
– primary storage
– secondary storage
– input devices
– output devices
• Communications devices.
Figure 0.1: Hardware Component
of Computer Systems
Communication Secondary
Devices Storage
- Magnetic disk

Buses
Central Primary Storage
Processing Unit
(CPU)

Input Devices Output Devices

- Keyboard - Printers
 The System Unit
• What are common components inside the system unit?

 Processor
 Memory power supply drive bays

 Adapter cards
 Sound card processor

 Video card
 Ports ports memory
 Drive bays
 Power supply

sound card
video card
 The System Unit
• What is the motherboard?

 Main circuit
board in system
unit
 Contains adapter
cards, processor
chips, and
memory chips
 Also called
system board
• The CPU
– manipulates raw data into more useful form
and controls the other parts of the computer
system.
• Primary storage
– temporarily stores data and program
instructions during processing.
• Secondary storage
– devices store data and programs when they
are not being used in processing.
• Input devices
– convert data and instructions into electronic
form for input into the computer.
• Output devices
– convert electronic data produced by the
computer system and display them in a form
that people can understand.
• Communication devices
– provide connections between the computer
and communications networks.
• Buses
– are circuitry paths for transmitting data and
signals among the parts of the computer
system.
How Computers Represent Data
• All symbols, pictures or words must be reduced
to a string of binary digits.
• A binary digit is called a bit and represents either
a 0 or a 1.
• These are the only digits in the binary or base 2,
number system used by computers.
• A string of eight bits used to store one number or
character in a computer system is called a byte
(see Figure 0.2).
One byte for character A 01000001

The computer representation in ASCII for the

name Alice is

01000001 A
01001100 L
01001001 I
01000011 C
01000101 E
• To represent the numbers 0 through 9 and
the letters a through z and A through Z,
computer designers have created coding
systems consisting of several hundred
standard codes.
• In one code, for instance, the binary
number 01000001 stands for the letter A.
• Two common coding systems are Extended
Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code
(EBCDIC) and American Standard Code for
Information Interchange (ASCII). See Table 0.1.
• EBCDIC represents every number, alphabetic
character, or special character with eight bits,
used primarily in IBM and other mainframe
computers.
• ASCII was originally designed as a seven-bit
code, but most computers use eight-bit versions.
• ASCII is used in data transmission, PCs
and some larger computers.
• The computers store a picture by creating
a grid overlay of the picture.
• Each single point in this grid, or matrix is
called a pixel (picture element) and
consists of a number of bits.
 Data Representation
• How is a letter converted to binary form and back?

Step 1.
The user presses Step 2.
the capital letter An electronic signal for the
D (shift+D key) capital letter D is sent to the
on the keyboard. system unit.

Step 4. Step 3.
After processing, the binary The signal for the capital letter D
code for the capital letter D is is converted to its ASCII binary
converted to an image, and code (01000100) and is stored in
displayed on the output device. memory for processing.
The CPU and Primary Storage
• The CPU is the part of the computer
system where the manipulation of
symbols, numbers, and letters occurs, and
it controls the other parts of the computer
system.

The CPU
 Processor
• What is the central processing unit (CPU)?

 Interprets Processor
and carries
Control
Control Arithmetic
Arithmetic
out basic instructions Unit
Unit Logic
Logic Unit
Unit (ALU)
(ALU)
that operate a computer
Instructions
 Control unit directs and Data
coordinates operations in Informatio
n
computer
 Arithmetic logic unit Input Output
Devices
Data Memory Information
Devices
(ALU) performs
arithmetic, comparison,
Instructions
and logical operations Data
 Also Informatio
called the processor n

Storage
Devices
 Processor
• What is a machine cycle?
 Four operations of the CPU comprise a machine cycle

Step 1. Fetch
Obtain program instruction
or data item from memory

Memory
Step 2.
Step 4. Store Decode
Write result to memory Translate
instruction into
Processor commands
ALU Control Unit
Step 3.
Execute
Carry out command
The CPU and Primary Storage
Central Processing Unit (CPU) Primary Storage

Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU)

I
22 + 11 = 33
8
Control Unit
# U

Data Bus
Address Bus
Control Bus
• Three kinds of busses linked between the CPU,
primary storage and the other devices in the
computer system:
– Data bus
• Pass information in bi-directional.
– Address bus
• Transmits signals for locating a given address in primary
storage, indicating where data should be placed.
– Control bus
• Transmits signal specifying whether to read or write data to
or from primary storage address, input device or output
device.
• The characteristics of the CPU and
primary storage are very important in
determining a computer’s speed and
capabilities
 The Arithmetic-Logic Unit and
Control Unit
• An arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and
control unit is one of the core
components of all central processing units.
• The ALU performs the computer’s
principal logical and arithmetic operations.
• It adds, subtracts, multiples, and divides,
determining whether a number is positive,
negative, or zero.
• ALU must be able to determine when one
quantity is greater than or less than another and
when two quantities are equal.
• The control unit coordinates and controls the
other parts of the computer system.
• It reads a stored program, one instruction at a
time and directs other components of the
computer system to perform the program’s
required tasks.
 Processor
• Which processor should you select?
 The faster the processor, the more expensive the computer
Intel Processor Desired Clock Speed

Itanium or Xeon 1.3 GHz and up

Pentium family
3.0 GHz and up

2.4 GHz to 3.0 GHz

Up to 2.4 GHz

Celeron 2.2 GHz and up

 Primary Storage
• Primary storage is a category of computer storage,
often called main memory.
• Has three functions:
– Stores all or part of the program that is being executed.
– Stores the operating system programs that manage the
operation of the computer.
– Holds data that the program is using.
• Data and program are placed in primary storage before
processing, between processing steps and after
processing has ended prior to being returned to
secondary storage or released as output.
 Memory
• How is memory measured?
 By number of bytes available for storage

Term Abbreviation Approximate Size

Kilobyte KB or K 1 thousand bytes

Megabyte MB 1 million bytes
Gigabyte GB 1 billion bytes
Terabyte TB 1 trillion bytes
• Modern primary storage devices include:
– Random access memory (RAM)
• is used for short-term storage of data or program
instructions. RAM is volatile. Its contents will be lost when the
computer’s electric supply is disrupted by a power outage or
when the computer turned off.
– Read-only memory (ROM)
• can only be read from. It cannot be written to. ROM chips
come from the manufacturer with programs already burned
in, or stored. ROM is used in general-purpose computers to
store important or frequently used programs, such as
computing routine for calculating the square roots of
numbers.
 Memory
• What is random access memory (RAM)?
Memory chips that can be
read from and written
to by processor
Most RAM is
Also called
volatile, it is lost
main memory
when computer’s
or primary
power is
storage
turned off

The more RAM a

computer has, the
faster it responds
 Memory
•How do program instructions transfer in and out of RAM?
RAM Step 1. When you start the computer, certain
operating system files are loaded into RAM from
Operating system Operating system the hard disk. The operating system displays the
instructions interface user interface on the screen.

Step 2. When you start a Web browser, the

program’s instructions are loaded into RAM from
Web browser Web browser the hard disk. The Web browser window is
displayed on the screen.
instructions window
Step 3. When you start a word processing
program, the program’s instructions are loaded
Word processing into RAM from the hard disk. The word
Word processing processing program, along with the Web Browser
program
program window and certain operating system instructions are in
instructions RAM. The word processing program window is
displayed on the screen.
RAM
Step 4. When you quit a program, such as
the Web browser, its program instructions are
removed from RAM. The Web browser is no
longer displayed on the screen.

