CHAPTER 1 COMPUTER FUNDAMENTALS 1. _ Introduction to Computers 1.1 Introduction A computer is @ machine which is being used in almost all spheres of life of every human being. Due to advancements in development of computer machines, the computer has become pervasive and is being used in all areas of our lives. With regular research and developments going on itis sure that we will continue to experience new things as time passes. Personal Computers are being used by the students, engineers, creative writers for calculations, designing and publishing purposes. Computers have also enhanced the leaming processes. A student can learn his/her lesson not only in the classroom but also while travelling, ot by sitting at Monitor: Laser printer \Y CD-ROM drive Figure: 1.1 Personal Computer Chapter 1 | Computer Fundamentalshome with a PC. The intemet technology made it possible to bring all the information on the doorsteps of every individual, People are now using computers for enquiries, banking, shopping and many more purposes. We are now passing through an era of information superhighway where alltypes of information are available justby clicking a button of the computer 1.2 Computer Generations ‘We may broadly divide the computer generations into five major periods. Each of these generations may be characterized by the technology it used and the nature of operation of computer systems of that period. With the passage of time new technological innovations took place and the efficiency of computer increased and the cost of processing decreased > Large capacity disk > Faster, smaller and religble |» CDC 6600 Generation] Device Hardware feature Characteristics | System Names zm > Vacuum Tubes ¥ Support machine lauage |} ENIAC 19121955 Push onss > Very costy evar } Generate lot of heat > TBM 701 oe > thug size > Conse Ia of eticy Second > | > rrasisirs ¥ ais opsiae sm | Hone 40 csseiny | MP | Mogoctc Tepes Fase sllerand able | > CDC 1608 _ ‘than previous generation | } 1BM 7030 > costly — Pcs > Time Sharing OS > 1BM.360370 es915 in Moqrete cheer > Mopeietips |) Se morsit Fouth > Tes with VLSI Technology| ? Maltproessing & GUIOS|» Appt (1575198) > > Semiconductor Memory | ¥ Obiet rented programs | y vax 9900 ss portable > Easier update > Tes with ULSI Technology a > Powerful, cheaper reliable | IBM (098s) > Large capacity hard disk | easy ous, porable | > Pentium a | | ‘with RAID Support > Rapid software > PARAM > Optical disks as porable |” deyslpment posible readonly storage media > powerful servers, intemet (Cluster computing Figure: 1.2 Computer Generations 1.2.1 First Generation (1942-1956) The first generation computers were using vacuum tubes as the main electronic component and used magnetic drums for storing RR data. Their size was quite big; even they occupied @ fall room. ony They were very expensive, heat producing, required a lot of iN cooling and their maintenance was also very tedious task, Figure 13: EDVAC (2) @ Chapter I ‘Computer Fundamentals‘The first generation computer operated upon machine = Glass Envelope Plate(anode) Filament (cathode) language and used it as programming language. Input was «given to them by punched cards and paper tapes. They were able to solve one problematatime. Grid 1.2.2. Second Generation (1956-1965) The second generation computers used transistors as the electronic component. The transistors made the computers ‘much smaller consumed less power, faster, efficient and were cheaper and reliable than the first generation B computers FFigure 1.4: Vacuum Tubes Although they were heat producing but ‘were more reliable. In this generation, magnetic cores were used as primary memory and magnetic tapes and magnetic disks were used as secondary storage devices. High level languages such as COBOL and FORTRAN were Figure 1.5: Second Generation introduced in this (CDC 1604) generation. 1.2.3 Third Generation (1965-1975) ‘The third generation computers have used Integrated Circuits (1.C.s) in place of transistors. A single IC could hold a large number of transistors, resistors and ‘capacitors which caused the size of the computers more compact. The computers of this generation used keyboards and monitors for input and output respectively. The concept of operating system was also introduced, In this generation, the concept of time sharing and multi programming operating system was introduced. Many new high level languages like FORTRAN IV, PASCAL, and BASIC ete. were introduced in this generation. “ Figure 1.6: Third Generation Computers 1.2.4 Fourth Generation (1975-1988) In this generation, microprocessors were introduced as thousands of ICs were fabricated on a single chip made up of silicon. The computers of this generation used Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits (VLSI) technology. The Inte] 4004 chip, which was developed in 1971, located all the 3) Chapter 1 Computer Fundamentalscomponents of a computer on a single chip. The size of the computers reduced which gave rise to the new name desktop computer or personal computer. In this generation, the concept of time sharing, real time processing, distributed operating system was used. New high level languages like C, C++, and Databases were used in this generation Figure] 7: PDP 11/70 1.2.5 Fifth Generation (1988 onwards) In the fifth generation, a new technology ULSI (Ultra Large Scale Integration) was developed resulting in a microprocessor chip on which up to 10 million electronic components could be incorporated. The concepts like artificial intelligence, voice recognition, mobile communication, satellite communication, signal data processing were introduced, Even machines like human brains were developed and more and more work is still going on these new innovations. High level languages like Java, VB and .net framework were introduced in this generation, QUICK RR - > What is a microcomputer? > Which component was used in third generation computers? 