Chapter one

• Information technology (IT)

– the study, design, development, implementation,
support or management of computer-based
information systems
– deals with the use of electronic computers and
computer software to convert, store, protect, process,
transmit, and retrieve information
• Information System (IS)
– collects, processes, stores, analyzes, and
disseminates information for a specific purpose
• A Computer-based Information System (CBIS)
– an information system that uses computer and often
telecommunications technology to perform some or all
of its intended tasks
• E.g. Ethiopian Airlines reservation system
• Dashen Bank’s banking system
• Commercial bank ATM system etc
 What is Computer Science
• a science concerned with information i.e.
representation, storage, manipulation or
processing and presentation
• computer Science uses a special device called
COMPUTER
• has different fields of specialization or sub-
disciplines
– Software engineering
– Computer engineering (Architecture)
– Automata theory
– Database Architecture
– Artificial intelligence
– Communications
– Human-Computer Interaction
– Concurrent, parallel, and distributed systems
 What is a Computer
• is an electronic device that accepts data,
performs computations, and makes logical
decisions according to instructions that
have been given to it; then produces
meaningful information in a form that is
useful to the user
• It saves time, space, money, labors
 Characteristics of computers
• Speed
– The ability of the computers to carry out their instructions in a
very short period of time
• Accuracy
– computer is accurate and consistent provided that the data and
the instructions are correct
• Storage Capacity
– The ability of computers to store and process vast amounts
• Durability and reliability
– They can operate error-free over long periods of time
• Versatility
– a wide array of application

• Even if the above main characteristics of computers

are increasing with time, the cost and size of
computers are decreasing.
 Types of Computers
• Based on the operational principle
– Analog
– Digital
– Hybrid
• Analog
– operate by measuring
– deal with continues variables
– E.g
• Thermometer
• Voltmeter
– Almost an extinct type of computer these
days
• Digital computers
– deal with discrete variables
– operate by counting rather than measuring
– operate directly up on numbers (or digits) that
represent numbers, letters, or other special
symbols.
– E.g. .
• Desk & pocket computers
• The general purpose computers
– have higher accuracy and speed
– on the principle of binary mathematics
• Hybrid computers
– combination of both Analog and Digital
computers
• Based on functionally / purpose
– Special purpose
– General purpose
• Special purpose computers
– computers that are designed for a specific task
– E.g. ATM,
• General purpose computers
– computers that perform many tasks without
specialization.
– E.g. PC laptop, etc
• Based on size, capacity, speed and
reliability
– Micro computer
– Minicomputer
– Mainframe computer
– Supercomputer
• Microcomputer
– A personal computer; designed to meet the computer needs of
an individual.
– Provides access to a wide variety of computing applications,
such as word processing, photo editing, e-mail, and internet.
– Desktop –
• A microcomputer that fits on a desk and runs on power from an electrical
wall outlet.
• The CPU can be housed in either a vertical or a horizontal case.
• Has separate components (keyboard, mouse, etc.) that are each plugged
into the computer
– Laptop
• A portable, compact computer that can run on an electrical wall outlet or a
battery unit.
• All components (keyboard, mouse, etc.) are in one compact unit.
• Usually more expensive than a comparable desktop.
• Sometimes called a Notebook
 Handheld/Palmtop
• Also called a PDA (Personal Digital
Assistant).
• A computer that fits into a pocket, runs on
batteries, and is used while holding the
unit in your hand.
• Typically used as an appointment book,
address book, calculator, and notepad.
• Can be synchronized with a personal
microcomputer as a backup.
 Minicomputers
• are much smaller in size than the
mainframe computer systems
• can give parallel access to up to 100 users
 Mainframe
• Large expensive computer capable of
simultaneously processing data for hundreds or
thousands of users.
• Used to store, manage, and process large
amounts of data that need to be reliable, secure,
and centralized.
• maximum I/O connectivity as they accommodate
huge disc farms.
• occupy an entire room and could cost over
million dollars they have almost become extinct
 Supercomputer
• A computer that was the fastest in the
world at the time it was constructed.
• Can tackle tasks that would not be
practical for other computers.
– Typical uses
• Breaking codes
• Modeling weather systems
 Application of Computers
• Learning Aids
• Entertainment
• Commercial or business applications
• Scientific – engineering and research applications
• Information Utilities
• Electronic Banking and Service
• Shopping from Home
• Weather and Environment
• Transportation
• Medical and Health Care
• Routine and dangerous Tasks
• Consultant (Expert system)
 History of Computers
• Computers were preceded by many devices
which mankind developed for their computing
requirements
• The Abacus
– one of the earliest mechanical computational devices
• Pascal’s Calculator
– In 1642, at the age of 19, the French philosopher and
mathematician Blaise Pascal developed a rotating
wheel calculator
– could only add and subtract
• The Difference Engine
– the forerunner of the modern computer
– Developed by Charles Babbage – the father of
modern computers
– has a power of calculation and print the output without
human intervention
• Analytic Engine
– Deigned , but not built, by the same person
– significantly improved version of the difference engine
– It has different key components
• The store: A memory wheel
• The mill: An arithmetic unit capable of performing the four
basic arithmetic operations
• Operation cards: This card selected one of the four
arithmetic operations
• Variable cards: These cards selected the memory locations
to be used by the mill for a particular operation
• Out put: was to print or a card punch device
• Herman Hollerith’s Tabulating Machine
– was a statistician in 1880
– developed machine commissioned by the
U.S. Census Bureau to speeding up the
processing of census data
– He developed his machine that uses the
punched card to punch the census data and
tabulated by using his machine
– He finally began the tabulating Machine
Company, which later becomes the IBM
corporation
• Mark I
– Developed by Howard Aiken at Harvard University
(1944 )
– the first electromechanical computer
– Instruction was provided by means of punched paper
tape
– Each instruction had the format
A1 A2 OP
– could do a single addition in 6 seconds and division in
12 seconds
• ENIAC
– Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer
– Developed at the university of Pennsylvania
– the first electronic calculator and first general
purpose digital computer
– This machine was enormous
• weighing 30 tones,
• occupying 15,000 square feet of floor space, and
containing over 18,000 vacuum tubes
• consumed over 140 kWh of power
– had a capability of performing 5,000 additions
per second
– ENIAC did not use internally stored programs.
Programs were wired on boards similar to a
telephone switch board – which was its
drawback.
• ENIAC could do nuclear physics calculations
(in two hours) which it would have taken 100
engineers a year to do by hand
• The Von Neumann Machine
– The task of entering and altering programs for the ENIAC was
extremely tedious
– Von Neumann forward the stored program concept
– designing the computer to get its instruction by reading them
from memory alongside the data
– a program could be set or altered by setting the values of a
portion of a memory
– Based on this concept, the first true electronic computers
• EDVAC ( electronic Discrete Variable Computer)
• EDSAC( Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Computer).
• Commercial Computers
– In 1947, Eckert and Mauchly develop their
successful commercial computer called
UNIVAC I (Universal Automatic Computer).
• Generation of Computers
– computer developments are often categorized
by generations
– major characteristics that distinguish these
generations are the following
• Dominant type of electronic circuit elements used.
• Major secondary storage media used.
• Computer language used.
• Types or characteristic of operating system used.
• Memory access time (time to store or retrieve a
word or data from memory)
• First generation (1950s)
– Used vacuum tubes as components for the
electronic circuit.
– Punched cards were the main source of
inputs
– magnetic drams were used for internal
storage.
– Operate in a speed of milliseconds
(thousands of a second) and could handle
more than 10,000 additions each second.
– Most applications were scientific calculations.
• Second generations (early 1960s)
– Transistors were the main circuit components
• are a solid state device made from silicon

