Brief History of Computers

The first counting device was used by the primitive people. They used sticks, stones and bones as
counting tools. As human mind and technology improved with time more computing devices were
developed.

The history of computing predates silicon microchips and CPUs by hundreds of years. The modern
computers we are all familiar with can trace their roots back to simple computational machines that
seem far removed from what we think of as a computer today.

Simple Computers: By definition, a computer is any device capable of performing mathematical

equations or calculations. Therefore, many simple devices such as an abacus (which dates back to at
least 300 BCE) or a slide rule (first made in England in the 1630s) are the forerunners of today's modern
computers.

The Calculating Clock: The first machine that worked like a computer was a gear-powered German
device dubbed the Calculating Clock. It was first created by Wilhelm Schickard in 1623, and it operated
by pulling or pushing rods set inside a glass case. A similar device known as a Pascaline became popular
in the 1640s. These two devices were the forerunners of a steam-powered "difference engine" that was
a pet project of Charles Babbage in the 1820s.

Harvard Mark-1: In 1944, the Harvard Mark-1 computer is completed. This computer is closer to a
modern computer, but is really just a large calculator driven by a camshaft with no stored programs. This
massive computer filled a large room and was a joint effort between Harvard University and IBM.

ENIAC: Another important computer dating from the 1940s is the ENIAC, which was built between 1943
and 1945. ENIA (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Calculator) was a project of the University of
Pennsylvania, and spanned many rooms and used nearly 20,000 vacuum tubes.

The Dawn of the Microprocessor: A microprocessor is a chip that basically contains an entire computer
(or at least a 1940's era computer) using a integrated circuit. The first microprocessor was made by Intel
in 1971. With the advent of this technology, the home computer become a possibility.

The First PC: The first personal computer for home use was the Altair 8800, which contained an Intel
8080 microprocessor. However, this computer had to be assembled by the person who bought it.

Introduction to Computers
A computer is a machine or device that performs processes, calculations and operations based on
instructions provided by a software or hardware program. It has the ability to accept data (input),
process it, and then produce outputs.

Computers can also store data for later uses in appropriate storage devices, and retrieve whenever it is
necessary.

Modern computers are electronic devices used for a variety of purposes ranging from browsing the web,
writing documents, editing videos, creating applications, playing video games, etc.
They are designed to execute applications and provide a variety of solutions by combining integrated
hardware and software components.

Types of Computer
Depending upon the internal structure and subsequent features and applicability, computer system is
categorized as follows −

Mainframe Computer

It is high capacity and costly computer. It is largely used by big organizations where many people can use
it simultaneously.

Super Computer

This category of computer is the fastest and also very expensive. A typical supercomputer can solve up
to ten trillion individual calculations per second.

Workstation Computer

The computer of this category is a high-end and expensive one. It is exclusively made for complex work
purpose.

Personal Computer (PC)

It is a low capacity computer developed for single users.

Apple Macintosh (Mac)

It is a sort of personal computer manufactured by Apple Company.

Laptop computer (notebook)

It is a handy computer that can be easily carried anywhere.

Tablet and Smartphone

Modern technology has advanced further. It has helped develop computers that are pocket-friendly.
Tablets and smartphones are the best examples of such computer.

Computer Hardware and Software

Every computer is composed of two basic components: hardware and software.

Hardware is any physical device or equipment used in or with a computer system (anything one can see
and touch). For example: monitor, case, keyboard, mouse, and printer.

Software is a set of instructions or programs that tells a computer what to do or how to perform a
specific task (computer software runs on hardware). Main types of software – systems software and
application software. It includes the features that responsible for directing the work to the hardware.
Software can be divided into other programs and data.
Basic Computer Applications: MS Word
MS Word is a word processor. That's an application used to “process”— format, manipulate, save, print,
share — a text-based document. MS Word is used to create many kinds of business and personal
documents.

Basic Computer Applications: MS Excel

Microsoft Excel is a helpful and powerful program for data analysis and documentation. It is a
spreadsheet program, which contains a number of columns and rows, where each intersection of a
column and a row is a “cell.” Each cell contains one point of data or one piece of information. By
organizing the information in this way, you can make information easier to find, and automatically draw
information from changing data.

Basic Computer Applications: MS Power Point

Microsoft PowerPoint is a powerful presentation software developed by Microsoft. It is a standard
component of the company's Microsoft Office suite software, and is bundled together with Word, Excel
and other Office productivity tools.

