Bio

• Computer is an electronic device for storing and processing data in binary form, according to instructions given in a variable program
• Computer hardware includes all parts of a computer, while computer software includes programs or instructions for completing tasks
• Input devices are devices that input information into the computer, such as a keyboard, mouse, scanner, and digital camera
• Output devices are devices that output information from the computer, such as a printer and monitor
• Central Processing Unit (CPU) is also called the Microprocessor or "The Brain" of the Computer
• Processor speed is the speed at which a microprocessor executes instructions, usually measured in megahertz (MHz)
• Brands of processors include Pentium, Celeron, MAC, AMD, and Cyrix
• Data storage includes the hard-drive, CD-ROM, floppy diskette, flash drive, RAM, and ROM
• Hard-drive is a mechanical storage device with fast recording and recovery of data, large storage capacity, and measured in R.P.M.'s (Revolutions per minute)
• CD-ROM is an optical device read by a diode laser
• Floppy diskette is a magnetic storage device for small amounts of data (1.44MB)
• Flash drive is a compact and portable electronic storage device with USB plug and play support
• RAM stores data that is processing and is erased when the computer is turned off
• ROM contains special instructions for the computer to operate
• Graphical User Interface (GUI) is a set of images and icons seen on the desktop used to operate a program
• GUI makes programs loaded on the computer easier to access and use
• Icons are small pictures that represent files, commands, or windows
• Windows is a GUI operating system
• Software consists of step-by-step instructions that the computer follows to perform a task or solve a problem
• Software can be classified into System software and Applications software
• System software is a suite of computer programs that control and manage the basic operations of the computer and act as an interface between the user and the computer
• System software is the platform on which applications software are run
• System software includes tasks like System Initialization, Managing System Resources, Utilities, and Handling Input/Output
• System Initialization involves storing hardware configurations and loading the operating system
• Managing System Resources includes controlling the execution of application software and coordinating peripherals
• Utilities manage the interface to storage devices and handle tasks like file storage and retrieval
• Handling Input/Output involves responsibilities for input and output operations
• System software comprises Operating system, BIOS, Device Drivers, Utility programs, and Language Translators
• Operating System (OS) is the most important system software component that serves as the interface between the user and the machine
• OS manages resources of the computer, loads application programs into memory, and enables communication between the computer and peripherals
• OS gets loaded into the RAM upon booting the computer, triggering the execution of the bootstrap loader to load the OS into memory
• OS performs functions like managing resources, loading programs into memory, and handling file, task, and job management
• OS also manages basic input/output system (BIOS) that consists of program modules managing connecting peripherals or devices like the keyboard
• BIOS consists of program modules that manage connecting peripherals or devices such as the keyboard, monitor, disk drives, and parallel and serial ports
• BIOS also manages some internal settings of the computer such as date and time
• The part of the operating system that resides in the ROM runs the diagnostic test upon booting the computer and then loads the rest of the operating system
• The operating system a computer is running is often referred to as its platform
• The type of processor used in a computer determines the type of machine language it uses, and the computer's operating system is created to work with that particular type of machine language, defining the computer's platform
• Understanding the platform helps understand what tasks a computer is capable of and what type of tasks it can be used for
• More than half of microcomputers in the world run on Microsoft Windows