Web browser Web browser

program instructions window is no
are removed from longer displayed on
RAM desktop
 Memory
• What are two basic types of RAM chips?
Do not have to
Most
be re-energized
common
as often as
type
DRAM
Static
RAM
Dynamic
Must be
(SRAM)
RAM Faster and
more reliable
re-energized
constantly (DRAM) than DRAM
chips

• Newer Type: Magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM)

 Memory
• What
Memory is read-only
chips that store memoryNonvolatile
(ROM)? memory, it is not
permanent data lost when computer’s
and instructions power is turned off

Three types: EEPROM

(electrically
Firmware—
erasable programmable
Manufactured with
read-only memory)—
permanently written
PROM Type of PROM
data, instructions,
(programmable containing microcode
or information
read-only programmer
memory)— can erase
Blank ROM
chip onto which
a programmer
can write permanently
 Storage, Input, and Output
Technology
• Storage, input and output devices are
called peripheral devices because they are
outside the main computer system unit.
 Secondary Storage Technology

• Secondary storage is used for relatively

long term storage of data outside the
CPU.
• Secondary storage is nonvolatile and
retains data even when the computer is
turned off.
• The most technologies are magnetic
disk, optical disk and magnetic tape.
 Storage
• What is storage?
– Holds data, instructions, and information for future use
 Storage medium is physical material used for storage
 Also called secondary storage
 Storage
• How does volatility compare?
 Storage medium is nonvolatile—contents retained
when power is off
 Memory is volatile—holds data and instructions temporarily

ON OFF

Screen Display Display Display

Volatile

appears disappears

Memory Data and Data and

(most RAM) instructions instructions erased
(chips on motherboard) available to user
Nonvolatile

Storage Medium Contents Contents

(floppy disks, Zip disks, available to user retained
hard disks, CDs)
 Magnetic disk

• There are two kinds of magnetic disk:

– floppy disks
– hard disks
• Magnetic Disks permit direct access to individual
records so that data stored on the disk can be
directly accessed regardless of the order in
which the data were originally recorded.
• Disk storage is often referred to as a direct
access storage device (DASD).
 Magnetic Disks
shutter

shell
liner
• What is a floppy disk?

– Portable, inexpensive storage medium (also magnetic

called diskette) coating

Thin, circular, flexible film enclosed metal hub

in 3.5” wide plastic shell flexible thin film

• What is a floppy disk drive?

– Device that reads from and

writes to floppy disk
• One floppy drive, named drive A
– Also called secondary storage
 Magnetic Disks hard disk installed
• What is a hard disk? in system unit

– High-capacity storage
– Consists of several
inflexible, circular
platters that store
items electronically
– Components enclosed in
airtight, sealed case for
protection
 Magnetic Disks
•What are tracks and sectors?

Track Sector
is narrow stores up to
recording band 512 bytes
that forms full of data
circle on disk

Formatting prepares disk for use and marks bad sectors as

unusable
 Magnetic Disks
• How does a hard disk work?

Step 3.
When software requests a
disk access, read/write
heads determine current
Step 2. or new location of data.
Small motor spins
platters while
computer is running.

Step 4.
Head actuator positions
read/write head arms over
Step 1. correct location on platters
Circuit board controls to read or write data.
movement of head actuator
and a small motor.
 Optical Disk

• Also called compact disks or laser optical

disks, used laser technology to store data
at densities many times greater than those
of magnetic disks.
• The most common optical disk system
used with PCs called CD-ROM (compact
disk read only memory).
• CD-ROM is read-only storage.
 Optical Discs
• What are optical discs? Push the button to
slide out the tray.

 Flat, round, portable

metal discs made of
metal, plastic, and
lacquer Insert the disc,
 Can be read only or label side up.
read/write
 Most PCs include an
Push the same button
optical disc drive to close the tray.
 Optical Discs
•How does a laser read data on an optical disc?

disc label

lens lens Step 3.

