A computer system operates on three significant components.

Computer Software - It is a collection of entities (hardware, software and humanware)

that are designed to receive, process, manage and present information in a meaningful
format.

It consists primarily of four basic units: the input unit, the storage units, the central
processing unit and the output unit.

A computer performs five major operations or functions regardless of its size and make.

These are:

 It accepts data or instructions as input;

 It stores data and instruction;
 It processes data as per the instructions;
 It controls all operations inside a computer, and ;
 Its gives results in the form of output.
COMPUTER SYSTEM BASIC OPERATIONS

1.Input Unit. It used for transfers’ raw data and control signals into
the information processing system by the user before processing and computation.

The functions of the input unit are:

 Accept data and set of instructions/command;

 Convert the data in a form which the computer can accept; and
 Provide this converted data to the computer for further processing.

2.Central Processing Unit. This is called the brain of the computer system. It
consists of three parts namely, the control unit; the arithmetic logic unit; and the
primary storage unit.

 Control Unit- It controls, manages and coordinates the operations of the entire
computer system.
 Arithmetic Logic Unit- It executes the instructions and performs all the
calculations and decisions.
 Primary Storage Unit- It is also called as main memory. The data which is to
be output from the computer system is also temporarily stored.

3.Output Unit. It give the results of the process and computations to the outside
world. The output units accept the results produced by the computer, convert them
into a human readable form and supply them to the users.

COMPONENTS OF COMPUTER SYSTEM

1.Computer hardware – It consists of internal and peripheral devices. All physical

parts of the computer or everything that we can touch.

e.g.:Input devices, output devices, central processing unit and storage devices
 2.Computer software – also known as programs or applications. It gives
“intelligence” to the computer. They are classified into two classes namely – system
software and application software

3.Humanware – it is the person who operates computer. The user commands the
computer system to execute on instructions.

COMPUTER HARDWARE COMPONENTS

Hardware. It consists of all the machinery and equipment in a computer system. In

general, computer hardware is categorized according to which of the five computer
operations it performs.

 Input devices
 Processing devices
 Storage devices
 Output devices

1.Input Devices. It is any electronic devices connected to a computer that produce

input signals. It is also used to enter the data and instructions into the computer.

It translate data from form that humans understand to one that the computer can
work with.

CLASSIFICATION OF INPUT DEVICES

1. Input devices for text and images

 Keyboard - It is the primary input device that is used to enter data into a
computer or any other electronic device by pressing keys. It uses USB or a
Bluetooth device for wireless communication to connect to a compute
 Graphics Table - It used by artists which allow them to draw a picture onto
a computer screen without having to use a mouse or keyboard. It consists of
a flat, touch-sensitive pad and a drawing device, either a pen or stylus.
 Magnetic Ink Character Reader - It is a device used for
machine recognition of numeric data printed with magnetically charged ink.
It is used on bank checks and deposit.
 Optical Mark Reader - It is an electronically extracting intended data from
marked fields, such as checkboxes and fill-infields, on printed forms. OMR
technology scans a printed form and reads predefined positions and records
where marks are made on the form
 Flatbed Scanner - It used to capture a source document and converts it
into an electronic form
 Barcode Reader - It is also known as barcode scanner or point of sale
(POS) scanner, is an input device capable of reading barcodes.
2. Input devices for Audio

Midi Keyboard – It is a controller keyboard, like a typically a piano-style electronic

musical keyboard, often with other buttons, wheels and sliders, used for sending MIDI
signals or commands over a USB or MIDI 5-pin cable to other musical devices or
computers.

3. Input devices for video

Video input are motion images captured into the computer by special input devices.

4. Pointing devices

Pointing Device is an input device that allows a user to control a pointer on a

screen. A pointer is a small symbol on the screen whose location and shape change
as a user moves a pointing device.

2.Output Devices. Hardware that is capable of delivering or showing information to

one or more users. An output device displays, prints and presents the results of a
computers work.

After processing the inputted data, the computer will give its output. This output can
be in two different formats:

Softcopy – Visual (monitor) or Sound (speakers)

Hardcopy – Output on a tangible (something you can touch) such as a printer

printout

3.Storage Devices. It is any hardware device that is used for storing, porting and
extracting data files and objects. It can hold and store information either temporarily
and permanently, and can be internal or external to a computer.

