COMPUTER

CONCEPTS
 COMPUTER & COMPUTER SYSTEM

• A computer is an electronic machine that takes input from the user,

processes the given input and generates output in the form of useful
information
• Data refers to the raw details that need to be processed to generate
some useful information
• Computer has no intelligence and is referred to as hardware, which
means simply the physical equipment
• A computer cant be used until it is connected to other parts
• A computer system is a combination of six elements
1)Hardware 2)Software
3) Data/ Information 4) Procedures
5) People 6) Communication
 THE COMPUTER SYSTEM
• Hardware
• Physical devices that make up the computer are called Hardware
• Responsible for entering, sorting, and processing and displaying the output to
the users
• Keyboard , mouse, memory, monitor, CPU, printer are the basic hardware units
• Software
• Term used to describe the instructions that tell the hardware how to perform a
task
• Without software hardware is useless
• Mainly two types of software
1) Application Software: Designed to perform specific task ;Example: Word
processor, Presentation Programs etc.
2) System Software: Designed to control different operations of the computer;
Example: Operating Systems, device drivers, etc.
THE COMPUTER SYSTEM
• Data/ Information
• Data considered as the raw material- whether in paper; electronic or
other form that is processed by the computers
• Information is summarized data or otherwise processed data
• Data & information are often use synonymously
• Procedures
• Descriptions of how things are done, steps for accomplishing a result
• Appear in a documentation manuals, contain instructions, rules, to
follow when using hardware and software
THE COMPUTER SYSTEM
• People
• Most important component of the computer systems
• Design & Develop computer systems
• Operate the computer hardware and they create the software
• Communication
• Becomes an element of computer system when one computer system
is set up to share data & information electronically with another
computer
• Manner in which the various individual systems are connected ( by
phone lines, satellite etc.) is an element of computer systems
HISTORY OF MODERN
COMPUTERS
• To date, computer technology has evolved through five distinct generations
• Each generation computers became smaller, more powerful, and less
expensive
• History of computer development is often discussed in terms of different
generation of computers

1. First Generation Computers (1944-1958)

2. Second Generation Computers(1959-1963)

3. Third Generation Computers(1964-1970)

4. Fourth Generation Computers(1971- 1989)

5. Fifth Generation Computers (1990- Now)
FIRST GENERATION
COMPUTERS (1944-1958)

• These are the earliest general purpose computers

• Most input & output media were punched cards and magnetic tape
• Main memory was almost exclusively made up of hundreds of
vacuum tubes
• Slow & large and produce a tremendous amount of heat
• Could run only one program at a time
• Example : ENIAC, EDVAC, EDSAC & UNIVAC
FIRST GENERATION
COMPUTERS

Vacuum Tube
SECOND GENERATION
COMPUTERS ( 1 9 5 9 -1 9 6 3 )

• Transistors& some other solid-state devices that were much smaller than the
vacuum tubes were being used for much of the computer circuitry.
• Tended to be smaller, more reliable, and significantly faster than first
generations computers
• Required very less power in caring out their operations
• Example: PDP-8, IBM 1401 & IBM 7090
• Limitations
• Input & output media were not improved to considerable level
• Required to be placed in a air conditioned places
• Cost was very high
• Execute only specific application
SECOND GENERATION
COMPUTERS

Transistors
THIRD GENERATION
COMPUTERS (1964-1970)

• The integrated circuit – a complete electronic circuit on a

silicon chip- replaced transistorized circuitry
• The use o magnetic disk become wide spread
• Computers began to support such capabilities as
multiprogramming ( Processing several programs at a time) &
timesharing ( people using the same computer simultaneously)
• Size of the computers continued to decrease
• Example: NCR 395, IBM 370, PDP 11
• Limitations
• Storage capacity of these computers was still very small
• Cost of these computers was very high
THIRD GENERATION
COMPUTERS

Integrated Circuit (IC)

FOURTH GENERATION
COMPUTERS (1971- 1989)

• First electronic computers were introduced that used Large Scale Integrated (
LSI) and Very Large Scale Integrated circuits (VLSI) – thousands to
millions of transistors on tiny chip for main memory and logic circuitry
• Had a much larger capacity to support main memory
• The microprocessor introduced in 1971, combined all the circuitry for the
central processing unit on a single chip of silicon
• Useful software applications pushed the microcomputer into the mainstream
• Example: IBM PC, CRAY-1
• Limitation
• Required complicated technologies to bind LSI & VLSI on the wiring board
FOURTH GENERATION
COMPUTERS

