The document provides an overview of computer hardware and software components. It discusses the main physical components of a computer including input devices like keyboards and mice, processing units, storage devices, and output devices like monitors. It also describes the basic units of digital information like bits and bytes and how they are used to store and represent data. Common storage media are explained such as hard drives, flash memory, CDs/DVDs, and floppy disks. An overview of computer specifications and performance from 1982 to 2007 is also presented.

1. Computer Applications Computer Essentials Hardware

2. Computer Hardware Memory Output Input Processor Hard disk Flash memory CD or DVD Storage Temporary Data Holding Data Data Data Data Data

3. Software Program Types System Software: all the programs that help the computer function operating system (OS) - including user interface Application Software: all the programs you can use to perform a task productivity software special-purpose programs

4. The Physical Components Input devices Processing Output devices Storage devices Communications devices

5. Input Devices Keyboard Mouse, Touch pad, Joystick Touch screen Digital Camera, Digital Video Microphone, Sound card Scanner Barcode Reader

6. Output Devices Monitor, Video Adapter Card Printer, Laser or Inkjet Loudspeakers, Audio Output Tactile Feedback, Braille

7. Bits and Bytes bit = b inary dig it the basic unit of information 1 or 0 byte = 8 bits enough combinations (2 8 = 256) to store essential characters

8. Extended ASCII character codes

9. But modern computers use Unicode, which is a much greater encoding system. It allows for encoding of all the languages in the world.

10. Big & Way Big Bytes Byte a grouping of eight bits for instance - -> 0110 0001 Kb ( kilo byte) about 1000 bytes Mb ( mega byte) about one thousand Kb or one million bytes Gb ( giga byte) about one thousand Mb or one billion bytes Tb ( tera byte) is about one thousand Gb or one trillion bytes

11. Port Types Serial - Parallel - SCSI - USB - FireWire - IrDA - bits flow in a single line several bits flow at once can connect up to 8 devices, fast data transfer, found on all Macs can connect many devices, has hot swapping capability like USB, higher speed & more $ infrared, line of sight

12. Motherboard Printed circuit board with connectors slots for adapter cards slots for RAM chips ROM chip CPU

13. Memory - RAM Stores part of operating system Stores part of the application programs Stores your files as you work on them “ Never too rich, never too thin, never too much RAM”

14. What kind of memory? Recommendation: Get DDR memory. It will give better performance because it allows for 2 channels between CPU and other parts.

15. Primary Storage – Hard disk Size in Gigabytes Magnetic technology Fast access

16. Secondary Storage - CD/DVD *-R - recordable burn once *-RW - rewritable erase and burn again 650 MB for a CD 4.7 GB for a DVD 8.5 GB for Dual Layer DVDs In-expensive

17. Flash memory – USB stick Flash memory is a non-volatile computer memory that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It is a technology that is primarily used in memory cards and USB flash drives for general storage and transfer of data between computers and other digital products. Easy to use and fairly inexpensive.

18. Nostalgic Storage - Floppy Disks write protection tab liner disk spindle hole sector hole plastic casing sliding metal shutter read/write opening

19. Then and Now 1982 - ABC 80 Made in Sweden 2007 – Macbook Pro Made in China

20. Specifications The ABC80 3 MHz CPU 16 kb memory No hard disc Two big floppies for storage instead Monochrome monitor

21. What’s next? “ When man and machine merge” http://www.box.net/shared/static/az0d7ic6il.pdf