The program uses slides to convey information rich in multimedia and is used to create complex
business presentations, simple educational outlines and much more.

Basic Computer Applications: Email

Short for electronic mail, e-mail or email is information stored on a computer that is exchanged between
two users over telecommunications. More plainly, e-mail is a message that may contain text, files,
images, or other attachments sent through a network to a specified individual or group of individuals.

Computer Network: Personal Area Network (PAN)

A personal area network (PAN) connects electronic devices within a user's immediate area. The size of a
PAN ranges from a few centimeters to a few meters. One of the most common real-world examples of a
PAN is the connection between a Bluetooth earpiece and a smartphone. PANs can also connect laptops,
tablets, printers, keyboards, and other computerized devices.

PAN network connections can either be wired or wireless. Wired connection methods include USB and
FireWire; wireless connection methods include Bluetooth (the most common), WiFi, IrDA, and Zigbee.

While devices within a PAN can exchange data with each other, PANs typically do not include a router
and thus do not connect to the Internet directly. A device within a PAN, however, can be connected to a
local area network (LAN) that then connects to the Internet. For instance, a desktop computer, a
wireless mouse, and wireless headphones can all be connected to each other, but only the computer
can connect directly to the Internet.

Local Area Network (LAN)

Local area network (LAN) is a collection of devices connected together in one physical location, such as a
building, office, or home. A LAN can be small or large, ranging from a home network with one user to an
enterprise network with thousands of users and devices in an office or school.

A LAN comprises cables, access points, switches, routers, and other components that enable devices to
connect to internal servers, web servers, and other LANs via wide area networks.

The advantages of a LAN are the same as those for any group of devices networked together. The
devices can use a single Internet connection, share files with one another, print to shared printers, and
be accessed and even controlled by one another.

In general, there are two types of LANs:

a. Client/server LANs and

b. Peer-to-peer LANs.

A client/server LAN consists of several devices (the clients) connected to a central server. The server
manages file storage, application access, device access, and network traffic. A client can be any
connected device that runs or accesses applications or the Internet. The clients connect to the server
either with cables or through wireless connections.

A peer-to-peer LAN doesn't have a central server and cannot handle heavy workloads like a client/server
LAN can, and so they're typically smaller. On a peer-to-peer LAN, each device shares equally in the
functioning of the network. The devices share resources and data through wired or wireless connections
to a switch or router. Most home networks are peer-to-peer.

Metropolitan Area Network (MAN)

A metropolitan area network (MAN) is a computer network that connects computers within a
metropolitan area, which could be a single large city, multiple cities and towns, or any given large area
with multiple buildings. A MAN is larger than a local area network (LAN) but smaller than a wide area
network (WAN). MANs do not have to be in urban areas; the term "metropolitan" implies the size of the
network, not the demographics of the area that it serves.

A MAN is made up of interconnected LANs. Because MANs are smaller, they are usually more efficient
than WANs, since data does not have to travel over large distances. MANs typically combine the
networks of multiple organizations, instead of being managed by a single organization.

Most MANs use fiber optic cables to form connections between LANs.

Wide Area Network (WAN)

In its simplest form, a wide-area network (WAN) is a collection of local-area networks (LANs) or other
networks that communicate with one another. A WAN is essentially a network of networks, with the
Internet the world's largest WAN.

Intranet
An intranet can be defined as a private network used by an organization. Its primary purpose is to help
employees securely communicate with each other, to store information, and to help collaborate.
Modern intranets use social intranet features that allow employees to create profiles and to submit,
like, comment, and share posts.

An intranet software is primarily used by organizations as a tool to:

a. Share organizational updates

b. Store files
c. Connect employees
d. Collaborate with teams across borders
e. Increase productivity
f. Give employees a voice in the organization

Extranet
Whether cloud-based or on-premise intranet, using an intranet has many benefits. Some of the biggest
benefits are

a. Access to organizational data and files anytime, anywhere

b. Increases internal communication
c. Connects employees
d. Increases employee productivity
e. Drives employee engagement
f. Enhances collaboration
g. Integrates with third-party tools
h. Stores securely document
i. Boosts employee recognition and rewards
j. Encourages knowledge sharing
k. The Internet: World Wide Web (WWW)

Uniform Resource Locator (URL)

URL is the mechanism used by browsers to retrieve any published resource on the web. URL stands for
Uniform Resource Locator. A URL is nothing more than the address of a given unique resource on the
Web. In theory, each valid URL points to a unique resource. Such resources can be an HTML page, a CSS
document, an image, etc. In practice, there are some exceptions, the most common being a URL
pointing to a resource that no longer exists or that has moved. As the resource represented by the URL
and the URL itself are handled by the Web server, it is up to the owner of the web server to carefully
manage that resource and its associated URL.

