FUNDAMENTALS OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY

UNIT 01

A system

A system is a collection of elements that work to achieve a common objective.

What is a computer system?

Computer

System

Hardware

Liveware

Firmware

Software

Hardware, software, firmware and live ware

Hardware – Physical Components of a computer.

Software - Collection of programs or applications which contains the instructions that makes the computer works.

Firmware - The programs which are used to start up the machine (booting).

Live ware – Human expertise needed in the field of IT.

Computer

What is Data?

Information

Result of processing, manipulating and organizing data in a way that adds a knowledge of the person receiving it.

Information Technology

Typical IT functions :-

• Data capturing and input.• Data and information representation/

storage.• Data Processing.• Information presentation and output.• Data transmission.

Types of computers

Mainframe Computer Personal Computer(PC) Apple MAC Networked Computers Laptop and Palmtop Tablet PC Personal Digital Assistant (PDA)

Basic hardware elements

Central processing unit

• The brain of the computer.• Performs most of the computer calculations

and runs the operating system and other soft wares smoothly.

• It governs the overall speed of the computer.

• Cache memory.• The CPU’s speed – Internal clock’s speed

(Hertz – Hz)

Basic hardware elements

Memory• Computer needs working memory for

storing the current programs it runs.• Main memory or primary storage.

Random Access Memory (RAM)

Main working memory. Volatile – Information lost when you

switch off the power.

Read Only Memory (ROM)

Special type of memory chip that holds software that can be read not written to.

Eg-: ROM-BIOS

Video Graphics Memory

On screen pictures are stored here. Located on a video card.

Computer memory capacity

Memory is measured : bit, byte, KB, MB, GB, TB

Bit : All digital computers work on a binary numbering system. Processed data in ones or zeros. This 1 or 0 level of storage is called a bit and the memory capacity is measured in multiplies of bits.

32-bit computer

8 bits = 1 byte1024 bits = 1 KB(Kilo Byte)1024 KB = 1 MB(Mega Byte)1024 MB= 1 GB(Giga Byte)1024 GB = 1TB (Terra Byte)

Input Devices

Input Devices

Output Devices

Output Devices

Input output devices

Storage Devices

Internal Hard Disks

Capacity : Enormous. Often in excess of 40 GigabytesCost : Falling rapidly . Cheapest way of storing data

External Hard Disks

Capacity : Same as internal disksCost : Expensive than internal disks

Storage Devices

Zip Drivers

Speed : Slower than normal hard disks but ideal for backupsCapacity : 100 or 250 MegabytesCost : Cost of the driver as well as the cost of each disk

Jaz Drivers

Speed : Very slowCapacity : Around 2 Gigabytes

Storage Devices

Floppy Disks

Speed : Very slowCapacity : Normally 1.44 MbytesCost : Very cheap

CD-ROM Disks

Speed : Slower than hard disksCapacity : Around 650-700 Mbytes Cost : Very cheap

Storage Devices

DVD Drivers

Speed : Much faster than CD-ROM drivers but not as fast as hard disksCapacity : Up to 17 Gbytes Cost : Slightly higher than CD-Rom drivers

Formatting a disk

You should be very careful about formatting a disk as any data on the disk will be lost after reformatting .

The use of IT in everyday life

Business administration systems

Applications within government

Systems in health care

Applications used in education sector

Control systems

Applications support for decision making

Eg:- Management Information Systems (MIS) Executive Information Systems (EIS) Decision Support Systems (DSS) Expert Systems (ES)

Microprocessors embedded systems

Eg :- motor car, refrigerators, washing machines etc.

Business administration systems

Applications within government

Systems in health care

Applications in education sector

Electronic World

E-mail E-business – B2C, B2B, B2E E-commerce

Online Shopping

ADVANTAGES

Services available 24* 7

Large stock range Detailed product

information Ability to compare

prices Equal delivery to town

and country Right to return

defective goods

DISADVANTAGES

Possible credit card fraud

Is the website genuine?

Is returning faulty goods possible ?

Difficult to follow up transactions

Shipping problems