COMPUTING by Carla Guerra Garcia

They are tools that follow instructions perfectly and quickly. They follow instructions from the user and from the computer programmer.

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 09:28:44 UTC

Hardware is a part of the computer that we can touch. Is the components that are interconnected, they are independent and we can change any of them.

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 09:38:24 UTC

Sorftware is the part of the computer that we can't touch. Is the logic that the computer follows. The programmer writes instructions.

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 09:46:23 UTC

CPU

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 09:55:21 UTC

The CPU (Central Processing Unit) is a big ,green, plastic board with a lot of chips and many other electronic components mounted on it.

MEMORY

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 09:58:37 UTC

Memory stores information. There are various types of memory in the computer.

FIXED MEMORIES:

They normally stay inside the computer.

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 11:57:39 UTC

1. HARD DISC: Also called "hard drive", it is a set of rigid discs with a magnetic surface.

Advantages: It can store a large amount of data (today about 1 TB). We can save and erase the information when we want.

Disadvantages: It is relatively slow: compared to other types of memory, it takes longer to read and write information.

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 11:59:35 UTC

2. RAM (Random Access Memory): This is a green plastic card with chips. The RAM is installed in a slots so that we add more RAM if we want.

Advantages: It stores and retrieves quickly.

Disadvantages: We lose the work if there is an electrical power cut. Small memory capacity (around 6GB) compared to the hard disk.

PORTABLE MEMORIES

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 18:50:25 UTC

They are easy to connect and disconnect to the computer. They are easy to carry.

CDs, DVDs : We call them "optical memories" because they use light to work.

Advantages: Cheap.

Disadvantages: Not good to rewrite.

PEN DRIVES, MEMORI CARDS

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 18:53:28 UTC

They store the information in chips.

Advantages: Rewritable and quick.

Disadvantage: More expensive than an CD or a DVD.

GRAPHICS CARDS AND PERIPHERALS

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 19:02:06 UTC

The graphic card looks similar to the RAM. It defines the format of the graphics and helps the processor to process the graphic faster.

Peripherals are elemments of communication between the computer and the outside world (including ourselves).

ENTRY PERIPHERALS AND EXIT PERIPHERALS

guerracarla — 2025-10-03 19:07:12 UTC

Entry peripherals gives information to the computer : keyboard, mouse, microphone, thermostat...

The computer uses the exit peripherals to give information to us or to an actuator: screen, speakers, printer, light bulb , motor...

THE OPERATING SYSTEM (OS)

guerracarla — 2025-10-04 08:27:04 UTC

There is one OS per the computer; not more, not less. To program the OS, we must know wich are the components of the hardware and how they are connected. The OS was programmed only to manage those hardware components. The OS, (stored on an external disk) and then the applicator (stored on another external disk).

Example: when we tell the computer to switch off, the OS decides to first close the applications, then to transfer all data from the RAM to the HD, and finally to switch itself off.

In the 1980s only one user could interact with a computer and computers only had next.

TODAY'S OS

guerracarla — 2025-10-04 08:58:11 UTC

It is stored in the hard disc (the applications are also stored in the HD) . It can manage multiple aplications at the same time. It has a graphic display, so we can interact with the computer using the mouse.It can connect to the internet.

Today the most common operating systems are those sold by Microsoft: Windows Vista, Windows 7...

Microsoft's windows has long history which started with the OS called "DOS" (Disc Operating System).

Apple Macintosh is another company with offers an OS for computers. The "Mac" is preferred by graphic designers and artist.

LINUX is a free OS. "Free" means that users don't have to pay to use it, and that programmers can modify the OS as they like.

THE APPLICATIONS

guerracarla — 2025-10-08 09:30:37 UTC

Sometimes we call them "programs", but any piece of software is a program.

Word (word processor)
Excel (spreadsheet)
Access (database)
PowerPoint (presentations)
FIFA 11 (game)
Messenger (telecomunications software)
Autocad (CAD)

An "application suite" is a group of applications in a package. Open Office, Microsoft Office or ¡ Work'09.

Applications suites normally include a word processor, a spreadsheet, a web browser and other applications.