INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT

(University of Sierra Leone)

LECTURE TWO

COMPUTER HARDWARE AND

SOFTWARE

MRS. FINDA F. MBRIWA MR. VICTOR SMITH

+232 31 178336 / +232 77 624224 +232 77 763444

[email protected] [email protected]

MR. MUSA JALLOH MR. ALHAJIE BANGURA

+232 76 674746 +232 78 243725

[email protected] [email protected]

MR. JAMES BERNARD TURAY MR. MOHAMED PATEH BAH

+232 76 342693 +232 31 076095 / +232 76 254715 / +232 77 953046

[email protected] [email protected] / [email protected]
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

LECTURE TWO
COMPUTER HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE
HARDWARE
The hardware is the tangible part of the computer, i.e., the part of the computer that we can see
and touch. It is categorized into input, output, processing and storage devices including
peripherals. Note that the generic term device refers to any piece of hardware. Below is a brief
description of the categories starting with the system unit, which houses most of these
components.

The System Unit

A computer includes devices used for input, processing, output, storage, and communications.
Many of these components are part of the system unit. The system unit is a case that contains
electronic components of the computer used to process data. System units are available in a
variety of shapes and sizes. The case of the system unit is made of metal or plastic and protects
the internal electronic components from damage.

Input Devices
These are devices that are used to enter data into the basic system unit for processing. Input
devices accept data and instructions from the user. Over the years, input devices have been
built in many forms for many special purposes. Examples are: Keyboard, Mouse, Joystick,
Barcode Reader, Touch Pad/Screen, Scanner, Web Camera/Digital Camera, Microphones.
The Keyboard
The keyboard is the primary input device for entering text and numbers. It is a relatively simple
device, consisting of about 100 - 106 keys, each of which sends a different character code to
the CPU. It was one of the first input devices to be used with PCs (Personal Computers), and
it is still the most common.
The Mouse
A mouse is an input device that fits comfortably under the palm of your hand as you roll it
along a hard, flat surface. This movement allows you to control the movement of the pointer
on the screen or display device. As you move the mouse, the pointer on the display screen
moves in the same direction. Mice contain at least one button and sometimes as many as three
which have different functions depending on what program is running.

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

Other pointing devices include:

• Touchpad: found in laptop computers
• Trackball: has a ball that is rolled to control the pointer on the screen
• Touch Screen: mostly found in smart phones and other mobile devices
Voice and Audio Input Devices: examples include microphone
Cameras: use to capture still and motion images
Scanners: a light-sensing input device that reads printed text and graphics and then translates
the results into a form the computer can process.
Optical and Magnetic Readers: devices that use a light source to read characters, marks, and
codes and then converts them into digital data that a computer can process. Technologies used
by optical readers are:
• Optical Character Recognition (OCR)
• Optical Mark Recognition (OMR)
• Bar Code Readers
• Magnetic Stripe Card Readers (MSCR)
• Magnetic-Ink Character Recognition (MICR)
Biometric Input
Biometrics is the technology of authenticating a person’s identity by verifying a personal
characteristic. Biometric devices grant users access to programs, systems, or rooms by
analysing some physiological (related to physical or chemical activities in the body) or
behavioural characteristic. Examples include fingerprints, hand geometry, facial features,
voice, signatures, and eye patterns.
Other input devices include:
• Game pads
• Joysticks
• Dance pads
• Light gun
• Pen input or stylus
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/computer_fundamentals/computer_input_devices.htm
visit this site to read more about input devices.

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

Output Devices
An output device is any hardware component that conveys information to one or more people.
Users therefore, view or watch output on a screen, print it, or hear it through speakers,
headphones, or earphones. Four basic categories of output are encountered by users whilst
working with computers. These include: text, graphics, audio, and video. Some types of
hardware can act as both input and output devices. One example is the touch screen, a type of
monitor that displays buttons you can touch.

The Monitor
Monitor, commonly known as Visual Display Unit (VDU) or screen or simply monitor is the
main output device of a computer. Monitors are the most important output devices because
they are the output devices with which users interact most often.

The Printer
A printer is an output device that produces text and graphics on a physical medium such as
paper or transparency film. Many different printers exist with varying speeds, capabilities, and
printing methods. There are two types of printers. They are:

• Impact Printers: examples include Dot-Matrix Printers.

