PC-Hardware- What is a Computer?
What is a Computer?
Computers are not very intelligent devices, but they handle instructions flawlessly and fast. They must follow explicit directions from both the user and computer programmer. Computers are really nothing more than a very powerful calculator with some great accessories. Applications like word processing and games are just a very complex math problem.If you use a player piano as an analogy, the piano can be thought of as the hardware and the roll of music as the software.
The software a series of very simple computer instructions carefully organized to complete complex tasks. These instructions are written in programming languages (like BASIC, PASCAL, C...) to help simplify the development of applications.
The hardware is what sits on your desk and executes the software instructions. The player piano is useless unless the roll of music has been written correctly.
Input Devices -- "How to tell it what to do"
- A keyboard and mouse are the standard way to interact with the computer. Other devices include joysticks and game pads used primarly for games.Output Devices -- "How it shows you what it is doing"
- The monitor (the screen) is how the computer sends information back to you, whether it be surfing the web or writing a memo. A printer is also an output device.Storage Devices -- "How it saves data and programs"
- Hard disk drives are an internal, higher capacity drive which also stores the operating system which runs when you power on the computer.- "Floppy" disk drives
allow you to save work on small disks and take the data with you.Memory -- "How the processor stores and uses immediate data"
- When you use a program, the computer loads a portion of the program from the hard drive to the much faster memory (RAM). When you "save" your work or quit the program, the data gets written back to the hard drive.
Microprocessors -- "The brain of the computer"
- PCs primarily use microprocessors (sometimes called the chip) manufactured by Intel. The older Intel versions include the 386, 486 and now the Pentium line.- Macintoshes use PowerPC processors by Motorola.
- Megahertz (MHz) is the internal processor speed in which computer instructions are performed. The MHz speed does not always indicate the power of the microprocessor. Newer processors can execute more instructions at the same or slower MHz. For example, an Intel 486 @100MHz is less powerful than a Pentium @75 MHz (but the MHz is "faster").
Modems
- Modems allow you to communicate with other computers using a phone line. Modem speeds are in bits per second (14.4, 28.8 and 56 thousand bits per second are standard).CD-ROM Drives
- A CD-ROM drive is a high capacity storage device which lets you read data from the disk, but not write data back. The speed of the drive (how fast the CD platter spins) is measured in multiples from the first generation drives. New drives are up to 24X (or 24 times the first drives), but while the CD spins faster, it is not really 24 times faster in actual output.Printers
- There are different types of printers (laser, ink jet, dot matrix) with differing quality of output. They are measured in dpi (dots per inch) and ppm (pages per minute), the higher the better.
Scanners
- Scanners "digitize" printed material (like photos and graphics) and save it to a graphic file format (like .GIF or .JPG) for display on the computer.Operating system software provides a "user interface" for users to manage files, start programs, customize computer settings, and other tasks. The operating system also provides the fundamental core computer functionality for programmers.
Intel based PCs use Microsoft Windows version 3.1 (older) or Windows 95 as the operating system. Macintoshes use the Macintosh operating system.
Software Applications
Application software uses the operating system software and provides the real functionality of a computer. Applications include:- Word Processing (MS Word, WordPerfect, Ami...)
- Spreadsheets (Lotus 123, MS Excel...)
- Database (DBase, Fox Pro, Oracle...)
- Presentation (MS PowerPoint, Persuasion...)
- Internet Browsers (Netscape Navigator, MS Internet Explorer)
- Games
Reference
Here are some additional resources for more information on computer basics.White, Ron. How Computers Work. Ziff-Davis Press, 1993.
White, Ron. How Software Works. Ziff-Davis Press, 1993.
B .Networking-Basic
Computer Networking
-Ever wanted to know what the heck is going on with all this networking jargon? Networks can get pretty complicated as you will see but are a real necessity to the PC. To say the least a networked PC gets both of two worlds. When you dial up to the Internet you are getting inside the biggest network there is to be had. Now wouldn't it be nice to have a nice little Internet or actually called intranet in the office or home? Networking office computers or at home is easy with the later operating sysytems. Many people are doing it these days and it's becoming the best way to share information and devices.
The Basic PC Networking
-The basic network is made up of the following:
-The basic network is made up of the following:
- Server or client workstation
- Networking Interface Card's (NIC)
- Cabling
- Networking Operating System such as Windows NT/2000
Terms Of Networking
-First off we need to be familiar with some basic terms in networking. There are many out there but only a few that most of us should be concerned with.
-First off we need to be familiar with some basic terms in networking. There are many out there but only a few that most of us should be concerned with.
- Peer-to-Peer, this is commonly two PC connected together to share files or a printer.
- Local Area Network (LAN), this is probably the most popular in smaller applications. This comes down to many computers interconnected in an office or home. This can be anywhere from two computers or hundreds in one physical area.
- Wide Area Network (WAN), boils down to computer networks that are far apart and connect via phone, satellite, and so forth.
- Node, this is just another name for the client computer or the computer using the network. You are in essence a node right now using this website which is located on a server over the Internet. Bet you didn't node that did you? Ok, I know that was lame but what the hey!