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP)

Hypertext transfer protocol or HTTP is a fundamental protocol used on the Internet in order to control
data transfer to and from a hosting server, in communication with a web browser.
HTTP is the essential means of communication between web users and the servers that maintain the
websites themselves, but it can also be used for other purposes. HTTP follows a classical client-server
model, with a client opening a connection to make a request, then waiting until it receives a response.
HTTP is a stateless protocol, meaning that the server does not keep any data (state) between two
requests.

Hyper-Text Markup Language (HTML)

HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is the most basic building block of the Web and defines the
meaning and structure of web content. Other technologies besides HTML are generally used to describe
a web page's appearance/presentation (CSS) or functionality/behavior (JavaScript).

"Hypertext" refers to links that connect web pages to one another, either within a single website or
between websites. Links are a fundamental aspect of the Web. By uploading content to the Internet and
linking it to pages created by other people, you become an active participant in the World Wide Web.

HTML uses "markup" to annotate text, images, and other content for display in a Web browser. HTML
markup includes special "elements" such as <head>, <title>, <body>, <header>, <footer>, <article>,
<section>, <p>, <div>, <span>, <img>, <aside>, <audio>, <canvas>, <datalist>, <details>, <embed>,
<nav>, <output>, <progress>, <video>, <ul>, <ol>, <li> and many others.

An HTML element is set off from other text in a document by "tags", which consist of the element name
surrounded by "<" and ">". The name of an element inside a tag is case insensitive. That is, it can be
written in uppercase, lowercase, or a mixture. For example, the <title> tag can be written as <Title>,
<TITLE>, or in any other way.

Extensive Markup Language (XML)

XML stands for Extensible Markup Language. It is a text-based markup language derived from Standard
Generalized Markup Language (SGML).

XML tags identify the data and are used to store and organize the data, rather than specifying how to
display it like HTML tags, which are used to display the data. XML is not going to replace HTML in the
near future, but it introduces new possibilities by adopting many successful features of HTML.

There are three important characteristics of XML that make it useful in a variety of systems and
solutions −

a. XML is extensible − XML allows you to create your own self-descriptive tags, or language, that
suits your application.
b. XML carries the data, does not present it − XML allows you to store the data irrespective of how
it will be presented.
c. XML is a public standard − XML was developed by an organization called the World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C) and is available as an open standard.

XML Usage

a. A short list of XML usage says it all −

b. XML can work behind the scene to simplify the creation of HTML documents for large web sites.
 c. XML can be used to exchange the information between organizations and systems.
d. XML can be used for offloading and reloading of databases.
e. XML can be used to store and arrange the data, which can customize your data handling needs.
f. XML can easily be merged with style sheets to create almost any desired output.

Virtually, any type of data can be expressed as an XML document.

Internet Protocol (IP)

The Internet Protocol (IP) is a protocol, or set of rules, for routing and addressing packets of data so that
they can travel across networks and arrive at the correct destination. Data traversing the Internet is
divided into smaller pieces, called packets. IP information is attached to each packet, and this
information helps routers to send packets to the right place. Every device or domain that connects to
the Internet is assigned an IP address, and as packets are directed to the IP address attached to them,
data arrives where it is needed.

Once the packets arrive at their destination, they are handled differently depending on which transport
protocol is used in combination with IP. The most common transport protocols are TCP and UDP.

Internet Security: Virus and Anti-virus, Spy-ware and Anti-Spyware, malware, Disaster Recovery
and Data restoring System
Virus
A computer virus is a malicious piece of computer code designed to spread from device to device. A
subset of malware, these self-copying threats are usually designed to damage a device or steal data.

It’s persistently nasty, keeps computer from functioning normally, and often requires something
powerful to get rid of it. A computer virus is very similar to biological virus. Designed to replicate
relentlessly, computer viruses infect your programs and files, alter the way your computer operates or
stop it from working altogether.

Anti-virus
Software that is created specifically to help detect, prevent and remove malware (malicious software).