• Non-Impact Printers: examples include: ink-jet printers, photo printers, laser printers,
thermal printers, mobile printers, plotters, and large-format printers.

Speakers, Headphones, and Earphones

An audio output device is a component of a computer that produces music, speech, or other
sounds, such as beeps. Audio output devices are speakers, headphones, earphones, airpods, etc.
Most personal computers have a small internal speaker that usually emits only low-quality
sound. Thus, many personal computer users add surround sound speakers to their computers to
generate a higher-quality sound.

Storage Devices
The purpose of storage is to hold data. Hence, storage devices hold data, instructions, and
information for future use. A storage medium is the physical material on which a computer
keeps data, instructions, and information. Examples of storage media are Hard Disk Drives
(HDD), Solid State Drives (SSD), USB (Universal Serial Bus) Flash Drives, etc.

Storage capacity is the number of bytes (characters) a storage medium can hold. The capacity
of a storage medium is measured by the number of bytes it can hold. For instance, a reasonably

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

priced USB flash drive can store from 1GB of data to above 128 GB of data, and a typical hard
drive or solid state drive, has greater than or less than 250 GB of storage capacity. As seen in
the illustration below, a Bit is the smallest unit of measurement as it represents “1” or “0”.
Eight (8) bits make a byte.

Storage term Unit

Bit BIT 0 or 1
Byte B 8 bits /1 character
Kilobyte KB 1024 Bytes
Megabyte MB 1024 Kilobytes
Gigabyte GB 1024 Megabytes
Terabyte TB 1024 Gigabytes
Petabyte PB 1024 Terabytes

Individuals use Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) or Solid-State Drives (SSDs) to store all types of
documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, e-mail messages, Web pages, digital
photographs, music, videos, and software.

Businesses use HDDs/SSDs to store correspondence, reports, financial records, e-mail

messages, customer orders and invoices, payroll records, inventory records, presentations,
contracts, marketing literature, schedules, and Web sites.

Individuals as well as businesses can now store their data, information and instructions in the
cloud.

Removable/portable drives as the name implies are not fixed inside the system unit. They are
portable drives that serve as additional storage for individuals and businesses. Such drives are
mostly used to backup data.

Other storage devices include Optical discs (Compact Discs – CDs, Digital Versatile Discs –
DVDs), etc. These are considered as secondary storage devices.

Memory
Memory units are the internal storage areas of a computer. Every computer comes with a certain
amount of memory usually referred to as the main/primary memory or the Random-Access
Memory (RAM), which loses its contents when the power is switched off from the computer.
Hence, it stores data temporarily. Another type of memory is called Read Only Memory
(ROM), which stores data permanently, as it holds instructions for starting the computer.

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

Processing Device
The complex procedure that transforms raw data into useful information is called processing.
To perform this transformation, the computer uses two components: the processor and memory
which are found within the Systems Unit.

The processor also known as the Central Processing Unit (CPU), is like the brain of the
computer, the part that organizes and carries out instructions that come from either the user or
the software. In a personal computer, the processor usually consists of one or more
microprocessors and in some powerful computers, the processor consists of many chips.

SOFTWARE
Software also known as a program, is a set of executable instructions that tells the computer
what to do and how to do it.

There are two types/categories of software; viz: system software and application software.

System Software
The system software is the software that directs the functionality of the basic system
components including input, output, process and storage. This software consists of the
programs that control or maintain the operations of the computer and its devices. There are two
types of system software. These are operating system and utility software.

The Operating System

An operating system is a set of programs that coordinates all the activities among computer
hardware devices. It provides a means for users to communicate with the computer and other
software, as it serves as the interface between the user, the application software, and the
computer’s hardware.

Many of today’s computers use Windows 8, 10 or 11, three of Microsoft’s operating systems,
or Mac OS Mojave, Apple’s operating system.

In most cases, the operating system is installed and resides on the computer’s hard disk drive
or solid state drive. On handheld computers and many mobile devices such as smart phones,
however, the operating system may reside on a ROM chip. In computers such as Chrome
computers, the OS is cloud based.

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

When one starts a computer, portions of the operating system load into memory (RAM) from
the computer’s primary storage such as the HDD or SSD. It remains in memory while the
computer is on.

Utility Software
A utility software, also called a utility, is a type of system software that allows a user to perform
maintenance-type tasks that are usually related to managing a computer, its devices, or its
programs. Utility software can either be built-in (e.gs. disk defragmentation and disk clean-up)
or stand-alone (e.gs. anti-virus, file compressors, etc.)