Types of Computer Storage

1. Primary Storage. Primary storage is the main memory in a computer. It stores

data and programs that can be accessed directly by the processor.

There are two types of primary storage which are RAM and ROM

Random-Access Memory (RAM)

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

RAM is an acronym for Random- Access Memory which means the data and
program in RAM can be read and written.

ROM is an acronym for Read- Only Memory. The data or program in ROM can
only be read but cannot be written at all

 RAM stores data during and after processing. RAM is also known as a working
memory.
 ROM is another type of memory permanently stored inside the computer.
 The data in RAM can be read (retrieved) or written (stored).
 All the contents in ROM can be accessed and read but cannot be changed.
 RAM is volatile which means the programs and data in RAM are lost when the
computer is powered off.
  ROM is non-volatile. It holds the programs and data when the computer is
powered off.
 A computer uses RAM to hold temporary instructions and data needed to
complete tasks. This enables the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to access
instructions and data stored in the memory very quickly
 Programs in ROM have been prerecorded. It can only be stored by the
manufacturer once and it cannot be changed.

2.Secondary Storage – Secondary storage is another alternative storage to save

your work and documents. This can be removable, internal, or external. It is very
useful to store programs and data for future use. It is non-volatile, which means that
it does not need power to maintain the information stored in it. It will store the
information until it is erased.

Types of Secondary Storage

1.Magnetic Medium. It is a non-volatile storage medium. It can be any type of

storage medium that utilizes magnetic patterns to represent information.

2.Optical Medium. It is a non-volatile storage media, holds content in digital form

that are written and read by laser. These media include various types of CDs and
DVDs.

3.Flash Memory. It is a solid-state, non-volatile, rewritable memory that functions

like RAM and a hard disk drive. Flash memory store bits of electronic data in memory
cells just like DRAM (Dynamic RAM) but it also works like a hard disk drive that when
the power is turned off, the data remains in the memory. Flash memory cards and
flash memory sticks are examples of flash memory.

 CAPACITY. It refers to the number of bytes (characters) a storage medium can

hold
 System Unit - The system unit is a boxlike case that houses the computer’s
main hardware components.
 CMOS – Complementary Metal Oxide Semi- Conductor
 IDE – (Integrated Drive Electronics)
 SATA – (Serial Advance Technology Attachment) .

Computer Software - It refers to the set of computer programs, procedures that

describe the programs, how they are to be used. We can say that it is the collection of
programs, which increase the capabilities of the hardware. Software guides the computer
at every step where to start and stop during a particular job. The process of software
development is called programming.

Categories of Software

1.SYSTEM SOFTWARE- It is responsible for controlling, integrating, and managing the

individual hardware components of a computer system so that the other software and
the users of the system see it as a functional unit without having to be concerned with
the low-level details such as transferring data from memory to disk, or rendering text
onto a display.

-It communicates with printers, card reader, disk, tapes etc. monitor the use of various
hardware like memory, CPU etc.

-So without system software it is impossible to operate your computer.

Types of System Software

1.Operating System

-It is software that controls and monitors the running of applications

-It provides a “platform” for software developers who have to design applications with
the OS in mind.

-It is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of
the resources of the computer

-It is an interface between computer and user.

Examples of Operating System

 The Unix Operating System. It was first created in Bell Labs way back in the
1960s. It became popular in the 1970s for high-level computing, but not on the
consumer level. Since a lot of Internet services were originally hosted on Unix
machines, the platform gained tremendous popularity in the 1990s. It still leads
the industry as the most common operating system for Web servers.
 The Macintosh OS (Mac OS). Develop by Apple Computer in January 24, 1984. It
is pre-installed on the Macintosh 128K model computer. The Mac OS is credited for
the widely used feature of every OS to date. The GUI (Graphical User Interface);
the use of icons, buttons a pointing cursor, and a point and click command to
execute instructions rather than the usual command line driven interface.
 The MS-DOS (Microsoft-Disk Operating System). It commercialized by
Microsoft. It was the most dominant operating system for the PC compatible
platform during the 1980’s. It Is command line driven interface program where the
user interacts with the computer through command prompts to execute different
program.
 Microsoft Windows Operating System. It is first introduced an operating
environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in
response to the growing interest in graphical user interface (GUI).
 Linux Operating System. Linux is an open source operating system (OS) for
personal computers, servers and many other hardware platforms that is based on
the Unix operating system. Linux was originally created by Linus Torvalds as a free
alternative operating system to more expensive Unix systems. Linux has grown
since its creation due in part to its open source roots. Open source software is
freely licensed and users may copy and even change the code.
There are several operating systems that use the Linux kernel. These include: Ubuntu,
Debian, Red Hat, Fedora, Chrome OS and Android (for smartphones).

