IMPORTENT PART OF IT INCULDE                                   

                                                           CONTENTS 

1. WHAT IS A COMPUTER ............................................................................................................1 

2. Computing Systems .............................................................................................................2-4 

3. Early history of computing ......................................................................................................4 

  3.1. Abacus  ...................................................................................................................................5 

  3.2. Napier’s Bones ........................................................................................................................5 

  3.3. Pascaline ................................................................................................................................5 

  3.4. Jacquard Loom ........................................................................................................................5 

  3.5. Analytical Engine ....................................................................................................................6 

  3.6. First Computer Programmer ....................................................................................................6 

  3.7. Turing Machine & Turing Test ..................................................................................................6 

4. Computer Generations ............................................................................................................6 

  4.1. The First Generation  ...............................................................................................................7 

  4.2. The Second Generation  ..........................................................................................................7 

  4.3. The Third Generation  .............................................................................................................8 

  4.4. The Fourth Generation ............................................................................................................8 

  4.5. The Fifth Generation  ..............................................................................................................9 

5. Computer Hardware Components ...........................................................................................9 

  5.1. Motherboard ..........................................................................................................................9 

  5.2. Expansion slot  ...................................................................................................................... 10 

  5.3. Case Fan ............................................................................................................................... 10 

  5.4. Connection ........................................................................................................................... 11 

  5.5. Heat Sink .............................................................................................................................. 11 

  5.6. P4 ......................................................................................................................................... 11 

  5.7. Coil 12 .................................................................................................................................. 12 

  5.8. Socket .................................................................................................................................. 12 

  5.9. Northbridge  ......................................................................................................................... 12 

  5.10. Southbridge  ......................................................................................................................... 13 

  5.11. Memory slot ......................................................................................................................... 13 

  5.12. IDE ....................................................................................................................................... 13 

  5.13. CMOS ................................................................................................................................... 14 

  5.14. ATX style connector .............................................................................................................. 14 

6. Hardware device can be classified into four distinct categories .............................................. 15 

  6.1. input device Categorized .................................................................................................. 16-17 

  6.2. Processing device .................................................................................................................. 18 

  6.3. Output device ....................................................................................................................... 18 

   6.3.1. softcopy ............................................................................................................................... 18 

   6.3.2. Hardcopy ............................................................................................................................. 19 

  6.4. Memory storage device ......................................................................................................... 20 

   6.4.1.    Primary memory ................................................................................................................ 20 

   6.4.2. Secondary memory .............................................................................................................. 20 

7. Early history Computer software ........................................................................................... 21 

  7.1. First generation .................................................................................................................... 21 

  7.2. The Second Generation ......................................................................................................... 21 

  7.3. The Third Generation ............................................................................................................ 21 

  7.4. Fourth-generation ................................................................................................................. 22 

  7.5. fifth generation ..................................................................................................................... 22 

8. Computer software ............................................................................................................... 22 

  8.1. System Software ................................................................................................................... 23 

   8.1.1. Operating system ................................................................................................................. 23 

   8.1.2. Utility Software .................................................................................................................... 23 

  8.2. Application software ............................................................................................................. 24 

9. Live Ware ............................................................................................................................. 24 

10. References ............................................................................................................................ 26 

 

  

 1. WHAT IS A COMPUTER 

 

 

 

A computer an electronic device operating under the control of instruction stored in its own memory that can accept data (input) Process the data according to specified rules produce information (output) and store the information for future use.  

 

2. Computing Systems 

 

Hardware: – is the tangible part of a computer system. ( physical components of a computer that you can actually touch) 

Ex: keyboard, monitor, central processing unit (CPU), mouse and printer.  

 

Software: – is the non-tangible part that tells the computer how to do its job. It is a set of instructions used to direct the hardware on how to turn data into useful information for people to use. These are programs used by the user to interact with the computer. Ex: Word, Access, Web browser 

 

Liveware: – refer to people who use and operate the computer system, write computer programs, and analyze and design the 

 

 

3. Early history of computing • Originally calculations were computed by humans, whose job title was computers. • These human computers were typically engaged in the calculation of a mathematical expression. • The calculations of this period were specialized and expensive, requiring years of training in mathematics. • The first use of the word "computer" was recorded in 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations, or computations, and the word continued to be used in that sense until the middle of the 20th century. 

