CONTENTS

Topic

Page Number

UNIT I - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS............................................................................................................3

1. AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEM..................................................................................................................3
Parts of the Computer System :....................................................................................................................................3
Types of Hardware :.....................................................................................................................................................3
Types of Software..........................................................................................................................................................5
2. TYPES OF COMPUTERS..................................................................................................................................................6
Supercomputers :..........................................................................................................................................................6
Mainframe Computers :...............................................................................................................................................6
Minicomputers..............................................................................................................................................................6
3. STANDARD METHODS OF INPUT....................................................................................................................................8
The keyboard and Mouse.............................................................................................................................................8
The keyboard................................................................................................................................................................8
The Mouse....................................................................................................................................................................9
Variants of the Mouse.................................................................................................................................................10
4. ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF INPUT..............................................................................................................................11
Optical Input Devices.................................................................................................................................................11
Additional Input Devices............................................................................................................................................11
5. OUTPUT DEVICES........................................................................................................................................................12
Monitors and Sound Systems......................................................................................................................................12
CRT Monitors.............................................................................................................................................................12
Flat-Panel Monitors...................................................................................................................................................12
Other types of Monitors..............................................................................................................................................13
Comparing monitors..................................................................................................................................................13
The Video Controller..................................................................................................................................................14
PC Projectors :...........................................................................................................................................................14
Sound Systems :..........................................................................................................................................................14
6. DEVICES THAT OUTPUT HARD COPY...........................................................................................................................15
Dot Matrix Printers....................................................................................................................................................15
Ink jet Printers............................................................................................................................................................15
Laser Printers.............................................................................................................................................................15
Snapshot Printers.......................................................................................................................................................16
Plotters.......................................................................................................................................................................16
UNIT II - PROCESSING DATA.....................................................................................................................................17
7. TRANSFORMING DATA INTO INFORMATION.................................................................................................................17
Bits and Bytes.............................................................................................................................................................17
Text codes...................................................................................................................................................................17
How computers process data.....................................................................................................................................18
Connecting Computer to other devices......................................................................................................................19
8. TYPES OF STORAGE DEVICES......................................................................................................................................21
Magnetic Disks...........................................................................................................................................................21
Diskettes (Floppy Disks)............................................................................................................................................22
Hard Disks..................................................................................................................................................................23
Optical Storage Devices.............................................................................................................................................23
CD-ROM....................................................................................................................................................................23
9. OPERATING SYSTEM BASICS.......................................................................................................................................25
The User Interface......................................................................................................................................................25
Running Programs.....................................................................................................................................................27
Sharing Information...................................................................................................................................................27
Multitasking................................................................................................................................................................27
Managing Files..........................................................................................................................................................28
Managing Hardware..................................................................................................................................................28
Utility Software...........................................................................................................................................................29
#1

10. PC OPERATING SYSTEMS IN REVIEW........................................................................................................................30

UNIX...........................................................................................................................................................................30
DOS............................................................................................................................................................................30
UNIT III OFFICE AUTOMATION.............................................................................................................................31
11. OFFICE AUTOMATION.................................................................................................................................................31
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................31
12. DOCUMENT PREPARATION.........................................................................................................................................33
Various office equipement that help in document preparation :................................................................................33
13. DOCUMENT STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL.....................................................................................................................37
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................37
Microform document Systems....................................................................................................................................37
Optical Storage Systems.............................................................................................................................................37
14. COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS......................................................................................................................................39
Introduction :..............................................................................................................................................................39
The media...................................................................................................................................................................39
Modulation and demodulation...................................................................................................................................39
LANs & WANs............................................................................................................................................................39
Communication Services :..........................................................................................................................................40
15. DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS....................................................................................................................................43
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................43
Spreadsheet :..............................................................................................................................................................43
16. INTEGRATED OFFICE SYSTEMS..................................................................................................................................45
Introduction................................................................................................................................................................45
Workstation.................................................................................................................................................................45
Office Automation Organization and Management...................................................................................................46
How to manage innovations in the office ?................................................................................................................46
Transition...................................................................................................................................................................46
Benefits of Office Automation :..................................................................................................................................47
17. THREE YEAR B.COM. DEGREE EXAMINATIONS, MARCH 2004..............................................................................48

#2

UNIT I - INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS

1. AN OVERVIEW OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEM
A computer is an electronic device used to process data. A computer can convert data into
information that is useful to people. Computers come in many varieties, including the personal computer,
tiny computers built into appliances and automobiles, and mainframe machines used by many people
simultaneously to run a business.

PARTS OF THE COMPUTER SYSTEM :

A complete computer system includes four distinct parts:
Hardware
Software
Data
User

#3

Hardware :
The mechanical devices that make up to computer are called hardware. A computer's hardware
consists of electronic devices; the parts you can see and touch. The term "device" refers to any piece of
hardware used by the computer, such as a keyboard, monitor, modem, mouse, etc.
Software :

Software also called programs consists of organized sets of instructions for controlling the
computer. Some programs exist for the computer's use, to help it manage its own tasks and devices. Other
programs exist for the user, and enable the computer to perform tasks for you, such as creating documents.
Data :
Data consists of raw facts, which the computer can manipulate and process into information that is
useful to people. Computerized data is digital, meaning that it has been reduced to digits, or numbers. The
computer stores and reads all data as numbers. Although computers use data in digital form, they convert
data into forms that people can understand, such as text, numerals, sounds, and images.
People :
People are the computer's operators, or users. Some types of computers can operate without much
intervention from people, but people design personal computers specifically for use.
TYPES OF HARDWARE :
The computer itself hardware has many parts, but the critical components fall into one of four
categories.
Processor
Memory
Input and output (I/O) devices
Storage devices
Processor :
The procedure that transforms raw data into useful information is called processing. This function is
divided between the computer's processor and memory. The processor is like the brain of the computer in the
way that it organizes and carries out instructions that come from either the user or the software. The
processor is also called the central processing unit (CPU). It manages all devices and performs the actual
processing of data. The CPU consists of one or more chips attached to the computer's main circuit board (the
motherboard).
Memory :
Memory also consists of chips attached to the motherboard. Memory holds data and program
instructions as the CPU works with them. This memory is called Random Access Memory (RAM). The CPU
can find any piece of data in RAM, when it needs it for processing.
RAM is volatile, meaning it holds data only when the power is on. When the power is off, RAM's
contents are lost. The smallest usable unit of measure for memory is the byte the amount of memory
required to hold one character, like the letter A or the numeral 2. Computers work with larger chunks of data,
measured in multiple bytes, as shown below:
UNITS (bytes)
Kilobyte (KB)
Megabyte (MB)
Gigabyte (GB)
Terabyte (TB)

Approximate
Value(bytes)
1,000
1,000,000
1,000,000,000
1,000,000,000,000
#4

Actual Value(bytes)
1,024
1,048,576
1,073,741,824
1,099,511,627,776

Input and Output Devices :

Input devices accept data and instructions from the user or from another computer system. The
keyboard and mouse are examples of input devices. The most common input device is the keyboard, which
accepts letters, numbers and commands from the user. Another popular device is the mouse, which lets you
select options from on-screen menus. We can use mouse by moving it across a flat surface and pressing its
buttons. Other popular input devices are trackballs, touch pads, joysticks, scanners, digital cameras, and
microphones.
Output devices return processed data back to the user or to another computer system. Some types of
hardware can act as both input and output devices. One example is the touch screen, a type of monitor that
displays text or icons we can touch. Touch screens are popular in museums and libraries, where they help
direct people to specific areas.
Communications devices (such as modems and network interface cards) perform both input and
output, allowing computers to share information.
The printer and monitor are examples.
Storage Devices :
Storage devices hold data not currently being used by the CPU. Data is commonly stored on a
magnetic or optical disk. Each type uses a special medium for storing data on its surface.
A disk drive is a device that reads data from and writes data to a disk. Most new computers feature a
floppy disk drive, a hard disk drive, and an optical disk drive.
There are three major distinctions between storage and memory :
1. There is more room in storage than in memory, just as there is more room in a file cabinet then
there is on a tabletop.
2. Contents are retained in storage when the computer is turned off, whereas the programs or the
data you put into memory disappear when you shut down the computer.
3. Storage is very slow compared to memory, but it is much cheaper than memory.
The most common optical storage devices are Magnetic Disk. A disk is a round, flat object that spins
around its center. Read/Write heads, which are similar to the heads of a tape recorder or VCR, are used to
read data from the disk or write data onto the disk.
CD-ROM Drive is the most common type of storage device after the hard and diskette drives are a
type of optical storage device, identical to audio CDs, that can store about 74 minutes of audio or 650 MB of
data or about 450 times as much information as a diskette.
An increasingly popular data storage technology is the Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk
(DVD), which is revolutionizing home entertainment.

TYPES OF SOFTWARE
Software is a set of electronic instructions that tells the computer how to do certain tasks. A set of
instructions is often called a program. When a computer is using a particular program, it is said to be running
or executing the program.
The two most common types of programs are system software and application software.
System Software

#5

System software exists primarily for the computer itself, to help the computer perform specific
functions.
One major type of system software is the operating system (OS). All computers require an operating
system. The OS tells the computer how to interact with the user and its own devices. Common operating
systems include Windows, the Macintosh OS, OS/2, and UNIX .
When we turn on a computer, it goes several steps to prepare itself for use. The first step is called the
power-on self test (POST). The computer identifies the devices attached to it, identifies the amount of
memory available, and does a quick check to see whether the memory is functioning properly.
Application Software

#6

Application software tells the computer how to accomplish tasks the user requires, such as creating a
document or editing a graphic image.
Some important kinds of application software are:
Application software tells the computer how to accomplish tasks the user requires, such as creating a
document or editing a graphic image.
Some important kinds of application software are: MS-OFFICE, TALLY, etc
Thousands of applications are available for many purposes and for people of all ages. Here are some
of the major categories of these applications:
Word processing software for creating text-based documents such as newsletters or brochures
Spreadsheets for crating numeric-based documents such as budgets or balance sheets.
Database management software for building and manipulating large sets of data
Presentation programs for creating and presenting electronic slide shows
Graphics programs for designing illustrations or manipulating photographs, movies, or animation
Multimedia authoring applications for building digital movies that incorporate sound, video,
animation, and interactive features.
Entertainment and education software, many of which are interactive multimedia events
Web design tools and web browsers, and other internet applications such as newsreaders and email programs
Utilities that make the computer system and other internet applications such as newsreaders and
e-mail programs.
Utilities that make the computer system easier to use or that perform highly specialized
functions.
Games, some of which are for a single player and many of which can be played by several
people over a network or the Internet.
Programming languages, such as C++, Visual Basic, and Java, which allow the user to crate new
applications
Networking and communication software the let computer connect to one another and exchange
data.

2. TYPES OF COMPUTERS
Computers come in many different sizes and ranges of power, and different types of computer
systems have varying capabilities. Basically, todays computer systems fall into one of the following
categories :
Supercomputers
Mainframe Computers
Minicomputers

#7

 Workstations
Microcomputers, or Personal Computers

SUPERCOMPUTERS :
Supercomputers are the most powerful computers. Some supercomputers such as the Cray T90
system can house thousands of processors, they are used for problems requiring complex calculations.
Because of their size and expense, supercomputers are relatively rare. Universities, government agencies, and
large businesses use supercomputers.
Supercomputers are also being used to map the human genome, or DNA structure. Supercomputers
can cost tens of millions of dollars and consume enough electricity to power dozens of houses.

MAINFRAME COMPUTERS :
Mainframe computers can support hundreds or thousands of users, handling massive amounts of
input, output, and storage. Mainframe computers are used in large organizations where many users need
access to shared data and programs.
In traditional mainframe environment, each user works at a computer terminal. A terminal is a
monitor and keyboard wired to the mainframe. A dumb terminal does not have its own CPU or storage
devices; these componenets are housed in the mainframes system unit and are shared by all users.
Mainframes are also used as e-commerce servers, handling transactions over the Internet.
The largest IBM S/390 mainframe, for example, can support 50,000 users simultaneously while
executing more than 1,600,000,000 instructions per second.
Depending on their size, capabilities, and the number of users they must support, mainframe system
can cover a huge price range. Mainframe systems start at around $30,0000, extensive mainframe can cost
several million dollars.

