Hardware
Hardware refers to the physical components of a data processing system.
Input, storage, processing and control devices are hardware such as Hard
disk, Printer, Keyboard etc. Without any hardware your computer would
not exist and software would have nothing to run on. Computer software
is something that executes within the hardware.
The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, in comparison with
software and data. Hardware professionals deal with the manufacturing
and maintenance of computers.
Many manufacturers mass produce computer systems and sell them
either through direct marketing or retail chains.
There are also a number of vendors that can custom assemble computer
systems to the end-user's specifications. It is also possible to purchase
the individual parts and component of a computer and build it.
Some of the items to consider when purchasing a computer include:
> The motherboard
> Processor
> RAM
> Storage
> Adapter cards
> power options
Software
A computer can only do what a programmer asks it to do. To perform a
particular task the programmer writes a sequence of instructions, called
the program. An instruction is a command given to the computer to
perform a certain specified operation on the given data. A set of
programs written for a computer is called software. Without software,
hardware is of no use. It cannot produce any results on its own.
It is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs,
procedures and documentation that perform some task on a computer
system.
Usually written in high-level programming languages softwares are
easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer to natural language)
than machine language. High-level languages are compiled or
interpreted into machine language object code. Software engineers
(programmers, systems analysts) develop and maintain software. With
technological changes, software changes take place faster than hardware
changes.
Practical computer systems divide software systems into two major
classes:
1. Application Software.
2. System software,
Application Software
Software that allows you to do things like create text documents, play
games, listen to music, or surf the web is called application software. In
general, application programs are software that enable the end-user to
perform specific, productive tasks, such as word processing or image
manipulation
Systems Software
Systems software comprises of an Operating System and all utility
programs (like Compiler, Loader, Linker, and Debugger) that manage
computer resources at a low level. Operating systems, such as GNU,
Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X or Linux, are prominent examples of
system software.
System software is software that basically allows the parts of a computer
to work together. Without the system software the computer cannot
operate as a single unit. System software performs tasks like transferring
data from memory to disk, or rendering text onto a display device.
Programming Language
Some examples of popular high-level programming languages are given
below:
FORTRAN
It is an abbreviation for Formula Translation. IBM introduced
FORTRAN in 1957. It is a very useful language for scientific and
engineering computations as it contains many functions for performing
complex mathematical operations.
COBOL
It is an abbreviation for Common Business Oriented Language. COBOL
was developed specially for business data processing. It was introduced
by the US industry/government committee in 1960 and is used for large
business and commercial applications such as handling of ledgers,
accounts and payroll files etc.
PASCAL
It is a high-level language named in honor of Blase Pascal, a seventeenth
century French mathematician, philosopher and inventor. It is a multi-
purpose language suitable for both scientific and business applications.
Besides numbers, it can also manipulate vectors, matrices and strings of
characters, sets, records, files and lists.
BASIC
It is an abbreviation for Beginners All-purpose Symbolic Instruction
Code. It was introduced in 1965 by Dartmouth College. BASIC is a
widely used language for simple computations and analysis.
ALGOL
It is an abbreviation for Algorithmic Language. An international
committee introduced it in 1958. It is suitable for scientific and
engineering computations. It is used in some universities and computer
centres, but not in industries.
C
It is a general-purpose high-level language. A group at Bell Telephone
Laboratories, USA in the early 1970s, designed this language. It has
features similar to PASCAL. It permits manipulation of internal
processor registers and hence a programmer can write low-level machine
instructions.
LOGO
It is an abbreviation for Logic Oriented Graphic Oriented. Seymour
Papert and his colleagues at MIT developed it in the late 1960s. It is
used in serious scientific work in universities. It has also been
popularized as a first educational language that children can use to
achieve intellectual growth and problem-solving skills.
LISP
It stands for List Processing. McCarthy developed this language in the
early 1960s. LISP is suitable for nonnumeric operations involving
logical operations. It is used extensively in artificial intelligence and
pattern recognition. It is also used in designing computer games, proving
theorems etc.
JAVA
Java was introduced by Sun Microsystems in 1995. Java is a
programming language designed for use in the distributed environment
of the Internet. It was designed to have the "look and feel" of the C++
language, but it is simpler to use than C++ and enforces an object-
oriented programming model.
Representation of Data / Information
Information
In general, raw data that has been verified to be accurate and timely, is
specific and organized for a purpose, is presented within a context that
gives it meaning and relevance, and which leads to increase in
understanding and decrease in uncertainty.
Data
- Collection of facts
- Raw Information
Processing
Sequence of actions required to be performed on data to convert it into
results. For example, a merit list is generated after processing the raw
information available about the marks of each student.
Results
- Useful Information
- Facts in organized manner
Concept of Data Processing
The computer is an electronic data processing device which is capable of
taking input, processing it to generate useful information(output) and
store both input as well as the output. The data processing cycle
comprises of following 4 distinct stages viz. :-
1. Input: Data is collected and entered into the computer. This is called
input process.
2. Storage: What is entered into the computer is stored in its main
memory. This storage is temporary i.e. the contents of the memory are
lost when the power is switched off. Another memory, called secondary
memory, is used to store the information of the main memory
permanently.
3. Processing: The sequence of actions that are performed on the data
stored in the main memory, to get results is called processing. Results
are stored in the main memory till they are transferred to an output
device.
4. Output: Stored results are taken out of the main memory. This
process is known as output process.