2.Utilities Programs- This are small, powerful programs with a limited capability, they
are usually operated by the user to maintain a smooth running of the computer system.
Various examples include file management, diagnosing problems and finding out
information about the computer etc. Notable examples of utility programs include copy,
paste, delete, and file searching, disk defragmenter, disk cleanup.

3.Device Drivers- Specialized programs that allow communication between a device

and the computer. Loaded into memory each time a computer is started. When a new
device is added, new device drivers must be installed.

2. APPLICATION SOFTWARE – It is a type of software that performs task to directly

benefit or assist the user. It is installed on top of an Operating System such as MS
Windows.

Types of application software

1.Proprietary Application Software / Customized Software. It is software designed

for a particular customer. In this case we need to hire a computer programmer or
software creator to develop software for the customer.

2.Packaged software. It is the kind of “off-the-shelf application software” program

developed for sale to the general public. It can be purchased programs, leased, or
rented from a vendor that develops programs and sells them to many organization. The
word package is a commonly used term for a computer program (or group of programs)
that has been developed by a vendor and is available for purchase in a prepackaged
form.

Examples of Application Software

1.Word Processing software – Use this kind of tool to create worksheets, type letters,
and type papers. The following examples are MS Word, WordPerfect, MS Works, and
AppleWorks.

2.Desktop Publishing software – Use this software to make signs, banners, greeting
cards, illustrative worksheets, newsletters, etc. The following examples are Adobe
PageMaker, MS Word, MS Publisher, AppleWorks, MS Works, and Quark Express.

3.Spreadsheet software – Use this kind of tool to compute number-intensive problems

such as budgeting, forecasting, etc. A spreadsheet will plot nice graphs very easily. The
following examples are MS Excel, Quattro Pro, Lotus 1-2-3, MS Works, and AppleWorks.

4.Database software – Use this software to store data such as address, membership
and other text information. A database can be used to easily sort and organize records.
The following examples are MS Access, Filemaker Pro, AppleWorks, and MS Works.
5.Presentation software – Use this software to create multimedia stacks of
cards/screens that can effectively present a lesson or a sales pitch. The user often clicks
on buttons to advance to the next screen in a sequence. The following examples are MS
PowerPoint, AppleWorks (slideshows), HyperStudio, Flash, Director, HyperCard, Digital
Chisel, SuperCard, and Corel Envoy.

6,Internet Browsers – This software allows one to surf the Web. Often they can read
email and create Web pages too. The following examples are Netscape Navigator (or
Netscape Communicator), MS Internet Explorer, AOL Browser, Google Chrome, Mozilla
Firefox, Opera Web Browser, and Safari Web Browser.

7.Email programs – These programs send and receive email. The following examples
are Netscape Messenger (part of Netscape Communicator), MS Outlook Express, MS
Outlook, Eudora, and AOL browser.

8.Graphics Programs (pixel-based) – This software allows one to touch up

photographs and create graphics from scratch. The following examples are Adobe
Photoshop, Paint Shop Pro, AppleWorks, MS Works, MS Paint (comes free on Windows
PC’s), and Painter.

9.Graphics Programs (vector-based) – This software creates graphics that are similar
to illustrations or cartoon drawings. The following examples are Adobe Illustrator, Corel
Draw, AppleWorks, MS Works, and MS Word.

10.Communications software – This software allows two computers with modems to

communicate through audio, video, and/or chat-based means. Example is Instant
Messenger,

Humanware - It describes the customer experience of software and hardware. More

particularly, it has to do with the facilities of a computer system being developed based
on the interests and needs of a user.

It Is also called as the living ware. It refers to the users of the computer system, either
direct or indirect users.