VLSI
FIFTH GENERATION
COMPUTERS (1990- NOW)

• Development of various portable computer, such as laptop, pocket

computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) etc.
• Use of ULSI helps in decreasing the size of these computers
• Can execute large number of application at a very high speed
• Versatile for communications and resource sharing
• Fastest & powerful computer till date
FIFTH GENERATION
COMPUTERS

ULSI
COMPUTER
HARDWARE
COMPUTER HARDWARE

• Any machinery (most of which uses digital circuits) that assists in the
input, processing, storage, and output activities of an information
system.
• Computer Hardware can be divided into five categories
1) Input Hardware
2) Processing Hardware
3) Storage Hardware
4) Output Hardware
5) Communication Hardware
COMPUTER HARDWARE
INPUT HARDWARE

• Used to collect data and input it into the computer system in computer
usable form
• Interface between the computer & user
• Means of communication between the computer & outer world
• Task of an input device is to take input from the user, translate it into
machine readable form, present it to the processing unit for execution
• Numeric data, text command , graphics, video, audio are the different form
of input
• Keyboard, Pointing devices, Scanning devices, Optical recognition devices
etc.
 KEYBOARD
• Most commonly used input device
• Use to type data, text and execute command
• Consists of following groups of key
• Alphanumeric Keys: Include the number keys & alphabet keys
• Function Keys: Helps to perform specific tasks, such as searching a file or
refreshing a web page
• Central Key: Used for controlling the movement of cursor & screen
display, includes arrow keys & modifier keys such as SHIFT, ALT, CTRL
• Numeric keypad: looks like a calculator’s keypad located on the right side
of the keyboard
• Special purpose key: Escape, Insert, Delete, Print Screen, Tab, Spacebar
various special purpose key
KEYBOARD
POINTING DEVICES

• Generally used for moving cursor to a particular location to point an object on

the screen
• Can easily select the icons, menus , windows, etc on the GUI
• Can easily interact with a computer system by means of pointing device
• Commonly used pointing devices are
1. Mouse
2. Trackball
3. Light pen
4. Joystick
5. Touchscreen
MOUSE
• Small hand-held pointing device
• Helps in selecting a portion of the screen & copying and pasting the
text
• Common types of mouse are
 Mechanical Mouse
• Consists of three buttons: left, right & scroll button
• Ball, which is rolled over a flat surface corresponding to which the
cursor moves on the display device
 Optical Mouse
• Reflected light determines the movement of the cursor
• Consists of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), Optical sensor, Digital
Signal Processor( DSP)
DIFFERENT PARTS OF MOUSE

Optical Mouse
TRACKBALL

• Consists of a socket containing the ball, which rolled manually to

move the cursor
• Socket contains a censor which detect the movement of the ball
• Classified into two types: Small & large trackball
• Small trackballs are commonly used in portable computer
• Large trackballs are used in the desktop systems, which are used for
computer- aided designing
• Can be placed on different surfaces, such as desk, mouse pad, users
hand
TRACKBALL
LIGHT PEN
• Light sensitive stylus or pen like device
• Generally connected to Visual Display Unit (VDU)
• Can directly draw the objects on the screen by
holding it in our hand
• When the tip of the pen brought in contact with the
screen causes a pulse to be generated in the pen
which in turn cause the processor to identify the
position pointed to by the pen
• Provide all the capabilities of mouse
• Used by engineers, graphic designer, illustrators
LIGHT PEN
JOYSTICK

• Consists of one or more

handle and a stick which
controls the movement of the
cursor
• Used principally in video
games & in some computer –
aided design systems

Joystick
TOUCH SCREEN

• Video display screen,

sensitized to receive input
from the touch of a finger
• Screen is covered with a
plastic layer, behind which are
invisible beams of infrared
• Used in ATM’s PDA’s
SCANNING DEVICES
• Devices that electronically captures the text & images
• Basic task is to convert an image or the textual data into digital data
• Can be differentiated on the basis of the following characteristic
• Resolution: Closeness of the pixels in the bit map
• Size : Some are big & some are small
• Scanning technologies:
 Charged Coupled Device ( CCD) consists of series of light which are
variant in the light frequency
 Photo Multiplier Tubes (PMT) consists of photocathode , which is
photo sensitive surface used for generating the electrons
OPTICAL RECOGNITION
DEVICES
• Used for recognizing the characters optically
• Basically make use of optical scanner for inputting data
• Saves a lot of time to enter data than the keyboard
• Commonly used optical recognition devices are
1. Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
2. Optical Mark Reader (OMR)
3. Magnetic Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
4. Bar Code Reader
OCR

