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Software for Personal Computing

A course overview

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Goal

• To provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to use computers effectively.

– Learn about Windows XP– Learn to navigate in a Unix

environment– Use electronic mail– Work with a word processor– Work with a web browser– Work with spreadsheets– Connect to remote computers– Transfer files between computers– Compress and uncompress files– Search and retrieve files– Read and compose email messages

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Computers and their uses• Personal Computer (PC)

– Windows XP– Unix– Mac OS

• In this class:Windows XP Unix

Word Processing Basic usage

Spreadsheets

Database

Slide Presentations

Telnet and ftp

Drawing Tools

File Compression

Web browser and creating web pages

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The Main Components of your PC

• Hard Drive• RAM• CPU (Central Processing Unit)

– Processor, sort of• Mouse• Keyboard• Monitor • Software • Anything else???

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The Motherboard• A motherboard is the central

or primary circuit board making up a modern computer.

• It is also known as a mainboard, baseboard, system board, or, on Apple computers, a logic board.

• Is to provide the electrical and logical connections by which the other components of the system communicate.

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The Hard Drive• This is where every program and file on

your computer is stored. • When you start a program or open a file,

that program/file is copied into memory from the hard drive.

• Because all of your files/programs are located on your hard drive, you need to have more storage space than memory.

• Current hard drive sizes are in excess of 200 GB and are growing fast.

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Random Access Memory (RAM)• Any data to be processed must be stored in memory rather

than on the hard drive. • This makes access much faster since the RAM can be

accessed quicker than the hard drive. • When you start a program, the program and the data it needs

are loaded from the hard drive into memory. • When a computer does not have enough memory, information

must be swapped from RAM to the hard drive, which slows down the computer a great deal.

• You can add additional RAM chips to gain more memory for your PC. A currently acceptable amount of RAM is 1~2 GB.

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Central Processing Unit (CPU)

• The “brains” of your computer. If you have a 2.8 GHz CPU, then your processor can handle 2.8 billion commands a second.

• One Hertz (Hz) means the frequency of <some event> is 1/second.

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Read Only Optical Storage Media

• ROM means Read only Memory. Discs labeled as ROM can only be read.

• CD-ROMs can hold about 700 MB, or the equivalent of 486 floppies.

• DVDs (Digital Video Disk) have multiple capacities, ranging from ~5-10 GB.

• BlueRay is gaining popularity, and can store over 50 GB.

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CDs• CD players’ read speed is measured with an X, or

the number of times greater than 150 Kilobytes per second the speed of the first CD reader. So a 48X reader can read at 150 KB * 48 per second.

• CD-R discs can be written to once. Files deleted from a CD-R before the disc is finalized are NOT deleted. They are simply no longer accessible.

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DVDs• High capacity optical or laser disc. • One layer can hold 4.7 GB of data.• Most commercial DVDs are dual layer. Each layer can be

written to. As a result, dual layer dvds can hold up to 8.5 GB of data, twice as much as a regular DVD.

• DVD-R can be written to just once. • There are many dual layer burners on the market. They

require blank dual layer DVD R discs. • There are two competing technologies: DVD+R and DVD-

R. Some drives can only read or write one format, although most drives work with both formats.

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Software

• Software is another name for programs Instructions that tell the computer how to

process data • Two kinds of software

System software – what the computer uses Operating Systems

Application software – what you use

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Personal Operating SystemsMac OS and Linux

• Mac OS is the operating system for today’s Apple Computers. Its GUI is similar to Windows, but the differences are large enough that people tend to pick one or the other.

• Linux is an open source operating system. It’s used mostly with high end workstations and network servers.

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History of Operating SystemsBy Microsoft

• Microsoft has been making OS software utilizing graphical user interfaces since around 1985. – Windows 3.1– Windows 95– Windows 98– Windows ME– Windows XP – Windows NT and Windows XP Professional both are

personal operating systems when used as stand alone machines but can be considered network operating systems when connected to a network.

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Windows

• Graphical User Interface (GUI)

– perform tasks by clicking or dragging a mouse– access programs and documents with the Start button– related files are grouped in a window– each program is represented by an icon– menus and toolbars provided additional functionality– buttons and scroll bars are used to manipulate a window

• Mouse usage is essential for using Windows!

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Required Mouse Skills

• Pointing • Clicking • Right Clicking • Double Clicking • Dragging • Right Dragging

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Close buttonClose button

Maximize/Restore buttonMaximize/Restore button

Minimize buttonMinimize button

Taskbar Start menu

Desktop icon

Windows XP

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Menu

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Disk Drives

Removable Drives

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Word Processing

• Microsoft Word– create and edit text– format text (bold, italics, underline, font, font size)– orient text on a page (center, left-justified, right-justified)– bullets, borders and shading– word wrap– spell checker– insert graphical image in document– tables– Word Art

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Spreadsheets

• Microsoft Excel– insert text, numbers, formulas or functions into a cell– format a range of cells– place a border around a range of cells– change text or background color– copy a formula to a range of cells– develop a chart from the data– macros (automate a sequence of keypresses)

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Web Browsers

• Examples– Internet Explorer– Mozilla Firefox– Opera?

• Uses– view multimedia from the World Wide Web (WWW)– search and retrieve information– download software– download multimedia

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Connect to remote computers(using Telnet)

• Telnet to UNIX (i.e., unixs.cis.pitt.edu)

• Telnet to VMS (i.e., vms,cis.pitt.edu)

• Telnet to remote computer (i.e., archie.rutgers.edu)

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Connect to UNIX

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UNIX OS

• UNIX environment– type a command to perform a task or start a program– at login, you are sitting in your root directory– you can move to a different directory– you can copy or move a file – you can rename or delete a file– you can create or remove a directory– you can create or edit a text file– you can send email

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enter a unix command

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Transfer files between computers(using FTP)

• WS_FTP or Rapid Filer– transfer a text file– transfer a binary file– change directory– delete a file– rename a file

• Smart FTP

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Transferring Files

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Electronic Mail• Client programs (installed on computer)

– MS Outlook – Mozilla Thunderbird

• Web-based:– Pitt mail– Gmail (Google email)

• Uses

• Compose and send a message• Receive and read a message• Send or receive attachments• Create your own personal

signature

• Save a message• Insert files into messages• Create an address book• Delete messages

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Reading Email

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Key Terms

• application software• browser• chassis• compact disc (CD)• computer competency• computer network • connectivity

• data• database file• database management

systems• desktop computer• digital versatile (or

video) disc (DVD)

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Key Terms cont.

• document file• end user• floppy disk• handheld computer• hard disk• hardware • information

• information system• information

technology• input device• internet• keyboard• Hertz

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Key Terms cont.

• mainframe computer• memory• microcomputer• microprocessor• midrange computer• minicomputer• monitor

• mouse• notebook computer• operating system• optical disk• output device• palmtop computer• people

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Key Terms cont.

• personal digital assistant (PDA)

• presentation file• presentation graphics• primary storage• printer• procedures

• program• random access

memory (RAM)• secondary storage

devices• software• spreadsheet• supercomputer

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Key Terms cont.

• system cabinet• system software• system unit• video display screen

• Web• wireless revolution• word processors• worksheet file• World Wide Web

(WWW)