pit land
Step 2. Reflected light is
If light strikes deflected to a
0 a pit, it scatters. 1 light-sensing diode,
If light strikes a which sends digital
land, it is signals of 1 to
prism reflected back prism computer. Absence
Step 1.
toward diode. of reflected light is
Laser diode light- light- read as digital
shines a light sensing sensing signal of 0.
beam toward diode diode
disc. laser laser
diode diode
 Optical Discs
• How is data stored on an optical disc?
 Typically stored in
single track
 Track divided

into evenly
sized sectors
that store
items
single track
spirals to edge
of disc

disc sectors
• WORM (write once/read memory) or CD-R
(compact disk-recordable) optical disk systems
allow users to record data only once on an
optical disk.
• New CD-RW (CD-Rewritable) technology has
been developed to allow users to create
rewritable optical disks.
• Digital-video disks (DVDs) also called digital
versatile disks are optical disks the same size as
CD-ROMs but of even higher capacity (minimum
of 4.7 gigabytes of data).
 Optical Discs
• What is a CD-ROM?
 Compact disc read-only memory
 Cannot erase or modify contents
 Typically holds 650 MB to 1 GB
 Commonly used to distribute multimedia and complex software
 Optical Discs
• What are CD-Rs and CD-RWs?
Must have
CD recorder
or CD-R drive

CD-R (compact disc-recordable)

— disc you can write on once
c

Cannot erase
disc’s contents
CD-RW (compact disc-rewritable)
— erasable disc you can write on
ce

multiple times
Must have
CD-RW software
and CD-RW drive
 Optical Discs
•What is a DVD-ROM (digital versatile
disc-ROM or digital video disc-ROM)?

 High capacity disc capable of

storing 4.7 GB to 17 GB
 Must have DVD-ROM drive or
DVD player to read DVD-ROM
 Stores databases, music,
complex software, and movies
 Optical Discs
• How does a DVD-ROM store data?
 Two layers of pits are used, lower layer is
semitransparent so laser can read through
 Some are double-sided
 Blu-Ray discs currently have a storage capacity of
up to 27 GB
 Magnetic Tape
• Magnetic tape is an older storage technology
that still used for secondary storage of large
volumes of information.
• The principle advantages
– its inexpensiveness, its relative stability and its ability
to store very large quantities of information.
• The disadvantages
– its sequentially stored data and its relative slowness
compared to the speed of secondary storage media.
 Tape
• What is tape?
– Magnetically coated plastic ribbon
capable of storing large amounts
of data at low cost
– Primarily used for backup
 PC Cards

• What is a PC Card?
 Adds capabilities to computer
 Credit-card-sized device commonly
used in notebook computers
 Input and Output Devices
• Input devices
– Input devices gather data and convert them into
electronic form for use by the computer.
– Keyboard
• The principal method of data entry for entering text and
numerical data into a computer
– Pointing Devices
• A computer mouse is handheld device with point-and-click
capabilities that is usually connected to the computer by a
cable.
• Touch screens allows users to enter limited amounts of data
by touching the surface of a sensitized video display monitor
with finger or a pointer.
• Source Data Automation
– Captures data in computer-readable form at the time
and place they are created.
– Optical Character Recognition (OCR) devices
translate specially designed mark, characters, and
codes into digital form.
– Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR)
technology is used primarily in check processing for
the banking industry, which the bottom of typical
check contains characters identifying the bank,
checking account, and check number that are
preprinted using a special magnetic ink.
– A MICR reader translates these characters into digital
form for the computer.
– Handwriting-recognition devices such as pen-based
tablets, notebooks, and notepad are promising new
input technologies.
– These pen-based input devices convert the motion
made by an electronic stylus pressing on a touch-
sensitive tablet screen into digital form.
– Digital scanners translate image such as pictures or
documents into digital form.
– Voice input devices convert spoken words into digital
form for processing by the computer.
– Sensors are devices collect data directly from the
environment for input into a computer system.
 What Is Input?
• What is input?
 Data or instructions entered into memory of computer
 Input device is any hardware component that
allows users to enter data and instructions
 What Is Input?
• What are the two types of input?