MINICOMPUTERS
Minicomputers are smaller than mainframes but larger than microcomputers. Minicomputers
usually have multiple terminals. Minicomputers may be used as network servers and Internet servers.
Minicomputers cost anywhere from $18,000 to $500,000 and are ideal for many organizations and
companies that cannot afford or do not need a mainframe system.
Workstations :
Workstations are powerful single-user computers. Workstations are used for tasks that require a great
deal of number-crunching power, such as product design and computer animation. Workstations are often
used as network and Internet servers. Workstations often have large, high-resolution monitors and accelerated
graphics-handling capabilities, making them perfect for advanced design, modeling, animation, and video
editing.
Microcomputers, or Personal Computers :
Microcomputers are more commonly known as personal computers. The term "PC" is applied to
IBM-PCs or compatible computers. Full-size desktop computers are the most common type of PC. People
who need the power of a desktop system, but also portability use notebook (laptop) computers.
Handheld PCs (such as PDAs) lack the power of a desktop or notebook PC, but offer features for
users who need limited functions and small size.
Types of microcomputers are :
Desktop models : The first style of personal computer introduced was the desktop model. In
common usage, the term desktop system means a full size computer that is small enough to be used at a desk
but too big to carry around.
A variation of the desktop system is the tower model, where the system unit sits vertically and has
more space for devices. Personal computer can cost anywhere from $600 to $7500, depending on the
capabilities and capacity.
Notebook Computers or Laptop Computers :
#8

Notebook Computers, as their name implies, approximate the shape of an 8.5 by 11 inch notebook
and can fit inside a briefcase easily. Also called laptop computers, they can operate on alternating current or
special batteries. Some notebook systems are designed to be plugged into a docking station which may
include a large monitor, a full size keyboard and mouse, or other devices such as an additional hard drive a
backup tape unit.
Network Computers (NCs) :
In some situations, a user does not need all the power and features provided by a personal computers.
If you want to use only the Internet, for example or if your job involves data entry, then you may not need the
processing power, memory, and storage capacity of a fully equipped PC. In this instance a network computer
becomes useful.
A network computer a less powerful version of a personal computer, with minimal processing power,
memory and storage.
Handheld Personal Computers :
Since the mid-1990s, many new types of small personal computing devices have been introduced,
and all fall under the category of handheld personal computers. These tiny systems are also called palmtop
computers. A handheld PC can be any sort of computer that fits in the users hand, such as a :
Personal digital assistant.
Cellular telephone with Internet, e-mail and fax capabilities.
H/PC Pro Device.

3. STANDARD METHODS OF INPUT

THE KEYBOARD AND MOUSE
An input device used to give input information and commands into the computer. The most
commonly used input devices are the keyboard and mouse.

#9

THE KEYBOARD
The keyboard was one the first peripherals to be used with computers, and it is still the primary input
device for entering text and numbers. A relatively simple device, a standard keyboard includes about 100
keys, each of which sends a different signal to the CPU.
Keyboards for personal computers come in many styles. The various models differ in size, shape,
and feel, but except for a few special-purpose keys, most keyboards are laid out almost identically.
The alphanumeric keys
The alphanumeric keys the parts of the keyboard that look like a typewriter are arranged in the same
way on almost every keyboard. Sometimes this common arrangement is called QWERTY layout because the
first six keys on the top row of letter are Q,W,E,R,T, and Y.
For decades, many expert typists have supported a different arrangement for alphanumeric keys
called the DVORAK keyboard. This keyboard layout places the most commonly used letters in the middle
rows of keys, making them easier to reach. Special DVORAK keyboards are available for computer systems
but they are not standard equipment. A few keyboard manufactures now offer keyboards that can be switched
from QWERTY to DVORAK configurations
Along with the keys that produce letters and numbers, the alphanumeric key group includes a few
additional keys, with specific functions. These keys are similar to those found on a typewriter.
Tab the Tab key moves you to predefined tab stops in many application programs.

Caps Lock. As the name implies, this key lets us lock the alphabet keys so they produce only
capital letters.
BackSpace This key enables us to erase characters we have just typed.

Enter The Enter key (labeled return on some keyboards) lets us finalize data entry in many
types of application programs.
The modifier keys

A keyboards modifier keys are so named because they are used t modify the input of other keys.

Shift a computers shift keys have the same functions as a typewriters shift keys, when
pressed in conjunction with an alphanumeric key, shift forces the computer to output a capital
letter or symbol.
Ctrl This key produces different results depending on the program we are using. In many
windows based programs, Ctrl-key combinations provide shortcuts for menu commands.
Alt. This key operates like the Ctrl key, except that it produces a different set of results.
The Numeric Keypad
The numeric keypad, usually located on the right side of the keyboard, looks like an adding machine,
with its ten digits and mathematical operators.
The function Keys
The fourth part of the keyboard consists of the function keys. The functions are usually arranged in a
row along the top of the keyboard. They allows us to input commands without typing long string of
characters navigating menus or dialog boxes. Each function keys purpose depends on the program we are
using.
The Cursor-Movement keys
The fifth part of the keyboard is the set of cursor-movement keys. They let us move around the
screen. In many programs and operating systems there is a mark on the screen where the characters we type
will be entered. This mark, called the cursor or insertion point can appear on the screen as a small box, a
vertical line, or some other symbol that indicates our place in a document or command line.
# 10

Arrow keys Each of these four keys is labeled by an arrow pointing in a specific direction. The arrow
keys move the cursor up or down a single line, or left or ring one character space.
Home/End Depending on the program we are using, we may be able to press home to move the cursor
to the beginning of a line, and End to move to the end of a line.
Page Up/Page Down These keys are sometimes abbreviated as PgUp and PgDn. Typically, they let us
flip through a document, screen by screen, like turning the pages of a book.
Special-Purpose Keys
In additions to the five groups of keys, IBM-compatible keyboards feature six special-purpose keys,
each of which performs a specialized function.
Insert Although it is included in the cursor-movement keys, Insert does not really control the
cursors movement. Insert may be used to switch a program from insert mode to overtype
mode, and vice versa.
Delete As the name implies, Delete is used to delete characters from a document.

Esc This keys function depends on our program or operating environment. Typically, the Esc
key is used to back up one level in a multilevel environment
Print Screen this key allows the user to capture whatever is shown on the screen as an image.

Scroll Lock Despite its name, the Scroll Lock does not necessarily make the screens contents
scroll. Its purpose may vary with the operating system and application in use.
Pause In some programs, the Pause key can be used to stop a command in progress.
Since 1996, nearly all IBM-compatible keyboards include two additional special purpose keys
designed to work with Windows operating systems.
Start This key, which features the Windows Logo opens the Start menu in the Windows 95, 98,
2000, and NT operating Systems on most computers.
Shortcut This key, which features an image of a menu, opens an on-screen-shortcut menu in
Windows based application programs.
How the computer Accepts Input from the Keyboard
A tiny computer chip, called the keyboard controller, notes that a key has been pressed. The
keyboard controlled places a code into part of its memory, called the keyboard buffer, indicate which key was
pressed. This code is called the keys scan code. The keyboard controller then signals the computers system
software that something has happened at the keyboard.
The signal the keyboard sends to the computer is a special kind of message called an interrupt
request. The keyboard controller sends an interrupt request to the system software when it receives a
complete keystroke.
When the system software receives an interrupt request, it evaluates the request to determine the
appropriate response.

THE MOUSE
A mouse is an input device that rolls around on a flat surface and controls the pointer. The pointer is
an on-screen object, usually an arrow, that is used to select text, access menus; and interact with programs,
files, or data that appear on the screen. The mouse first gained widespread recognition when it was packaged
with the Apple Macintosh computer in 1984. Initially, some users scoffed at this simple tool, but it quickly
become apparent that the mouse is convenient for certain types of input. For example, a mouse lets us
position the cursor anywhere on the screen quickly and easily without having to use the cursor-movement
keys.
A mouse also allows us to create graphics such as lines, curves, and freehand shapes, on the screen.

# 11

Everything we do with a mouse we accomplish by combining pointing with four other techniques.
Clicking, double clicking, dragging, and right clicking.
Clicking something with the mouse means to move the pointer to the item on the screen and to press
and release the mouse button once. Double-clicking an item means to point to it with the mouse pointer and
then press and release the mouse button twice in rapid succession. Dragging an item means to position the
mouse pointer over the item, press the mouse button, and hold it down as we move the mouse. As we move
the pointer, the item is dragged along with it.

VARIANTS OF THE MOUSE

Hardware makers have developed various input devices that duplicate the mouses functionality but
interact with the user in different ways.
The Track ball
A trackball is a pointing device that works like an upside-down mouse.
The Trackpad
The trackpad is a stationary pointing device that many people find less tiring to use than a mouse or
trackball. The movement of a finger across a small touch surface is translated into pointer movement on the
computer screen.
Pointer in the Keyboard
Several computer manufacturers now offer another space saving pointing device, consisting of a
small joystick positioned near the middle of the keyboard, typically between the G and H keys.

# 12

4. ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF INPUT

Although the keyboard and mouse are the input devices that people use most often, several
additional ways of getting data into a computer are available. Sometimes the tool is simply a matter of
choice. Most input devices are designed to be used by hand. Even specialized devices like touch screens
enable the user to interact with the system by using his or her fingertips.
Pens - Pen-based systems including many personal digital assistants and other types of handheld
computers use a pen for data input. This pen-like device is some times called a stylus. We hold the pen in
our hand and write on a special pad or directly on the screen.
Touch Screens - Touch screens accept input by allowing the user to place a fingertip directly on the
computer screen, usually to make a selection from a menu of choices. Most touch screen computer use
sensors in or near the computers screen to detect the touch of a finger.
Game Controllers
Personal computers are widely used as gaming platforms, challenging long-time video game units
like the Sony PlayStation and others. Because PCs offer higher graphics resolution than standard televisions,
many gamers believe a well equipped PC provides a better game playing experience.

OPTICAL INPUT DEVICES

Bar Code Readers - The most widely used input device after the keyboard and mouse is a bar code
reader. The most common type of bar code reader is the flatbed model, which is commonly found in
supermarkets and department stores. These devices convert a bar code, which is a pattern of printed bars on
products, into a code the computer can understands. The bar code reader emits a beam of light frequently a
laser beam that is reflected by the bar code image. A light sensitive detector identifies the bar code image
by recognizing special bars at both ends of the image.
Image Scanners and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) - The bar code reader is a special
type of image scanner. Image scanners convert any printed image into electronic form by shining light onto
the image and sensing the intensity of the lights reflection at every point.
If we have scanned a text document, we need to use optical character recognition software to
translate the image into text that we can edit. When a scanner first creates an image from a page, the image is
stored in the computers memory as a bitmap. A bitmap is a grid of dots, each dot represented by one or more
bits. The job of OCR software is to translate that array interprets as letters and numbers.

ADDITIONAL INPUT DEVICES

Microphones and Speech Recognition
Now that sound capabilities are standard in computers, microphones are becoming increasingly
important as input devices to record speech Spoken input is used most often in multimedia, where the
presentation can benefit from narration. Most PCs now have phone-dialing capabilities, so if we have a
microphone and speakers, we can use our PC to make telephone calls.
Microphones also make the PC useful for audio conferencing over the Internet. For this type of
sound input, we need a microphone and a sound card that translates the analog signal, from the microphone
into digital codes the computer can store and process. This process is called digitizing. Sound card can also
translate digital sounds back into analog signals that can then be sent to the speakers.

# 13

5. OUTPUT DEVICES
MONITORS AND SOUND SYSTEMS
The keyboard is the most commonly used input device, and the monitor is the most commonly used
output device on most personal computer systems. As we use our computer whether we are typing, issuing
commands, surfing the Internet, or even listening to music on the systems CD-ROM drive-hardly moment
goes by when we are not looking at our monitor.
Two basic types of monitors are used with PCs. The first is the typical monitor that we see on a
desktop computer, which look a lot like a television screen and works the same way, this type of monitor
uses a large vacuum tube called a cathode ray tube (CRT). The second type is knows as a flat-panel display,
is used primarily with portable computer but is becoming an increasingly popular feature with desktop
computers.
All monitors can be categorized by the way they display colors :
Monochrome Monitors. Monochrome Monitors display only one color against a contrasting
background, which is usually black. These monitors are used for text-only displays where the
user does not need to see color graphics.
Grayscale Monitors. Grayscale monitors display varying intensities of gray against a white or
off-white background, and are essentially a type of monochrome monitor.
Color Monitors : Color monitors can display anywhere from 16 colors to 16 million colors.

CRT MONITORS
Near the back of a monochrome or grayscale monitor housing is an electron gun. The gun shoots a
beam of electrons through a magnetic coil, which aims the beam at the front of the monitor. The back
monitors screen is coated with phosphors, chemicals that glow when they are struck by the electron beam.
The screens phosphor coating is organized into a grid of dots. The smallest number of phosphor dots that the
gun can focus on is called a pixel, a contraction of the term picture element. Modern monochrome and
grayscale monitors can focus on pixels as small as a single phosphor dot.
A color monitor works like a monochrome one, except that there are three electron beams instead of
one. The three guns represent the primary additive colors (red, green and blue), although the beams they emit
are colorless. In a color monitor, each pixel includes three phosphors red, green, and blue arranged in a
triangle. When the beams of each of these guns are combined and focussed on a pixel, the phosphors light
up. The monitor can display different colors by combining various intensities of the three beams.
A CRT monitor contains a shadow mask, which is a fine mesh made of metal, fitted to the shape and
size of the screen.

