Hardware and Software
Identify characteristics of various personal
computer processors on the market today
Differentiate among the various
types of memory
Identify the categories
of application software
Explain ways software is distributed
Explain how to work
with application software
Identify the key features of widely
used business programs
Describe the function of several
stand-alone utility programs
Slides adapted from: Shelly, Cashman & Vermaat, “Discovering Computers: A Gateway To Information
2006”, Thomson Course Technology, Ch 3, 4 & 7, 2006
Processor
What is the system clock?


Controls timing of all computer operations
Generates regular electronic pulses, or ticks, that set
operating pace of components of system unit
Each tick
is a
clock cycle
Pace of system
clock is clock speed
Most clock speeds are
in the gigahertz (GHz)
range (1 GHz = one
billion ticks of system
clock per second)
Processor speed can
also be measured in
millions of instructions
per second (MIPS)
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Processor
Which processor should you select?
 The faster the processor, the more expensive the computer
Intel Processor
Desired Clock Speed
Itanium or Xeon
1.3 GHz and up
Pentium family
3.0 GHz and up
2.4 GHz to 3.0 GHz
Up to 2.4 GHz
Celeron
2.2 GHz and up
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Processor
What are the guidelines for selecting a
processor?
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Memory
How is memory measured?

By number of bytes available for storage
Term
Abbreviation
Approximate Size
Kilobyte
Megabyte
Gigabyte
Terabyte
KB or K
MB
GB
TB
1 thousand bytes
1 million bytes
1 billion bytes
1 trillion bytes
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Memory
What is random access memory (RAM)?
Memory chips that can be
read from and written
to by processor
Also called
main memory
or primary
storage
Most RAM is
volatile, it is lost
when computer’s
power is
turned off
The more RAM a
computer has, the
faster it responds
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Memory
How much RAM do you need?

Depends on type of applications you intend to run
on your computer
RAM
Use
256 MB to 1 GB
• Home and business
users managing
personal finance
• Using standard
application software
such as word processing
• Using educational
or entertainment
CD-ROMs
• Communicating with
others on the Web
512 MB to 1 GB
• Users requiring more advanced
multimedia capabilities
• Running number-intensive
accounting, financial, or
spreadsheet programs
• Using voice recognition
• Working with videos, music, and
digital imaging
• Creating Web sites
• Participating in video conferences
• Playing Internet games
2 GB and up
• Power users creating
professional Web sites
• Running sophisticated
CAD, 3D design, or
other graphics-intensive
software
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Storage
What is storage?

Holds data, instructions, and information for future use

Storage medium is physical material used for storage
 Also called secondary storage
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Storage
What is capacity?

Number of bytes (characters) a storage medium can hold
Kilobyte (KB)
1 thousand
Megabyte (MB) 1 million
Gigabyte (GB)
Terabyte (TB)
1 billion
1 trillion
Petabyte (PB)
1 quadrillion
Exabyte (EB)
Zettabyte (ZB)
1 quintillion
1 sextillion
Yottabyte (YB)
1 septillion
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Storage
How does volatility compare?
Nonvolatile
Volatile
 Storage medium is nonvolatile—contents retained when
power is off
 Memory is volatile—holds data and instructions temporarily
ON
OFF
Screen Display
Display
appears
Display
disappears
Memory
(most RAM)
(chips on motherboard)
Data and
instructions
available to user
Data and
instructions erased
Storage Medium
(floppy disks, Zip disks,
hard disks, CDs)
Contents
available to user
Contents
retained
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Storage
What is access time?


Time it takes storage device to locate item on storage
medium
Time required to deliver item from memory to processor
faster
transfer
rates
Primary Storage
Memory (most RAM)
Stores
…
Items waiting to be interpreted
and executed by the processor
Secondary Storage
Hard Disk
slower
transfer
rates
Flash Memory Cards
and USB Flash Drives
Operating system, application
software, user data and information
Digital pictures or files
to be transported
CDs and DVDs
Software, backups, movies, music
Tape
Floppy Disk
Backups
Small files to be transported
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Mobile Computers and
Devices
What is a mobile computer?

