History

• Information technology (IT) involves the study, design, development, implementation, support, and management of computer-based information systems, including software applications, computer hardware, and mobile devices
• IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information
• The main tool in ICT or IT is electronic devices that process data according to a set of instructions, which is a computer
• A computer is a programmable machine that aids humans in performing various computations or calculations
• Three principal characteristics of a computer:

  • It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner
  • It can execute a pre-recorded list of instructions
  • It can quickly store and retrieve large amounts of data
• The word "computer" originated in 1613, referring to a person who carried out calculations or computations
• • Jacquard Loom: a mechanical loom invented by Joseph-Marie Jacquard in 1881, controlled by punched cards
  • Z1: the first programmable computer, created by Konrad Zuse in Germany from 1936 to 1938
  • ENIAC: electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, the first electronic general-purpose computer, completed in 1946
  • UNIVAC 1: the first commercial computer
  • EDVAC: Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer, the first stored program computer, designed by John Von Neumann in 1952
• Tools in Computing:

  • Tally sticks: an ancient memory aid device to record and document numbers, quantities, or messages
  • Abacus: a mechanical device used for calculations, invented in Babylonian in 2400 B.C.
  • Napier’s Bones: invented in 1614 by John Napier, allowed for multiplication, division, and calculation of square and cube roots
  • Slide Rule: invented in 1622 by William Oughtred, based on Napier’s ideas about logarithms, used for multiplication, division, roots, logarithms, and trigonometry
  • Pascaline: invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642
• Hardware refers to any physical device or equipment used with a computer system

  • External hardware includes input and output devices
  • Internal hardware is located inside the computer
• Software is a set of instructions or programs that tell a computer what to do or how to perform specific tasks

  • Main types of software are system software and application software
  • System software is designed to run computer hardware and application software, serving as the interface between hardware, application software, and the user
  • Operating system (OS) is a crucial part of system software, controlling and coordinating computer hardware devices and running other software on a computer
  • Device driver is software that controls a particular hardware device attached to a computer
• • Utility software helps set up, analyze, configure, maintain a computer, and perform specific tasks
• Supercomputers are the biggest and fastest computers designed to process a huge amount of data quickly

  • Mainframe computers support hundreds or thousands of users simultaneously and multiple programs
  • Minicomputers are medium-sized multiprocessing computers that support multiple users
  • Workstation computers are designed for technical or scientific applications with fast processors and high RAM
  • Personal Computers (PCs) are general-purpose computers for individual use
  • Tablets and Smartphones are pocket-friendly computers with extensive operating systems and multimedia functionality