FLAT-PANEL MONITORS
CRT monitors have long been the standard for use with desktop computers become they provide the
brightest and clearest picture for relatively low cost. There are two major disadvantages, however, associated
with CRT monitors
Because they are big, they take up desktop space and can be difficult to move. Flat-panel monitors
are gaining popularity because of their comparatively light weight.
CRT Monitors require a lot of power. They are not practical for network computers, which must be
small and need a battery built into the computer to run.
There are several types of flat-panel monitors, but the most common is the liquid crystal display
(LCD) monitor. The LCD monitor creates images with a special kind of liquid crystal that is normally
transparent but becomes opaque when charged with electricity.
# 14

One disadvantage of LCD monitor is that, unlike phosphor, the liquid crystal does not emit light, so
there is not enough contrast between the images and the background to make them legible under all
conditions. The problem is solved by backlighting the screen.
Another disadvantage of LCD monitors is their limited viewing angle. That is the angle from which
the display image can be viewed clearly.
There are two main categories of liquid crystal display : active matrix and passive matrix. Passive
matrix LCD relies on transistors for each row and each column of pixels, thus creating a grid that defines the
location of each pixel The advantage of passive matrix monitors is that they are less expensive than active
matrix.
Active matrix LCD technology assigns a transistor to each pixel, and each pixel is turned on and off
individually. This enhancement allows the pixels to be refreshed much more rapidly, so submarining is not a
problem with these monitors.

OTHER TYPES OF MONITORS

Paper-white Displays. This type of monitor is sometimes used by document designers, such as
desktop publishing specialists, newspaper or magazine compositors, and other persons who
create high-quality printed documents.
Electroluminiscent (ELD) displays : ELD displays are similar to LCD monitors but use a
phosphorescent film held between two sheets of glass. When the gas is electrified via a grid of
small electrodes, it glows.
Plasma/Gas Plasma Displays. These this displays are created by sandwiching a special gas such
as neon or xenon between two sheets of glass. When the gas is electrified via a grid of small
electrodes, it glows. By controlling the amount of voltage applied at various points on the grid,
each point acts as a pixel to display an image.

COMPARING MONITORS
Wheyn bying a monitor we need to check seveal specifications. The following are the most
important.
Size
Refresh Rate
Resolution
Dot Pitch

Monitor Size Like televisions, monitors are measured diagonally, in inches, across the front of
the screen. For example, a 15-inch monitor measures 15 inches from the lower left to the upper
right corner. Flat panel monitors are rapidly gaining in size, too. Today, flat-panel displays rival
CRT monitors in terms of viewing area, but they do not consume as much desktop space.
Resolution The resolution of a computer monitor is classified by the number of pixels on the
screen, expressed as a matrix. For example, a resolution of 640 X 480 means that there are 640
pixels horizontally across the screen and 480 pixels vertically down the screen. Because the
actual resolution is determined by the video controller, not by the monitor itself, most monitor
specifications list a range of resolutions. For example, most 17-inch monitors have pixel grids
that allow for five settings : 600 X 400, 800 X 600, 1024 X 768, 1152 X 864 and 1280 X 1024.
Refresh Rate Refresh rate is the number of times per second that the electron guns scan every
pixel on the screen and is measured in Hertz (Hz), or in cycles per sound. The monitor refreshes
itself at least several dozen times each second.

# 15

Dot Pitch The last critical specification of a color monitor is the dot pitch, the distance
between the phosphor dots that make up a single pixel. In a color monitor there are three dots
red, green, and blue in every pixel. If these dots are not close enough together, the images on the
screen will not be crisp. In general, a dot pitch should not be greater then 0.28 millimeter.

THE VIDEO CONTROLLER

The quality of the images that a monitor can display is defined as much by the video controller as by
the monitor itself. The video controller is an intermediary device between the CPU and the monitor. It
contains the video-dedicated memory and other circuitry necessary to send information to the monitor for
display on the screen. It consists of a circuit board, usually referred to simply as a card, which is attached to
the computers mother board. Within the monitors constraints, the controllers processing power determines
the refresh rate, resolution, and number of colors that can be displayed.

PC PROJECTORS :
To get a presentation on a big screen, PC projects are becoming increasingly common. A PC
projector plugs into one of the computers ports, then projects the video output onto an external surface.
These small devices typically weigh less than 10 pounds and can display over 16 million color at resolutions
upto 1024 X 768. Some PC projectors can be converted from still-video mode to full-video mode, to display
output from a VCR or DVD drive. Most PC projectors use LCD technology to crate images.

SOUND SYSTEMS :
Microphones are now important input devices, and speakers and their associated technology are key
output systems. Today when we bye a multimedia PC, we receive a machine that includes a CD-ROM drive,
a high quality video controller with plenty of video RAM, speakers, and a sound card.
The speakers attached to these systems are similar to those we connect to a stereo. The only
difference is that they are usually smaller, and they contain their own small amplifiers.
The most complicated part of the sound output system is in the sound card. The sound card translates
digital sounds into the electronic current that is sent to the speakers. Sound is defined as air pressure varying
over time. To digitize sound, the waves are converted to an electric current measured thousands of times per
second and recorded as a number. When the sound is played back, the sound card reverses this process,
translating the series of numbers into electric current that is sent to the speakers.

# 16

6. DEVICES THAT OUTPUT HARD COPY

Besides the monitor, the other important output device is the printer. Generally printers fall into two
categories : impact and non-impact. An impact printer creates an image by pressing an inked ribbon against
the paper, using pins or hammers to shape the image. A simple example of an impact printer is a typewriter,
which uses small hammers to strike the ribbon.
Nonimpact printers use other means to create an image. Ink jet printers, for example, use tiny nozzles
to spray droplets of ink onto the page. Laser printers work like photocopiers, using heat to bond microscopic
particles of dry toner to specific parts of the page.
In the early years of computing, dot matrix printers were the most commonly used printing devices.
They are not as prevalent now, although dot matrix printers are still popular in business and academic
settings because they are relatively fast and inexpensive to operate, and they do a good job of printing text
and simple graphics.
When evaluating printers, four additional criteria are important :
Image quality Image quality, also knows as print resolution, is usually produce, the higher its image
quality. For example, most medium quality ink jet and laser printers can print 300 or 600 dots per inch.
Speed Printer speed is measured in the number of pages per minute (PPM) the device can print. Most
printers have different ppm ratings for text and graphics because graphics generally take longer to print.
Initial Cost The cost of new printers has fallen dramatically in recent years, while their capabilities and
speed have improved just as dramatically.
Cost of operation The cost of ink or toner and maintenance varies with the type of printer. Many
different types of printer paper are available, too, and the choice can affect the cost of operation.

DOT MATRIX PRINTERS

Dot Matrix Printers are commonly used in workplaces where physical impact with the paper is
important, such as when the user is printing to carbon-copy/pressure-sensitive forms. These printers can
produce sheets of plain text very quickly.
A dot matix printer creates an image by using a mechanism called a print head, which contains a
cluster (or matrix) of short pins arranged in one or more columns. On receiving instructions from the PC, the
printer can push any of the pins out, in any combination. By pushing out pins in various combinations, the
print head can crate alphanumeric characters. When pushed out from the cluster, the protruding pins ends
strike a ribbon, which is held in place between the print head and the paper.
Dot matrix printers speed is measured in characters per second (cps). The slowest dot matrix printers
crate fifty so seventy characters per second; the fastest print more than 500 cps. Dot matrix printers can use
tractor-feed paper (continuous paper). Although dot matrix printers are not commonly used in homes, they
are still widely used in business, as are other types of impact printers are Line printers, Band printers, Daisy
wheel Printers.

INK JET PRINTERS

Ink jet printers create an image directly on the paper by spraying ink through tiny nozzles. The
popularity of ink jet printers jumped around 1990 when the spped and quality improved, the the price
plummeted. Compared to laser printers, the operating cost of an inkjet printer is relatively low. Expensive
maintenance is rare, and the only part that needs routine replacement is the ink cartridge, which ranges in
price from $20 to $35.
# 17

LASER PRINTERS
Laser printers are more expensive than ink jet printers, their print quality is higher, and most are
faster. As their name implies, a laser is at the heart of these printers. A separate CPU and memory are built
into interpret the data that it receives from the computer and to control the laser. The result is a complicated
piece of equipment that uses technology similar to that in photocopiers. Just as the electron gun in a monitor
can target any pixel, the laser in a laser printer can aim at any point on a drum, crating an electrical charge.
Toner, which is composed of tiny particles of oppositely charged ink, stick to the drum in the places the laser
has charged. Then, with pressure and heat, the toner is transferred off the drum onto the paper.
Single color (black) laser printers typically can produce between four and sixteen pages of text a
minute.

SNAPSHOT PRINTERS
These are small format printers use special glossy paper to crate medium-resolution prints of 150 to
200 dpi. The best snapshot printers can create images that look nearly as good as a photograph printed using
traditional methods. Snapshot printers work slowly and generally create prints no larger than a standard 4-by6-inch snapshot. Also, because they spray so much ink on the paper, it can take several minutes for a printout
to dry, so smearing can be a problem.

PLOTTERS
A plotter is a special kind of output device. It is like a printer because it produces images on paper,
but the plotter is typically used to print large-format images, such as construction or engineering drawings
created in a CAD system. Early plotters were bulky, mechanical devices that used robotic arms, which
literally drew the image on a piece of paper. Table plotters use two robotic arms, each of which holds a set of
colored ink pens, felt pens, or pencils. The two arms work in concert, operating at right angles as they draw
on a stationary piece of paper.
A variation on the table plotter is the roller plotter which uses only one drawing arm but moves the
paper instead of holding it flat one drawing arm but moves the paper instead of holding it flat and stationery.
The drawing arm moves side to side as the paper is rolled back and forth through the roller. Working
together, the arm and roller can draw perfect circles and other geometric shapes, as well as lines of different
weights and colors.

# 18

UNIT II - PROCESSING DATA

7. TRANSFORMING DATA INTO INFORMATION
All computer do is recognize two distinct physical states produced by electricity, magnetic polarity,
or reflected light. Essentially, all they can understand is whether a switch is on or off. In fact, the brain of the
computer, the CPU, consists of several million tiny electronic switches, called transistors.
Data is the term used to describe the information represented by groups of on/off switches. Even
through the words data and information are often used interchangeably, there is an important distinction
between them. In the strictest sense, data consists of the raw numbers that computers organize to produce
information.
To a computer, everything is a number. Numbers are numbers; letters and punctuation marks are
numbers; sounds and pictures are numbers. Even computers own instructions are numbers.
Computer data looks especially strange because people normally use base 10 to represent numbers.
The system is called base 10, or the decimal number system because ten symbols are available:
0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 and 9.
In a computer, however, all data is represented by the state of the computers electrical switches. A
switch has only two possible states on and off so it can represent only two numeric values. To a
computer, a switch is off, it represents a 0, when a switch is on, it represents a 1. Because there are only two
values, computers are said to function in base 2, which is also known as binary number system.
Counting in Base 10 and Base 2
Base 10
Base 2
0
0
1
1
2
10
3
11
4
100
5
101
6
110
7
111
8
1000
9
1001
10
1010

# 19

BITS AND BYTES

The term bit is a combination of binary digit. A bit is the smallest possible unit of data a computer
can recognize or use. To represent any thing meaningful the computer uses bits in groups.
A group of 8 bits is called as a byte. With 1 byte, the can represent one of 256 different symbols or
characters because the eight 1s and 0s in a byte can be combined in 256 different ways.

TEXT CODES
A standard code system to represent the letters of the alphabet, punctuation marks, and other symbols
would enable any programmer or program to use the same combinations of numbers to represent the same
individual pieces of data. EBCDIC, ASCII, and Unicode are three of the most popular text code systems
invented.
EBCDIC
The BCD (binary coded decimal) system, defined by IBM for one of its early computers, was one of
the first complete systems to represent symbols with bits. BCD code consisted of 6-bits codes, which allowed
a maximum of sixty-four possible symbols. EBCDIC (Extended Binary Coded Decimal Interchange Code)
is an 8 bit code that defines 256 symbols, is still used in IBM mainframe and midrange systems, but it is
rarely encountered in personal computers.
ASCII
ANSIs solution to representing symbols with bits of data was the ASCII character set. ASCII stands
for American Standard Code for Information Interchange. Today, the ASCII character set is by far the most
commonly used in computers of all types.
The characters from 0 to 31 and 127 are control characters; from 32 to 64, special characters and
numbers; from 65 to 96, uppercase letters and few symbols; from 97 to 126, lowercase letters plus a handful
of common symbols.
Unicode
An evolving standard for data representation, called the Unicode World Wide Character Standard,
provides 2 bytes 16 bits to represent each letter, number or symbol. With 2 bytes, enough Unicode codes
can be crated to represent more than 65,536 different characters or symbols. This total is enough for every
unique character and symbol in the world, including the vast Chinese, Korean, and Japanese character sets
and those found in known classical and historical texts.