1.3 Development of Electronics Machines The Abacus, which emerged about 5000 years ago, may be considered as first computer. This device eee sese, Bs rs re errs allowed users to perform basic calculations by using a system of sliding beads arranged on a rack. But as the uuse of paper and pencil spread, the Abacus lost its importance. It took nearly 12 centuries for the next significant advancement in the making of a computing Figure 1.8: Abacus device. In the year 1642, Blaise Pascal, invented @ numerical wheel calculator. This brass rectangular box used eight movable dials to add sum up to 8 figures long. He gave il thename''Pascaline’. Inthe year 1646,a German mathematician, Gotftied Wilhem Von Leibniz improved the Pascaline by creating a machine that could also multiply. Leibniz. mechanical multiplier worked by a system of gears and dials. This machine was used till 1820, and then the mechanical calculators were introduced by a Frenchman Charles Xavier Thomas De Colmar which was capable of performing four basic arithmetic functions. It was named arithometer. With its enhanced versatility, the (a) W Chapter 1 ‘Computer Fundamentalsarithometer was widely used up until First World War. The real beginning of computers which we now today can be associated with an English Mathematics Professor Charles Babbage. Babbage attempt brought a new machine which was able to perform differential equations and he named it as Difference Engine. This machine was powered by steam, was quite big in size and was able to store programs and could able to perform calculations and print the result simultaneously. After working on the difference engine for ten years, Babbage inspired to work on first general purpose computer and named it Analytical Engine. Babbage’s assistant Augusta Ada King, was instrumental in the machine's design. In their honour, the US defense department named a programming language ADA in herhonourin 1980's, The analytical engine designed by Charles Babbage is quite primitive when compared with today's standards. However, itoutlined the basic a = elements of modem general purpose computer. ‘The analytical engine was consisting of over 50,000 components; the basic input design was in the form of perforated cards, it also contained ‘mill! with @ control unit which allowed processing of instructions in any sequence. The Figurel.9: Analytical Engine ‘output devices were there to produce printed results In the year 1889, an American inventor, Herman Hollerith used the Jacquard loom concept to ‘computing, He wanted to find a faster way to compute US census, Hollerith's method used cards to store data information which he fed into the machine and compiled the results mechanically. Hollerith brought this punched card reader into business world, which ultimately gave rose to IBM in 1924, Other companies also entered in the market and manufactured punch readers for business use, both government and business companies used punched cards for data processing until the year 1960, Further, many other scientists and engineers made significant advances in the field of ‘computers. Vannever Bush in the year 1930 developed a mechanically operated device, known a People: Itis easy to oversee people as one of the essential parts of an information system. This is what computers are all about ~ making people, end users like us, more productive and effective v Procedures: The rules or guidelines for people to follow when using software, hardware and data are procedures. Computer Specialists document these procedures in manuals written by them, Vv Software: A program consists ofa set of instructions that tll the computer how to do its work step-by-step, Software is another name for a program orset of programs. > Hardware: Hardware is controlled by software. The Hardware is the equipment’ that process the data to create information It includes the keyboard, mouse, moniter, system unit, and other devices. v Data: The raw, unprocessed facts, including text, image, numbers and sounds are called data, Processed data yields information. 1.4.2. Basic Characteristics of Computer 1. Speed: The computer processes the data at a very high speed. Computers take only few seconds to process a huge amount of data, ie, millions of instructions may be processed in a second. 2, Accuracy: The results produced by a computer are very correct. If correct data is entered in the computer, the output obtained is accurate. The computer works on the theory of GIGO (Garbage in Garbage out) 3. High Storage Capacity: Computers have a large memory and can store a large amount of, data in a very compact manner. Any information stored ina computer may be retained init for avery long period. With this feature, lot of repetition is avoided. 4. Versati letters prepare sheets, listen to music; prepare inventory reports, hospital management, Computers are used to perform a variety of tasks. We may use them to write banking and many more. Diligence: Being a machine, a computers free from fatigue, lack of concentration, boredom, Computer will perform the last instruction atthe same speed at which the first instruction was processed, @ Chapter 1 Computer FundamentalsLimitations: Computer is a dumb machine and it cannot do anything on its own. ‘The Computer is an clectronie device which is capable of receiving information (data) in a particular form and of performing a sequence of operations in accordance with a predetermined but variable set of procedural instructions (program) to produce a result in the form of information or signals. In an ‘unanticipated situation, the computer cannot take any decision on its own, The sequence of instructions cannot be changed by the computer. Ithas no IQ (Intelligent Quotient), 1.5 Hardware & Software 1.5.1 Software ‘We perform different types of tasks with the help of computers, Actually all the processing is done with the help of software's which are stored in any of secondary memory device. Software is another name of programs. Software is collection of programs written for the purpose, A program is nothing but set of instructions written in a particular Programming Language. There are two majortypes of software: System Software and Application Software. Pre Figure: 1.12 Software Types 1.5.1.1 System Software ‘The system software is software by which a user interacts first, and then he works with application software, System software supports the computer to manage its internal resources; System program is not a single program but is