Overview of Computing and

Computer Systems
Computer
• Today’s world is an information-rich world and
has become a necessity for everyone to know
about computers.
• A computer is an electronic data processing
device, which accepts and stores data input,
processes the data input, and generated the
output in a required format.
Advantages of Computers
High Speed
• Computer is a very fast device.
• It is capable of performing calculation of very large amount of data.
• The computer has units of speed in microsecond, nanosecond, and even the
picosecond.
• It can perform millions of calculations in a few seconds as compared to man who will
spend many months to perform the same task.

Accuracy
• In addition to being very fast, computers are very accurate.
• The calculations are 100% error free.
• Computers perform all jobs with 100% accuracy provided that the input is correct.
Advantages of Computers
Storage Capability
• Memory is very important characteristic of computers
• It can store large amount of data
• It can store any type of data such as images, videos, text, audio, etc.

Diligence
• Unlike human beings, a computer is free from monotony, tiredness, and lack of
concentration.
• It can work continuously without any error and boredom.
• It can perform repeated tasks with the same speed and accuracy.
Advantages of Computers
Versatility
• A computer is a very versatile machine
• A computer is very flexible in performing the jobs to be done.
• This machine can be used to solve problems related to various fields.
• At one instance, it may be solving a complex scientific problem and the very next
moment it may be playing a card game.

Reliability
• A computer is a reliable machine
• Modern electronic components have long lives.
• Computers are designed to make maintenance easy.
Advantages of Computers
Automation
• A computer is an automatic machine.
• Automation is the ability to perform a given task automatically. Once the computer
receives a program, then the program and instruction can control the program
execution without human interaction.

Reduction in Paper Work and Cost

• The use of computers for data processing in an organization leads to reduction in
paper work and results in speeding up the process.
• As data in electronic files can be retrieved as and when required, the problem of
maintenance of large number of paper files gets reduced.
• Though the initial investment for installing a computer is high, it substantially reduces
the cost of each of its transaction.
Disadvantages of Computers
No I.Q.
• A computer is a machine that has no intelligence to perform any task.
• Each instruction has to be given to the computer.
• A computer cannot take any decision on its own.

Dependency
• It functions as per the user’s instruction, thus it is fully dependent on humans.
Disadvantages of Computers
Environment
• The operating environment of the computer should be dust free and suitable.

No Feeling
• Computers have no feelings or emotions
• It cannot make judgement based on feeling, taste, experience, and knowledge unlike
humans.
Fields of Application
Business
• A computer has high speed of calculation,
diligence, accuracy, reliability, or versatility
which has made it an integral part in all
business organizations.
• Computer is used in business organizations
for:
• Payroll calculations
• Budgeting
• Sales analysis
• Financial forecasting
• Managing employee database
• Maintenance of stocks, etc.
Banking
• Today, banking is almost totally dependent on
computers.
• Banks provide the following facilities:
• Online accounting facility, which includes
checking current balance, making deposits and
overdrafts, checking interest charges, shares,
and trustee records.
• ATM machines which are completely
automated are making it even easier for
customers to deal with the banks.
Education
• The computer helps in providing a lot of facilities in
the education system.

• The computer provides a tool in the education system

known as CBE (Computer Based Education).

• CBE involves control, delivery, and evaluation of

learning.

• Computer education is rapidly increasing the graph of

number of computer students.

• There are a number of methods in which educational

institutions can use a computer to educate the
students.