HOW COMPUTERS PROCESS DATA

Two components handle processing in a computer; the central processing unit or CPU, and the
memory. Both are located on the computers motherboard.
The CPU
The CPU is the brain of the computer, the place where data is manipulated. In large computer
systems, such as supercomputers and mainframes, processing tasks may be handled by multiple processing
chips. In the average microcomputer, the entire CPU is a single unit, called a microprocessor.
The Control Unit
All the computers resources are managed from the control unit. Think of the control unit as a traffic
cop directing the flow of data through the CPU, and to and from other devices. The control unit is the logical
hub of the computer. The CPUs instructions for carrying out commands are built into the control unit. The
instructions, or instruction set, list all the operations that the CPU can perform.
The Arithmetic Logic Unit

# 20

Because all computer data is stored as numbers, much of the processing that takes place involves
comparing numbers or carrying out mathematical operations. In addition to establishing ordered sequences
and changing those sequences, the computer can perform two types of operations: arithmetic operations such
as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division, logical operations such as comparisons.
The ALU includes a group of registers high speed memory locations built directly into the CPU
that are used to hold the data currently being processed.
Machine Cycles
Each time the CPU executes an instruction, it takes a series of steps. The completed series of steps is
called a machine cycle. A machine cycle itself can be broken down into smaller cycles, the instruction cycle
and execution cycle. At the beginning of the machine cycle, the CPU takes two steps :
1.
Fetching : Before the CPU can execute an instruction, the control unit must retrieve (or
Fetch) a command or data from the computers memory.
2.
Decoding : Before a command can be executed, the control unit must break down (or
decode) the command into instruction that correspond to those in the CPUs instruction set.
At this point, the CPU is ready to begin the execution cycle.
1.
Executing : When the command is executed, the CPU carries out the instructions in order by
converting them into microcode.
2.
Storing : The CPU may be required to store the results of an instruction in memory.
Memory
The CPU contains the basic instructions needed to operate the computer, but it cannot store entire
programs or large sets of data permanently. The CPU does contain registers, but these are small areas that can
hold only a few bytes at a time. In addition to registers, the CPU needs to have millions of bytes of randomly
accessed space where it can quickly read or write programs and data while they are being used. This area is
called memory.
There are two types of built-in memory : permanent and nonpermanent. Some memory chips always
retain the data they hold, even when the computer is turned off. This type of memory is called nonvolatile.
Other chips in fact, most of the memory in a microcomputer lose their contents when the computers power
is shut off, these chips have volatile memory.
ROM
Nonvolatile chips always hold the same data; the data in them cannot be changed except through a
special process that overwrites the data. During normal use, the data in these chips is only read and used, not
changes so the memory is called read-only memory (ROM)
RAM
Memory that can be instantly changed is called read-write memory or random access memory
(RAM). The purpose of RAM is to hold programs and data while they are in use. A computer does not have
to search its entire memory each time it needs to find data because the CPU uses a memory address to store
and retrieve each piece of data.

CONNECTING COMPUTER TO OTHER DEVICES

When we need to add a new piece of hardware to our computer, we can plug the device into an
existing socket, or port, on the back of the computer. Most computers have several types of ports, each with
different capabilities and uses. Older computer feature only three or four distinct types of ports, but new
systems provide a wide array of specialized ports.
Serial and Parallel Ports
A PCs internal components communicate through the data bus, which consists of parallel wires.
Similarly, a parallel interface is a connection of eight or more wires through which data bits can flow
simultaneously. Most computer buses transfer 32 bits simultaneously. The standard interface for external
devices like printers usually transfers 8 bits at a time over eight separate wires.
# 21

With a serial interface face, data bits are transmitted one at a time through a single wire. Inside the
computer a chip called a universal asynchronous receiver transmitter (UART) converts parallel data from the
bus into serial data that flows through a serial cable.
SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
Instead of forcing the user to plug multiple cards into the computers expansion slots, a single SCSI
adapter extends the bus outside the computer by way of a cable. The emerging standard is SCSI-3, which can
link as many as 127 devices. The newest SCSI standard, Ultra3 SCSI, supports q 32 bit bus and can transfer
data at a rate of 160 Mbps, more than thirty times faster than the earliest SCSI. To provide a PC with a SCSI
port, insert a SCSI adapter board into one of the PCs available expansion slots. Many devices use the SCSI
interface.

USB
Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard is rapidly gaining popularity for PCs both IBM compatible
and Macintosh systems. Because the standard allows 127 devices to be connected to the bus via a single port,
many experts believe that USB will emerge as single bus standard of the future.
Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI)
The MIDI has been in use since the early 1980s, when a group of musical instrument manufacturers
developed the technology to enable electronic instruments to communicate. Since then, MIDI has been
adapted to the personal computer. Many sound cards are MIDI-compliant and feature a special MIDI port.
Using a MIDI port, we can plug a wide variety of musical instruments and other MIDI controlled devices
into the computer.
Expansion Slots and Boards
PCs are designed so that users can adapt, or configure, the machines to their own particular needs.
PC motherboards have two or more expansion slots, which are extension of the computer bus that provide a
way to add new components to the computer. The slots accept expansion boards, also called cards, adapters,
or sometimes just boards.
The expansion slots on the motherboard are used for three purposes :
To give built-in devices such as hard disks and diskette drives access to the computers bus via
controller cards.
To provide I/O ports on the back of the computer for external devices such as monitors, external
modems, printers, and game controllers.
To give special-purpose devices access to the computer. For example, a computer can be enhanced with
an accelerator card, a self-contained device that enhances processing speed through access to the
computers CPU and memory by way of the bus.
PC Cards
Another type of expansion card the PC Card (Initially called a Personal Computer Memory Card
International Association or PCMCIA card) is a small device about the size of a credit card. This device
was designed initially for use in notebook computers and other computer that are too small to accept a
standard expansion card. There are three categories of PC Card technologies : Type I, Type II, and Type III.
The different types are typically defined by purpose.

# 22

8. TYPES OF STORAGE DEVICES

The Physical components or materials on which data is stored are called storage media. The
hardware components what write data to, and read it from, storage media are called storage devices. For
example, a diskette is a storage medium, whereas a diskette drive is a storage device.
The two main categories of storage technology used today are magnetic storage and optical storage.
The primary types of magnetic storage are as follows:
Diskettes

Hard Disks

High-capacity floppy disks

Disk Catridges

Magnetic Tape
The Primary types of optical storage are as follows
Compact Disk Read-Only Memory (CD-ROM)

Digital Video Disk Read-Only Memory (DVC-ROM)

CD-Recordable (CD-R)

CD-ReWritable (CD-RW)

PhotoCD
Magnetic Storage Devices
The purpose of storage devices is to hold data even when the computer is turned off so the data
can be used whenever it is needed. Storage involves the processes of writing data to the storage medium and
reading data from the storage medium. Writing data means recording data on the surface of the disk, where it
is stored for later use. Reading data means retrieving the data from the disks surface and transferring it into
the computers memory for use by the operating system or an application program.
Magnetic storage devices use polarizing method to store data, just as a transistor can represent
binary data as on or off, the orientation of a magnetic field can be used to represent data. A magnet has
one important advantage over a transistor: it can represent on and off without a continual source of
electricity.

MAGNETIC DISKS
Diskette drives and hard disk drives are the most commonly used storage devices in PCs. Both fall
into the category of magnetic storage because they record data as magnetic fields.
There are several fundamental differences between a diskette and a hard disk.
# 23

A diskette contains a single, flat piece of plastic (the disk), coated with iron oxide and enclosed in a vinyl
or plastic cover. A hard disk contains one or more rigid metal platters, coated with iron oxide, which are
permanently encased in the hard disk drive.
Diskettes are small and portable, but hard disks are usually built into the computer, so they are not
portable. Built-in hard disk drives cannot be moved easily from one computer to another. There are many
different standards in use for hard drives.
Most floppy disks store only 1.44 MB, although special floppy disks offer higher capacities.

Hard disk drives are much faster than diskette drives; their disks spin faster and they can locate data on
the disks surface in much less time.
How data is organized on a Magnetic disk ?
Before the computer can use a diskette to store data, the disks surface must be magnetically mapped
so that the computer can go directly to a specific point on it with out searching through data. The process of
mapping a diskette is called formatting or initializing.
Hard disks must also be formatted so the computer can locate data on them. Modern diskettes store
data on both sides of the disk, and each side has its own read/write head. When formatting a disk, the disk
drive creates a set of magnetic concentric circles, called tracks, on each side of the disk. The number of
tracks required depends on the type of disk. Most high density diskettes have 80 tracks on each side of the
disk. A hard disk may have several hundred tracks on each side of each platter. Each track on a disk is also
split into smaller parts, known as sectors. In both diskettes and hard disks, a sector can store up to 512 bytes
(0.5 KB). All the sectors on the disk are numbered in one long sequence so that the computer can access each
small area on the disk with a unique number.
How the operating system finds data on a Disk ?
A computers operating system can locate data on a disk because each track and sector is labeled,
and the location of all data is kept in a special log on the disk. The labeling of tracks and sectors is called
performing a logical format. A commonly used logical format performed by Windows creates four disk areas:
master boot record (MBR), file-allocation table (FAT), root folder or directory, and data area.
The master boot record is a program that runs when we first start the computer. This program
determines whether the disk has the basic components that are necessary to run the operating system
successfully. If the program determines that the required files are present and the disk ha valid format, it
transfers control to one of the operating system programs that continues the process of starting up. This
process is called booting.
The file allocation table (FAT) is a log that records the location of each file and the status of each
sector. When we write a file to a disk, the operating system checks the FAT for an open area, stores the file,
and then identifies the file and its location in the FAT. Users do not see the information listed in the FAT, but
they often use the information. A folder, also called a directory, is a tool for organizing files on a disk. The
top folder an any disk is known as the root.

DISKETTES (FLOPPY DISKS)

The drive includes a motor that rotates the disk on a spindle and read/write heads that can move to
any spot on the disks surface as the disk spins. The capability is important because it allows the heads to
access data randomly rather than sequentially. In other words, the heads can skip from one spot to anther
without having to scan through all of the data in between.
Diskettes spin at approximately 300 revolutions per minute. Therefore, the longest it can take to
position a point on the diskette under the read/write heads in the amount of time required for one revolution
about 0.2 second. The farthest the heads have to move is from the center of the diskette to the outside edge
(or vice versa).
The below are the three most common use of diskettes :
Moving files between computers that are not connected through network or communications hardware.
# 24

Loading new programs onto a system. Although large programs are often delivered on CD-ROM, many
programs are still sold on diskettes.
Backing up data or programs : The primary copy of data or programs is stored on a hard disk drive.
Backing up is the process of creating a duplicte set of programs and/or data files for safekeeping.
Types of diskettes.
During the 1980s, most PCs used 5.25-inch diskettes. Today, the 3.5 inch diskette has almost
completely replaced its 5.25-inch cousin.
Diskette Capacities
Both types of diskette have evolved from lower to higher densities. The density of the disk is a
measure of the capacity of the disk surface: the higher the density, the more closely the iron-oxide particles
are packed, and the more data the disk can store. Early versions of diskettes were double density (DD). As
diskette media improved, storage capacities increased; the double-density diskettes have been almost
completely replace by high-density (HD) diskettes, which provide significantly more storage.
Diameter

type

Tracks

(Inches)

Sectors/

Sectors

Bytes /
Sector

Total
Bytes

Bytes Expressed in

Track

KB

MB

5.25

Double Density
(DD)

40

720

512

368,640

360

.36

5.25

High Density
(HD)

80

15

2400

512

1,228,800

1200

1.2

3.5

Double Density
(DD)

80

1440

512

737,280

720

.7

3.5

High Density
(HD)

80

18

2880

512

1,474,560

1440

1.44

3.5

Extra-high
density (ED)

80

36

5760

512

2,949,150

2880

2.88

# 25

HARD DISKS
Although a shift toward optical technology is occurring, the hard disk is still the most common
storage device for all computers. A hard disk includes one or more metal platters mounted on a central
spindle, like a stack or rigid diskettes. Each platter is covered with a magnetic coating, and the entire unit is
encased in a sealed chamber. Unlike diskettes, where the disk and drive are separate, the hard disk and drive
are a single unit. It includes the hard disk, the motor that spins the platters, and a set of read/write heads.
Because we cannot remove the disk from its drive the term hard disk and hard drive are used
interchangeably.
Hard disks offer capacities from about several hundred megabytes and more. Most entry-level
consumer PCs now come with hard disks of at least 6.8 GB, but minimum capacities are continually
increasing. At the time this was written, home and business-class PCs could easily be found with hard disk
capabilities of 13GB, 20GB, and even greater.
Two important physical differences between hard disks and diskettes account for the differences in
performance. The hard disks found in most PCs spin between 3600 rpm and 7200 rpm. Some new highperformance hard disks can spin as fast as 10,000 rpm.
Because hard disks are actually a stack of a platters, the term cylinder is used to refer to the same
track across all the disk sides. Like diskettes, hard disks generally store 512 bytes of data in a sector, but
because of their higher tolerances, hard disks can have more sectors per track fifty-four, sixty-three, or even
more sectors per track are not uncommon.

OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICES

Because of the continuing demand for greater storage capacity, hardware manufacturers are always
searching for alternative storage media. Today, the most popular alternatives to magnetic storage systems are
optical systems. The most widely used type of optical storage medium is the compact disk (CD), which is
used in CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-Recordable, CD-ReWritable, and PhotoCD sytems.

CD-ROM
The familiar audio compact disk is a popular medium for storing music. In the computer world,
however, the medium is called compact disk, read-only memory (CD-ROM). CD-ROM uses the same
technology used to produce music CDs. In fact, if a computer has a CD-ROM drive, a sound card, and
speakers, we can play audio CDs on that PC.
The CD-ROM drive for music or data reads 0s and 1s from a spinning disk by focussing a laser on
the disks surface. Some areas of the disk reflect the laser light into a sensor, and other areas scatter the light.
A spot that reflect the laser beam into the sensor is interpreted as a 1, and the absence of a reflection is
interpreted as a 0.
Data is laid out on a CD-ROM disk in a long, continuous spiral that starts at the outer edge and
winds inwards to the center. Data is stored in the form of lands, which are flat areas on the metal surface,
and pits, which are depressions or hollows.
CD-ROM Speeds
Compared to hard disk drives, CD-ROMs are quite slow, in part because the laser reads pits and
lands one bit at a time. Anther reason has to do with the changing rotational speed of the disk. Like a track on
a magnetic disk, the track of an optical disk is split into sectors. CD-ROM drives read data at 150 KBps and
were known as single speed drives. This rate is much slower than that of a typical hard drive, which transfers
data at rates of 5 to 15 MBps.
CD-ROM Uses
Many applications rely on huge volumes of data that rarely change. For example, dictionaries,
encyclopedia, professional reference libraries, music, and video all require tremendous amounts of data that
we would not normally want to alter even if we could. A single CD typically can hold about 650 MB of data.
Software companies can distribute their products on CD-ROM.
# 26

DVD-ROM
Standard compact disks and CD-ROM drives are beginning to be replaced on computer systems by
digital video disk read-only memory (DVD-ROM), also called digital video disk or digital versatile disk.
DVD-ROM is a high-density medium capable of storing a full length movie on a single disk the size of a
CD. DVD-ROM achieves such high storage capacities by using both sides of the disk and special datacompression technologies, and by using extremely small tacks for storing data. The latest generation of
DVD-ROM disks actually use layers of data tracks, effectively doubling their capacity. In fact, DVDs look
like CDs, and DVD-ROM dirves can play ordinary CD-ROM disks. A slightly different player, the DVD
movie player, connects to a television and plays movies like a VCR. The DVD movie player will also play
audio CDs.
CD-Recordable, CD-ReWritable, and PhotoCD.
For large quantities, CD-ROM disks can be produced by manufacturers with expensive duplication
equipment. For fewer copies or even single copies, a CD-Recordable (CD-R) drive can be attached to a
computer as a regular peripheral device. CD-R drives allows us to create our own CD-ROM disks that can be
read by any CD-ROM drive. After information has been written to part of the CD, that information cannot be
changed.
Using newer generation CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) drives, however user can write and overwrite data
onto compact disks. With a CD-ReWritable drive, users can leverage the high storage capacity of compact
disks but revise the data on them in the same manner as a floppy disk.
One popular Form of recordable CD is PhotoCD, a standard developed by Kodak for storing
digitized photographic images on a CD. Many film developing stores now have PhotoCD drives that can
store our photos and put them on a CD. We can put the PhotoCD in our computers CD-ROM drive and view
the images on the computer.

9. OPERATING SYSTEM BASICS

An Operating System (OS) is a software program, but it is different from word processing progarms,
spreadsheets, and all the other software programs on your computer. The OS provides you with the tools
(commands) that enable you to interact with the PC.
The operating system performs the following functions :
Provides the instructions to display the on-screen elements with which you interact. Collectively,
these elements are known as the user interface.
Loads programs (such as word processing and spreadsheet programs) into the computers so that
you can use them.
Coordinates how programs work with the CPU, RAM, keyboard, mouse, printer, and other
hardware as well as with other software.
# 27

Manages the way information is stored on and retrieved from disks.

THE USER INTERFACE

With an operating system, we see and interact with a set of items on the screen; the user interface. In
the case of most current operating systems, the user interface looks like a collection of objects on a colored
background like following.

Graphical User Interfaces

Most current operating systems, including all versions of Windows, the Macintosh operating system,
OS/2, and some versions of UNIX, provide a graphical user interface (GUI). Apple computer introduced the
first successful GUI with its Macintosh computer in 1984. Graphical user interfaces are so called because
you use a mouse to point at graphical objects on the screen.

The Desktop
Software makers call the colored area we see on screen the desktop because they want to think of it
as just like the surface of a desk. The pictures, too, stand for items we might have in your office, in the case
of Windows, these items include My Computer, a Recycle Bin, an Inbox, and a Briefcase.

# 28

Icons

Windows
Control
Buttons
Program Running In a window

Dialog
Box

S
T
A
R
T

Status Bar

M
E
N
u

Desktop

Icons
Icons are pictures that represent the parts of the computer we work with printers, fonts, document
files, folders (a way to organize files into logical groups), disk drives, programs, and so on. Software
designers try to design the icons so that they look like what they represent, thus making it easy to identify the
icon we need.
The Taskbar and the Start Button (Windows Only)
Whenver we satrt a program in certain versions of Windows (including Windows 95, 98, 2000, NT
versions or later), a button for it appears on the taskbar an area at the bottom of the screen whose purpose is
to display the buttons for the programs we are running. The start button is a permanent feature of the taskbar.
We click to open the Start menu. From the start menu, we can click a program icon to start a program, choose
Help to find information to assist us as we work, or choose Shut down when we are ready to turn off the
computer.
Menus
A menu is a group of commands/options related to the current running application., displayed at the
top of many windows in a horizontal list.
When we click a menus name, a menu drops down and displays a list of commands. (These
menus are sometimes called pull-down menus or drop-down menus). For example, many programs feature a
File Menu, which typically contains commands for opening, closing, saving and printing files.
As a shortcut, we can also execute many commands from the keyboard. For example, in windows
programs, one letter is underlined in the name of each menu and in many menu commands. To open a menu,
hold down the Alt key and type the underlined letter in the menus name at the same time. Some commands
are used so frequently they have keyboard shortcuts that bypass the menu system altogether.
Dialog Boxes
Dialog boxes are special-purpose windows that appear when you need to tell a program (or the
operating system) what to do next. For example, if we choose find and then choose Files or Folders form the
Windows Start menu, a dialog box appears, asking you to describe the file or folder you want to find. A
dialog box is so named because it conducts a dialog with you as it seeks the information it needs to perform a
task.
Command-Line Interface
# 29

The graphical user interface has become the standard because the Macintosh and Windows operating
systems use it. For years, however, computer operating systems used command-line interfaces, which are
environments that use typewritten commands rather than graphical objects to execute tasks and process data.
During the 1980s, the most popular command-line interface were Microsofts MS-DOS, its near twin
PC-DOS from IBM, and UNIX. Users interact with a command-line interface by typing string of characters
at a prompt on the screen. In DOS, the prompt usually includes the identification for the active disk drive (a
letter followed by a colon), a backslash (\), and a greater-than symbol, as in C:\>, shows the DOS prompt,
which is still available in Windows 95 and 98 for those who want to run DOS program or to work with DOS
keyboard commands.

RUNNING PROGRAMS
The operating system provides a consistent interface between the program and the user, it is also the
interface between those programs and other computer resources (such as memory, a printer, or another
program such as a spreadsheet application). Programmers write computer programs with built-in instructions
called system calls that request services from the operating system.

SHARING INFORMATION
In many types of applications you may want to move chunks of data from one place to another. For
example, you may want to copy a chart form a spreadsheet program and place the copy in a document in a
word processor.
Most newer operating systems accomplish this feat with a feature known as the Clipboard. The
Clipboard is a temporary holding space (in computers memory) for data that is being copied or moved. For
example, to move a paragraph in a word-processed document, select the paragraph, then choose the Cut
command, which removes the data and places it on the Clipboard. After placing the insertion point where
you want to place the paragraph, we choose the Paste command, which copies the Clipboards contents back
into the document.
The versatility of the Clipboard has been extended further with a feature known in Windows as OLE,
which stands for Object Linking and Embedding, A simple cut and paste between applications results in
object embedding. The data, which is known as an object in programming terms, is embedded in a new type
of document.

MULTITASKING
Since the mid-1990s, all PC operating Systems have been able to multitask, which is a computers
version of being able to walk and chew gum at the same time. Multitasking means much more than the
capability to load multiple programs into memory. Multitasking means being able to perform two or more
procedures such as printing a multiple-paged document, sending e-mail over the Internet, and typing a
letter simultaneously.
Software engineers use two methods to develop multitasking operating systems. The first requires
cooperation between the operating system and application programs. Programs that are currently running will
periodically check the operating system to see whether any other programs need the CPU. If any do, the
running program will relinquish control of the CPU to the next program. This method is called cooperative
multitasking and is used to allow activities such as printing while the user continues to type or use the mouse
to input more data.
The second method is called method is called preemptive multitasking. With this method, the
operating system maintains a list of programs that are running and assigns a priority to each program in the
list. The operating system can intervene and modify a programs priority status by rearranging the priority
list.

MANAGING FILES

# 30

The files that the operating system works with may be program or data files. Most programs come
with any number-possibly thousands-of files. When we use programs, we often create our own data fiels,
such as word processing documents, and store them on a disk under names that you assign to them. It is the
responsibility of the operating system to keep track of all these files so that it can copy any one of them into
RAM at a moments notice.
To accomplish this feat, the operating system maintains a list of the contents of a disk on the disk
itself, there is an area called the file allocation table, or FAT, that the operating system creates when we
format the a disk. The operating system updates the information in the FAT any time a file is created, moved,
renamed, or deleted.

MANAGING HARDWARE
When programs run, they need to use the computers memory, monitor, disk drives and other
devices, such as a printer. The operating system is the intermediary between programs and hardware. In a
computer network, the operating system also mediates between your computer and other devices on the
network.
Processing Interrupts
The operating system responds to requests to use memory and other devices, keeps track of which
programs have access to which devices, and coordinates everything the hardware does so that various
activities do not overlap and cause the computer to become confused and stop working. The operating system
uses interrupt requests (IRQs) to the help the CPU coordinate processes. For example, if you tell the
operating system to list the files in a folder, it sends and interrupt request to the computers CPU.
Drivers
In addition to using interrupts, the operating system often provides complete programs for working
with special devices, such as printers. These programs are called drivers because they allow the operating
system and other programs to activate and use-that is, drive-the hardware device. When DOS reigned,
drivers had to be installed separately for each program used. With modern operating systems such as
Windows 9x, Windows NT, and the Macintosh OS, drives are an integral part of the operating system. Most
of the software you buy will with the printer, monitor, and other equipment without requiring any special
installation.
Networking
# 31

Besides providing interrupt requests and drivers for working with individual devices, the operating
system can also allow us to work with multiple computers on a network. On a network, usually each person
has a separate PC with its own operating system. The network server also has its own operating system,
which manages the flow of data on the file server and around the network.

UTILITY SOFTWARE
Operating systems are designed to let you do most of the tasks you normally would want to do with
a computer manage files, load programs, print files, multitask, and so on. These programs are sold by the
behemoths of the software industry : Microsoft, Apple, IBM, Santa Cruz Operation (SCO), and Novell.
However, many other talented software firms are constantly finding ways to improve operating systems. The
programs they create are called utilities.
Popular utilities range from programs that can organize or compress the files on a disk to programs
that help us remove programs no longer use from the hard disk. Few of the major categories of utilities
include file defragmentation utilities, data compression programs, back utilities, antivirus programs and
screen savers.