 Data
 Unprocessed text,
numbers, images,
audio, and video
 Instructions
 Programs
 Commands
 User responses
 The Keyboard
• How is the keyboard
divided?
 Typing area
 Numeric keypad
 Function keys, special
keys that issue
commands
 Pointing Devices
• What is a mouse?
 Pointing device that fits under palm of hand
 Pointing device controls mouse buttons
wheel
movement of pointer, also button
called mouse pointer
 Mechanical mouse
ball
has rubber or metal
ball on underside

mouse pad
 Other Pointing Devices
• What is a trackball?
 Stationary pointing device
with a ball on its top or side
 To move pointer, rotate ball
with thumb, fingers, or palm
of hand
 Other Pointing Devices
•What are a touchpad and a
pointing stick?

 Touchpad is small, flat,

rectangular pointing device
sensitive to pressure and motion
 Pointing stick is pointing device
shaped like pencil eraser
positioned between keys on
keyboard
 Other Pointing Devices
• What are a joystick and a wheel?

 Joystick is vertical
lever mounted
on a base
 Wheel is
steering-wheel-type
input device
 Pedal simulates
car brakes and
accelerator
 Other Pointing Devices
• What is a light pen?
 Handheld input device
that can detect light
 Press light pen against
screen surface and then
press button on pen
 Other Pointing Devices
• What is a touch screen?

 Often used with kiosks

 Touch areas of screen with
finger
Keyboard and Pointing Devices
• What is a stylus and a digital pen?
 Looks like a ballpoint pen, but uses pressure to write
text and draw lines
 Used with graphics tablets, flat electronic boards
 Voice Input
• How does voice recognition work?
Step 1. A user dictates text into a microphone. Step 2. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) translates
sound waves into digital measurements computer can
process. Measurements include pitch, volume, silences, and
phonemes. Phonemes are sound units such as aw and guh.

100101110101101011000
01101

Step 4. To narrow a list down, software presents user

Step 3. Software compares
with a list of choices or uses a natural language
spoken measurements with those
component to predict most likely match. User may correct
in its database to find a match or
any selection made by software.
list of possible matches.
Natural Language Engine
Matches
 Voice Input
•What is a MIDI (musical instrument
digital interface)?
 External device, such as electronic piano
keyboard, to input music and sound
effects
 Digital Cameras
• How does a digital camera work?
Step 3. CCD generates an analog
Step 1. Point to the image to Step 2. Image is focused on a signal that represents the image.
photograph and take picture. chip called a charge-coupled
Light passes into the lens of the device (CCD).
camera. Step 4. Analog signal is
converted to digital signal by
analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

Step 5. Digital signal processor

(DSP) adjusts quality of image and
usually stores digital image on
miniature mobile storage media in
the camera.

Step 6. Images are transferred to a

Step 7. Using
computer’s hard disk by plugging one
software supplied with
end of the cable into a camera and the
the camera, images are
other end into a computer; or images
viewed on screen,
are copied to hard disk from storage
incorporated into
media used in the camera.
documents, edited, and
printed.
 Digital Cameras
• What is resolution?
 Sharpness and clarity of image
 The higher the resolution, the better the image
quality, but the more expensive the camera
 Pixel (picture element)
is single point in
electronic image
 Greater the number of
pixels, the better the
image quality
 Video Input
• What is video input?
 Process of entering full-motion images
into computer
 Video capture card is
adapter card that converts
analog video signal into
digital signal that
computer can use
 Digital video (DV)
camera records video as
digital signals
 Video Input
• What are a PC video camera and a Web cam?

 PC video camera — DV camera used to capture video

c c

and still images, and to make

video telephone calls on Internet
 Also called PC camera
 Web cam — video camera
c c

whose output displays on

a Web page
Scanners and Reading Devices
Flatbed

• What is a scanner?
 Light-sensing device that
Pen or
reads printed text and Handheld

graphics
 Used for image processing,
converting paper documents Sheet-fed

into electronic images

Drum
 Scanners and Reading Devices
•How does a flatbed
scanner work?
Step 1. Document to be scanned is
placed face down on the glass window.
Step 2. Bright light moves
underneath
scanned document.
Step 3. Image of the document is

reflected into a series of mirrors.

