INTRODUCTION

TO
COMPUTING
Bas i c 1.1
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
FUNDAMENTALS

Com put e r Learning Objectives

Conc e pt s
At the end of the session, the students should
be able to:

1. Define basic concepts on computer as such

computer, data and information.
2. Relate the development of computing and
computing devices.
3. Describe the development of computing
devices, their capabilities and limitations.
Bas i c 1.1
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
FUNDAMENTALS

Com put e r Learning Objectives

Conc e pt s
4. Explain the different components of
computer systems.
5. Describe the role of each component in the
functionality of the computer.
6. Describe basic troubleshooting techniques
and proper use of hardware and software.
What is a Computer?
•A computer is an electronic device
that accepts (inputs), processes,
stores, and outputs data at a high
speeds according to programmed
instructions.
 Data and Information
Data is raw, unprocessed facts. It has the potential to
become useful information, but
first it has to be manipulated and transformed. And the
best way to do that is to feed the data
into the computer. Data is actually what computers feed on.
Meanwhile, information is
processed data. It is a data that has already manipulated
and transformed into something
useful.
Basic Functions of Computer
 Input – the procedure of feeding or entering data into
a computer

 Process – the operation of manipulating and

transforming data into something useful.

 Output – the result of the processing

function.

 Storage – computers save data and outputs for later

use.
Capabilities and Limitations of a
Computer
A computer is a machine that needs to be
controlled and instructed to successfully perform a
task. No matter how powerful and sophisticated it
is, it must be directed what to do. Users should
follow the principal of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage
Out) which means that wrong data entered into the
computer will result to wrong information
produced.
Capabilities of a Computer

It can process data quickly.

It can perform operations tirelessly.

It can give accurate results depending on the

instructions and commands given.
Capabilities of a Computer

It can confirm and verify the

accuracy of the information.
It can perform multi-tasks.

It can store, recall, and retrieve information.

Limitations of a Computer
It needs human intervention.
It has a short life span.
It cannot formulate information on its own.
The information or results generated are user
dependent.
 It can never replace the capabilities of the human
brain.
History
of
Computer
ANCIENT TIME

 The abacus was man’s first recorded

adding machine. It was in 500 B.C
when the abacus was invented in
Babylonia, then popularized in
China, the abacus is an ancient
computing device constructed of
sliding beads on small wooden rods,
strung on a wooden frame.

ABACUS
MECHANICAL ERA

 John Napier, Baron of Merchiston,

Scotland, invents logs in 1614. Logs
allow multiplication and division to be
reduced to addition and subtraction.

Logarithms
MECHANICAL ERA
 In 1642, a French
mathematician named Blaise
Pascal invented a mechanical
calculation machine called
Pascaline. It was made out of
clock gears and levers, and
could solve basic mathematical
problems like addition and
subtraction.
Pascaline
MECHANICAL ERA

 In 1671, Gottfried Leibniz, a

German mathematician,
invented a machine called
steeped reckoner that could
multiply 5 digit and 12 digit
numbers yielding up to 16
Stepped digit number.
Reckoner
MECHANICAL ERA

 In 1801, Joseph-Marie Jacquard

developed an automatic loom
that was controlled by punched
cards.

Jacquard
Loom
MECHANICAL ERA

In 1822, Charles Babbage,

invented the first modern
computer design: a
steamed-powered adding
machine called the
difference engine to
automatically solve math
Difference problems.
Engine
 MECHANICAL ERA

 It was a mechanical adding

machine that took information
from punched cards to solve
and print complex
mathematical operations.

Analytical Engine
MECHANICAL ERA

 The first program was written by Ada

Augusta Lovelace for Babbage’s difference
engine. Thus, Ada Lovelace is credited with
being “the first computer programmer”.
The programming ada is named in her
honor.