- Topology, is the geometric arrangement of the network. This is more or less how the network is arranged. We will discuss this one more later on.
- Protocol, the protocol is a ways of communication for the network. Think of it as trying to speak French to an English computer. We need a protocol so they can understand one another.
- Data Packets, messages of data that has been sent over your network.
- Architecture's, this comes down to peer to peer or the client server applications. In the peer to peer we share resources of each other's computers equally and the client server is one computer with all the host files and data. Right now you are connecting to my server for this web page as a client/server architecture.
- Media, this amounts to how your network is physically connected. Most LAN's connect with a copper wire or cable coaxial. Some newer technologies also allow you to connect wireless using your existing power outlets.
-Something to note about WAN and LAN is they really are not the opposite of each other but one of the same. In a sense you need a bunch of LAN's to make a WAN.
C. Software
Software Design and Development
The Software Design and Development Syllabus is designed to develop in students the knowledge, understanding, skills and values to solve problems through the creation of software solutions.Students will develop:
- knowledge and understanding about how software solutions utilise and interact with other elements of computer systems
- knowledge and understanding of the historical developments that have led to current practices in software design and development, and of emerging trends and technologies in this field
- knowledge and understanding of legal, social and ethical issues and their effect on software design and development
- skills in designing and developing software solutions
- skills in management appropriate to the design and development of software solutions
- skills in teamwork and communication associated with the design and development of software solutions.
Syllabus Resources
A syllabus is a document that gives teachers an outline of what students are to be taught in a specific learning area.The syllabus and other supporting material for Software Design and Development 11-12 are available from the Board of Studies.
D .Programming
Computer Programming is the art of making a computer do what you want it to do.At the very simplest level it consists of issuing a sequence of commands to a computer to achieve an objective. In the Microsoft world MS DOS users used to create text files with lists of commands called BAT files. These simply executed the sequence of commands as a BATCH, hence the name. You can still produce these in Windows environments today but in practice they are rarely seen.
For example you might be producing a document (such as this tutorial) which comprises lots of separate files. Your word processor may produce backup copies of each file as it saves a new version. At the end of the day you may want to put the current version of the document (all the latest files) into a 'backup' directory/folder. Finally, to tidy up, delete all the backup files ready to start work the next day. A simple BAT file to do this would be:
COPY *.HTM BACKUP
DEL *.BAK
If the file were called SAVE.BAT then at the end of each day I could simply type SAVE at a DOS prompt and the files would be saved and backups deleted. This is a program.
E .Internet
The Internet has become an integral part of daily life. Unfortunately, while many people have come to rely on it, most have little or no understanding of how the Internet works. This can pose serious problems, particularly as issues around information security become more common and more serious. This article will set out to explain to readers who have little or no technical background how the Internet works . It is hoped that this will provide those readers with a good fundamental knowledge of the principles and terminology of the Internet, so that they can begin to protect themselves against the variety of security threats that exist on the Net.
F .Database
Database Management Systems
Database Concepts
Database Management Systems
Database management systems(DBMS) are collections of tools used to manage databases. Four basic functions performed by all DBMS are:- Create, modify, and delete data structures, e.g. tables
- Add, modify, and delete data
- Retrieve data selectively
- Generate reports based on data
· Inventory | · Payroll | · Membership |
· Orders | · Shipping | · Reservation |
· Invoicing | · Accounting | · Security |
· Catalogues | · Mailing | · Medical records |
Database Components
Looking from the top down, databases are composed of related tables, which in turn are composed of fields and records.Field
A field is an area (within a record) reserved for a specific piece of data. Examples: customer number, customer name, street address, city, state, phone, current balance.Fields are defined by:
- Field name
- Data type
- Character: text, including such things as telephone numbers and zip codes
- Numeric: numbers which can be manipulated using math operators
- Date: calendar dates which can be manipulated mathematically
- Logical: True or False, Yes or No
- Field size
- Amount of space reserved for storing data
Record
A record is the collection of values for all the fields pertaining to one entity: i.e. a person, product, company, transaction, etc.Table
A table is a collection of related records. For example, employee table, product table, customer, and orders tables.In a table, records are represented by rows and fields are represented as columns.
Database
A database is a collection of related tables. It can also include other objects, such as queries, forms, and reports. The structure of a database is the relationships between its tables.Relationships
There are three types of relationships which can exist between tables:- One-to-One
- One-to-Many
- Many-to-Many
An example of a One-to-Many relationship would be a Customer table and an Orders table: each order has only one customer, but a customer can make many orders.
One-to-Many relationships consist of two tables, the "one" table, and the "many" table.
An example of a Many-to-Many relationship would be an Orders table and a Products table: an order can contain many products, and a product can be on many orders.
A Many-to-Many relationship consists of three tables: two "one" tables, both in a One-to-Many relationship with a third table. The third table is sometimes referred to as the lien.