Antivirus is a kind of software used to prevent, scan, detect and delete viruses from a computer. Once
installed, most antivirus software runs automatically in the background to provide real-time protection
against virus attacks.

Comprehensive virus protection programs help protect your files and hardware from malware such as
worms, Trojan horses and spyware, and may also offer additional protection such as customizable
firewalls and website blocking.

Spy-ware
Spyware is loosely defined as malicious software designed to enter computer device, gather data about
user, and forward it to a third-party without user’s consent. Spyware can also refer to legitimate
software that monitors data for commercial purposes like advertising. However, malicious spyware is
explicitly used to profit from stolen data.

Whether legitimate or based in fraud, spyware’s surveillance activity leaves user open to data breaches
and misuse of his/her private data. Spyware also affects network and device performance, slowing down
daily user activities.

Anti-Spyware
Anti-spyware software detects spyware through rules-based methods or based on downloaded
definition files that identify common spyware programs. Anti-spyware software can be used to find and
remove spyware that has already been installed on the user's computer, or it can act much like an anti-
virus program by providing real-time protection and preventing spyware from being downloaded in the
first place.

Most modern-day security suites bundle anti-spyware functionality alongside anti-virus protection,
personal firewalls, etc.

Malware
Malware (short for “malicious software”) is a file or code, typically delivered over a network, that
infects, explores, steals or conducts virtually any behavior an attacker wants. And because malware
comes in so many variants, there are numerous methods to infect computer systems. Though varied in
type and capabilities, malware usually has one of the following objectives:

a. Provide remote control for an attacker to use an infected machine.

b. Send spam from the infected machine to unsuspecting targets.
c. Investigate the infected user’s local network.
d. Steal sensitive data.

Disaster Recovery
Disaster recovery is an organization’s method of regaining access and functionality to its IT
infrastructure after events like a natural disaster, cyber-attack, or even business disruptions related to
the COVID-19 pandemic. A variety of disaster recovery (DR) methods can be part of a disaster recovery
plan.

Disaster recovery relies upon the replication of data and computer processing in an off-premises
location not affected by the disaster. When servers go down because of a natural disaster, equipment
failure or cyber-attack, a business needs to recover lost data from a second location where the data is
backed up. Ideally, an organization can transfer its computer processing to that remote location as well
in order to continue operations.

Data restoring System

In computing, data recovery is a process of salvaging inaccessible, lost, corrupted, damaged or
formatted data from secondary storage, removable media or files, when the data stored in them cannot
be accessed in a usual way. The data is most often salvaged from storage media such as internal or
external hard disk drives (HDDs), solid-state drives (SSDs), USB flash drives, magnetic tapes, CDs, DVDs,
RAID subsystems, and other electronic devices. Recovery may be required due to physical damage to the
storage devices or logical damage to the file system that prevents it from being mounted by the host
operating system (OS).

Internet Banking: Definition, Features, Advantages & Disadvantages

Internet Banking, also known as net-banking or online banking, is an electronic payment system that
enables the customer of a bank or a financial institution to make financial or non-financial transactions
online via the internet. This service gives online access to almost every banking service, traditionally
available through a local branch including fund transfers, deposits, and online bill payments to the
customers.

Internet banking can be accessed by any individual who has registered for online banking at the bank,
having an active bank account or any financial institution. After registering for online banking facilities, a
customer need not visit the bank every time he/she wants to avail a banking service. It is not just
convenient but also a secure method of banking. Net banking portals are secured by unique
User/Customer IDs and passwords.

Advantages
a. Internet banking makes online account open, convenient, easy to operate and fast. Because user
can easily pay bills without standing in a queue and transfer funds between accounts from nearly
anywhere in the world.
b. Also user do not have to keep receipts of all of his/her bills, as (s) he can now easily view his/her
transactions. It is available all the time.
c. User can perform tasks from anywhere and at any time, even at night or on holidays when the
bank is closed. The only thing user need to have is an active internet connection.
d. User can keep an eye on your transactions and account balance all the time.
e. It's a great medium for the banks to endorse their products and services.
f. User can get to know about any fraudulent activity or threat to his/her account before it can pose
any severe damage.
g. It is fast and efficient. Funds get transferred from one account to the other very fast. You can also
manage several accounts easily through internet banking.