Ada
ELECTROMECHANICAL
ERA
Punched card Tabulating machine

In 1890, the first person to successfully

use punched cards specifically for census
taking was Herman Hollerith.
MILLIONAIRE

The Millionaire, the first efficient four-

function calculator, is invented by Otto
Shweiger, a Swiss Engineer in 1893.
ELECTRONIC ERA
MARK 1
Z3 ABC(Atanasoff-Berry Computer)

Howard Aiken, a Ph.D. student at

Harvard University built Mark I It was discovered by John
It was the first programmable
“The first Stored-Program Atanasoff and Clifford Berry in
computer built by Konrad Zuse in
Computer”. 8 feet tall, 51 feet 1942.It was the first computer to
1941. It was the first fully
long, 2 feet thick, weighed 5 tons, use electricity in the form of
functional, program controlled
used 750,000 parts, 500 miles of vacuum tubes. It was used for
computer of the world.
wires, 3-5 seconds per calculation. solving complex systems
equations.
The Five Generations of Digital
Computing
The First-Generation Computers (1951-1958)

• First-generation computers had vacuum tubes,

resistors, and welded metal joints. They were large,
slow, expensive, and produced a lot of heat. In
addition, first-generation computers often broke
down because of burned-out vacuum tubes.
The Five Generations of Digital
Computing
The First-Generation Computers (1951-1958)

• In 1945, Presper Eckert and John Mauchly developed

the first operational electronic digital computer,
called ENIAC, for the US Army. ENIAC had more than
18,000 vacuum tubes, and took up to 1,800 square
feet of space. Today, ENIAC’s technology could fit in
a modern wristwatch.
The Five Generations of Digital
Computing
The First-Generation Computers (1951-1958)

• In 1951, the UNIVAC-1 became the first commercially

available electronic computer. This computer was
designed by Eckert and Mauchly and built by the
Remington Rand Corporation.

• IBM 701 was the IBM’s first electronic

computer built in 1953.
The Five Generations of Digital
Computing
The Second Generation Computers (1959-1963)
• Instead of vacuum tubes, the second-generation
computers used transistors an exciting new invention at
the time. John Barden, Walter Brattain, and William
Shockley of Bell Telephone Laboratories invented the
transistor.

• Magnetic tapes and disk began to replace punched

cards as external storage devices.
The Five Generations of Digital
Computing
The Second Generation Computers (1959-1963)
 Magnetic cores (very small donut-shaped magnets that
could be popularized in one of two directions to
represent data) strung on wire within the computer
became the primary internal storage technology.

 In 1961, Grace Hopper, the woman that found the first

computer bug, finishes developing COBOL (Common
Business-Oriented Language).
The Five Generations of Digital
Computing
The Second Generation Computers (1959-1963)
 The Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) founded by Ken
Olsen, released the first minicomputer, the PDP-8 in
1964.

 In 1965, Thomas Kurtz and john Kemeny of Dartmouth

College developed BASIC (Beginners All Purpose Symbolic
Instruction Code) as a computer language to help teach
people how to program.
 The Third-Generation Computers
(1963-1974)
 Computers in the third-generation computers
relied on a new technology called integrated
circuit. The integrated circuit is a single wafer or
chip that can hold many transistors and electronic
circuits.

 Magnetic tape and disks completely replace

punched cards as external storage devices.
 The Third-Generation Computers
(1963-1974)
• Magnetic core internal memories began to give
way to a new form, metal oxide semi-conductor
(MOS) memory, which, like integrated circuits, used
silicon-backed chips.

• In 1958 Jack Kilby invented the monolithic

integrated circuit, which is still widely used in
electronic systems.
 The Third-Generation Computers
(1963-1974)
 The C programming language is developed at AT
& T bell Labs by Brian Kerninghan and Dennis
Ritchie.

 The Unix Operating system, also written at Bell

Labs, is rewritten using C. This later makes UNIX
one of the most portable operating systems.
 The Fourth-Generation Computers
(1971-Present)
 The fourth-generation is just an extension of the third-
generation technology. This next technological
development is to put more power and capabilities in one
chip called microprocessor which has made computers the
fastest and most powerful they have ever been.

 In 1975, the Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems

or MITS produced the first Personal Computer. They named
the computer “Altair 8080”. This was the first easily
available micro-computer. It had256 bytes of memory and
ran a version of BASIC written by Bill Gates.
 The Fourth-Generation Computers
(1971-Present)
 Apple’s widely successful PC was the Apple II personal
computer. Apple II was the first personal computer to
come in a plastic case and include color graphics.