 

3.1. Abacus  

 

The abacus was invented in Babylonia in 2400 B.C. The abacus in the form we are most familiar with was first used in China in around 500 B.C. • It used to perform basic arithmetic operations. multiply, divide and calculate square and cube roots by moving the rods around and placing them in specially constructed boards.  

 

 

3.2. Napier’s Bones 

 

Invented by John Napier in1614. Allowed the operator to multiply, divide and calculate square and cube roots by moving the rods around and placing them in specially constructed boards. 

 

3.3. Pascaline 

 

 

• Invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642. It was its limitation to addition and subtraction. It is too expensive. 

 

 

3.4. Jacquard Loom 

 

• The Jacquard loom is a mechanical loom invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881.  It an automatic loom controlled by punched cards. 

 

 

 

 

 

3.5. Analytical Engine 

 

• It an automatic, mechanical calculator designed to tabulate polynomial functions. • Invented by Charles Babbage in 1834 • It is the first mechanical computer. 

 

3.6. First Computer Programmer 

 

• In 1840, Augusta Ada Lovelace suggests to Babbage that he use    the binary system. She writes programs for the Analytical Engine. 

 

3.7. Turing Machine & Turing Test 

 

A Turing Machine is an accepting device which accepts the languages (recursively enumerable set) generated by type 0 grammars. It was invented in 1936 by Alan Turing. The Turing Test is a method of inquiry in artificial intelligence [1, pp. https://brilliant.org/wiki/turing-machines/] 4. Computer Generations 

There are five generations of computer: 

• First generation – 1946 - 1958 

• Second generation – 1959 - 1964 

• Third generation – 1965 - 1970 

• Fourth generation – 1971 - today 

• Fifth generation – Today to future 

 

4.1. The First Generation  

The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire rooms. They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions. 4.2. The Second Generation  

Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the second generation of computers. One transistor replaced the equivalent of 40 vacuum tubes. Allowing computers to become smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-efficient and more reliable. Still generated a great deal of heat that can damage the computer. 

 

4.3. The Third Generation  

 The development of the integrated circuit was the hallmark of the third generation of computers. Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips, called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of computers. Much smaller and cheaper compare to the second generation computers. It could carry out instructions in billionths of a second. 4.4. The Fourth Generation 

The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were built onto a single silicon chip. As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks, which eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the development of GUIs, the mouse and handheld devices. 

 4.5. The Fifth Generation  

 Based on Artificial Intelligence (AI). Still in development. The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality. The goal is to develop devices that respond to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organization. There are some applications, such as voice recognition, that are being used today. 

 

5. Computer Hardware Components 

 Hardware 

 The hardware component of the computer are the physical items of the computer. You can actually touch. The system unit also contains some vital internal hardware component 

Ex: - monitor, system units, mouse etc... 5.1. Motherboard 

The motherboard is the key circuit board holding the essential processing parts of a computer. It allows all the parts of your computer to receive power and communicate with one another. It is usually screwed to the case along its largest face, which could be the bottom or the side of the case depending on the form factor and orientation. The form factor describes the shape and layout of the motherboard. It affects where individual components go and the shape of the computer's case. Attached directly to the motherboard are the CPU, RAM, expansion cards, networking, video, and audio components. 

5.2. Expansion slot 

 

Alternatively known as a bus slot or expansion part, an expiation slot is a connection or part inside a computer  

• AGP- Video card • AMP- Modem • CNR- Modem, Network Card • EISA- SCSI, Network Card • ISA- Network Card, Sound Card, Video Card • PCI- SCSI, Network Card, Sound Card, Video Card • PCI Express- Modem, Sound Card, Video Card, Network Card • VESR- Video card 

 

5.3. Case Fan 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Case fan help to bring cool air into and blow hot air out of the case. More than one fan is often used, and the combination of case fans, power supply fan, heat sinks and CPU coolers comprise the cooling system. 