# 32

10. PC OPERATING SYSTEMS IN REVIEW

UNIX
UNIX is older than all other PC Operating Systems, and in many ways it served as a model for them.
Initially developed by Bell Labs in the 1970s, UNIX was geared toward uses in telecommunications systems.
Instead of marketing UNIX as a commercial product, Bell Labs distributed the source code and
allowed users to modify it. As a result, dozens of different versions of UNIX began springing up, especially
in universities, where UNIX was widely used as a teaching and research tool by programmers and computer
scientists. Many specific versions of UNIX exist, including A/UX for the Mac, AIX for IBM high-end
workstations, Solaris for Sun Microsystems workstations, Open VMS for Alpha workstations, SCO UNIX,
XENIX, and others.
From nearly the beginning, UNIX was an incredibly powerful and flexible operating system that
could run on a single computer or on a network. It provides preemptive multitasking, which makes efficient
use of computers resources, especially when meeting the demands of many users or applications. UNIX
allows multiple users to work from more than one keyboard and monitor attached to a single CPU, like
mainframe with dumb terminals. UNIX also supports multiprocessor systems a PC with more than one
CPU working at a time.
UNIX runs on many types of computers, including supercomputers, notebook PCs, and everything
between, including mainframes and minicomputers. Because of its ability to work with so many kinds of
hardware, UNIX became the backbone of the Internet.

DOS
Microsofts MS-DOS along with IBMs PC-DOS was once the most common of all the PC operating
systems. And overwhelming volume of software that run under DOS was available, and a large installed base
of Intel based PCs ran DOS.
DOS was developed in the 1970s and distributed on some of the earliest commercial PCs. Although
it ruled throughout the 1980s, DOS did not gain the upper hand without a fight. It became the operating
system for the huge market of IBM compatibles.
Among the strengths of DOS were its reliability and stability. On a properly configured system, DOS
and DOS programs ran well; crashes and lockups were rare. Most users needed to learn only a small set of
commands.
DOS supports only one user and a single processor.

Under DOS, we can load only a single application into memory at a time.

Because DOS did not dictate how an applications interface must look or function, developers created a
wide variety of program-specific interfaces. Some applications appeared as nearly blank, text-only
screens; to issue commands.
DOS was designed to recognize only 640KB of RAM and therefore cannot handle the large amounts of
RAM commonly found in todays PCs.
DOS was designed for 8-bit and 16-bit CPUs, it cannot take advantage of the 32-bit architecture of the
486, Pentium and later chips.
Hardware is difficult to install and configure under DOS because each device requires a unique driver.

DOS file names are limited to eight characters, plus a three-character extension following a period.

# 33

UNIT III OFFICE AUTOMATION

11. OFFICE AUTOMATION
INTRODUCTION
Ever since man domesticated animals and started agricultural production, thereby turning himself
from a nomad to a settler, he has had the need to manage information. It was merely a count of his animal
and agricultural produce that comprised information in early days. With the evolution of society, the concept
of information has gradually changed. Revenue and land records in slave and feudal society, trading records
for the merchant community, production records during industrialization, to modern times when information
is all-pervasive.
Information has been managed, collected, stored and processed, in all these eras in work centers
called offices.
The office functions have essentially remained the same; that of information processing. It is only
the speed of information processing which has increased tremendously, keeping pace with the demands made
on it by the overall modernization of the society in every era.
INFORMATION :
The information can be defined as any kind of knowledge or message that can be used to improve,
or make possible a decision or an aggregate of facts or data so organized, or so utilized as to be knowledge
or intelligence.
Every organization has set for itself a set of objectives, which it tries to achieve through an office
organized for the purpose. All its resources are directed towards meeting the objectives, under financial,
technical, and political constraints.
OFFICE :
An office is defined as It is a place filled with people doing paperwork of one kind or another,
keeping records and files. An office is an information processing center : information flows in, it gets
stored and retrieved, rejoined and amended, and reformatted with other information, it gets distributed, it gets
used.
An office :

Receives information

Records and stores information

Structures information

Processes information

Provides access to information

Offices consisting of components: machines, procedures, and people. It emerges that an office is
essentially an information processing center, it is a system. Its basic elements include people, machines,
paper, records, documents, files and procedures.
NATURE OF OFFICE WORK:
The activities performed by individuals in an office. A focus on their functions gives insight into the
nature of office work and affords the possibility of uniquely classifying the observable office activities or
tasks. Since the office is engaged in meeting organizations information needs through all its varied
information processing tasks, the office personnel can be collectively referred to as information workers.
They can be broadly classified into two categories, managers or officers and others. The managers are largely
responsible for decision making; professionals perform activities called tasks, whereas others perform
activities called functions.
# 34

The following classifications are made for structured and unstructured information of an office as
follows:

Document preparation

Document Storage and Retrieval

Communication

Decision Support
THE NEED FOR OFFICE AUTOMATION:
In the mid-1950s a study conducted by the US Govt. indicated that over 25 billion cubic feet of
space was occupied by government record in the form of paper-based files. The records management at that
time cost the US Government an estimated $4 billion annually.
Similarly in India, the Central Government archival records occupy about 25 kilometers of linear
storage space. The records in the Government of India are estimated to occupy over 2000 kilometers of linear
storage space. The rate at which files are being created in ministries and departments, it will be another few
kilometers every year.
In Japan, the need for office automation arises from a different angle. About 54 million people,
representing 41.6% of the total workers, were analyzed to be office workers in the year 1980. An economic
growth rate of 6.2% and an annual increase of workforce at the rate of 0.7% during the decade 1980-90, as
per a government survey conducted in 1980, implies that productivity must increase by 5.5% in the entire
Japanese economy, including offices. The Japanese are banking on office automation.
For any significant impact, office automation must go beyond the domains of word processing.
There is a need to increase office productivity through automation, in order to keep the mounting wage bill of
office workers under control, and to provide efficient cost effective support to the organizations.
WHAT IS OFFICE AUTOMATION?
There are so many definitions of office automation. Some of them are as follows
Office automation refers to the use of integrated computer and communications systems to support
administrative procedures in an office environment.
An office in which interactive computer tools are put in the hands of individual knowledge
workers, at their desks, in the areas in which they are physically working.
..the utilization of technology to improve the realization of office functions
Office Automation is the use of information technology for generation, storage and retrieval,
processing and communication of information for improving the effectiveness of office, which in turn will
help to realize the objectives or business functions of the organization in an efficient and competitive manner.

# 35

12. DOCUMENT PREPARATION

The paperwork in offices has increased exponentially over the years. The typewriter has essentially
remain the same till recently. The cost of clerical and secretarial work force has continued to increase all
these years.
According to Price document preparation has received the greatest attention compared to other
components of office automation, primarily because as a concept it has been easy for the people to appreciate
and its benefits come by easily and can be quantified. It includes all the activities of dictation, typing,
updating documents, duplicating, copying, and even typesetting.
Document preparation is interchangeably used with word processing although the latter is merely a
subset of the former.

VARIOUS OFFICE EQUIPEMENT THAT HELP IN DOCUMENT PREPARATION :

THE TYPEWRITER :
The first practical typewriter was patented in 1868. C.L. Sholes, C. Glidden, and S.W. Soule
developed it. Remington manufactured it in 1874 with a keyboard arrangement, which was almost the same
that is currently in use. The 1987 model of Underwood is considered to be the first practical writing machine
where the writer could see the line being typed on the page. The first electronics typewrites were developed
and marketed in the 1920s, although Edison had developed one in 19872 itself.
The productivity of a typist with an electronic typewriter compared to that of one with a manual was
found to be enormous; the typist could type much faster and for longer hours without getting tired. This fact
was well recognized by the 1960s. It was firmly established with the introduction of IBM Selectric
typewriter in 1961, because the productivity took a quantum jump.
The typing and computer technologies were brought together by IBM in 1964 when it introduced its
Magnetic Tape Selective Typewriter(MT/ST).
In 1978 An electronic typewriter with a line video display in the form of a thin window was
introduced.
WORD PROCESSING
The term word processing, though very common in use, is still not firmly defined. The information
technology manufacturers like to define work processing in terms of the facilities and features their systems
provide, since they want to stretch the definition to fit their own products.
According to Blakey the typists become more productive due to any of the following three methods :

type faster

type less

type for more of the time available

Word processing allows precisely all there three options simultaneously. Typing is faster with an
electronic keyboard compared to that with a mechanical keyboard. The corrections, due to typists errors,
and editing, due to authors changes, can be done easily and efficiently since the previous text is stored in the
magnetic media. The keying speeds have been found to increase by 15 to 30%.
Word processing releases the typist for performing other office activities, through four main ways.
Paper and carbon handling, Margin and tab setting.
System guidance for complex forms, Search and retrieve facilities.
WORD PROCESSORS:

# 36

The first word processor, the video type, was developed by A. Goldman in 1971. It was soon
followed by similar products from companies like Olivetti, Wang and others in 1972. It was revolutionized
the MC/ST typewriter by including a video display and a text editor to let the typist see on the screen what
was actually transpiring on the magnetic tape. Word processing software packages of varying capabilities are
available which can run on multifunction, general purpose Personal Computers (PCs).
The word processor consists of the following five hardware components :
Electronic Keyboard : The electronic keyboard resembles that of an electronic typewriter, with
same order of alphanumeric keys. The most frequently used word processing functions like inserting or
deleting characters or lines are realized through special purpose functions keys.
Video Display Unit (VDU) : The keyboard and VDU, either as one integral unit or in two units a
detachable keyboard and a VDU.
Central Processor Unit (CPU) which houses the system logic, internal memory and generally the
disk drives also. It is this unit which runs the word processing software to manipulate the text this is the
main workhouse.
Disk Storage Unit : One or more for storing the texts and documents. This may be in the form of
floppy disk drive, and/or fixed Winchester Disks with different storage capacities.
Printer : Used for printing of the typed text. It can be of several different kinds, depending on the
need for quality of documents. The wide range of printers includes dot matrix, daisy wheel high quality letter
printer, and a laser printer for printing multifont excellent quality documents.
Other Input Devices
Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR) : MICR can read characters written with magnetic
ink. Its utility in office automation or document preparation domain is very little because of obvious reasons.
Voice recognition Systems are under development which will recognize the words as one reads out
text and store them as ASCII characters.
Scanners are yet another class of devices which can be used to enter documents into computer
systems. A scanner or digitizer does a raster scan of the page and digitizes it into picture elements called
pixels. It is stored as pixels and not as ASCII characters.
WORD PROCESSOR FACILITIES:
Word processors have operational features that ease text entry and manipulation. Since only
corrections and replacement text due to authors changes need to be re-keyed, the time spent on these
activities is far less, thereby improving the productivity of typists. Broadly these facilities fall int the
following categories and are commonly found and frequently used on all word processors :

Initial text keying.

Modification of text recorded on magnetic storage, i.e text editing including merging the
keyed text with recorded text to create a document.

Print handling functions automation.

INITIAL TEXT KEYING
Automatic Carriage return automatically returns cursor or carrier to the beginning of the next line,
thereby allowing the operator to key at a uniform speed.
Automatic centering automatically centers words, titles or text between specified margins, between
tab stops, or over columns. This can be used for titles only or for an entire section of text.
Automatic underscore automatically underlines typed text, words, or titles on a continuous or
selective basis.
Automatic de-underscore automatically removes an underscore in typed text without altering or
disturbing the same.
# 37

Automatic headers and footers automatically laces page numbers and other titles at the top or
bottom of each page of a document at print time.
Automatic footnote tie-in automatically controls the renumbering and placement of footnotes
ensuring that they remain with the text they annotate (on the page) even while major changes in the length of
the text occur.
Automatic decimal tabulation automatically aligns columns of figures at the decimal point,
comma, or terminal point.
Automatic leader automatically aligns periods used as leaders between two columns of material.
Along with the above advantages automatic hyphen, automatic indent automatic superscripts and
subscripts, automatic page numbering, automatic pagination, automatic repaginations, automatic window
adjust , automatic justification of text, automatic format, column layout, multicolumn page layout, forms
design and other features include overstrike to form new characters, special characters printout, strikeover
error correction, variable line spacing etc. will makes the user easier to enter the data without corrections and
make it attractive when it will be printed on a page.
TEXT EDITING FEATURES :
Typical editing functions include : insert to include any character, word, paragraph, or page into any
portion of the stored text, Delete any character, word, sentence, paragraph, or page from any portion of the
stored text, Replace any character, word, sentence, paragraph, or page by new text regardless of whether the
replacement is of the same length as the original material, Move any character, word, sentence, paragraph,
or page from any portion to the same or other document, Copy any block of text to the same or other
document, Merge Portions of two or more previously keyed and stored documents can be merged to create a
new document, e.g. lists of names and addresses can be merged with letter text to create individual letters,
and also reformat, search and replace, glossary, qualified selection, skip, spell check are also used as a best
feature in word processing.
PRINT HANDLING FEATURES :
Automatic sheet feed, variable line spacing, proportional character spacing and proportional interword and inter-character spacing facilities allows the user to make use of the printer in an efficient way.
LASER PRINTERS :
Laser printing is one of the many no-impact marking processes which use light initially to crate the
latent page image on the photo conductive drum or belt. This class of marking technologies, which has been
so successfully used in copiers for three decades now, is knows as electrophotographic printing.
The different laser printers are Electro-photographic, Electrographic, Magnetographic, printer
uses the Laser, Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) projection, Light Emitting Diode (LED) direct imaging, and Light
Valve are some of the technologies
PLAIN PAPER COPIERS
The plain paper copier (PPC) is a copying machine capable of producing copies on ordinary paper. It
generally refers to machines which can automatically and quickly produce copies of an original by an
electrophotographic method. The primary copying technology in use today is based on the electrostatic or
xerographic process. Unlike the duplicators, material to be copied does not have to be specially prepared for
reproduction in copiers.
The advantages of the plain paper copier, on the other hand, are far too many. Some of these are :

Copies can be retained for long periods of time

Copies cannot be forged or altered with an eraser.

