1.

Basic Computer Fundamentals

• Computer is a programmable machine with 2 principal characteristics:

1. It responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner
2. It can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).
• Modern Computers - electronic and digital. They can be described in terms of
their hardware and software.
• Hardware - actual machinery or obj you can actually touch..
examples: disks, disk drives, display screens, keyboards, printers, boards and
chips, usb to midi, usb hub.
• Software - exists as ideas, concepts, symbols, but has no substance.
• Books provide useful analogy. Pages and ink are hardware, words and
sentences are software. • Random access technology - data can be accessed in
any order and time. LANGUAGE OF COMPUTERS
• Binary - the digital language of computers; contains 2 letters known as bits.
• Bit -smallest form of info; a zero or a one.
• Byte - a word of information in binary. 8 bits = 1 bytes on modern comp.
• Bit rate - the number of letters or bits in a digital word or byte. (see the pic.)
• CPU (Central Processing Unit)- the brain of the computer. Most important
element of the comp.
• Clock speed / Clock rate - the speed at which a microprocessor executes
instructions.
• Bus - a collection if wires through which the data is transmitted from one part
of a comp to another; have clock speed.
• Hard disk -magnetic disk on which u can store comp data. Holds more data and
faster than floppy disk. 10 to more than 100 gigabytes (whereas floppy have max
storage of 1.4 megabytes)
• RAM (Random Access Memory) - computer memory that can be accessed
randomly. Can be accessed without touching the preceeding bytes. Most
common type of memory found in comps. Synonymous to MAIN MEMORY. Read-
write RAM.
• ROM (Read-only memory) – REFERS TO SPECIAL MEMORY USED TO STORE
PRGRAMS, allows random access. Read-only ROM.
• Operating System Software - the most important program that runs on
computers.
• Application Programs - must be written to run on top of a particular operating
system.
• USB (Universal Serial Bus) - external bus standard that supports data transfer
rates of 12 mbps. Can be used to connect up to 127 peripheral devices.
 USB 2.0 - external bus standard that supports data transfer rates of 48-
MBPS

2. LIVING-IN-IT-ERA
• Microsoft Word - a word processing tool that helps u create a professional
quality documents.

3. IT-ERA 2
• ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) - provides access to info
through telecommunications. Focuses primarily on comm tech. This includes
internet, woreless networks, cellphones
• ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) - 1st electronic general
purpose computer. It was turing-complete, digital, and could solve a large class of
nimerical problems through reprogramming.