• Scan a particular document by

recognizing its individual
characters and converting it
into enable form
• Distinguishes dark area on the
documents from the light areas
for recognizing the character
• Consists of Image scanner,
OCR Software & hardware,
Output Interface
OMR

• Make use of marked technology ,

which helps in obtaining the data
from the marked fields
• OMR devices are used for
scanning the documents having
multiple choices
• OMR devices do not scan the
entire documents, instead they
analyses the darkened area only
to check whether it is marked or
not
MICR

• Special devices used for

recognizing the characters
written with magnetic ink
consisting of iron oxide
particles
• Specially developed for the
banking operations
BAR CODE READER

• Usually reads bar code, which is

used to label the items in the
retail stores, books numbering in
library
• Scanner is used for scanning the
bar code, which is later
converted into numbers or letters
using decoder
• Decoded data is sent to computer
system via cable for processing
PROCESSING HARDWARE

• Retrieve & execute instruction provided to computer

• Most essential parts are the Central Processing Unit
(CPU) & main memory(RAM)
• CPU is the brain of the computer & referred to as
processor
• Main memory is volatile, all contents are lost when
the computer power is off
CENTRAL PROCESSING UNIT
• Follows the instruction of the software to manipulate data into information
• CPU consists of three parts
• Arithmetic Unit:
- Performs arithmetic operations ( addition, subtraction, multiplication, division)
on the data
- Output of AU contains the result of the operation & status of the operation
• Logic Unit:
- Performs logical operations ( <,> =) & makes use of various logic gates
(AND,OR)
• Control Unit:
- Controls the flow of data & information
- Guides the AU & LU about the operation that are to be performed and also
suggests the I/O devices to which the data to be communicated
 MAIN MEMORY
• Internal or primary memory known as RAM ( Random Access
Memory) of the computer
• Temporary storage medium that holds the data only for short period of
time
• Is said to be volatile( When computer is switched off , the stored in
RAM gets erased)
• Memory space available in RAM affects the speed of the computer
system
• Performs three tasks
1. Holds data for processing
2. Holds instructions
3. Holds data that has been processed & waiting to be sent to an output
or storage
RAM
STATIC RAM (SRAM)
• Data stored till the power of
the computer system is
switched on
• Uses a number of transistors to
store a single bit of computer
DYNAMIC RAM(DRAM)
• Retains the data for a very
short period of time, even after
the power supply is switched
off
• Consisting of a transistor & a
capacitor
READ ONLY MEMORY (ROM)

• Primary memory that stores data permanently i.e.

retains data even when the power of the computer
is switched off
• Data can be easily read from this type of memory
but cannot be changed
• ROM does not allow the random access of data
rather it allows sequential access of data
TYPES OF ROM
1-PROM
    PROM stands for Programmable Read Only Memory. This form of ROM is
initially blank. The user or manufacturer can write data/program on it by using
special devices. However, once the program or data is written in PROM chip, it
cannot be changed. If there is an error in writing instructions or data in PROM, the
error cannot be erased. PROM chip becomes unusable.

2-EPROM
    EPROM stands for Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory. This form of
ROM is also initially blank. The user or manufacturer can write program or data
on it by using special devices. Unlike PROM, the data written in EPROM chip
can be erased by using special devices and ultraviolet rays. So program or data
written in EPROM chip can be changed and new data can also be added. When
EPROM is in use, its contents can only be read.

