INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING

A Computer is electronic device that receives data, processes data, stores data, and produces a result (output).

A computer system is more than a box with components; it encompasses four elements that make the machine fully useful:

–Hardware

–Software

–Data

–Users

Parts / Components of a Computer

Computer Hardware

This is a term used to describe all the various physical devices of a computer. Computer hardware components are tangible (they can be touched).

Computer hardware includes.

• –Input devices like the keyboard and mouse,
• –Processing devices like the Microprocessor Chip,
• –Storage devices like the Hard disks and the CDs,
• –Output devices like the monitor and the printer.

Computer Software

Software is a term for electronic instructions that tell the computer how to perform a task. These are a series of programs (instructions) that tell the computer what and how to work. Computer software can be grouped into System software and Application software.

System software like the Operating system (such as Windows, Linux, UNIX, DOS, Mac Os etc.) are used to manage and coordinate all the computer resources and activities.

Application software (such as Games, Calculator and Media Player, Word Processors, etc.) solve the specific or exact needs of the user.

Computer Users

Computer Users (Human ware) refers to the people who operate and initialize instructions to the computer system.

They design and develop computer systems, operate the computer hardware, create the software, and establish procedures for carrying out tasks. There are two kinds of Computer Users:

Ordinary user – is someone without much technical knowledge of computers but uses computers to produce information for professional or personal tasks, enhance learning, or have fun.

Ordinary users include Computer students, Typists (Secretaries), etc.

Professional user -is a person in a profession involving computers who has had formal education in the technical aspects of computers;

Examples include Computer programmers, webmasters, etc.

Computer Data and Information

Data refers to raw facts and figures used to create information. This is entered into the computer by the user via input devices, in a form suitable for processing.

Data may consist of characters, symbols, sounds and graphics, videos etc.

Computer Information refers to the processed data that makes meaning and is useful.

For example the figure 10082006 may be input as data, but once this same figure is converted to the format 10/08/2006, you realize that it’s a date.

Computer Information is organized into files, which are collections of data grouped together and given a name

A file that a user can open and use is often called a document.

The Information Processing Cycle

The information processing cycle is a series of steps the computer follows to receive data:

• Input: The computer accepts data from some source
• Processing: The computer’s processing components perform actions on or with the data
• Output: The computer provides the results of its processing
• Storage: The computer stores the results of its processing.

Looking at the parts of the computer that we looked at, in what stage do you think each computer part would beJ listed under?