 5.4. Connection  

A connection is a term that describes the link between a plug or connector in to a part of jack. 

 

5.5. Heat Sink A heatsink is a piece of metal that sits on top of a computer chip such as a CPU and draws power away from components by letting it rise through a set of fins. Its cool processor temperature.   

 

 

5.6. P4 

The P4 connector is a 12V power supply cable used with motherboards that have an Intel Pentium 4 or later processor. Today, the connector is a standard power connector and is used with both Intel and AMD motherboards 

 

 

5.7. Coil  

Short for electromagnetic coil, a coil is conducting wire such as copper shaped in a helical from around an iron core. 

 

 

 

5.8. Socket 

 

When the referring to a processor, a CPU socket or processor socket is a connection that allows a computer processor to connect to are motherboard. A CPU socket also has a lock to prevent CPU movement, and its design helps secure heat sink placement above the CPU. 

 

5.9. Northbridge  

Northbridge is an Intel chipset that communicates with the computer processor and controls interaction with memory, the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) bus, Level 2 cache, and all Accelerated Graphics Port (AGP) activities. Northbridge communicates with the processor using the frontside bus (FSB). 

 

5.10. Southbridge 

Southbridge is a reference to a chipset on a PC motherboard. It is a group of microchips designed for a single function and manufactured as a single unit. This chipset controls or manages input and output (I/O). Examples of I/O interface connections controlled by southbridge are USB, serial, IDE and ISA. These are the slower capabilities of the motherboard. It is located on the northbridge of the PCI bus and is not directly connected to the CPU, but connected to the CPU through the northbridge. 

 

5.11. Memory slot 

A memory slot or RAM slot is what allows computer memory (RAM) chip/stick to be inserted into the computer. Depending on the motherboard, there will usually be 2 to 4 memory slots (sometimes more on high-end motherboards) and are what determine the type of RAM used with the computer. 5.12. IDE 

IDE, an acronym for Integrated Drive Electronics, is a standard type of connection for storage devices in a computer. Generally, IDE refers to the types of cables and ports used to connect some hard drives and optical drives to each other and to the motherboard. 

5.13. CMOS 

 

CMOS (short for complementary metal-oxidesemiconductor) is the term usually used to describe the small amount of memory on a computer motherboard that stores the BIOS settings. Some of these BIOS settings include the system time and date as well as hardware settings. 

 

5.14. ATX style connector  

 

An ATX style connector is a replacement for the older P8 and P9 AT style connector. It is one of the largest connectors inside a computer. It connects a power supply to an ATX style motherboard. 

 

6. Hardware device can be classified into four distinct categories 

 

➢ Input device: - For row data input. ➢ Processing device: - To process row data instruction into information. ➢ Output device: - To disseminate data and information. ➢ Storage device: - For data and information retention. 

6.1. input device Categorized  ❖ Pointing device 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

❖ Game controller  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

❖ Audio input device 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

❖ Bluetooth peripheral  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

❖ Visual and image device

 

 

❖ Network device

 

6.2. Processing device 

It is the stage where row data is transformed into information once data has been processed.   The microprocessor is subdivided into three important units. 

 

6.2.1. The control unit (CU): -computer processor and other components all operation controls this part. 

 

6.2.2. Arithmetic and logical unit (ALU): -ALU is responsible all arithmetic and logical operations. 

 

6.2.3. Register and Cache: - it used to store instructions of the control unit by moving relevant data around during processing. 