Notebook, weighing between 2.5 and 8 pounds, or
mobile device such as a PDA
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Putting It All Together
What are suggested processor, clock speed, and RAM
requirements based on the needs of various types of users?
Next
Putting It All Together
What are recommended storage devices for
home users?





80 GB hard disk
Online storage
CD or DVD drive
Card reader/writer
USB flash drive and/or 3.5-inch
floppy disk drive
Home
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Putting It All Together
What are recommended storage devices for
small office/home office (SOHO) users?






Small Office/
Home Office (SOHO)
750 MB Zip drive
120 GB hard disk
Online storage
CD or DVD drive
External hard drive for backup
USB flash drive and/or 3.5-inch
floppy disk drive
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Putting It All Together
What are recommended storage devices for
mobile users?






Mobile
80 GB hard disk
Online storage
CD or DVD drive
Card reader/writer
Portable hard disk for backup
USB flash drive, and/or 2 GB PC Card hard
disk, and/or 3.5-inch floppy disk drive
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Putting It All Together
What are recommended storage devices for
power users?





CD or DVD drive
300 GB hard disk
Online storage
Portable hard disk for backup
USB flash drive and/or 3.5-inch floppy
disk drive
Power
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Putting It All Together
What are recommended storage devices for
large business users?
Large Business
p. 380 Fig. 7-38
 Desktop computer
160 GB hard disk
CD or DVD drive
Smart card reader
Tape drive
USB flash drive and/or 3.5-inch
floppy disk drive
 Server or Mainframe
Network storage server
40 TB hard disk system
CD-ROM or DVD-ROM server
Microfilm or microfiche
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Application Software
What is application software?

Programs designed to make users more productive
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Application Software
How is software distributed?






Packaged software, mass-produced
Custom software, performs functions specific to
a business or industry
Open source software, provided for use,
modification, and redistribution
Shareware, distributed free for trial period
Freeware, copyrighted software provided at no
cost
Public-domain software, freeware with no
copyright restrictions
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Business Software
What is business software?

Software that assists people in becoming more
effective and efficient
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Business Software
What is word processing software?

Allows users to create and
manipulate text and graphics

Clip art is a collection
of graphics
that you can
insert in
documents
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Business Software
What is spreadsheet software?
 Organizes data
 Performs calculations and
recalculates when data changes
= A1+B2 (*C12)
= D1+E2 (*F12)
= SUM (C12:Y12)
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Business Software
How is a spreadsheet organized?
Columns identified by letters
 Rows identified by numbers
 A cell is the intersection of a
column and row

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Business Software
What is a function?

A predefined formula
that performs
common calculations
=C4+C5+C6+C7+C8
=SUM(C4:C8)
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Business Software
What is charting?

Allows you to display spreadsheet data in graphical form
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Business Software
What is database software?
Allows you to create
and manage data
Add, change, delete,
sort, and retrieve data
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Business Software
What are the parts of a database?



A table contains records
A record is a row in a
table that contains
information about a
given person, product,
or event
A field is a column in
a table that contains
a specific piece of
information within
a record
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Business Software
How do you extract information from a
database?
Run queries to
retrieve data
Can be sent as a
report to the printer
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Business Software
What is a software suite?
A collection of individual
programs sold as
a single package
Two major advantages:
lower cost
ease of use
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Business Software
What is enterprise computing software?


Large organizations require special computing
solutions
Each functional unit has specialized software
requirements
Human
Accounting Engineering Manufacturing
Resources
Marketing
Sales
Distribution
Customer
Service
IT
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Graphics and Multimedia
Software
What are some
popular graphics
and multimedia
software products?
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Application Software for
Communications
What software facilitates communication?
Web
browsers
E-mail
FTP
Chat rooms
Newsgroups
Video
conferencing
Instant
messaging
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Popular Stand-Alone Utility
Programs
What are some widely used stand-alone utility
programs?
Antivirus
Program
Spyware
Remover
File
Conversion
Internet
Filters
CD/DVD
Burning
File
Compression
PC
Maintenance
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Application Software on the
Web
What is a Web application?

A software application that
exists on a Web site, such
as maps and directions


Some Web applications
store your data and
information at their site
Some are free
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