Step 4. Light is
converted to analog
electrical current that
is converted to
digital signal by an
analog-to-digital
Step 6. Users can print image,
converter (ADC).
e-mail it, include it in a document,
or place it on a Web page.
Step 5. Digital information is sent
to memory in the computer to be used
by illustration, desktop publishing, or
other software; or it is stored on disk.
Scanners and Reading Devices
• What is an optical reader?
 Device that uses light source to read characters, marks,
and codes and then converts them into digital data
 Optical character recognition
(OCR) reads characters in
OCR font
 Optical mark recognition
(OMR) reads hand-drawn pencil
marks, such as small circles
Scanners and Reading Devices
• What is a bar code reader?
 Uses laser beams to read bar codes
Scanners and Reading Devices
What is a magnetic-ink character recognition
(MICR) reader?
 Can read text printed with magnetized ink
 Banking industry almost exclusively uses MICR
for check processing
 Biometric Input
• What is biometrics?
 Authenticates person’s identity
by verifying personal
characteristic
 Fingerprint scanner captures
curves and indentations of
fingerprint
 Hand geometry system measures
shape and size of person’s hand
 Biometric Input
• What are examples of biometric technology?
 Voice verification system compares live
speech with stored voice pattern
 Signature verification system recognizes
shape of signature
 Iris recognition system reads
patterns in blood vessels in back
of eye
 Biometric data is sometimes stored
on smart card, which stores
personal data on microprocessor
embedded in card
• Output Devices
– Display data after they have been processed.
– Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
• The most popular form of information output.
• It works much like a television picture tube, with an
electronic gun shooting a beam of electrons to
illuminate the pixels on the screen.
– Printers
• Produce a printed hard copy of information output.
• Include impact printers ( dot-matrix printer), and
non-impact printers (laser, inkjet, and thermal
transfer printers).
– Plotters
• To created high-quality graphics documents with
multicolored pens to draw computer output.
• Slower than printers but are useful for outputting
large-size charts, maps or drawing.
– Voice output devices
• Converts digital output data into intelligible speech.
– Speakers
• To deliver an audio output such as music, that is
connected to the computer.
 What is Output?
• What is output?
 Data that has been processed into a useful form,
 Output device is any hardware component that can convey
information to user

p. 300 Fig. 6-1 Next

 Display Devices

• What is a display device?

 Output device that visually conveys information

 Information on display device sometimes
called soft copy
 Monitor houses display device as separate
peripheral

p. 302
 CRT Monitors
• What is a CRT monitor?
 Contains cathode-ray
tube (CRT)
 Screen coated with tiny
dots of phosphor material
 Each dot consists of a red,
blue, and green phosphor
 Common sizes are 15, 17,
19, 21, and 22 inches
 Viewable size is diagonal
measurement of actual
viewing area
 CRT Monitors
•How does video travel from the processor to a CRT
monitor?
 Video card (also called a graphics card) converts digital
output from computer into analog video signal
Step 5. Electron guns
Step 1. The fire the three color signals
processor sends Step 3. The to the front of the CRT.
digital video data analog signal is
to the video card. sent through a
cable to the CRT Step 4. The
monitor. CRT monitor
separates the
analog signal
into red, green,
and blue signals.

Step 6. An image is
displayed on the screen when
the electrons hit phosphor
Step 2. The video card’s dots on the back of the screen.
digital-to-analog converter
(DAC) converts the digital
video data to an analog signal.
 Printers
portrait
• What is a printer?
 Output device that
produces text and
graphics on paper
 Result is hard copy, or
printout
 Two orientations: portrait
and landscape
landscape
 Speakers and Headsets
• What is an audio output device?
 Computer component that produces music, speech, or
other sounds
 Speakers and headsets are common devices
 Speakers and Headsets
• What is voice output?
 Computer talks to you through speakers on computer
 Internet telephony allows you to have conversation
over Web
 Categories of Computers and
Computer Systems
• Computers are classified into two:
– A special-purpose computer
– A general-purpose computer
• Special-Purpose Computers
– Is a computer designed for a particular function,
executing the same stored set of instructions
whenever requested.
– For example
• microwave ovens
• washing machine
• medical diagnostic equipment
• General-Purpose Computers
– Is a computer that can be used for solving many
different types of problems.
– Available in many sizes and a wide range of
capabilities.
– Can be classified as follows:
• 1. Microcomputers
a. Laptop computers
b. Desktop computers
c. Workstations
• 2. Minicomputers
• 3. Mainframe computers
• 4. Supercomputers
 Microcomputers

