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APPENDIX A HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE BASICS. OVERVIEW. HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE BASICS Hardware Basics Computer Categories Software Basics. LEARNING OUTCOMES. Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example of each
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APPENDIX A HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE BASICS
OVERVIEW • HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE BASICS • Hardware Basics • Computer Categories • Software Basics
LEARNING OUTCOMES • Describe the six major categories of hardware and provide an example of each • Identify the different computer categories and explain their potential business uses • Explain the difference between primary and secondary storage
LEARNING OUTCOMES • List the common input, output, storage, and communication devices • Describe the eight categories of computers by size • Define the relationship between operating system software and utility software
INTRODUCTION • Information technology (IT) - Any computer-based tool that people use to work with information and support the information and information-processing needs of an organization • Hardware- Consists of the physical devices associated with a computer system • Software - The set of instructions that the hardware executes to carry out specific tasks
HARDWARE BASICS • Computer-An electronic device operating under the control of instructions stored in its own memory that can accept, manipulate, and store data • Hardware components include: • Central processing unit (CPU) • Primary storage • Secondary storage • Input device • Output device • Communication device
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT • Central processing unit (CPU) (or microprocessor) - The actual hardware that interprets and executes the program (software) instructions and coordinates how all the other hardware devices work together • Control unit -Interprets software instructions and literally tells the other hardware devices what to do, based on the software instructions • Arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) -Performs all arithmetic operations (for example, addition and subtraction) and all logic operations (such as sorting and comparing numbers)
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT • The number of CPU cycles per second determines the speed of a CPU • Megahertz (MHz) - The number of millions of CPU cycles per second • Gigahertz (GHz) - The number of billions of CPU cycles per second
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT • CPU speed factors • Clock speed • Word length • Bus width • Chip line width • Binary digit (bit) -The smallest unit of information that a computer can process • Byte - A group of eight bits representing one natural language character
ADVANCES IN CPU DESIGN • Complex instruction set computer (CISC) chip -Type of CPU that can recognize as many as 100 or more instructions, enough to carry out most computations directly • Reduced instruction set computer (RISC) chip -Limit the number of instructions the CPU can execute to increase processing speed • Virtualization - A protected memory space created by the CPU allowing the computer to create virtual machines
PRIMARY STORAGE • Primary storage - The computer’s main memory, which consists of the random access memory (RAM), cache memory, and the read-only memory (ROM) that is directly accessible to the CPU
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM) • Random access memory (RAM) - The computer’s primary working memory, in which program instructions and data are stored so that they can be accessed directly by the CPU via the processor’s high-speed external data bus • Volatility • Cache memory
READ-ONLY MEMORY (ROM) • Read-only memory (ROM) -The portion of a computer’s primary storage that does not lose its contents when one switches off the power • Flash memory • Memory card • Memory stick
SECONDARY STORAGE • Secondary storage - Consists of equipment designed to store large volumes of data for long-term storage • Megabyte (MB or M or Meg) - Roughly 1 million bytes • Gigabyte (GB) -Roughly 1 billion bytes • Terabyte (TB) - Roughly 1 trillion bytes
MAGNETIC MEDIUM • Magnetic medium - A secondary storage medium that uses magnetic techniques to store and retrieve data on disks or tapes coated with magnetically sensitive materials • Magnetic tape -An older secondary storage medium that uses a strip of thin plastic coated with a magnetically sensitive recording medium • Hard drive -A secondary storage medium that uses several rigid disks coated with a magnetically sensitive material and housed together with the recording heads in a hermetically sealed mechanism
OPTICAL MEDIUM • Optical medium types include: • Compact disk-read-only memory (CD-ROM) • Compact disk-read-write (CD-RW) drive • Digital video disk (DVD) • DVD-ROM drive • Digital video disk-read/write (DVD-RW)
INPUT DEVICES • Input device - Equipment used to capture information and commands • Manual input devices • Joystick • Keyboard • Microphone • Automated input devices • Bar code scanner • Digital camera • Magnetic ink character reader
OUTPUT DEVICES • Output device -Equipment used to see, hear, or otherwise accept the results of information processing requests • Cathode-ray tube (CRT) • Liquid crystal display (LCD) • Laser printer • Ink-jet printer • Plotter
COMMUNICATION DEVICES • Communication device -Equipment used to send information and receive it from one location to another • Dial-up access • Cable • Digital subscriber line • Wireless • Satellite
COMPUTER CATEGORIES • For the past 20 years, federally funded supercomputing research has given birth to some of the computer industry’s most significant technology breakthroughs including: • Clustering • Parallel processing • Mosaic browser
COMPUTER CATEGORIES • Computer categories include: • Personal digital assistant (PDA) • Laptop • Tablet • Desktop • Workstation • Minicomputer • Mainframe computer • Supercomputer
SOFTWARE BASICS • System software -Controls how the various technology tools work together along with the application software • Operating system software • Utility software • Application software
UTILITY SOFTWARE • Types of utility software • Crash-proof • Disk image • Disk optimization • Encrypt data • File and data recovery • Text protect • Preventative security • Spyware • Uninstaller
APPLICATION SOFTWARE • Types of application software • Bowser • Communication • Data management • Desktop publishing • Email • Groupware • Presentation graphics • Programming • Spreadsheet • Word processing