1)computer concepts notes

8/10/2019 1)Computer Concepts Notes

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CIS 150 Introduction to Computer ApplicationsComputer Concepts Class Notes

These notes are to accompany the Computer Concepts PowerPoint presentation. Pleaserefer to these notes when viewing the presentation.

Slides 2 & 3 identify the major objectives of this presentation and these notes.

Slide 4: A computer is defined as an electronic device that operates under the controlo internall! stored instructions that can accept input" process data #$othmathematical processes and lo%ical processes " produce output" and store theresults' Basically, a computer transforms data into information.

There are 4 eneral !perations of a Computer "based on this definition#$%# &nput

'ata is input into the computer. 'ata is the numbers, words, images, etc. that

are given to the computer during the input process. 'ata is input using &nput'evices$ (eyboard, mouse, joystic(, touch screens, etc.

)# ProcessThis is the manipulation of the data to create useful information. 'ata is

processed very *uic(ly within the computer, within billionths of a second.!nce the raw facts are processed into a meaningful form it is calledinformation. Computer processing is accomplished through the CP+ "CentralProcessing +nit#. The CP+ interprets the instructions for the computer. &t

performs all logical and arithmetical operations as well as causes all input andoutput to occur. The CP+ is contained on a icroprocessor chip.

-# !utput!utput devices convert digital signals from the computer into a recogni ableoutput. This is accomplished via the monitor or the printer.

4# /torageAu0iliary storage is used to permanently store information for future use.This storage is outside the wor(ings of the computer 1 these are often called/econdary /torage devices. These include floppy drives, hard drives, C'2oms, '3' s, etc.

Slide 5: The idea for a computer system 1 a general purpose computing machine wasdeveloped by Charles Babbage in the %566 s. The technology of that time wasinsufficient to develop the machines to the degree of precision that was desired.&B began the push for the icrocomputer, commonly (nown as a 'es(top PC.


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Slide (: Today s personal computers still contain the components necessary for the fourgeneral operations of a computer. &t normally contains a (eyboard and mouse forinput, spea(ers, monitor, and printer for output, a system unit that contains the

processor chip, and a C' drive, '3' drive, floppy drive, and hard drive assecondary storage units. The components of today s computers can be configured

separately and are available from a variety of vendors.

Slide ): All data in a computer is converted and stored in Binary fashion. Binary is a base7) number system made up of only ero "6# and one "%#. 8ach ero or one isstored as a Bit 1 a binary digit. These bits are combined into groups of eightwhich are called Bytes. A byte is the smallest addressable unit of memory in acomputer. These bytes can be used to represent all letters, numbers, etc. withinthe computer. This is done through a coding system called A/C&& 1 American/tandard Code for &nformation &nterchange. &n A/C&& each character isrepresented by a specific combination of 5 bits "% byte#. 80amples of the A/C&&code are found on page 59- of your te0tboo(.

Slide * $ The microprocessor chip is the :brain; of the computer. &t is where you find theCP+. !riginal &ntel microprocessor chips were originally identified through anumbering system ")5&T&>8 memory, this means it is transient or it is dependent on a continuouselectrical current. &f the power to the computer is shut off that all data held inmain memory is lost. 2A memory must be large enough to hold all of theinstructions necessary for the computer to run whatever program is beinge0ecuted. The larger the amount of 2A memory the more comple0 ofinstructions that can be run at one time. 2A is measured in megabytes 1appro0imately one million bytes of data. Today s programs generally re*uire aminimum of )?< megabytes of 2A .

2! 1 2ead only memory is another type of memory within the computer.2! is memory that can only be read from, it cannot be edited or deleted. &tgenerally contains the instructions for the computer to perform a self test when itis turned on to ensure all components are wor(ing and the instructions on how to


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load the operating system into 2A memory to allow the computer to operate.2! is programmed when the computer is manufactured.

Slide 10: There are several different types of secondary storage devices. These are permanent storage devices, as opposed to 2A which loses the data when the

computer is shut off. A floppy dis( is a thin interchangeable dis( that is normallya - @; plastic platter. They are much more sensitive to damage than other typesof secondary storage devices. =ard dis(s are generally permanently installedinside the system bo0. &t includes a continuously spinning device made up ofmultiple rigid metal platters. C'72! s and '3' s are optical laser storagemedia. A '3' can hold much more data than a C'72om. A ip drive " Adrive# is a speciali ed storage device that uses optical technology combined withmagnetic technology to write to dis(s slightly larger than a floppy drive but thatcan hold significantly more data.

