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Definition of Computer
- It is an electronic and programmable device which consists of several components that provide the
capability of executing a stored program.

- It accepts data, processes, store and produce results.

Computers, no matter how they are programmed, work with inputs,

processes, and outputs.

Input

All computers accept inputs. An input is data that is entered into or received by a computer. This could
include a user pressing a key on a keyboard, clicking a mouse to select something on screen, or tapping a
touch pad. Some inputs indicate to the computer what we want it to do, while others provide data for
the computer to process. Inputs don’t always have to be initiated by human beings. For example, a
temperature sensor could gather and input data into a computer or a message could be received by a
computer from another device.

Process

The process determines what the computer does with the input. The same input can be processed in
different ways. For example, in word processing software, when you press the letter A on a keyboard,
the computer may process the input and display it as a letter A on the screen. In gaming software,
pressing the letter A may be a directional control, moving a character in the game to a different place on
screen. A program contains the set of instructions that define the process.

Output

The output is how the computer presents the results of the process. Outputs can be returned to the
user in many ways such as text on a screen, printed materials, or as sound from a speaker.

CAPABILITIES OF COMPUTER
1. They have the ability to perform certain logic operations.

2. They can process information very fast and accurate results.

3. Computers can store large amount of data and retrieve information

4. They have self-checking ability and control errors.

5. Computer can be used to communicate other people anywhere.

 LIMITATIONS OF COMPUTER
1. Computer needs to be directed and controlled in order to perform a task successfully.

2. They are vulnerable to virus that may cause to damage to hard disk contents.

3. They accept data but cannot identify which is wrong and right data.

4. They cannot produce their own information.

• Lack of Common-sense.

• No IQ.

• No Feelings.

• No Thinking Capability.

• No Decision-Making Ability.

• No Learning Power.

• User Dependent.

• No Implementation Power.

HISTORY OF COMPUTER
ABACUS - Early aid for mathematical operations. - The normal method of calculation using this device
was by using this device by counting the beads by moving them up or down towards the tray.

ABACIST – user of abacus

ABAX – Greek word, meaning calculating table

ARITHMETIC ENGINE - It is a calculator invented by Blaise Pascal, capable of adding and subtracting
8 numbers.

- The arithmetic engine also known as Pascaline.

BLAISE PASCAL - was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, writer and philosopher.
- He was a child prodigy who was educated by his father, a tax collector.
STEPPED RECKONER - was a digital mechanical calculator.

- Invented by a German mathematician Gottfried Wilhelm Leibnitz around 1672 and completed in 1694.

- The name comes from the translation of the German term for its operating mechanism; stafflewalze
meaning “stepped drum”.

- It was the first calculator that could perform all four arithmetic operations: addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division

Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibnitz - was a German mathematician who developed the stepped
reckoner.

He extended Blaise Pascal’s ideas.

JACQUARDS LOOM - The first successful automatic loom machine controlled by punched card

- Invented by JOSEPH MARIE JACQUARD.

- The instruction of the machine could be changed by inserting different punched cards into the loom.

JOSEPH MARIE JACQUARD - French inventor who was working in the textile industry and involved
in designing cloths and making patterns.

Difference Engine - A calculator that can compute table of functions such as polynomial,
logarithmic and trigonometric.
- Invented by Charles Babbage.

Analytical Engine - This machine has the capability to compute, compare the value and
choose which instruction should come first.

Charles Babbage - English mathematician and inventor

- Father of computer

LADY AUGUSTA ADA KING

- First female computer programmer
- Assistant of Charles Babbage in developing Analytical Engine.

TABULATING MACHINE
-Dr. Herman Hollerith developed the first commercial data processing machine use to automate
the 1890 U.S census.
- His device has the ability to automatically read information with the use of punched card.

PUNCHED CARD
- Is a thick paper contains holes in a predefined position which represent a digital information.
- It is also called the IBM Card or Hollerith Card. 

DR. HERMAN HOLLERITH

- Dr. Herman Hollerith worked at the U.S. Census,and from his experienced during the
processing of the processing of that census he observed that Census Office very much needed
a better way to tabulate the data than manual method.
CRT MONITOR
- Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor appeared.
 It was invented was invented by a Russian Immigrant,Vladimir Zworykin.

ELECTRONIC NUMERICAL INTEGRATOR AND CALCULATOR (ENIAC)                          

 - The first general purpose electronic digital computer developed by John Mauchly and John
Eckert.
- It can perform 5,000 additions of ten digit numbers within one second.However,it could only
hold 20 ten digit numbers at an its memory.

ELECTRONIC DISCRETE VARIABLE AUTOMATIC COMPUTER (EDVAC)                          

 - The successor of ENIAC, designed by John Von Neuman and Mauchly and Eckert. It is
considered the first stored program concept computer. This machine can hold any program in its
memory that was fed to it.

FIRST FLOPPY DISK

- A group of IBM engineers led by Alan Shugart developed the first floppy disk also known as
memory disk,
- an 18-inch made of plastic disk coated with magnetic iron oxide.
 - It was used to store and exchange data.