• It is used to prepare a database about performance of

a student and analysis is carried out on this basis.
Marketing
• Advertising – with computers, advertising
professionals create art and graphics, write and
revise copy, and print and disseminate ads with
the goal of selling more products.
• Home Shopping – Home shopping has been
made possible through the use of computerized
catalogues that provide access to product
information and permit direct entry of orders to
be filled by the customers.
Healthcare
• Diagnostic System – Computers are used to
collect data and identify the cause of illness.
• Lab-diagnostic System – All tests can be done
and the reports are prepared by computer.
• Patient Monitoring System – These are used to
check the patient’s signs for abnormality such
as in Cardiac Arrest, ECG, etc.
• Pharma Information System – Computer is used
to check drug labels, expiry dates, harmful side
effects, etc.
• Surgery – Nowadays, computers are also used
in performing surgery.
Engineering Design
Computers are widely used for Engineering purpose.
One of the major areas is CAD (Computer Aided Design)
that provides creation and medication of images.
• Structural Engineering – Requires stress and strain
analysis for design of ships, buildings, budgets,
airplanes, etc.
• Industrial Engineering – Computers deal with design,
implementation, and improvement of integrated
systems of people, materials, and equipment.
• Architectural Engineering – Computers help in
planning towns, designing buildings, determining a
range of buildings on a site using both 2D and 3D
drawings.
Military
Computers are largely used in defense. Modern
tanks, missiles, weapons, etc. Military also employs
computerized control systems. Some military areas
where a computers has been used are:
• Missile Control
• Military Communication
• Military Operation and Planning
• Smart Weapons
Communication
Communication is a way to convey a message, an
idea, a picture, or speech that is received and
understood clearly and correctly by the person
for whom it is meant. Some main areas in this
category are:
• E-mail
• Chatting
• Usenet
• FTP
• Telnet
• Video-conferencing
Evolution of Computers
First Generation (1946 – 1959)
Vacuum Tubes
• The computers of the first generation used
vacuum tubes as the basic components for
memory and circuitry for CPU (Central
Processing Unit).
• These tubes produced a lot of heat and the
installations used to fuse frequently making
them very expensive and only large
organizations were able to afford it.
• In this generation, mainly batch processing
operating system was used. Punch cards, paper
tape, and magnetic tap was used as input and
output devices.
• The computers in this generation used machine
code as programming language.
Second Generation (1959 – 1965)
Transistors
• In this generation, transistors were used that were
cheaper, consumed less power, more compact in
size, more reliable and faster than the vacuum
tubes.
• Magnetic cores were used as primary memory and
magnetic tape and magnetic disks as secondary
storage devices.
• Assembly language and high-level programming
languages (FORTRAN, COBOL) were used.
Third Generation (1965-1971)
Integrated Circuits
• The computers of third generation used
Integrated Circuits (ICs) in place of
transistors. A single IC has many transistors,
resistors, and capacitors along with the
associated circuitry.
• The development of ICs made computers
smaller, reliable and efficient.
Fourth Generation (1971-1980)
VLSI Microprocessors
• Computers of fourth generation used Very
Large Scale Integrated (VLSI) circuits. VLSI
circuits having about 5000 transistors and
other circuit elements with their associated
circuits on a single chip made it possible to
have microcomputers of fourth generation.
• Fourth generation computers became more
powerful, compact, reliable, and affordable. As
a result, it gave rise to Personal Computer (PC)
revolution.
Fifth Generation (1980-onwards)
ULSI Microprocessors
• In the fifth generation, VLSI technology
became ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration)
technology, resulting in the production of
microprocessor chips having ten million
electronic components.
• This generation is based on parallel processing
hardware and Artificial Intelligence (AI)
software.
• AI is an emerging branch in computer science,
which interprets the means and methods of
making computers think like human beings.
Hardware
Hardware
• Hardware represents the physical and
tangible components of a computer,
i.e. the components that can be seen
and touched.
• Input devices – keyboard, mouse, etc.
• Output devices – printer, monitor, etc.
• Secondary storage devices – hard disk,
CD, DVD, etc.
• Internal components – CPU,
Motherboard, RAM, etc.
Relationship between Hardware and
Software
• Hardware and software are mutually dependent on each other. Both of them must work
together to make a computer produce a useful output.
• Software cannot be utilized without supporting hardware
• Hardware without a set of programs to operate upon cannot be utilized and is useless.
• To get a particular job done on the computer, relevant software should be loaded into the
hardware.
• Hardware is a one-time expense.
• Software development is very expensive and is a continuing expense.
• Different software applications can be loaded on a hardware to run different jobs.
• A software acts as an interface between the user and the hardware.
• If the hardware is the ‘heart’ of a computer system, then the software is its ‘soul’. Both are
complementary to each other.
Software
Software
• Software is a set of programs, which is designed to perform a well-defined
function.
• A program is a sequence of instructions written to solve a particular problem.
• There are two types of software:
• System Software
• Application Software
System Software
• The system software is a collection of
programs designed to operate, control,
