Computer Basics Computer Hardware and Software

The danger is not

that the computer once starts to think like a man ,
and that man once begins to think like a computer . Sidney George . Harris

a set of arithmetic or logical 
operations automatically.
Since a

sequence of operations can be
readily changed, the computer can solve
more than one kind of problem.

created by
Charles Babbage in 1822, doesn't really resemble what most

would consider a computer today. Therefore, this document has been created with a listing of each of the computer firsts, starting with the Difference Engine and leading up to the computers we use today.
The first computer company was the Electronic Controls Company and was founded in1949 by J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly, the same individuals who helped create the ENIAC computer.
The first microprocessor
Intel introduces the first microprocessor,
the Intel 4004 on November 15, 1971.

The word "computer" was first recorded as being used in 1613 and originally was used to describe a human who performed calculations or computations. The definition of a computer remained the same until the end of the 19th century, when the industrial revolution gave rise to machines whose primary purpose was calculating.

in a program.
A computer has four functions:

1.

accept data 1. input
2. processes data 2. processing
3. produce output 3. output
4. stores results 4. storage

What is a computer?

The information processing cycle

that tell
the computer what to do

Data
individual facts like

first name, price,
quantity ordered. Computers manipulate
data to create information

Default

the original settings; what will
happen if you don’t change anything

Some beginning terms

hardware

input

“ Reads”
Input device
Hardware that allows data to be entered into the computer

Input devices:
keyboard
mouse
scanner
microphone
webcam
CD-ROM

it has been processed

Display Devices – Monitor
Printer: Inkjet, Laser,

Photo, Color

Speaker
Projector

Computer hardware output

Internal ( hard drives)
External (floppy, CDRW)

Flash Memory Cards, USB Flash Drives
Modems
Touch Screen Monitors

Input/Output: (I/O)

Mac OS, Linux, Vista

Application Software

– everything else
MS Word, MS Excel, MS ACCESS
Business Application
Internet Browsers
Games

Computer Software

of progress and development that provides a wide range of

opportunities for everybody. Using accumulated knowledge, people can make discoveries and inventions, which seemed incredible not long ago. To my mind, some sciences are sure to be learned. It is a well-known fact that science is an important part of many different kinds of jobs. Doctors study diseases and discover new cures and treatments. Chemists invent new medicines. Agricultural scientists help to bring fresh nutritious products to our supermarkets. These are just a few examples. You can find many more examples of science on the ground, in the skies, and in the oceans. However, scientific discoveries can also have a negative impact. Some of the latest technological advances that make our life easier or more enjoyable have proved to have unwanted and often unexpected long-term effects. All in all, we should be very careful using new scientific discoveries and technologies not to damage the world we live in and save our planet for further generations.

month.
The first computer mouse, constructed in 1964, was made out

of wood.(by Doug Engelbart)
The average human being blinks 20 times a minute – but only 7 times a minute when using a computer.
The first electro-mechanical computer was developed in 1939.
By the end of 2012 there will be 17 billion devices connected to the internet.
Over 1 million domain names are registered every month.
With it’s 800 million internet users, Facebook would be the third largest country in the World.
The first hard drive was created in 1979 and could hold 5MB of data.
The NVidia GeForce 6800 Ultra video card contains 222 million transistors.
20% of online viruses are released by organized crime units.

It’s hard to believe that one device can provide people

with entertainment, news, education, music. With the appearance of computer many things have lost their importance. People don’t watch TV anymore, don’t go to the cinema very often. They don’t listen to the radio, CD- or MP3-player. They’ve stopped buying newspapers and magazines. Many have taken online classes. Thus, computers and Internet have become an integral part of every family. Computer is a powerful tool. It helps to create colourful presentations, to calculate large numbers, to write articles, to save and edit photos, to keep documentation and, of course, to surf the web. 

new discoveries
2. make life easier
3. New opportunities

haven’t even known anything about these electronic devices, whereas nowadays

even a small child can operate this machine.  Almost all modern technology depends on computers, which are used for data storage: files, secret information, bank transactions and else. Computer technology belongs to the fastest-growing industry. After all, computers have become the most useful tool in everyone’s homes nowadays and they have certainly changed our lives for the better.