• Sometimes referred to as a personal computer (PC), is

one that can be placed on a desktop or carried from
room to room.
• The smallest microcomputers are known as laptop
computers or notebook computers.
• Desktop computers are compact microcomputer
systems that fit on a desk and are designed for use by
individuals.
• A workstation is the largest type of microcomputer and
is generally used in scientific and engineering
applications.
 Minicomputers
• More powerful and more expensive than
microcomputers.
• Are smaller and cheaper compared to
mainframes.
• Also can be server, which is used for
managing internal company networks or Web
sites.
• Server computers are specifically optimized to
support a computer network enabling users to
share files, software, peripheral devices (such
as printers), or other network resources.
 Mainframe Computer

• The largest computer, a powerhouse

with massive memory and e extremely
rapid processing power.
• It is used for very large business,
scientific or military application where a
computer must handle massive amounts
of data or many complicated processes.
 Supercomputer

• Is highly sophisticated and powerful

computer that is used for tasks requiring
extremely rapid and complex calculations
with hundreds of thousands of variable
factors.
• Used in many areas of scientific
research, weather prediction, aircraft
design, nuclear weapon and so on.
 Computer Software

• Application Software
– Refers to programs that are developed to
solve some specific problems.
– There are two types of application software:
– application program to solve special classes of
problems
– Application programs that you can write to solve your
own problems.
– Examples of application software:
– word processing
– database programs
– spreadsheets
– graphic programs
• System Software
– Refers to programs that make the computer
usable and accessible to the developers
and programmers of applications software.
– Examples of system software:
– Operating systems
– Language translator
– Linker
– Loader
– Preprocessors
 Programming Languages

• Programming Language is an agreed upon

format of symbols that allow a programmer to
instruct a computer to perform certain
predefined tasks.
• Provide features to support the data
processing activities, which include declaring
variables, evaluating numeric expressions,
assigning values to variables, reading and
writing data to devices, looping and making
decisions.
• a. Machine Languages
– Is the natural language of a computer.
– Does not need to translate and is ready for immediate
execution.
– Machine language instruction is a binary string of 0s
and 1s.
• 010 1 1000 0001 0000 1100 0000 0001 0000
– Are machine-dependent - each computer type has its
own machine language.
– Programs written in machine languages are not
portable because programs written in for one type of
computer cannot be run on another type
• Assembly Languages
– Consists of English-like abbreviations.
– Easier to understand.
• L 1, GROSSPAY
• S 1, TAX
• ST 1, NETPAY
– Program written in assembly languages cannot be directly
processed by a computer.
– Must use language translators, called assemblers, to convert
them to machine code.
– Disadvantages:
• In general, each assembly language instruction corresponds to
one machine language instruction. Therefore, the programs
written in them are lengthy.
– Because of variations in assembly languages, programs
written using them are not portable.
• High-Level languages
– Instructions are quite English-like, and a single
instruction can be written to correspond to many
operations at the machine level.
– For example, the assembly language program can
be written in high-level languages as follows:
• Netpay = gross pay – tax
– Are easier to learn than machine or assembly
languages.
– Have to be converted to machine languages before
they can be executed using compilers, system
software that translates a source program into an
almost executable object program
• For example:
– COBOL – developed in the 1960s for business
transactions.
– FORTRAN – developed for mathematic calculations.
– Pascal - is a structured high-level language.
– C – is designed to support only procedure-oriented
programming. Popular language for developing
system applications such as operating system and
compilers.
– Java – is an object-oriented language.
– C++ - is extension of C programming language that
support object oriented programming and procedure-
oriented approach.