Key Fields
In order for two tables to be related, they must share a common field. The common field (key field) in the "one" table of a One-to- Many relationship needs to be a primary key. The same field in the "many" table of a One-to-Many relationship is called the foreign key.Primary key
A Primary key is a field or a combination of two or more fields. The value in the primary key field for each record uniquely identifies that record.In the example above, customer number is the Primary key for the Customer table. A customer number identifies one and only one customer in the Customer table. The primary key for the Orders table would be a field for the order number.
Foreign key
When a "one" table's primary key field is added to a related "many" table in order to create the common field which relates the two tables, it is called a foreign key in the "many" table.In the example above, the primary key (customer number) from the Customer table ("one" table) is a foreign key in the Orders table ("many" table).
For the "many" records of the Order table, the foreign key identifies with which unique record in the Customer table they are associated.
Rationalization and Redundancy
Grouping logically-related fields into distinct tables, determining key fields, and then relating distinct tables using common key fields is called rationalizing a database. There are two major reasons for designing a database this way:- To avoid wasting storage space for redundant data
- To eliminate the complication of updating duplicate data copies
To avoid redundancy:
- Place all the fields related to customers (name, address, etc.) into a Customer table and create a Primary key field which uniquely identifies each customer: Customer ID.
- Put all the fields related to orders (date, salesperson, total, etc.) into the Orders table.
- Include the Primary key field (Customer ID) from the Customer table in the table for Orders.
The One-to-Many relationship between Customer and Orders is defined by the common field Customer ID. In the table for Customers (the "one" table) Customer ID is a primary key, while in the Orders table (the "many" table) it is a foreign key.
G .Office Course
Application software uses the operating system software and provides the real functionality of a computer. Applications include:- Word Processing (MS Word, WordPerfect, Ami...)
- Spreadsheets (Lotus 123, MS Excel...)
- Database (DBase, Fox Pro, Oracle...)
- Presentation (MS PowerPoint, Persuasion...)
- Internet Browsers (Netscape Navigator, MS Internet Explorer)
- Games
- Spreadsheets (Lotus 123, MS Excel...)
- Database (DBase, Fox Pro, Oracle...)
- Presentation (MS PowerPoint, Persuasion...)
- Internet Browsers (Netscape Navigator, MS Internet Explorer)
- Games
H .Graphics
Computer Graphics is a flourishing field within Computer Science in which we study methods for digitally synthesizing and manipulating visual content. Today, this field touches many aspects of our daily life, from animation, computer games, art and special effects to graphical user interfaces, information visualization, industrial design and education; computer graphics plays an increasingly important role in our lives, both practically and culturally.This course will introduce you to the fundamental concepts in 2D and 3D Computer Graphics. The topics covered will include the fundamentals of rendering geometric primitives, 2D and 3D transformations, color theory, 2D image filtering, simple illumination models, and GPU shaders. The Brown University Computer Science Department is a great place to learn about computer graphics, as a strong percentage of our faculty are dedicated to the field.
This year the course is undergoing a major redesign process. We will be using a new edition of the Foley, van Dam, Feiner and Hughes book, which hasn't been released to the public yet. We will also be updating the lectures to incorporate some of the new things that this book brings. We will also have a couple of labs and some reading on WPF (Windows Presentation Foundation), a new framework for working with Computer Graphics.
The official prerequisites for CS123 are either CS015/16, CS017/18, or CS019. Though some introduction to linear algebra will prove to be helpful, none is required or assumed. In addition to learning about computer graphics, CS123 is a great way to familiarize yourself with C/C++ and systems level programming.
So come join us in this exciting adventure!
I .Multimedia
Multimedia is everything you can hear or see: texts, books, pictures, music, sounds, CDs, videos, DVDs, Records, Films, and more.Multimedia comes in many different formats. On the Internet you will find many of these elements embedded in web pages, and today's web browsers have support for a number of multimedia formats.
In this tutorial you will learn about different multimedia formats and how to use them in your web pages.
J .Mobile Apps
Technology is ubiquitous. Yet some facility managers may not know how to harness the potential of technology or are unaware of how powerful specific technology can be. A common device that most business professionals already employ daily is the mobile device. With a BlackBerry, iPhone, or personal digital assistant, most users typically place calls or receive text messages, while the more sophisticated device owners receive and send e-mails and browse the Internet religiously.
Driving “smart phone” development is the mobile phone application, or “app.” Pioneered by Apple Inc.’s iPhone, a mobile app allows users to download a program from the Internet or third-party software, such as Apple’s iTunes, and install it on their mobile device. Independent programmers typically develop apps – usually using a “software development kit” supplied by the company that manufactures the mobile device. This kit specifies the guidelines that the programmer must follow as they develop the app.
What some facility and maintenance managers may not know is that there are a number of apps they may find useful in their daily tasks. These apps can, for example, assist in remotely interfacing with a facility using a mobile device or helping to locate a new commercial real estate property. A search of the Internet and the iTunes App Store in particular upturned some mobile apps that facility managers and maintenance/engineering managers may find helpful. You can browse above by app category related to FM.