and extend the processing capabilities
of the computer itself.
• System software is generally prepared
by the computer manufacturers.
• These software products comprise of
the programs written in low-level
languages, which interact with the
hardware at a very basic level.
• System software serves as the interface
between the hardware and the end
users.
• Some examples of system software are
Operating System, Compilers,
Interpreter, Assemblers, etc.
Application Software
• Application software products are
designed to satisfy a particular need of a
particular environment.
• All software applications prepared in the
computer lab can come under the
category of Application software.
• Application software may consist of a
single program, such as Microsoft’s
Notepad for writing and editing ga
simple text.
• It may also consist of a collection of
programs, often called a software
package, which work together to
accomplish a task, such as the Office
Suite.
Components
CPU (Central Processing
Unit)
CPU (Central Processing Unit)
• CPU is considered as the brain of the
computer.
• CPU performs all types of data
processing operations.
• It stores data, intermediate results,
and instructions (program).
• It controls the operation of all parts of
the computer
Input Devices
Input Devices
• Devices with the help of which we enter data into the computer.
• These devices creates a link between the user and the computer.
• The input devices translate the information into a form understandable by the
computer.
Keyboard
• Keyboard is the most common and very
popular input devices which helps to
input data to the computer. The layout of
the keyboard is like that of traditional
typewriter, although there are some
additional keys provided for performing
additional functions.
• Keyboards are of two sizes 84 keys or
101/102 keys, but now keyboards with 104
keys or 108 keys are also available.
Keyboard Keys
• Typing Keys – these include the letter keys (A-Z) and digit keys (0-9) which
generally give the same layout as that of typewriters.
• Numeric Keypad – it is used to enter the numeric data or cursor movement.
Generally, it consists of a set of 17 keys that are laid out in the same configuration
used by most adding machines and calculators.
• Function Keys – the twelve function keys are present on the keyboard which are
arranged in a row at the top of the keyboard. Each function key has a unique
meaning and is used for some specific purpose.
• Control Keys – these keys provide cursor and screen control. It includes four
directional arrow keys. Control keys also include Home, End, Insert, Delete, Page
Up, Page Down, Control (Ctrl), Alternate (Alt), Escape (Esc).
• Special Purpose Keys – keyboard also contains some special purpose keys such as
Enter, Shift, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Space bar, Tab, and Print Screen.
Mouse
• Mouse is the most popular pointing device.
• It is a very famous cursor-control device
having a small palm size box and a sensor at
its base which senses the movement of the
mouse and sends corresponding signals to
the CPU when mouse buttons are pressed.
• Generally, it has two buttons called the left
and the right button and a wheel is present
between the buttons.
• A mouse can be used to control the position
of the cursor on the screen, but it cannot be
used to enter text into the computer.
Joystick
• Joystick is also a pointing device, which is
used to move the cursor position on a
monitor screen. It is a stick having a
spherical ball at its both lower and upper
ends.
• The lower spherical ball moves in a
socket. The joystick can be moved in all
four directions.
• The function of the joystick is similar to
that of a mouse. It is mainly used in
Computer Aided Design (CAD) and
playing computer games.
Track Ball
• Track ball is an input device that is
mostly used in notebook or laptop
computer, instead of a mouse. This is a
ball which is half inserted and by
moving fingers on the ball, the pointer
can be moved.
• Since the whole device is not moved, a
track ball requires less space than a
mouse.
• A track ball comes in various shapes
like a ball, a button, or a square.
Scanner
• Scanner is an input device, which
works more like a photocopy machine.
• It is used when some information
available on paper and it is to be
transferred to the hard disk of the
computer for further manipulation.
• Scanner captures images from the
source which are then converted into
a digital form that can be stored on
the disk.
• These images can be edited before
they are printed.
Digitizer
• Digitizer is an input device which
converts analog information into digital
form.
• Digitizer can convert a signal from the
television or camera into a series of
numbers that could be stored in a
computer.
• They can be used by the computer to
create a picture of whatever the camera
had been pointed at.
• Digitizer is also known as Tablet or
Graphics Tablet as it converts graphics
and pictorial data into binary inputs.
• A graphic tablet as digitizer is used for
fine works of drawing and image
manipulation applications.
Microphone
• Microphone is an input device to input
sound that is then stored in a digital
form.
• The microphone is used for various
applications such as adding sound to a
multimedia presentation or mixing
music.
Bar Code Readers
• Bar Code Reader is a device used for
reading bar coded data (data in the
form of light and dark lines).
• Bar coded data is generally used in
labelling goods, numbering the books,
etc.
• It may be a handheld scanner or may
be embedded in a stationary scanner.
• Bar Code Reader scans a bar code
image, converts it into an
alphanumeric value, which is then fed
to the computer that the bar code
reader is connected to.
Output Devices
Output Unit
• Consists of devices with the help of which we get the information from the
computer.
• Output devices translate the computer’s output into a form understandable by
the users.
Monitors