a collection of many programs. Some of the important components of system programs are: (3) ® Chapter I ‘Computer Fundamentals> Operating System (OS):An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware and software resources (CPU, Memory, Input and Output ete.) and provides common services for computer programs. It provides an interface between the computer and the user. Windows OS is the most widely used operating system on computers. Linux and Unix OS are also used in some specialised types of applications. They are of many types like realtime, embedded, distributed ete. > Utilities: The utilities are also provided by the operating systems. Utilities are used to enhance the computer resources like the utility disk defragmenter locates and removes undesirable file fragments and reorganizes diskspace and files to improve computer operations > Device drivers: These are specialised programs which allow other input and output devices to communicate with the rest of the computer system. > Servers: This is required to run different programs as per the requests received from different SYSTEM SOFTWARE "APPLICATION SOFTWARE Us ‘Number Sofiware ‘Dependency “Table 1.1 Application and System Softwate 1.5.1.2 Application Software Application Softwares are the Softwares which are specially designed for the users(also called ‘end-user programs); include such things as database programs, word processors, Web browsers and spreadsheets. These applications are widely used in almostall spheres of life like: Education Medical Sciences Banking Industries Chapter 1 | Computer FundamentalsThis software also allows the user to complete jobs such as creating databases, documents, doing online shopping, spreadsheets, playing games, sending some messages. The application programs are designed in such a manner that the user finds it very friendly while working on them. For example, when a user is ereating any word document file, he/she finds that the margins, line spacing, font size ete, are already been set. The user may add color, headings, and pictures to the documentand may make itas required by him/her. Example: - A web Browser is application software specially designed to locate, retrieve and display content found on the intemet. Browsers names: Mozilla Firefox, Safari, Google Chrome and Internet Explorer Specialized Applications include a number of other programs that are more closely concentrated on specific disciplines and jobs. Some of the best known are multimedia, graphics, video, audio, Web authoring, and Artificial Intelligence (A.1.) programs. — SA A software suite is a group of software applications with related functionality. For example office software suites might include word processing, spreadsheet, database, presentation and email applications. There are other suites also like graphics suites for graphics work and audio | master suite foraudio production (QUICK |TRUTATE- > Name few application software > Whatisa webbrowser? > Whatisalinkerand whatis does toa program? 1.5.2. Hardware Hardware is a generic term used to define any component of a computer system with a physical presence and which can be seen and touched. (Common Hardware includes the monitor, computer case, keyboard, printers, electronic circuitry, memory chips, motherboard, expansion cards, cables, switches and everything you can touch and feel. Hardware components are often categorised as being input, output, storage or processing devices. Devices which are not an essential part of the CPU are referred to as being peripherals. Peripheral i) © Chapter 1 ‘Computer FundamentalsDevices are usually used for input, output or storage (such asa hard disk, keyboard or printer). Input devices are hardware devices which take information from the user, convert it into electrical signals and transmit it to the processor. The key function of input devices is to allow ‘humans to act together with the computer system. For instance a mouse permits the user to control the movement ofthe pointer on screen (a common element in user interface design. Output devices take data from the computer system and convert it to @ form that can be understood by humans. For instance a monitor produces a visual electronic display to output information created by the processor to the user, Processing devices are the components accountable for the processing of information within the ‘computer system, These include devices such as the Motherboard, CPU and Memory, Storage devices arc components which permit data to be stored within a computer system. This includes devices such as Compact Disk drives and hard disk drives. TypeofComponents_| Examples Tnput ‘Trackball, Touchpad, Microphone, Keyboard, Sensors, Mouse, Joystick, Seanner, Web Cam. Processing “Motherboard, Processor (CPU), Memory Output “Monitor, Printer, Headphone, Speaker, Touchscreen, Projectors ete. Storage Hard Disk Drive Table 1.2 Summary of Hardware Types Chapter 1 Computer FundamentalsMultiple Choice Questions Name of High Level Language Introduced in Second Generation a. FORTRANIV, PASCAL, BASIC b.CiCH+ ©, COBOL and FORTRAN d, Noneoftheabove Key component of first generation computer was a. Transistors b. Vacuum Tubes and Valves c.Integrated Circuits d.None of above Second Generation computers were developed during 194910 1955 b, 1956 to 1965 ©. 1965 to 1970 4.1970t0 1990 In which computer generation Microprocessor was introduced? a. First Generation Second Generation ¢. third Generation 4. Fourth Generation Which isnot application software? a. Windows 7 b. Page Maker c. Notepad Photoshop 6. 10, Which of the following runs on computer hardware and serves as a platform for other Softwares torunon? a. Operating System . Application Software c.AandB d.None ofthe above ENIAC stands for: a. Blectronic Networks Integrated Ace Computer b.Blectronic Numerical Integration and Calculation c.Electronic Numerical Integrator&Computer d. Electronic November Is A Crossing Raw facts suchas leters, words and sounds arecalled:- a.Data b. User Response ¢. Programs d. Commands Ancxample of'an Output devieeisa a. Scanner b,Plotter e. Tapes 4. Software Limitations of Computer System a. Speed Accuracy ¢.Diligence 4.NoIQ Chapter I ‘Computer Fundamentals