 

6.3. Output device 

sub categorized under 6.3.1. softcopy: - ❖ visual display device includes 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

❖ Sound device includes 

 

 

 

 

 

❖ Network input/output includes 

 

❖ USB input/output 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.3.2. Hardcopy: - ❖ Impact printer  Dot matrix & 3D printer ❖ Non-impact printer Inject printer, laser jet printer, Thermal printer 

 

6.4. Memory storage device 

Storage device divided 6.4.1. Primary memory: -  Primary memory is RAM that a processor or computer accesses first or directly. It allows a processor to access running execution applications and services that are temporarily stored in a specific memory location. Primary memory is also known as primary storage or main memory 

 

 

6.4.2. Secondary memory: - Secondary memory is computer memory that is non-volatile and persistent in nature and is not directly accessed by a computer/processor. It allows a user to store data that may be instantly and easily retrieved, transported and used by applications and services. Secondary memory is also known as secondary storage. It divided two part  

 

❖ Internal device: - Hard disk 

❖ External device: -Optical disk, Flash disk 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7. Early history Computer software  

 

7.1. First generation First generation computers relied on machine language, the lowest-level programming language understood by computers, to perform operations,  and they could only solve one problem at a time. Input was based on punched cards and paper tape, and output was displayed on printouts (0 & 1). 

 

7.2. The Second Generation  Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly, languages, which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input and printouts for output. These were also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum to magnetic core technology (high level). 

 

7.3. The Third Generation  

Users interacted with third generation computers through keyboards and monitors and interfaced with an operating system, which allowed the device to run many different applications at one time with a central program that monitored the memory. Computers for the first time became accessible to a mass audience because they were smaller and cheaper than their predecessors. 

 

7.4. Fourth-generation 

Fourth-generation language (4GL), Fourth-generation computer programming language. 4GLs are closer to human language than other high-level languages and are accessible to people without formal training as programmers. They allow multiple common operations to be performed with a single programmer-entered command. They are intended to be easier for users than machine languages (firstgeneration), assembly languages (second-generation), and older highlevel languages (third-generation). 

 

7.5. fifth generation 

The period of fifth generation is 1980-till date. In the fifth generation, VLSI technology became ULSI (Ultra Large-Scale Integration) technology. This generation is based on parallel processing hardware and AI (Artificial Intelligence) software. AI is an emerging branch in computer science, which interprets the means and method of making computers think like human beings. All the high-level languages like C and C++, Java, .Net etc., are used in this generation. 

 

8. Computer software 

Software is a set of programs, which is designed to perform a well-defined function. A program is sequence of instruction written to solve a particular problem. 

There are two types of software ▪ System software  ▪ Application software 

 

8.1. System Software  System software include the programs that are dedicated to managing the computer itself, such as the operating system, file management utilities, and disk operating system (or DOS). The operating system manages the computer hardware resources in addition to application and data. Without system software installed in our computer we would have to type the instruction for everything we wanted to computer do. [2, p. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_software] 

 

8.1.1. Operating system An operating system or OS is a software program that enables the computer hardware to communicate and operate with the computer software. Without a computer operating system, a computer and software program would be useless.  

 

➢ OS is the main software program installed in the computer system. That is the intermediate between the user and hardware system. ➢  An OS control the computer and provides and interface so that the user can interact with computer main component 

EX: -LINUX, UNIX, MAC, WINDOWS 

 

8.1.2. Utility Software A utility or software utility is computer system software intended to analyze, configure, monitor, or help maintain a computer. Typically, a utility is smiler than and program in size and maybe included with and operating system or installed severalty. 

 

EX: -Antivirus, Backup software, DirectX, Disk cleanup and Scandisk    

 

  8.2. Application software 

 

Application software product are designed to satisfy a particular need of a particular environment. All software application prepared in the computer lab can come under the category of application software. 

Application software may consist of a single program, such as Microsoft’s notepad for writing and editing a simple text. It may also consist of a collection of programs, often called a software package, which work together to accomplish a text, such as a spreadsheet package.   

EX: - Microsoft office suit software, Adobe photoshop, Payroll software [3, p. quikebase] 

 

9. Live Ware 

 

To complete a task using computer. Software and hardware there must have a person with knowledge for computing, such a person with knowledge of computer software and hardware is called live ware. [4, p. www.computerhope.com] 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

10. References 

 

[1]  https://brilliant.org/wiki/turing-machines/, "turing-machines," 2013. 

[2]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/System_software, "system software," 2005. 

[3]  https://www.quickbase.com, "Application software," 2017. 

[4]  https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/l/liveware.htm, "liveware.htm," 2017.