Input and Output Devices

Before a computer can get to work solving a problem, it must be given the program and the data if there is any. After it has
found the solution, the computer must communicate this solution to the human beings who posed the problem in the first
place. The topic of getting information into and out of computer is called input/output or usually just I/O.

Input/output devices are used for communication with the computers. Thousands of kinds of I/O devices are available
today and the number is growing rapidly. A few of the more common ones are listed below:
- Keyboards
- Printers
- Scanners
- Pen and ink plotters that draw graph
- Computer mouse
- Microphones
- Speakers
- Electric light pen

I/O Processors

Some I/O devices can transmit a large amount of data in short time. If the CPU had to process every character separately,
much CPU time would be wasted. To avoid tying up the CPU for long periods of time on I/O, most of the computers have
one or more specialized, low-cost I/O processors. Because the I/O is performed by these special processors, the CPU is
available to spend most of its time on more difficult computations. The I/O processors can run in parallel with the CPU. In
other words, while the CPU is busy in computing, the I/O processors can be doing I/O.

System Software
The system software of a computer consists of a collection of operative programs whose purpose is to make the use of the
computer more effective. The customer who buys a computer would usually receive, in addition to the hardware, any
available software needed for the effective operation of his computer. A computer without some kind of system software
would be very ineffective and most likely impossible to operate.

The production of system programs is a complex task requiring extensive knowledge and specialized training in computer
science. System programs offer several advantages and conveniences to application programs and computer users in
general

Application Software
A program or group of programs designed for end users. Application software can be divided into two general classes:
systems software and applications software. Systems software consists of low-level programs that interact with the
computer at a very basic level. This includes operating systems, compilers, and utilities for managing computer resources.

In contrast, applications software (also called end-user programs) includes database programs, word processors, and
spreadsheets. Figuratively speaking, applications software sits on top of systems software because it is unable to run
without the operating system and system utilities