MIS
COMPUTERS: THE
MACHINES BEHIND
COMPUTING
CHAPTER 2
1 laptop per child
Intel Chip
Get me the Geeks
Hossein BIDGOLI






1. Increase employee productivity by reducing time,
errors and costs using
2. Enhance decision making
3. Improve team collaboration
4. Create business partnerships and alliances
5. Enable global reach all over the world taking into
consideration the culture of each nation or society.
6. Facilitate organizational transformation as the
organization evolves and responds to the ever-changing
marketplace.
4
Output Device
Monitor
Input Device
Keyboard
Processing Device
The System Unit
A5
Exhibit 2.1
The Building Blocks of a Computer
Motherboard
• Central Processing Unit (CPU)
•
•
•
•
RAM and ROM
Secondary Storage Devices (e.g. hard drive)
Slots - connecting specialty processors
Ports - connecting input/output devices
A-7
Central Processing Unit (CPU)
Called the “brains of the computer”, its role is to perform the
operations of the computer using two components:
• Control Unit – this device interprets instructions and
transmits direction to the computer’s components
• Arithmetic Logic Unit – this device performs math
as well as logical operations by interpreting and
executing instructions
Intel Chip
A-8
Moore’s Law (1970s)
Dr. Gordon Moore from Intel
hypothesized that processing
performance would double every
18 months
CPU Processing
Intel Pentium IV
CPU packs 55
million transistors
The iPad in Your Hand:
As Fast as a
Supercomputer of Yore
A-9

Factors that exceed human capacities:
◦ Speed
◦ Accuracy
◦ Storage and retrieval

Input devices
◦ Send data and information to computer

Types
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Keyboard
Mouse
Touch screen
Light pen
Trackball
Data tablet
Barcode reader
– Optical character reader
– Magnetic ink character recognition
system
– Optical mark recognition system

Output devices
◦ For mainframes and personal computers

Soft copy
◦ Monitor
 Cathode ray tube (CPT), plasma, liquid crystal display (LCD)

Hard copy
◦ Printer
 Inkjet, laser
◦ Voice

Main memory
◦ Stores data and information
◦ Volatile

Secondary memory
◦ Nonvolatile
◦ Holds data when the computer is off or during
course of a program's operation
◦ Serves as archival storage
Primary Storage
This storage is used for temporary storage to support computer
processing and comes in RAM and ROM types
Random Access Memory (RAM)
Read-Only Memory (ROM)
Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
(EEPROM or also called Flash Memory)
A-14



Magnetic disks
Magnetic tape
Optical discs
◦ Use laser beams to access and store data
◦ CD-ROM, WORM, DVD

Other secondary memory
◦ Hard disk
◦ USB flash drive
◦ Memory card

Redundant array of independent disks (RAID)
system
Table 2.4
Capacity of Secondary Memory Devices
Classify based on:
Cost, amount of memory,
speed, sophistication
Supercomputers
Mainframe
Computers
Workstations
A-18
Personal
Computers
Notebook
Network
Computers
iPad
A-19
1 laptop per child

The digital divide refers to the gap between
people with effective access to digital and
information technology and those with very
limited or no access at all.

Also called:
◦ Pervasive computing
◦ Third wave computing

Wearable computers
◦ Cell phones
◦ Medical devices

Server
◦ Computer and all the software for managing
network resources and offering services to a
network (serves up for the client)

Types of servers
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Application
Database
File
Mail
Print
Web


All the programs that run a computer system
Classified broadly as:
◦ System software
◦ Application software

Operating system (OS)
◦ Set of programs for controlling and managing
computer hardware and software
◦ Provides an interface between a computer and the
user
◦ Increases computer efficiency by helping users
share computer resources and performing repetitive
tasks for users

Operating system control programs
◦
◦
◦
◦

Job management
Resource allocation
Data management
Communication
Kernel
◦ Supervisor program
◦ Responsible for controlling all other programs in
the OS

Application software
◦ Commercial software or software developed inhouse

Software types
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
◦
Word processing
Spreadsheet
Database
Presentation
Graphics
Desktop publishing

Free Web-based application for creating
◦ Word processor documents, spreadsheets,
presentations, and forms




Create and edit document
Collaboration in real time
Save in various formats
Cloud computing (Dropbox)
◦ Security risks
Table 2.2
Computer Language Trends
Get me the Geeks






Components and distinguishing factors of
computers
Brief history of computer hardware and
software
Input, output, and memory devices
Classifications for computers
Different types of software
Generations of computer languages