3-EEPROM
    EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory.
This kind of ROM can be written or changed with the help of electrical devices.
So data stored in this type of ROM chip can be easily modified.
 CACHE & REGISTERS
MEMORY
Cache Memory:
• Small, fast and expensive memory that stores the copies of data
that needs to be accessed frequently from the main memory
• The processor before reading data from or writing data to the
main memory checks the for the same data in the cache memory
• Access much faster than the main memory
• Always placed between CPU & main memory
Registers:
• Special purpose, temporary storage units
• High speed memory locations used for holding instructions ,
data & intermediate results that are currently being processed
 COMPUTER ORGANIZATION
Main Memory Unit
Stores & retrieves Data and instruction
Central Processing Unit
Sends Registers
Input data Receives
Unit Results Output
Arithmetic Unit Unit

Logic Unit

Control Unit

The block diagram of computer system

 STORAGE
HARDWARE
STORAGE HARDWARE

• Means of storing software and data in a form that is relatively

permanent ( non volatile )
• Stores data as electromagnetic signals or laser-etched spots,
commonly on magnetic disk or optical disk storage devices
• Involves two process
 Writing or recording data, so it can be found for later use
 Reading the stored data then transferring it into computer’ s memory
• Read
Read means the data represented in the magnetized spot on the disk or
tape is converted to electronic signals and transmitted to the primary
storage in the computer. That is, read means the disk drive copies data
from the disk drive

• Write
Write means the electronic information processed by the computer is
recorded magnetically on to a disk or tape. So write means the disk drive
transfer data on to the disk.
 Secondary Storage
Devices

Sequential Direct Access

Access devices devices
Memor
Magnetic Optica y
disks l Disk storage
Magnetic device
tape

Flopp Hard
y Disk Disk CD-
ROM WORM CD RW DVD

Zip Winch
Disk ester Flash Memor
disk Pack disk Drive y Card
STORAGE HARDWARE

• Sequential access storage device is one in which arrival at a desired

storage location is preceded by sequencing through other locations so
that access times varies according to location
• Sequential access is analogues to a music tape cassette
• Direct access or random access storage device is one in which we can
reach and access any storage location at random, and approximately
equal access time required for accessing each location
• Direct access is analogues to a music CD
HARD DISK
• Primary secondary storage device for most
computer systems
• Made of rigid metal platters and come in many
sizes ranging from 1 to 14 inch diameter
• Depending on the packaging, hard disk are
normally of three types
Zip Disk
• Consists of single hard disk platters encased in a
plastic cartridge
• Storage capacity varies from 8GB to 500GB
ZIP OR BERNOULLI DISK
HARD DISK
Disk Pack
• Consists of multiple ( two or more ) hard disk platters mounted on a single central
shaft
• All disks revolve together at same speed
• Its disk drive have separate read/right head for each usable disk surface
• Storage capacity of single disk pack varies from few hundred GB to several
thousand GB
Winchester disk
• Consists of multiple ( two or more ) hard disk platters mounted on a single central
shaft
• unlike a disk pack drive , a Winchester disk drive is of fixed type
• Hard disk platters & disk drive are sealed together in a contamination free
container and cannot be separated from each other
• Storage capacity ranges from a few GB to few terabytes
HARD DISK
OPTICAL DISK
• Storage system consists of a metallic or plastic disk coated with a
highly reflective material
• Uses leaser beam technology for reading & writing of data
• Modern computer system extensively use optical disk as a random
access medium for high capacity secondary storage because of their
capability to store very large amount of data in a limited space
• Types of optical disk
 CD- ROM ( Compact Disk- Read –Only Memory)
 WORM ( CD-R) (Write Once Read Many)
 CD – RW
 DVD ( Digital Video ( or Versatile) Disk
OPTICAL DISK

• CD- ROM
• Shiny, silver color metal disk usually of 12 cm diameter
• Made of polycarbonate plastic having thin layer of pure aluminum
coating to make its surface reflective
• Storage capacity of about 650 MB to 700 MB
• WORM
• Allows users to create their own CD- ROM disks by a CD- Recordable
(CD-R) drive attached to a computer as a regular peripheral device
• Can write data only once on a WORM disk but can read many times
 OPTICAL DISK
• CD- RW
• Similar to WORM disk with the expectation that we can erase its previous
content and write multiple times
• Use metallic alloy layer
• Leaser beam changes the chemical property during writing (or burn
process)
• Great cost saving because of their erase & re write capability
• DVD
• Improved version of CD
• Two variants of DVD – single layer disk & double layer disk
• Single layer storage capacity 4.7GB & double layer storage capacity 8.5
GB
MEMORY STORAGE DEVICES

• Flash Drive ( Pen Drive )