• They are smaller, cheaper, faster, dissipate less energy and more reliable
than vacuum tube but work in the same way with the vacuum tube

– Magnetic tapes used for main storage

– Operate in microseconds (millionths of a second) with more than

200,000 additions possible each second.

– Business applications become more commonplace, with large data files

stored on magnetic tape and disk. High-level languages COBOL and
FORTRAN were introduced during this period. Batch operating systems
are used that permitted rapid processing of magnetic tape files

– Minicomputers were developed at this time.

• Third generation (late 1960s, early 1970s)
• Used integrated circuit
– A single, self-contained transistor is called discrete
component
– composed of discrete components transistors,
capacitors, resistors
– Packed in their own containers and soldered (wired
together) on a circuit board
– Computer storage switched from magnetic cores to
integrated circuit boards
– New input/output methods such as optical scanning
and plotters
– Software become more important with sophisticated
operating systems, improved programming languages
• Fourth generation (late 1970s,early 1989s)
 a large-scale integrated circuits (LSI) which
has several hundred thousands transistors
placed on one tiny silicon chip.
– Greatly expanded storage capabilities and
improved circuitry
– Computer memory operates at speeds of
nano seconds (billionths of a second) with
large computers capable of adding 15 million
numbers per second
– Personal computers were developed
• The Fifth generation computer
– in progress
– These computers will have intelligent processors
– processors which can draw inferences
– Users will also be able to interact with them in natural languages
such as English, German
– Some of the characteristics of this generation of computers
• extremely large scale integration
• parallel processing
• high speed logic and memory chips
• high performance, micro-miniaturization
• voice/data integration; knowledge-based platforms
• artificial intelligence, expert systems
• virtual reality generation
• satellite links
Units of Data Representation

• BIT:
– Bits are the smallest units and can convey only two possible states 0 or 1;
– Bit stands for Binary digits;
– A bit is a single element in the computer, on a disk that stands for either “ON”
indicating 1 or “OFF” indicating 0;
• BYTE:
– Bits can be organized into large units to make them represent more and
meaningful information.
– 1byte = 8 bits.
– a single byte is 28 or 256 possible combinations.
– Each byte can represent a character (a character is either a letter, a number
or a special symbol such as +,-,?,*, $, etc).
• WORD:
– number of bits that a computer process at a time