Disadvantages
a. Understanding the usage of internet banking might be difficult at the first. That said, there are
some sites which offer a demo on how to access online accounts (not all banks offer this). So, a
person who is new to technology might face some difficulty.
b. User cannot have access to online banking if (s) he don’t have an internet connection; thus,
without the availability of internet access, it may not be useful.
c. Security of transactions is a big issue. User’s account information might get hacked by
unauthorized people over the internet.
 d. Password security is a must. After receiving user’s password, (s) he has to change it and
memorize it. Otherwise, his/her account may be misused.
e. User’s banking information may be spread out on several devices, making it more at risk.
f. If the bank’s server is down, then user cannot access his/her accounts.
g. If the bank's server is down, due to the loss of net connectivity or a slow connection, then it
might be hard to know if user’s transaction went through.
h. User might get overly marketed too and become annoyed by notifications. That said, these can
easily be turned off.
i. User might become annoyed by constant emails and updates.

Alternative Delivery Channels

Alternative delivery channels, defined as those channels that expand the reach of services beyond the
traditional bank branch channel. ADCs are transformative in nature, accommodating the demand for
Success to financial services “anytime, anywhere, anyhow”.

Alternative Delivery Channels denotes a broader range of options through which a customer can now
access financial services without visiting a branch. These include ATMs, Internet Banking, SMS Banking,
Online Banking, Mobile Banking, and more recently Electronic or Mobile Wallets.

i-Banking
i-Banking also known as internet Banking , net-banking or online banking, is an electronic payment
system that enables the customer of a bank or a financial institution to make financial or non-financial
transactions online via the internet. This service gives online access to almost every banking service,
traditionally available through a local branch including fund transfers, deposits, and online bill payments
to the customers.

Internet banking can be accessed by any individual who has registered for online banking at the bank,
having an active bank account or any financial institution. After registering for online banking facilities, a
customer need not visit the bank every time he/she wants to avail a banking service. It is not just
convenient but also a secure method of banking. Net banking portals are secured by unique
User/Customer IDs and passwords.

MFS
Mobile Financial Services (MFS) is a system or way by which a financial institution provides services to
the people with the combination of banking and mobile wireless networks that enables users to perform
banking transaction. Many financial institutions are offering innovative services to the customers to
make life more easy and comfortable by harnessing the modern technology. In Bangladesh It has been
fairly a new concept. Bkash has been successful to offer better services since 2011 even if DBBL was the
pioneer in this market. There are also some other financial service providers who are not in a
remarkable position in the marketplace.

Call Center
A call centre is a department or an office in which incoming and outgoing telephone calls from both new
and existing customers are handled by a team of advisors, otherwise known as agents.
It is traditional for companies of a larger size to have call centres for the purposes of:

a. Offering customers support

b. Handling their queries
c. Carrying out telemarketing
d. Conducting market research

On line Banking
Online banking allows a user to conduct financial transactions via the Internet. Online banking is also
known as Internet banking or web banking.

Online banking offers customers almost every service traditionally available through a local branch
including deposits, transfers, and online bill payments. Virtually every banking institution has some form
of online banking, available both on desktop versions and through mobile apps.

ATM
An automated teller machine (ATM) is an electronic banking outlet that allows customers to complete
basic transactions without the aid of a branch representative or teller. Anyone with a credit card or debit
card can access cash at most ATMs.

ATMs are convenient, allowing consumers to perform quick self-service transactions such as deposits,
cash withdrawals, bill payments, and transfers between accounts. Fees are commonly charged for cash
withdrawals by the bank where the account is located, by the operator of the ATM, or by both. Some or
all of these fees can be avoided by using an ATM operated directly by the bank that holds the account.

ATMs are known in different parts of the world as automated bank machines (ABM) or cash machines.

SMS Banking
SMS Banking, a type of mobile banking, means the Electronic Banking Services provided to customer via
SMS, through which (s)he can access his/her Accounts. It is a specialized facility made use of by the
leading banks & financial institutions towards sending messages (SMS) to the respective mobile phones
of the customers by making use of the SMS messaging technique. The messages can be in the form of
alerts or notifications as well. Through the use of SMS Banking, the customers are enabled the ease of
performing various types of financial transactions by using the SMS technology.

Phone and Mobile Banking

Mobile banking is the act of making financial transactions on a mobile device (cell phone, tablet, etc.).
This activity can be as simple as a bank sending fraud or usage activity to a client’s cell phone or as
complex as a client paying bills or sending money abroad. Advantages to mobile banking include the
ability to bank anywhere and at any time. Disadvantages include security concerns and a limited range
of capabilities when compared to banking in person or on a computer.