• Compact device of the size of a pen
• Simply plugs it into a USB port of a computer
• Available storage capacity : 256MB, 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB, 16GB,
32GB, 64GB
• Memory Card
• Flash memory based cards
• Various types of digital devices use these cards
• Storage capacity of these cards ranges from 8MB to 32GB
 STORAGE EVALUATION CRITERIA
• Access mode
• Used for accessing some specific data from the memory
• Access time
• Refers to the time taken by the processor in completely the
request made by the user completely
• Storage Capacity
• Refers to the storage space available in the computer system
for holding the data
• Storage Type
• Refers to the type of the memory used to store data
• Cost
• Cost of storage device used in computer system for holding the
data
OUTPUT HARDWARE
• Essential part of computer system
• Provide the user with means to view information
produced by the computer system
• Receive the processed data from the CPU &
present it to user in desired form
• Act as an interface between the computer & and
the user
• Main task is to convert the machine readable
information into human readable form
• Output devices: Display Monitor, printers,
Projectors,
TYPES OF OUTPUT
• Output devices generates computer outputs that are broadly of the
following two types

• Soft-copy output:
• Temporary in nature because it does not appear on a paper or some
material that a user can carry for showing to others
• Words spoken out by a voice response system are soft copy display

• Hard copy output:

• Permanent in nature because it appears on a paper or some material
that a user can carry for showing to others
• Out put produced on paper by printers are hard copy output
 MONITOR
• Most popular soft copy output devices
• Displays an output on a television screen
• On the basis of technology used display monitors may be classified into
following categories
1. Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) Monitor
2. Liquid Cristal Display (LCD) Monitor
3. Thin Film Transistor (TFT) Monitor
4. Liquid Emitting Diode (LED)
CRT MONITOR

• Contains a empty glass tube

with a phosphor coated
fluorescent screen and a source
of electron called electron gun
• High contrast ratio & colour
depth because of which many
graphic designers prefers this
types of monitors
• Bulky, consumes lots of power,
generates large amount of heat
LCD MONITOR

• Uses liquid crystal technology

to display images
• Small in size, light in weight
• Fixed resolution due to which
the image on LCD monitor
become blurred when the
resolution is changed
TFT MONITORS
• Similar to LCD monitor, but
uses thin film transistors
technology along with liquid
crystal technology
• For each pixel on the screen , a
small transistor switch as well as
a capacitor is used and each
pixel is controlled separately
• The transistor is switched off as
soon as the capacitor gets
charged
PRINTER

• Generates the hard copy of information processed by a computer

system
• Based on the features , such as colour , resolution, memory speed,
possessed by the printer they are classified into many types
• Some printers have a very high printing speed whereas other have
very slow speed
• On the basis of their working principles printers can be classified into
two major categories namely impact & non- impact printers
IMPACT & NON-IMPACT
PRINTERS
• Impact Printer
• Exist a mechanical contact between print head & paper
• Contains individual print head for each character
• Dot matrix printer, Daisy wheel , Drum printer

• Non- Impact Printer

• Exist no mechanical contact between print head & paper
• Spray ink on the paper with the help of a nozzle
• Noise free & fast compared to impact printers
• Ink-Jet printers, Laser printers
PLOTTERS

• Used to print high quality graphics & images

• Uses one or more pens to produce a high quality drawings
• Used as a substitute to the coloured printers
• Provide cheap & efficient drawing
• Use four basic colours i.e., cyan, magenta, yellow, black
• Divided into four basic categories on the basis of their working
1. Drum plotters
2. Flat- bed plotters
3. Ink- Jet plotters
4. Electrostatic plotters
PLOTTER
PROJECTOR

• Video device for projecting an

image from the computers or
video device on to big screen
• Consists of an optic system , a
light source & display which
contain the original image
COMMUNICATION
HARDWARE
• Function is to facilitate the
connections between the
computers and between groups
of connected computers
• Modems, Cable, Fax are some
communication devices
CLASSIFICATION
OF COMPUTER
 Classification
of Computer

Based on Based on
Based on
Operating Size &
Application
Principle Capability

Analog Digital Hybrid

Computer Computer Computer

Special General
Purpose Purpose

Micro Mini Mainfram Super

Computer Compute e Compute
s r Computer r
BASED ON OPERATING
PRINCIPLE
• On the basis of the operations performed and
methods used to store & process data and
information computer can be classified into the
following categories
1. Analog Computer
2. Digital Computer
3. Hybrid Computer
ANALOG COMPUTER