Copies clearer than the original an be formed from sun-burnt sheets or from those documents
which have yellowed with age.
Copies can be made on transparent plastic film for use as transparencies with overhead
projectors.

# 38

Copies can be made on offset print masters for use in offset printing.

Reduced and enlarged copies of the original can be made.

INTELLIGENT COPIER/PRINTER
An intelligent copier/printer (IC/P) according to C.A. Pesko Associates Inc. Marshfield, Mass, is
defined as a non-impact output device that accepts electronic and hard copy input and produces hardcopy
output of at least correspondence quality print (8). The IC/Ps can have document scanning ability unlike the
page printers. The features excellent printing of, say, letter-sized documents on plain bond paper.
COLOUR COPIER
The color copiers have been around for some time in organizations such as advertising agencies.
Colour is a difficult subject; colouring process, paper used and other factors can produce different results
from the same original. The colour mage s produced by superimposing three or four colours. The primary
three are magenta, yellow and cyan while the fourth one is black.

# 39

13. DOCUMENT STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL

INTRODUCTION
Most of he information in offices is held in the form of paper documents. We have noted earlier that
it is known as unstructured information. It has been estimated that approximately 95% of the information
comprises unstructured information in offices. These documents are traditionally stored in filing cabinets or
almirahs and are growing in numbers. According to an estimate made by Haider in 1979 there were 20 billion
pages of A4 size stored in offices in the USA, and they were increasing at a rate of 1,000,000 pages per
minute every day.
The automated office, the electronic office, the paperless office, the office of the future has long been
visualised and predicted to come into being in the 80s. Many of the technological innovations have been
around for quite some time now, to tackle several of the office activities: electronic filing, electronic mail and
the like. Office documents are made up of data, text and image.

MICROFORM DOCUMENT SYSTEMS

Microforms have long been in use in libraries as an inexpensive means of preserving and
disseminating rare as well as deteriorating documents. The improved Computer Assisted Retrieval (CAR)
Microform Systems, which have become available recently, have made them an important part of the
automated office. Indeed, the first use of microfilms in a business office was in 1928, with the introduction of
a specially designed camera for filming of cheques by the banks. The applications of microforms in offices
have proliferated ever since.
The essential elements of a CAR Microform System are :

A Camera System for filming the source documents

A microform retrieval unit, i.e. a reader or a reader/printer, for viewing the microform image
once it has been retrieved
A Computer system for indexing and addressing the documents filmed by the camera system

A terminal interface to couple the reader and the computer system.

The principle kinds of microforms used for document systems are : Roll Microfilm, Microfiche,
Microfilm Jackets, Aperture Cards, Ultrafiche, Film Chips, and Scroll.
CAPACITY OF MICROFORMS
The automation of the office assumes that retrieval of documents would be on-line. One will have to
examine the storage capacities of microform systems. The number of documents stored on a microform
depends on the size of the original and on the reduction ratio employed. A 100 ft of 19 mm film at a
reduction ratio of 1:27 (which is the normal reduction recommended ) can hold 3,300 pages. A microfiche
can hold 98 pages at a ratio of 1:24, and 420 pages at a reduction ratio of 1:48. COM reader at 1:48 can
record 270 pages on a microfiche. A 300 ft roll of 105 mm scroll film can hold 2,52,000 pages at reduction
ratio of 1:48.

OPTICAL STORAGE SYSTEMS

Optical storage technology, pioneered by Philips in the late 1960s, is based on the lasers
tremendous focusing power which enables optical disks to hold enormous amounts of information. The
optical disks have 10,000 to 20,000 laser created tracks per inch compared to less than 50 for magnetic disks.
Their main advantage are cheap and large storage capacity and long term archival capability. The technology
of optical disks has many similarities to the technology of magnetic disks.
A low powered laser is used to read the information which is converted into audio, video or data.
Unlike the read/write head in the case of magnetic media, the laser read/write mechanism does not physically
touch the optical disk while reading from or writing on to the optical disks.
# 40

The optical disk is a plastic disk coated with a thin photo-sensitive metallic layer. The information is
recorded on to it by means of a laser beam of fluctuating intensity which melts pits into the films layer of the
recording surface. The presence or absence of a pit on the recorded surface corresponds to the bit stream
information pattern.
There are primarily two kinds of optical storage devices. These have different characteristics by
virtue of which they are suitable for specific application areas.
The Read Only disk is a publishers medium, for so-called electronic publishing. It is called a
Compact Disk Read Only Memory (CD-ROM). The data and/or documents are recorded onto CD-ROM by
any information provider or publisher. The user can read the disk on a PC or a minicomputer system with a
CD-ROM disk drive. A CD-ROM can typically store up to 600MB of text or data, the equivalent of about
250,000 single spaced typewritten A4 pages.
The other kind of optical disk is the WORM : Write Once Read Many times. The WORM optical
disks are also attached to PC and mini as well as mainframe computer systems. These are the media which
are meant for document storage and retrieval systems in offices. A 12 inch WORM disk can hold about 2 GB,
which is normally possible on magnetic media with large systems and at extremely high costs.

# 41

14. COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS

INTRODUCTION :
Information is like any other commodity. It is generated, stored and retrieved. It is also moved for
distribution. A network is essentially the providing of one or more links or paths for exchanging information
and voice among the terminals connected to different nodes computer systems. The links are the physical
media, the lines that provide the paths for sending information. These transaction media are known as
channels, links, lines, circuits etc. and are used in the exchange of voice, data, graphics, video and images.
The different kinds of communications media used in the networks include wire cables, coaxial cables,
microwave systems, communication satellites, radio links, and optical fibers. The normal telephone systems
have long used the cables and microwave systems for voice communication.

THE MEDIA
Wire cables are wires have been installed and twisted into pairs and are known as the standard
telephone twisted pairs. Each pair can carry one telephone channel.
Coaxial cable is a single wire surrounded by a hollow copper cylinder. Coaxial cables can be bundled
to form a large cable that may contain 20 numbers. It transmits data at a higher speed than a wire cable. A
coaxial cable with 20 coaxials can handle a large number of telephone calls simultaneously.
Microwave systems are relay systems consisting of antennas or towers spaced about 40-50
kilometers apart in a grid spanning a country. Since microwaves do not bend, each tower must be in line-ofsight of the next.
Communication satellites orbit about 37,000 kilometers above the earth in a geostationary orbit. The
signal sent from a ground station to the satellite, gets amplified and reflected back to the earth for receipt at
one or more earth stations which may be almost halfway around the earth.

MODULATION AND DEMODULATION

The computer generate information in the form of discrete bits, the binary digits, whereas all the
transmission media except the fiber optics, can carry analogue or continuous signals, the digital signals,
resembling a pulse beat, need to be converted to an analogue signal before they can transmitted over the
predominantly analogue transmission media. This process is called modulation on the senders side, while
information is demodulated from the analogue signal at the receiving station. Modem is the device that
modulates and demodulates the signals.

LANS & WANS

A LAN is a communication system linking computers, peripherals, terminals and other devices
within an office, in a limited geographic area. This is in contrast to the motivation for setting up long
distance, shared used networks : using large mainframe power, corporate data bases, specialized computer
systems for special applications etc. because communication lines are relatively expensive the bandwidth of
even shared lines in a WAN is typically 50 kbps or less. But multiple paths are provided to improve
reliability, and intelligence is built into the terminals to reduce line costs.
LANs operate at bandwidth of the order of 10Mbps. The transmission medium is some form of a
dedicated cable such as twisted pair, coaxial, or fibre optic cable. The entire building of an office or a
campus, usually a radius of not more than 10 km, is wired and office equipment located throughout can be
connected to it, to form the LAN.
The networks of networks over a widal medium is known as Wide Area Networks. ARPANET was a
packet switched network, many of the public networks that followed were also based on this principle. Once
international standards, particularly the CCITT X.25 protocol recommendations were agreed, most public
telephone authorities in Western Europe and private telephone systems in the U.S.A. started to implement
PSS. In India too, the two largest networks are X.25 based PSTNs NICNET of NIC and INDONET of
CMC. The proposed BNKNET will also be X.25 based.
# 42

For inter-office communications, WANs based on PSTN or other technologies can be used
effectively provided standards are agreed to and implemented by network operators as well as the terminal
industry.

COMMUNICATION SERVICES :
The WANs and LANs are the networks, which make possible a wide range of communication
services in office domain. The modern communication services include :

electronic mail

Teletext

Facsimile transmission

Viewdata

Voice Systems

Voice Message Systems

Teleconferencing (Audio, Video, Computer)

These services use the networks, computer based message systems and special equipment such as
facsimile machines, EPBX, EPABX, Automatic Telephone Dialer, Voice Recognition, Voice Synthesis, Data
Networks, Commercial Databases, Optical Disk Storage & Retrieval Systems, PCs with special cards to act
as Teletext terminals, Communicating Word Processors, Slow-Scan TV and so on. These will now be
examined with emphasis on their characteristics and usefulness in the office environment.
Electronic Mail
An electronic mail system is a method of elect5ronically sending messages, mail, or documents. It is
also known as electronic delivery system or electronic document distribution/communication. The electronic
mail seeks to replace the postal mail, telephone conversation and face to face meetings. This has received
impetus because of the inadequacy of existing services and the associated high costs. Already most of the
offices, businesses are using private courier services to deliver letters, reports, samples etc., because of the
limitations of the postal services.
Electronic mail system provides for information input, transmission and output. An intra-office
system located in the same building may use LAN for transmission. An inter-office electronic mail system
within a city or connecting offices, located in different cities may use WANs. The electronic mail system
provide features related to other aspects of office work. These features include :

Composing messages

Text editing

Message filing and retrieval

Authentication of message authorship

Broadcasting and distribution of messages as per specified addresses

Content processing of messages

Message switching

Accounting and billing

Security
The software is user friendly and helps the user in easily preparing and distributing mail with his/her
name, date and time stamped on the message. The receiver is notified of the pending mail as soon as he logs
in and mail is displayed on his terminal with senders name, date and time of origination of the message.
The electronic mail systems are easy to operate. The computer based message systems use simple
commands to aid mail functions, in addition to incorporating word processing, filing, etc. some of the
commands perform the following functions.
# 43

review the contents of the mailbox

Read the contents of the message

Crate a message

Send a message

File a message

Search the file (with respect to originator, date, subject)

Facsimile Transmission :
Facsimile transmission is also a kind of electronic mail. Facsimile or Fax, as it is called, is a type of
copier/scanner that electronically sends an original document from one location to another over conventional
telephone or telex lines. It is one of oldest methods for transmitting images, newspaper photographs over the
wire commercially available for over 60 years now. Facsimile encodes the information on a page by
raster scan, converts it into electrical signal at the sending location. The transmitted image is independent of
the information held within the image. The document may include text, signatures, pictures, graphics,
diagrams, handwritten material on the same page. The facsimile system requires machines at the sending and
receiving stations, and a communication network for sending signals between them.
The scanning system within the fax starts scan at the top of the page and proceeds to the bottom in a
series horizontal lines. During scanning, the intensity of the image at each point is converted into an
electrical signal.
Teletext :
The telex network is perhaps the oldest office-to-office message communication system with an
international span. It is a form of electronic mail, except that is slow and prone to transmission errors. In
recent times, there has emerged another text communication service, which is faster and substitutes for telex.
This is known as teletext. It works on ordinary telephone lines, and is expected to be a worldwide service. It
uses special terminals on a PSTN dedicated line or terminals directly connected to a PSS network. A teletext
terminal works on 2400 bps modem defined by CCITT recommendation V22.
Teleconferencing :
Teleconferencing is a way of conferring, discussing or communicating by audio and video circuits,
by a group of people located in geographically distributed areas. It mirrors the existing conference format.
Participants hold conversation and view each other live on TV screens. They sit in specially prepared
conference rooms which are connected through a teleconference system. Many countries offer this is a
national service, and it is also available as an international telecommunication service. According to a CCITT
survey on the status of public teleconference services carried out in 1986 on a world wide basis, these can be
divided into three major categories :

Audioconferencing

Audiographics teleconferencing or telematic teleconferencing

Videoconferencing
Audioconferencing is voice communication among three or more groups or individuals conferring
or discussing simultaneously over a telephone line. The participants cannot see one another but only hear
voices of one another.
Telematic teleconferencing is a teleconferencing service which in addition to the audio information,
allows the exchange of visual information using telematic protocols. With graphics and text exchange, the
impact of audiographics is much more than mere Audioconferencing.