Access time is the interval between when the computer ma(es a re*uest for a

transfer of data from a secondary storage device and the time the operation iscompleted. loppy dis(s and tape drives have the slowest access times of thesecondary storage devices.

Slides 11 and 12: &nput devices include the (eyboard, mouse, digital computer,scanners, etc.

Slide 13 1(: !utput devices include your monitor, printer, and spea(ers. onitors provide a :soft; copy of the output "meaning an electronic copy# and the printer provides a :hard; copy. onitors and printers are distinguished by theirresolution. 2esolution is the number of addressable points on the screen or thenumber of dots per unit on the printed device. The higher the resolution, thelarger the number of points, the better the *uality of the output. /pea(ers are usedto hear sound from the computer.

Slide 1* and 1+ identifies different components and specifications that can be used tocompare different computer systems when you are loo(ing to buy a new personalcomputer.

Slide 20: /oftware is the instructions that tell the computer what to do. There are twomajor types of software$ /ystem software and Application software. /ystemsoftware controls the operations of the computer and computer e*uipment. Thesystem software includes "but is not limited to# the !perating /ystem. Theoperating system is the software that controls the e0ecution of all the otherapplications and system software programs. &t provides a user interface betweenthe system and the user and it coordinated the system access to all computercomponents. The most commonly used /ystem /oftware is Dindows EP "eitherthe home or professional edition#. Dindows provides a raphical +ser &nterface" + for the user. A +& uses picture representations (nown as icons to


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represent the items in the computer. Dith a +& you have the ability to interactwith the computer using either the ouse or the Feyboard. enerally, anythingyou can do with the mouse you will be able to do using the (eyboard throughshortcut (eys andGor (eystro(es. The Dindows program does not contain a ileCompression application, an Anti3irus application, or a graphical TP " ile

Transfer Protocol# application. These will be discussed later.

Application software tells the computer how to produce information from data.There are many types of application software including business software,scientific software, educational software, etc. icrosoft !ffice is an applicationsoftware pac(age that combines word processor, spreadsheet, database, and

presentation software programs.

Slide 21: Dhen storing dataGprograms in your au0iliary storage devices through theDindows operating system you will be using iles. A file is a set of instructionsor data for the computer. There are ) different types of files$ Program iles and

'ata iles. Program files are the files that hold the instructions for yourcomputer. These are files such as icrosoft Dord and 80cel. 'ata files are thosefiles that hold your data or information. 'ata files must be used in conjunctionwith a program file. ile types associate a data file with the associated programfile, the file type is determined by the application. The file e0tension "-characters after the period in file names# will identify the file type, as will theapplication icon that displays with the data file name. Dhen storing files withinthe Dindows system you can organi e the files through the use of folders. 8achfolder can hold files andGor other folders to allow you to structure your files in amanageable way. Hour files can be copied, moved, renamed, or deleted throughthe Dindows system. The difference between copying a file and moving a file isthat when you copy a file, the file is maintained in the original location as well as

being placed in the new location. Dhen you move a file it is no longer located inthe original location. Dhen using folders within the same storage device,Dindows will default to a move command, while it will default to a copycommand when using ) different storage devices. Dhen you delete a file "orfolder# from the hard drive through the Dindows program it will send the file tothe 2ecycle Bin. &t will remain there, and can be recovered, until the 2ecycle Binis emptied. &f you delete from any other storage device the file will be deleted. &tis imperative that you develop a bac( up strategy to maintain your programs aswell as your data. Things will happen when using a computer 1 drives crash,dis(s get lost, viruses corrupt files, floods, etc. 1 you need to be prepared torecover your information. Bac(ups need to be (ept current, if you have to restoreyour information from a bac(up the data will only be as current as the bac(up 1 ifit has been ) wee(s since your last bac(up, you will have ) wee(s worth of datalost. Bac(ups need to be (ept in a secure off7site facility. &f something happensto the building where your computer is located, if your bac(up is there alsochances are you will lose your bac(up as well.


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Slide 22 1 Dindows 80plorer is one of the ways to view the contents of your computer/ystem, my Computer is another. Dindows 80plorer shows the files and foldersin a hierarchical "tree7li(e# structure through the Dindows system. Dhen usingDindows 80plorer, you will see the directory system of your files located in theleft hand pane and the files for the single selected folder in the right hand pane. &n

the left pane, a plus "I# sign is used to indicate that the folder can be e0panded toshow other folders beneath this one in the directory structure. A minus "7# signindicated that the directory has already been e0panded to show all folders and can

be collapsed to conserve space if desired.