• Monitors are the main output device
of a computer.
• It forms images from tiny dots, called
pixels that are arranged in a
rectangular form.
• The sharpness of the image depends
upon the number of pixels.
Printers
• Printer is an output device, which is
used to print information on paper.
Memory
Memory
• A memory is just like a human brain.
• It is used to store data and instructions.
• Computer Memory is the storage space in the computer, where data is to be
processes and instructions required for processing are stored.
• Memory is primarily of three types:
• Cache Memory
• Primary Memory/Main Memory
• Secondary Memory
Primary Memory (Main Memory)
• Primary memory holds only those data
and instructions on which the computer
is currently working.
• It has a limited capacity and data is lost
when power is switched off.
• It is generally made up of semiconductor
device.
• These memories are not as fast as
registers.
• The data and instructions required to be
processed resides in the main memory.
• It is divided into two subcategories RAM
and ROM.
Characteristics of Main Memory
• These are semiconductor memories
• Volatile – data is lost in case power is off
• It is the working memory of the computer
• Faster than secondary memory
• Computer cannot run without the primary memory
Secondary Memory
• This type of memory is also known as
external memory or non-volatile.
• It is slower than the main memory.
These are used for storing
data/information permanently.
• CPU directly does not access these
memories, instead they are accessed
via input-output routines.
• The contents of secondary memories
are first transferred to the main
memory, and then the CPU can access
it.
Characteristics of Secondary Memory
• These are magnetic and optical memories
• It is known as the backup memory
• It is non-volatile – data is permanently stored even if power is off.
• It is used for storage of data in a computer
• Computer may run without the secondary memory
• Slower than primary memories.
Read Only Memory (ROM)
• The memory from which we can only
read but cannot write on it.
• This type of memory is non-volatile.
• ROM stores such instructions that are
required to start a computer.
Characteristics of ROM
• Non-volatile in nature
• Cannot be accidentally changed
• Cheaper than RAMs
• More reliable than RAMS
• Static and do not require refreshing
• Contents are always known and can be verified
Motherboard
Motherboard
• The motherboard serves as a single
platform to connect all of the parts of
a computer together.
• It connects the CPU, memory, hard
drives, video card, and other ports and
expansion cards directly or via cables.
• It can be considered as the backbone
of a computer.
Features of Motherboard
• Motherboard varies greatly in supporting various types of components
• Motherboard supports a single type of CPU and few types of memories.
• Video cards, hard disks, sound cards have to be compatible with the
motherboard to function properly.
• Motherboards, cases, and power supplies must be compatible to work properly
together.
Ports
Ports
• A port is a physical docking point using
which an external device can be
connected to the computer.
• It can also be programmatic docking
point through which information flows
from a program to the computer or
over the Internet
Characteristics of Ports
• External devices are connected to a computer using cables and ports.
• Ports are slots on the motherboard into which a cable of external device is
plugged in.
• Examples of external devices attached via ports are the mouse, keyboard,
monitor, microphone, speakers, etc.
Types of Computers
PC (Personal Computer)
• A PC can be defined as a small, relatively
inexpensive computer designed for an individual
user.
• PCs are based on the microprocessor
technology that enables manufacturers to put
an entire CPU on one chip.
• Businesses use personal computers for word
processing, accounting, desktop publishing,
running spreadsheet and database management
applications.
• At home, the most popular use for personal
computers is playing games and surfing the
Internet.
• Although PCs are designed as single-user
systems, these systems are normally linked
together to form a network.
Workstation
• Workstation is a computer used for
engineering applications (CAD), desktop
publishing, software development and other
types of applications which require a
moderate amount of computing power and
relatively high quality graphics capabilities.
• Workstations generally come with a large,
high-resolution graphics screen, large
amount of RAM, inbuilt network support,
and a graphic user interface.
• Most workstations also have mass storage
device but special types of workstation,
called diskless workstation, comes without a
disk drive.
Mainframe
• Mainframe is very large in size and is an
expensive computer capable of
supporting hundreds or thousands of
users simultaneously. Mainframe
executes many programs concurrently
and supports many simultaneous
execution of programs.
Supercomputer
• Supercomputers are one of the fastest
computers currently available.
• Supercomputers are very expensive and
are employed for specialized applications
that require immense amount of
mathematical calculations (number
crunching)
• For example, weather forecasting,
scientific simulations, (animated) graphics,
fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy
research, electronic design, and analysis of
geological data (e.g. in petrochemical
prospecting).
Mobile Devices
• Mobile devices refer to portable
computing devices that are small and
lightweight, allowing users to carry
them anywhere.
• They include smartphones, tablets, and
wearable devices like smartwatches.
• Mobile devices can almost be seen
everywhere and offers features such as
internet connectivity, multimedia
capabilities, and a wide range of
applications.
• They are primarily used for
communication, entertainment,
productivity, and accessing online
services