# 44

Videoconferencing is audioconferencing plus full visual conferencing for groups of people located
in distant cities. Such a teleconference system is set up with video equipment, such as cameras and display
monitors, audio equipment such as microphones and speakers, image coding equipment, various kinds of
control equipment and other teleconference hardware in the conference rooms. Video transmission requires
wide bandwidth.
Voice Systems :
Voice systems include Telephone, Voice message systems, voice mail systems, voice reminder
systems and voice answering systems provides various applications in an office. The technology includes :
electronic private automatic branch exchange (EPABX), touch telephone instruments, auto dialer, computer
branch exchange (CBX), computer based telephones etc.

# 45

15. DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMS

INTRODUCTION
The managers primary responsibility in an organization is decision making. He needs information to
support this activity. Many a time the managers facing a problem situation have difficulty in not only solving
it but also in identifying the problem. The task is difficult mainly because the problems are unstructured or
semi structured. The information provided to the managers through standard reports generated by data
processing professionals, management information system (MIS) group is just not adequate because the
former cannot pre-specify the queries and analysis needs for their decision making. The dynamic needs of
ever changing business scenario put heavy demands on the corporate information systems.
It has to assist the problem-solving activity as well as provide access to requisite information when
required. It is clear that traditional data processing methodologies of structure specifications are grossly
inadequate for the Decision support system (DSS). This activity requires software tools which allow some
description or model of the problem, and the ability to select and retrieve information.

SPREADSHEET :
Electronic spreadsheet is a powerful decision making tool. It lets a manager have a feel for different
what if scenarios, thereby enabling him to take a decision in the light of consequences of possible changes
in the input parameters. A spreadsheet is a matrix of rows and columns which has been used for ages to solve
problems dealing with numbers and formulae. Problems which can be expressed mathematically in terms of
rows and columns are easily amenable to analysis through spreadsheets. For example, ledgers maintaining
accounts, a balance sheet etc. are in the form of a spreadsheet. These are however, paper spreadsheets since
the ledger and balance sheet are on paper. Its equivalent in the computer constitutes the electronic
spreadsheet. The major difference between the two is that a spreadsheet stored in a computer is far bigger
than its paper counterpart. It is easier and faster to use and is quipped with powerful functions which make it
an extremely versatile decision making tool in the office.
The complete spreadsheet programme package, from all the vendors, runs on a PC. The major ones
in the market place include LOTUS 1-2-3, VISICALC, MULTIPLAN, SYMPHONY, FRAMEWORK,
SUPERCAL etc. All of them provide more or less similar features. However, it is the Louts which, since its
introduction in the market in 1983, continues to have a majority market share.
Graphics :
That a picture is worth more than a thousand words in an age-old Chinese adage. A graph, a chart or
a curve can depict much more then a number of tables full of figures. The pattern of item being displayed
with respect to trend as well as sharpness in increase or decrease at a particular point is very easily
comprehensible in a graph. Normal office work and decision support systems do not incorporate the full
range of graphics.
Today, the marketplace is flooded with over fifty vendors offering over one hundred business
graphics packages, which produces the graphs such as :

Bar charts

Line charts

Bubble charts
# 46

Histograms

Pie charts

Maps

3-D graphs

Scatter chart
For immediate impact with respect to comprehension or presentation, several variations are required
in the above charts. A thick bold line may be necessary in a line graph so that its trend and importance is not
missed. The graphics are required in the office for three kinds of work :
Information Graphics are for managers own use to analyse data for immediate problem solving.
Report Graphics are charts which are used as handouts in meetings or as part of printed reports.
Presentation Graphics are charts used in presentation by the managers to outsiders or to the top
management.
Typically, any standard graphics package for the office offers features such as these:

Multiple chart types

Multiple character points

Multiple colours

Multiple hatching or fill patterns

Multiple plot capability

2-3 colour graphics transformation

Plotter output for any height, width and location

File manager to save effort and time

Simple menu selection and form fill out

Windows, Icons, Mouse, Pointers

Ability to interface spreadsheet or data base file into a Graphics data file
Examples :
Bar Chart Example (A Public Sector
Bank)
Deposits

Advances
No.of Branches

19
83
19
84
19
85
19
86
19
87
19
88

100000
80000
60000
40000
20000
0

90000
80000
70000
60000
50000
40000
30000
20000
10000
0

Line Chart Example (A Public Sector

Bank)

Deposits
Advances

1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988

# 47

No.of
Branches

16. INTEGRATED OFFICE SYSTEMS

INTRODUCTION
Word processing, data processing, image processing, voice processing, electronic mail,
phototypesetting, micrographics, facsimile, information retrieval, telex, local area network, PABX etc should
all form part of an integrated office system. The concept of integration transcends the boundaries of
hardware; it tries to look at the organization as a whole. This is because the stand-alone office systems
generally operate independently, have separate budgets and even separate managers, who like to maintain
their respective territories, resulting in the heterogeneity of hardware with no standardization and
duplication of terminals etc. the integration process makes the organization look at its first procedures with
respect to stream lining as also for eliminating some of the redundant office functions.

WORKSTATION
Integrated workstation is the major component of integrated office. It is a multifunction device which
allows access to all the facilities of the automated office. The current implementation of such workstations
has evolved from the computer terminals in fact, most of them look almost identical except workstation
may emerge. There may be small variations in the functional capabilities of workstations groups are :
managers, professionals, secretaries and clerks. Their activities and functions include: word processing, text
processing, data processing, copying documents, storing and retrieving information/documents, telephone
calls, meetings, transmitting documents and messages, decision making and the like.
Integrated workstation should be able to perform the following functions :

Word processing

Text processing

Data processing

Electronic mail

Connect to LAN and PABX

Voice Communication

Information storage / retrieval using optical disks and micrographics systems

Corporate data base-access

Connect to LAN for accessing computing power and external data bases

Act as teletext terminal

Act as telex

Act as ISDN terminal

Decision support terminal

In short it should provide access to all the facilities of the automated office. The workstation is PC
based, with sufficient storage to provide for local processing, adequate memory buffers for electronic mail,
voice messages and telex messages. It includes the following components :

Display device monochrome or colour with good resolution to support graphics

# 48

Command device keyboard with special function keys and / or voice recognition system
for accepting voice commands
Pointing device such as mouse, joystick
Data entry device keyboard / or voice recognition system; in some cases magnetic / optical
scanners for capturing data
Output device wherever desired printers, plotters may be attached to the workstation
Telephone handset with or without modem for connecting to standard communication
network or ISDN, respectively.

OFFICE AUTOMATION ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT

The integrated office systems hold the potential of revolutionizing office. They can also cause
upheaval in the office, if the change is not properly planned and implemented. The office is after all a social
system or a socio-technical system with people forming the key element. The responsibility for office
technology innovation has been assigned to one or more of the following groups :

DP staff and other managers from a computing background

O & M officers or managers with a background in office automation

Executives with general management expertise

Managers or professionals brought in from outside the organization

In all probability it should be a team of officers drawn from all the above four groups which should
lead the office technology project, the individuals or units should have multi-disciplinary skills to handle a
broad range of technical, social, economic and organizational problems. They should provide imaginative
and innovative leadership and should be fully seized of the organization objectives.

HOW TO MANAGE INNOVATIONS IN THE OFFICE ?

Office automation is not merely the introduction of new technology. The sociotechnical nature of the
office has to be kept in view. The management has faced with the challenge of managing the complex and
dynamic process of automation which touches every worker in the office. It calls for a coherent management
strategy. Various technical, staffing and organization aspects need to be defined in detail., with no loose ends
left to take care of themselves. At the same time, the plan has to be realistic enough to take care of changing
circumstances in the organization. Since it is very difficult to achieve in practice, the innovation plan should
at least ensure that the inclusion of an unpredictable element, not covered earlier, does not negate its main
terms and recommendations.
According to Peltue, the broad strategy for introducing automation into the office environment, can
be in the form of six activities or elements

Diagnosis

Design

Development

TRANSITION

Implementation

Adaptation

Diagnosis : This concerns deciding the objectives, strategic targets and managing the strategy :
Clarify purposes of office automation, Establish an overall view of the system , Set long-term goals, Define
main strategic milestones, Consider risks and opportunities.
Design : this phase concerns the system design, establishing the design team, examining the realities
related to data volumes, exploring costs and benefits :
# 49

Establish systems design approach, Explore how existing office information systems work, Examine
quantitative and qualitative costs and benefits, Identify where new technology can enhance and extend office
activities, Refine strategic goals into detailed human, organization and technical targets
Development : this concerns the creation of an appropriate system, looking for the right systems and
suppliers : such as establish schedules and management controls to monitor progress, set development
budgets covering people and equipment, investigate and define new organizational procedures and job
design, specify technical details of systems requirements etc.
Transition : This concerns the management of change, the stepping into the future to negotiate
change with mangers, staff, unions, reformulate personal policies to take account of new environment, define
phased implementation strategy, plan and manage the transition from old to new systems, prepare physical
environment for new systems etc.
Implementation : This concerns issues which are beyond the mere turning on of a switch,
protecting the vulnerability of a system and ensuring the smooth running of the system in order to avoid
saying its the computers fault.
Adaptation: This concerns learning from experience, evaluate operational experiences against
original expectations and criteria, undertake frequent audits to check usability and security of the system etc.

BENEFITS OF OFFICE AUTOMATION :

It is natural for an organization to look for quantifiable, tangible benefits because of automation,
especially in view of the fact that the latter entails capital expenditure. So, the management looks for money
payoffs to offset the capital investment on office automation. It has been possible in the case of EDP
applications to justify the expenditure on computer systems by way of reduced head count and consequent
saving on clerical wages. Numerous examples can be cited to support the large, voluminous data processing
applications which contained the growth of non-principals in an organization even when its operations
increased substantially Office automation is more a complementary technology; it is difficult to convert the
benefits into rupee value.
The need for integrated office systems for maximum productivity due to the introduction of office
automation has been highlighted. Integrated workstations capable of performing multiple functions have
been described.

# 50

THREE YEAR B.COM. DEGREE EXAMINATIONS, MARCH

2004

Time : 3 Hours

First Year Examination

Part II Computer Applications
Paper I Computer Fundamentals and Office Automation
(Common to I B. A. Part II Computer Applications-Paper-I)
Maximum : 100 Marks
Answer Five Questions

1.

(a) Explain the Block Diagram of a Computer

(6 Marks)
(b) Explain in details about various types of devices for storing information on a computer (7 Marks)
(c) Explain in details various types of primary memory
(7 Marks)

2.

(a) What are expansion slots and boards ?

(b) Identify four connections used to attach devices to PC
(c) List the functions performed by an O.S.

(6 Marks)
(7 marks)
(7 Marks)

3.

(a) What is data processing ? Explain the techniques for data processing in a computer
(b) Explain how data is stored on the surface of optical disk.
(c) Explain in details SCSI and MDI.

(8 Marks)
(5 marks)
(7 marks)

4.

(a) What are the benefits of office automation ?

(b) What are the communication requirements in an office ?
(c) Describe about various office equipment that help in document preparation

(7 marks)
(7 marks)
(6 marks)

5.

(a) What are the applications of MS office ?

(b) How do you enter, edit and format text in MS word?
(c) Explain the features of MS Excel.

(6 marks)
(7 marks)
(7 marks)

6.

(a) What are the applications of MS power point ?

(b) How do you create, tables and forms in MS Access?
(c) What are the applications of MS Outlook?

(7 marks)
(7 marks)
(6 marks)

7.

(a) Explain the process for creating a slide in Power Point.

(b) Explain report generation.
(c) Explain the steps in MS word, to create table with 4 columns and 40 rows.

(7 marks)
(6 marks)
(7 marks)

8.

(a) How does a color CRT monitor produce images on the screen ?
(b) Distinguish between window operating system and MS-DOS.
(c) Explain decision support systems.

(6 marks)
(7 marks)
(7 marks)

# 51

# 52