Application Software
Application software consists of programs designed to make users more productive and/or
assist them with personal tasks. That is, application software tells the computer how to
accomplish specific tasks such as creating letters, reports, and other documents; designing web
pages and diagrams; drawing images; enhancing audio and video clips; preparing taxes;
playing games; composing e-mail messages and instant messages; etc. for the user.

Popular application software includes word processing software, spreadsheet software,

database software, presentation software and web browsers. Many other types of application
software exist that enable users to perform a variety of tasks such as project management,
accounting, document management, computer-aided design, desktop publishing, paint/image
editing, audio and video editing, multimedia authoring, Web page authoring, education and
entertainment.

Application software includes a variety of software that can be divided into general-purpose
application software and specific-purpose application software.

General Purpose Application Software

Software that perform common information processing jobs for end users. For instance, word
processing, spreadsheet, database management, and graphics programs are popular with
microcomputer users for home, education, business, scientific, and many other purposes. Other
examples include Web browsers, e-mail, and groupware, which help support communication
and collaboration among workgroups and teams.

Specific Purpose Application Software

These can also be classified into custom application software and application specific software.

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

Custom Application Software

This is the term used to identify software applications that are developed within an organization
for use by that organization. In other words, the organization that writes the program code is
also the organization that uses the final software application; i.e. the software is generally
owned by the organization that developed it or that paid to have it developed.

Application Specific Software

These are designed to be used in specific areas such as those used in Business [such as
Accounting (SAGE, QuickBooks), Transaction Processing, Customer Relationship
Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, Electronic Commerce, etc.], Science,
Engineering, Education, Medicine and Entertainment.

Application software is also available in a variety of forms including:

✓ Packaged software is mass-produced, copyrighted retail software that meets the needs
of a wide variety of users, not just a single user or company. Word processing and
Spreadsheet software are examples of packaged software. Packaged software is
available in retail stores or on the Web.
✓ Custom software performs functions specific to a business or industry. Sometimes a
company cannot find packaged software that meets its unique requirements. In this
case, the company may use programmers to develop tailor-made custom software.
✓ Web-based software refers to programs hosted by a Web site. Users access and interact
with Web-based software from any computer or device that is connected to the Internet.
Examples of Web-based software include e-mail, game programs etc.
✓ Open-source software is software provided for use, modification, and redistribution.
This software has no restrictions from the copyright holder regarding modification of
the software’s internal instructions and redistribution of the software. Open source
software usually can be downloaded from the Internet, sometimes at no cost.
✓ Shareware is copyrighted software that is distributed at no cost for a trial period. To
use a shareware program beyond that period, you send payment to the program
developer(s).
✓ Freeware is copyrighted software provided at no cost to a user by an individual or a
company that retains all rights to the software.

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software
 INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND MANAGEMENT
(University of Sierra Leone)

✓ Public-domain software has been donated for public use and has no copyright
restrictions. Anyone can copy or distribute public-domain software to others at no cost.

When interacting with an application software, you must know the following:

• The desktop is an on-screen work area that has a graphical user interface.
• An icon is a small image displayed on the screen that represents a program, a document,
or some other object.
• A button is a graphical element that you activate to cause a specific action to take place.
One way to activate a button is to click it. To click a button on the screen requires
moving the pointer to the button and then pressing and releasing a button on the mouse
(usually the left mouse button).
• The pointer is a small symbol displayed on the screen that moves as you move the
mouse. Common pointer shapes are an I-beam, a block arrow and a pointing hand.
• A menu contains a list of commands from which you make selections.
• A command is an instruction that causes a program to perform a specific action.
• A window is a rectangular area of the screen that displays data and information. At the
top of a window is the title bar, (horizontal space that contains the window’s name) and
at the right-hand corner is the windows control buttons which are used to minimize,
restore/maximize or close the program
• A file is a named collection of stored data, instructions, or information. A file can
contain text, images, audio, and video.
• A dialog box is a window that provides information, presents available options, or
requests a response. Dialog boxes often contain option buttons, text boxes, check boxes,
and command buttons.

Assignment 2

Trends in ICT (Artificial intelligence, machine learning deep learning)

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ICT1: FOS114 Lecture 2: Computer Hardware and Software