Chapter2 Pt1 - New

CHAPTER 2 : Part 1
INTRODUCTION TO HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

Module Objectives
At the end of the module, students should be able to:
– identify the terms and concept related to computer
hardware and software
– identify the five basic unit of a computer
– identify the two types of computer software
– explain the differences between application software and

system software
Hardware Vs. Software ???
• Hardware - the physical parts or
components of a computer that we can
actually touch, like disks, disk drives,
monitor, keyboards, printers, boards,
and chips.
• Software - untouchable. Software

exists as ideas, concepts, and symbols,
but it has no substance.
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/hardware.html
Hardware Vs. Software ???
• Books provide a useful analogy.
• The pages and the ink are the hardware,
while the words, sentences, paragraphs, and
the overall meaning are the software.
• A computer without software is like a book
full of blank pages
– you need software to make the computer useful
just as you need words to make a book
meaningful
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/H/hardware.html
Basic Unit of a Computer
1. Input Unit
• consist of hardware used to enter data and
instructions
• “Receiving” section of computer
• Obtains data from input devices
– Usually a keyboard, mouse, disk or scanner
• Places data at disposal of other units
2. System Unit
• Case containing electronic components used to
process data
• There are 2 main components on a
motherboard:
System Unit
• Central Processing • MEMORY (RAM)

Unit (CPU)  electronic component that
 also called a processor store instructions waiting to
 electronic component that be executed and data needed
interprets and carries out by those instructions
the basic instructions that  Retains info that has already
operate the computer been processed until can be
sent to output unit
 Often called memory, primary
memory, or random access
memory (RAM)
Basic Unit of A Computer
3. Output Unit
• Hardware that conveys information to one or more
user
• “Shipping” section of computer
• Puts processed data/info on various output devices
– Monitor (screens), printers, projector, speakers
• Makes info available outside the computer
4. Storage Unit
• Holds data, instructions, and information for future
use.
• Storage Media • Storage Device
- physical material on - computer hardware that
which a computer keeps records an/or retrieves
data, instructions & items to and from storage
information media.
Storage Unit
• Storage Device • Storage Media
 Card reader  memory card
 CD-ROM Drive/  Optical Disc
DVD-ROM Drive (CD-ROM/DVD-ROM )
 hard disk  hard disk
 External/removable  USB flash drive
hard disk  Smart card
 USB flash drive  Cloud storage
5. Communication Unit
• hardware component that enables a computer
to send (transmit) and receive data,
instructions, and information to and from one
or more computers.
• E.g.: modem
(digital modem-cable, isdn, wireless modem,
wireless access points)
Basic Computer Hardware
Inside the computer…
http://www.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/techindx.htm
What is Software?
• Series of instructions or programs that process data
• Two types :
– System software
• Used mainly by the computer
– Application software
• Used only by the user
• The purpose of software is to cause a task, process, or

computation to be performed.
• A task can include the retrieval, storage, or display of
information.
• A computer system requires software to make the best
use of its capabilities and to solve problems
What is System Software?
• Enables application software to interact with computer hardware
• A “Background” software  manage internal computer
resources and coordinate the application software requests with
computer hardware without user interaction
• Operating system software

• Most important system software
• Executes application software
• Stores data and programs
• manages all the overall operation of the computer system
• I.e.  Eg. Window XP, Windows 7, Linux, UNIX, Sun
Solaris, Mac OS X Mavericks
Popular Operating System
Windows OS
• Windows platform
(XP, 7, 8, 10) is
currently the
dominating OS for
the personal
computer.
• By Microsoft.
macOS • The main operating system
for the Apple Macintosh.
(original : Mac OS X)
• The most advanced version
is macOS Big Sur (rebranded
to macOS on 2016 - naming
uniformity with iOS, iPadOS,
tvOS, watchOS)
• Previous version includes
Mac OS X Mavericks, Lion,
Yosemite
Linux OS
• Open Source operating
system
• Many
distributions/versions
• Red Hat 9.0, Mandrake,
SuSE, Lindows, Knoppix,
Ubuntu and many others
What is Application Software?
•End-user software  enter commands and typically interact with
application programs.
• General-purpose programs
– Some types: Browsers, Spreadsheet,
Database management systems,
presentation graphics, word processor
– i.e  Internet Explorer, Microsoft Word,
PowerPoint
• Special-purpose programs
– Custom written for specialized tasks
– written for an organization’s or business
type’s specific purpose
– i.e.  Online Registration System
Application Software
Word processor Spreadsheets Databases
Communications Presentation Others - Groupware

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CHAPTER 2 : Part 1

INTRODUCTION TO HARDWARE & SOFTWARE

– identify the two types of computer software

– explain the differences between application software and

• Software - untouchable. Software

• Central Processing • MEMORY (RAM)

• The purpose of software is to cause a task, process, or

• Operating system software

Word processor Spreadsheets Databases

Communications Presentation Others - Groupware

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