• Represents data in the form of continuous electronic signals having a

specific magnitude
• Very fast in their operations & allow several other operations to be carried
out at the same time
• Results produced are not very accurate
• Circuit employed in modern analog computers is generally an Operational
Amplifier ( Op- Amp)
• Designed for very specific work – heavy -duty math or flight component
simulation
• Powerful tools to solve differential equations
DORNIER DO-80 ANALOG
COMPUTER
DIGITAL COMPUTER

• Known as digital information processing system

• Stores & process data in the digital form (0s & 1s)
• Also capable of processing the analog data
• Generally faster & more reliable than the analog computer
• Different hardware components of digital computers are ALU,CU,
memory unit & I/O devices
• Computer used by home users is a typical example of digital
computers
HYBRID COMPUTER

• Combination of analog & digital computer

• Encompasses the best features of both these computers
• Hardware components are usually a mixture of analog & digital components
• Very fast, efficient & reliable
• Data generally measured & processed in the form of electrical signals &
stored with the help of digital components
• Cost effective in performing complex situations
• The computer used in hospital to measure the heartbeat of patient is example
of hybrid computer
BASED ON APPLICATION

• On the basis of different applications or purpose computer can be classified into

two categories
• General Purpose Computers:
• Capable to work in work in environment
• Versatile & can store a number of programs meant for performing distinct tasks
• Not efficient & consumes large amount of time
• Special Purpose Computers:
• Performs only a specified task
• Not versatile, their speed & memory size depends on the task that is to be
performed
BASED ON SIZE &
CAPABILITY
• Computers differ from each other in their shape , size & weights
• These computers also differ in unique functions & can be employed in the
fields suited for them
• Also differ in terms of processing speed
• Classified into following categories
1) Microcomputers
2) Minicomputers
3) Mainframe Computers
4) Super Computers
MICROCOMPUTERS
• Small & cheap digital computer designed to be used by individuals
• Built around microprocessor, a storage unit and I/O channel
• Also include several software programs such as operating system,
system software, & utility software
MINICOMPUTER

• First introduced in 1960 by Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC)

• Called mini computers because of their smaller size than the other
computer
• Handle more data & more input and output than micro computers
• Referred to as midrange computer
• Able to cater to needs of multiple users at a single instant time ( 4-
200)
• PDP 11, IBM (8000)
MINI & MICRO COMPUTER

MINI COMPUTER (PDP-11) MICRO COMPUTER

MAINFRAME COMPUTERS

• Very large computer that is employed by large business organization for

handling major application
• Capable of handling almost millions of records in a day
• These computers are termed as mainframe because all the hardware units are
arranged into a frame
• IBM 3000, VAX 8000 & CDC 6600 are the example of mainframe computer
• Known as super servers or database servers
• Large capacity of primary & secondary storage compared with other features
of computer
AN IBM 704 MAINFRAME
(1964)
SUPER COMPUTER
• Fastest type of computer that can perform complex operations at a very
high speed
• More expensive than the other categories of computers & are specially
designed for the applications in which large number of complex
calculations have to be carried
• Various application areas of super computer are
1. Weather forecasting
2. Animated graphics
3. Fluid mechanics
4. Nuclear energy research
5. Petroleum exploration
• CARY 3, Cyber 205, etc
THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR
ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH'S CRAY SUPER
COMPUTER 
CHARACTERISTICS &
CAPABILITIES
• Volume of data
- suited to handling large volume of data
• Accuracy
- ensures high degree of accuracy and their consistency is reliable
• Repetitiveness
- processing cycles that repeat time and time again are ideally suited to
computers
• Complexity
- computer can perform complex calculation
• Speed
- work at a very high speed & this enables to respond quickly
CHARACTERISTICS

• Storage Capacity
- can store huge amount of data in its different storage components in
many different formats
• Versatility
- can perform many different task and can be used for many different
purpose
LIMITATIONS
There are few limitations of
computer

Computer cannot think

Computers can not do anything

without human instruction
Computer cannot make any
adjustment as human being can do
COMPUTER SOFTWARE
• Programs & instructions that help the computers in carrying out their
processing
• Mainly two types of software
1. Application software
• Designed to perform a specific task for the user
• Referred to as end user programs
• Example: Word processor, database programs, presentation programs,
etc.
2. System software
• Designed to control the different operations of the computer
• Manages the activities of the computer hardware & interacts with the
application software to perform specific task
• Example: Operating systems, interpreters, etc