Computer concepts nballsgtc

Computers in Your World

Digital revolution – Change brought on by use of digital technology/devicesDigital technology as a part of daily life

Computer Concepts – Illustrated 9th Edition 1

Figure A-1: Computers are a part of daily life

Computers in Your World(continued)

Computer - An electronic device that: Accepts input Processes data Stores data Produces output



Computer system includes: Hardware - Electronic and mechanical parts System Unit – Houses important components Peripheral devices – Hardware to expand

functionality Software – Programs/codes of instructions



Input devices: Keyboard Mouse Touch screen, etc.

Output devices: Monitor Printer Speakers, etc.


How Computers Work

Turn on/power up/booting a computer: May need to enter user ID and password

Computer program/software: Instructions telling a computer how to carry

out processing tasks



Figure B-1: Keyboard examples


Input Devices (continued)

Other pointing devices: Pointing stick Touchpad (also called a trackpad) Trackball Touch screen

Other ways to input data: Scanner Microphone Digital camera


Display Devices

Monitor: Standalone display device Found with desktop computers

Screen: Area where output is displayed

• Monitors attached to desktop computers have screens

• Notebook computers have screens, but not monitors


Display Devices (continued)

LCD (liquid crystal display): Manipulates light within a layer of liquid crystal

cells Also called flat-panel displays

LED (light emitting diodes)OLED (organic light emitting diodes): Used by most handheld devices Draws less power than LCD screens Can be seen from any angle


Figure B-6: Examples of monitors


Printers (continued)

Printer resolution: Determines the quality of printed output Measured in dots per inch (or dpi)

Printer speed: Pages per minute (ppm)

Duplex printer: Prints on both sides of paper

Network-enabled printerPhoto printer


Printers (continued)

Printer resolution: Determines the quality of printed output Measured in dots per inch (or dpi)

Printer speed: Pages per minute (ppm)

Duplex printer: Prints on both sides of paper

Network-enabled printerPhoto printer


Figure B-9: An ink jet printer Figure B-10: A laser printer


Data Storage – An Overview

Storage technology - Data storage system: Allows for a computer or digital device to store

and retrieve data

Storage medium: Holds data – Hard drive, tape, memory card,

flash drive, CD, DVD, etc.

Storage device: Stores and retrieves data from its storage

medium – CD/DVD drive.


Figure B-12: Examples of storage media and storage devices


Data Storage – An Overview (continued)

Hard drives – Internal or External: Main storage system for PCs Mechanical or solid state drives (SSD)

• Solid state technology – No moving parts

Additional storage devices: USB flash drives CD/DVD/BD drives Solid-state card readers


Figure B-13: Inside of a mechanical hard drive


Figure B-23: Solid state cards

Figure B-26: Examples of solid-state drives


Computer Software

Software/computer programs Provides instructions and data necessary to

carry out tasks

Graphical user interface (GUI) Allows for computer commands to be

executed using pointing devices and on-screen graphics

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Computer Software (continued)

Two major categories of software: System software – used by the computer to

perform computer-specific tasks• Operating systems• Utilities• Device drivers

Application software – allows users to complete tasks on a computer• Document production• Communications

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Figure C-1: Examples of software categories



Local application Installed directly on a computer

A Web application (Web app) or cloudware Accessed using the Web

Portable application Can run from a removable device

Mobile application or app Runs on a smart phone or tablet

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System requirements Minimum hardware capacities

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Figure C-2: System requirements


Licenses and Copyrights

Copyright Legal protection of an author’s original work

Software license or license agreement Legal contract

defining how a computer program can be used

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Figure C-5: Microsoft Office 2010 software license


Licenses and Copyrights (continued)

Legal software categories: Public domain software – not protected by

copyright Proprietary software – copyright restricts use

Types of software licenses: Single-user license Site license Multiple-user license Concurrent-use license

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Licenses and Copyrights (continued)

Commercial software – purchase right to use Demoware – use for a trial period

Shareware – try first and then can purchaseFreeware – free to use but still need a licenseOpen source – program code/instructions available for modification

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Figure C-4: Open Source Initiative


Operating Systems—An Overview

Operating System (OS) – Master controller for all computer activities Controls user-to-

digital-device interaction

Controls digital-device-to-digital-devicesinteraction

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Figure C-11: Example of how the operating system works


Operating Systems—An Overview (continued)

Operating Systemallow users toperform specifictasks

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Table C-2: Ways you can use an operating system


Office Productivity Software

Office productivity software Designed to be used in an office Integrates word processing, spreadsheet,

database, drawing, presentation capabilities

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Office Productivity Software (continued)

Word processing software Used to produce documents Microsoft Word, OpenOffice Writer

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Figure C-24: Checking the spelling of a document in Microsoft Word



Spreadsheet software For projects with repetitive calculations Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice Calc Worksheet – grid of columns and rows

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Figure C-25: A spreadsheet in OpenOffice Calc



Database software Used to create a collection of data that is

stored electronically as a series of records in tables

Microsoft Access, OpenOffice Base

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Figure C-27: Creating a table in Microsoft Access



Presentation software Provides all the tools needed to make a series

of electronic slides Microsoft PowerPoint, OpenOffice Impress

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Figure C-28: A slide in a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation


Graphics Software

Graphics Picture, drawing, sketch, photograph, image,

or icon on screen or printed output

Graphics software Helps you create, display, modify, manipulate,

and print graphics

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Graphics Software (continued)

Paint or image editing software – used to create more sophisticated images

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Figure C-30: Paint software



Photo editing software – used to enhance quality of photos

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Figure C-31: Photo editing software



Clip art – readily available images used with productivity software

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Figure C-32: Inserting clip art in a presentation



3D graphics software - computer aided design (CAD) software

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Figure C-33: 3D graphics created using software programs