 In 1978, VisiCalc was released. It is the first

spreadsheet program and it made microcomputers
useful to businesses.

 In 1993, Intel Pentium introduced Pentium Processor,

a microprocessor with 3.1 million transistors.
The Fifth-Generation Computers
(1982 - Onward)
 The Fifth Generation Computer Systems was
an initiative by Japan's Ministry of
International Trade and Industry, begun in
1982, to create computers using massively
parallel computing and logic programming. It
was to be the result of a massive
government/industry research project in
Japan during the 1980s.
The Fifth-Generation Computers
(1982 - Onward)

This generation’s focus is more on

connectivity. This is to permit computer
users to connect their computers to
other computers.
Classification of a Computer
According to size and processing speed:

Supercomputers

The fastest type of computer.

They are very expensive and employed for specialized applications

that require immense amounts of mathematical calculations.
Examples
oNEC Earth Simulator

oIBM ASCI White

oTERASCALE Computing System

oTERA Supercomputer

oNERSC IBM SP RS/600

Mainframe computers
A very large and expensive computer capable of supporting
hundreds, or even thousands, of users simultaneously.

They are slower and less than supercomputers.

They support hundreds or thousands of users at a time.

They are used as e-commerce and web servers and in large

organizations, banks, universities and airlines as databases.
Examples
oIBM 3090
oAndhal 5890
Minicomputers

A midsized computer.

In size and power, microcomputers lies between

workstations and mainframes.

In general, a minicomputer is a multi-processing

system capable of support in from 4 to about 200
users simultaneously.
Minicomputers

They are also known as midrange computers.

They are used in medium size business, education

and government departments and are also used
as servers on the network environment.

Examples,
o IBM’s AS/400e
Microcomputers (Personal
Computers)

Is generally a synonym for the more common term,

Personal Computer or PC, a computer designed for an
individual.

It uses microprocessor technology to input,

manipulate, store and output data.
Microcomputers (Personal
Computers)

Business use personal computers for word processing,

accounting, desktop publishing, and for running
spreadsheet and database management applications.

Examples,
oApple II (introduced by Apple Computer in 1977)
oIBM PC(IBM’s first personal computer)
 Personal Computer or
PC

TWO CLASSIFICATION OF
It is widely popular with people
MICROCOMPUTERS
of all lifestyle because they are
powerful, affordable and easy to
use.

LAPTOP/ NOTEBOOK COMPUTER

 A small portable computer. Small enough that it can sit on your
lap.
Portable Computer
SUBNOTEBOOK COMPUTER
 Slightly lighter and smaller than a full-sized notebook computer.
They are small enough to move
easily from one place to PERSONAL DIGITAL ASSISTANT (PDA)
another and they can operate  A handheld device that combines computing,
on batteries. telephone/fax, and networking features.
 It can function as a cellular phone, fax sender, and
personal organizer.
TABLET PC
 Design for a fully equipped personal
computer that allows a user to take notes
using natural handwriting on a stylus or
digital pen.
According to data handled
Hybrid computers
A hybrid is a combination of digital and analog
computers. It combines the best features of
both types of computers.

Digital computers
Computer used in hospitals to measure the
heartbeat of the patient. Devices used in petrol
Digital computers deal with mathematical pump. In scientific applications or in controlling
Analog computers variables in form of numbers that represent industrial processes.
discrete values of physical quantities.

Analog computers operate on All modern computers, laptops, and calculators

mathematical variables in the form are all digital computers.
of physical quantities that are
continuously varying. For example
temperature, pressure, voltages, etc.
 ACCORDING TO PURPOSE

The programs are built into

permanently in the machine and given
task are performed very quick and
General-purpose efficient.
computers
Examples are computers used in
monitoring nuclear reactions, outer
space missions, oil explorations
It is capable of dealing to a variety of
different problems and are able to respond
to programs created to meet different needs. Special purpose
computers
(Dedicated
computers)
 SEARCH FOR THE
DIFFERENT
COMPONENTS OF A
COMPUTER