Slide 23 &t is very important that your computer system be properly maintained. Thecontrol panel provides many features that can be used to maintain your systemincluding the add hardware option, add G remove software, adding printers, addingusers, and changing many of the user settings within your system. The control

panel also allows for automatic updating of the Dindows system 1 with aninternet connection.

Slide 24 A virus is an actively infectious program that attaches itself onto files and programs and alters the way a computer wor(s. &t can be destructive and erasefiles or it can affect how your computer wor(s. 3iruses spread through openingfiles or programs that have a virus attached to it. This can be done through e7mailor any other sharing of files, through floppy drives, networ(ed machines, etc.Dorms and Trojan horses are specific types of viruses. 3irus Protection /oftwareis a very important program to have on your system. &t is not a part of theDindows program so it must be added to your system. 3irus software is only asgood as the database of viruses that it maintains. Therefore, you must update your virus software on a regular basis to (eep the database current. ost 3irusProtection /oftware pac(ages come with a subscription to their database updateservice.

Slide 25 ile compression software is used to ma(e files smaller. As programs anddocuments become increasingly larger, due to multimedia capabilities, it becomesimportant to have a way to ma(e files smaller without losing the integrity of thefile. There are ) main types of file compression 1 A Compressed ile or a /elf780tracting file. Dhen you have a compressed file, such as those created withDin ip, you must have a copy of the compression software to e0tract the file"return it to the uncompressed state# when you want to open the file. Dith a self7e0tracting file, the e0traction instructions are part of the file and therefore you cane0tract the file without having the compression software on the specific machinewhere you are trying to use the file.

Slides 2( 31 A networ( is a combination of hardware and software that enables theconnected computer to share resources and communicate with one another. The&nternet is a global networ( of networ(s around the world. &t began in %9


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access to information located on other machines around the world anytime youneed to retrieve it. The Dorld Dide Deb is a subset of the &nternet that consists of hyperte0t or hypermedia documents. These are documents that are accessiblethough hyperlin(s. The &nternet and the Dorld Dide Deb are not the same thing,the Dorld Dide Deb is only a part of the &nternet. The common terms associated

with the &nternet and the Dorld Dide Deb include$=TTP 1 =yperte0t Transfer Protocol 1 These are the rules "protocols# usedto transmit documents over the Dorld Dide Deb.=TTP/ 1 =yperte0t Transfer Protocol /ecure 1 The rules to transmitsecure G confidential documents over the Dorld Dide Deb.=T > 1 =yperte0t ar(up >anguage 1 This is the language used tocreate Dorld Dide Deb documents. =T > is the language interpreted byDeb Browser /oftware "&nternet 80plorer, Jetscape Javigator# to displaythe web pages.TCPG&P 1 Transmission Control Protocol G &nternet Protocol 1 The rules"protocols# to transmit data across the &nternet.

&/P 1 &nternet /ervice Provider 1 An &nternet /ervice Provider allowsindividual users access to the resources of the internet. Hou need aconnection to the &nternet to access the information and this is commonlyhandled through a subscription to an &nternet /ervice Provider.

The &nternet and Dorld Dide Deb have developed into a mar(etplace for goodsand services though the development of 87commerce. The &nternet has manyadvantages to both buyer and seller. &t provides a virtually unlimited access togoods and services. or buyers, they have the ability to shop without leavinghome and have easy ability to comparison shop. The buyer also has access to avast amount of information regarding the product they are shopping for. /ellers

have the ability to attract customers from around the world. They have reducedcosts in that they do not need to rent a store front in order to have an e7commercestore.

87 ail is another benefit from the &nternet. &t allows communication to ta(e place via electronic messages between users over the &nternet. 87mail re*uires amail server "usually provided through your &nternet /ervice Provider#, mail clientsoftware "!utloo(#, and an &nternet connection. 87mail accounts are establishedwith usernames and passwords. 87mail is J!T private. Hou should never sendanything over e7mail that you do not want other people to read. 8mployers havethe legal right to read any e7mail written by employees on company computers.

Any message sent electronically over the &nternet is subject to interference whichcan allow others to read your mail. 8very e7mail address is uni*ue and consists of a user name and a host computer name. The host name is typically assigned bythe e7mail mail server 1 usually your &nternet /ervice Provider or another e7mailservice li(e =otmail.

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