FIRST MOUSE
- The first computer mouse was developing and invented by Douglas Engelbart. His invention
was patented in late 1963.
- The first pointing device was made of carved wood casing and has only the button. 

FIRST PERSONAL COMPUTER

- The first desktop size system purposely designed for personal use materialize in 1974 offered
by Ed Roberto of Micro Instrumentation Telemetry Systems (MITS).The computer was called
ALTAIR.

KEYBOARD
- The modern keyboard layout which is the QWERTY was invented by Christopher Latham

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ELEMENTS OF COMPUTER 

HARDWARE
- s the tangible part of the computers in which we use to interact with the programs inside the
computer.
Example: mouse, printers, monitor, microphone and others. 

HARDWARE CATEGORIES
- Input devices 
- Output devices
 - Central Processing Unit
-  Storage
INPUT DEVICE - devices that allows the user to enter information and instruction into a computer.

Mouse

- A pointing device used to control the movement of an object on the computer screen called the cursor,
or pointer.

Keyboard

- A set of keys used to input information to a computer.

Touchscreen

-Is a display screen that allows user to interact with the system by touching specific areas of the screen.

Output Device

- devices that can bring out or display information from the computer to the user.

Monitor

- Used to display things and images which we perform on a computer.

Printer

- A device used to print information from the computer.

Speaker

- It produce sound that allows you to hear music, voice and other sound from the computer.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

- The CPU is the part of a computer in which operations are controlled and executed.

CPU is the brain of the computer where most calculation take place.

-In terms of computing power, the CPU is the most important element of a computer system.

Storage

- The computer’s data storage is used for storing and reading information.

It is divided into primary and secondary storage.

It is a core function and fundamental components of computers.

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Storage is divided into two Primary Storage and Secondary Storage

Primary Storage

- (also known as main memory or internal memory), often referred to simply as memory, is the only one
directly accessible to the CPU.

RAM and ROM

RAM (RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY)

- A kind of memory card that stores information but when the computer power is off, the data stored in
this memory is loses and cleared out.

ROM (READ ONLY MEMORY)

- A memory card that saves information and retains its content even when the computer is turned off.

Secondary Storage

- (also known as external memory or auxiliary storage), differs from primary storage in that is not
directly accessible by the CPU.

- It is capable of storing large amount of data and stored its content permanently.

USB Flash Drive

- A small, portable flash memory card that plugs into a computer's USB port and functions as a portable
hard drive.

- It is removable and re writable and physically much smaller than a floppy disk but can hold gigabytes
of data.

Floppy Disk

- Also called a diskette, is a disk storage medium composed of a disk of thin and flexible magnetic
storage medium, sealed in a rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles.

- The most common disk is the 3 1⁄2.

Optical Disc

- An optical disc (OD) is a flat, usually circular disc which encodes binary data.4.7 inches.

Other Peripheral Devices

System Unit – also known as a base unit is the main body of a desktop computer, typically consisting of
metal or (rarely) plastic that protects the internal electric components such as motherboard, cooling
fans, power supply, and memory.
Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) – also known as a continuous power supply or a battery backup
device which maintains a continuous supply of electric power to connect equipment by supplying power
from a separate source when utility power is not available.

Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) – device that can control output voltage of generator by controlling
its excitation current.

TWO CATEGORIES OF SOFTWARE

APPLICATION and SYSTEM Software
APPLICATION SOFTWARE

- A set of programs used to solve and meet particular problems of user through computer. It is a
software that able to manipulate text, numbers and graphics.

APPLICATION SOFTWARE IS DIVIDED INTO FOUR CATEGORIES

1. Multimedia and Graphics Development Application - an application that enable user to artistically
model and design buildings, posters, flyers other form of advertisement and much more.
Example: Autocad, MS Publisher, Photoshop and MS Movie Maker

2. Entertainment Application - software includes interactive games, videos, and other programs
designed to provide amusement.
Example: MS Media Center and Word of Warcraft

3. Communications Applications - software used to exchange information electronically. It is most

commonly used software to send and receive information on the internet.
Example: MS Outlook, Mozilla Firefox, Yahoo Messenger and Skype

4. Personal Productivity Application - Most common used software by an individual in performing

basic task like creating letters, reports and alike.
Example: MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint, MS Paint and MS Access
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SYSTEM SOFTWARE
Is a set of program that control computers internal operations and devices attached on it. It creates
links between user and computer well as controls the execution of application programs.

Examples of system software:

1. Operating System – a program that manages the whole operations of the computer system,
allocates computer’s resources such as CPU, memory, input/output devices. It acts as the internal
government.

Example: Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7

2. Utility Programs – a program that performs a specific task related to the management of
computer function, resources, or files as password protection, memory management and virus
protection. Example: Norton Antivirus and Avira Antivirus

PEOPLEWARE - the people who use the computer system. It may refer to anything that has to do with
the role of people during in the development or user of computer software and hardware systems,
including software developer, computer programmer, system analyst, computer technician and
encoder. They are the most important element in a computer system because they operate the
program the computer to make it useful

Topics to Review for Prelim Examination: - Computer and History( from the
meaning of computer to keyboard) - Elements of Computer (hardware meaning
categories and examples),(software meaning categories and examples)
(peopleware).

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