SOKOINE UNIVERSITY OF

AGRICULTURE
CIT 100: COMPUTER APPLICATIONS

DR. N. LYIMO
 COURSE
OBJECTIVES
i. Identify basic hardware components and describe their
functions for input, processing, output, and storage of data.
ii. Describe major operating systems and demonstrate basic
usage of their service such as file management services.
iii. Demonstrate word processing skills to create, format and edit
a professional word document.
iv. Present, interpret, analyze numerical data with spreadsheet
applications.
v. Understand basic Internet concepts, World Wide Web and
their applications.
vi. Identify and discuss computer security issues
ASSESSMENT

• Theory assignment 5%
• Practical Test 30%
• Practical Report 10%
• Theory Test 15%
• UE Theory 40%
INTRODUCTION TO
COMPUTERS
• We are living in an information age dependent
upon digital information
• Digital information is an electronic information
result of computer processing
• Every type of job relies upon getting information,
using it, managing it, and relaying information to
others
• Computers enable the efficient processing and
storage of such information
 CONT...

• In any organization, office, factory or institution, you

can find people making use of computer for different
purposes
• For example in offices, computers are used for
preparing letters, documents and reports
• In hotels, computers are used for advance booking of
rooms, preparing bills and providing inquiry services
• In railways, computers are used for rail reservation,
printing of tickets and preparation of reservation charts
CONT.

• Doctors use computers for diagnosing illness

and treatment of diseases
• Architects use them for map designing and city
planning
• In meteorology department, computers are
used for weather forecasting
• It is hardly to find in any fields now, which
does not use computers
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?

 A computer is a machine that can be programmed to accept data

(input), process it into useful information (output), and store it
away (in a secondary storage device).
 A computer is a machine or device that performs processes,
calculations and operations based on instructions provided by a
software or hardware program. It has the ability to accept data
(input), process it, and then produce outputs.
 Computer is electronic equipment which is used for automating
manual tasks. Using computer you can perform many tasks
quickly, effectively and with no error.
 It is made by two main components namely Hardware and
Software.
 The former is said to be the physical component that you can
see and touch. While the later is the set of instruction that
makes the hardware to perform tasks
CHARACTERISTICS OF A COMPUTER

i. Speed:
ii. Accuracy:
iii. Storage:
iv. Diligence:
v. Versatile:
COMPUTER GENERATIONS

• Thousands of different computers have been

designed and built during the evolution of the
modern digital computer
• Each of these computers has been classified
into generations
• The following are fifth computer generations
FIRST GENERATION: 1940-1956

• The first computers used vacuum tubes for

circuitry and magnetic drums for memory
• Were often enormous, taking up entire rooms
• Generated a lot of heat, because they were very
using a great deal of electricity, which was
often the cause of malfunctions
• Relied on machine language to perform
operations they solved only one problem at a time
SECOND GENERATION: 1956-1963

• Transistors replaced vacuum tubes

• Transistor is a miniature device that is used to
control or regulate the flow of electronic signals.
• The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube
• This technology allowed computers to become
smaller, faster, cheaper, more energy-
efficient and more reliable than their first-
generation predecessors
CONT.

• High-level programming languages were also

being developed at this time, such as early
versions of COBOL and FORTRAN
• These were also the first computers that stored
their instructions in their memory, which moved
from a magnetic drum to magnetic core
technology
• The first computers of this generation were
developed for the atomic energy industry
THIRD GENERATION: 1964-1971

• The development of the integrated circuit

was the hallmark of the third generation of
computers
• Transistors were reduced and placed on silicon
chips, called semiconductors, which
drastically increased the speed and efficiency
of computers.
CONT.

• Users interacted with third generation computers

through keyboards and monitors and interfaced
with an operating system
• Used to run different applications at one time
with a central program that monitored the
memory
• Computers for the first time became accessible
to a mass audience because they were smaller
and cheaper than their predecessors
FOURTH GENERATION: 1971-1980S

• The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of

computers, as thousands of integrated circuits were
rebuilt onto a single silicon chip that contains a CPU
• In the world of personal computers, the terms
microprocessor and CPU are used interchangeably
• At the heart of all personal computers and most
workstations sits a microprocessor
• Microprocessors also control the logic of almost all digital
devices, from clock radios to fuel-injection systems for
automobiles
CHARACTERISTICS OF
MICROPROCESSOR
• Instruction Set: The set of instructions that
the microprocessor can execute
• Bandwidth: The number of bits processed in a
single instruction
• Clock Speed: Given in megahertz (MHz), the
clock speed determines how many instructions
per second the processor can execute
FIFTH GENERATION: 1985-PRESENT

• The changes that have occurred since 1985 are

plentiful
• Computers have gotten smaller, more
reliable, and many times faster
• Computers are mostly built using components
from many different corporations
• For this reason, it is easier to focus on specific
component advancements
TYPES OF COMPUTERS

• Computers can be classified into various

categories, on the basis of their sizes
• When we say, size of the computer, it refers to
multiple factors like, size of the memory,
number of terminals that can be connected
to the computer, size of the hard disk, type
of processor used in the computer etc
MICRO COMPUTERS

• Microcomputer is the smallest category of computers, in

which single microchip is used for two basic units i.e.
ALU and Control Unit
• This microchip is often referred to as
microprocessor/CPU
• Microcomputers are further classified into following
categories: Personal computer, laptop/notebook
computer
• Beyond these standard PC, microcomputer also include
smartphone and tablets
PERSONAL COMPUTERS (PC)

• Computers that we commonly see these days in offices,

hotels, restaurants etc. are examples of Personal
Computer
• Only one person can work on it at a time
• This is the reason why PCs are called single user
computers
• Originally PCs were designed and manufactured by IBM
• Later, they became popular, other manufacturers also
started manufacturing similar type of computers called
IBM clones
 CONT.

• PC mainly comprise of four units i.e. CPU box,

keyboard, Visual Display Unit (VDU)(or
screen) and mouse
LAPTOP COMPUTERS

• Laptop computers also fall into the category of

microcomputers
• Their capabilities are the same as that of a PC
• Laptop computers look like a briefcase
• Upper panel of the briefcase comprises of Liquid-
crystal Display (LCD) screen
• Lower panel contains keyboard and mouse arrangement
• Other components and circuitry remains packed inside
the briefcase
CONT.

• Laptop computers are deliberately designed to

be light in weight
• They run on chargeable battery, which resides
inside
• Due to their size, weight and independence
from power (for two to three hours) people
carry them while traveling in car, train or
airplane and work on them
CONT.

• A laptop computer
MINICOMPUTERS

• Minicomputers are relatively larger and faster

computers
• They support multi user environment
• They are generally used for automating those
applications, which are large in size, require
fast processing capabilities and demand for
resource sharing among multiple users
CHARACTERISTICS OF
MINICOMPUTERS
• They are built, using high performance and high
capability processor
• Memory size, in such type of computers is
generally very large
• They support multiple terminals connectivity,
which may range from 2 to 128
• They possess the capability of performing
computer network related operations
 MAINFRAMES

• Mainframes fall into next higher category of computers

• Their internal architecture and circuitry remains different
from Minicomputers
• They use specially designed proprietary circuits instead of
just single microprocessor as their CPU
• Their circuitry promotes higher connectivity, faster
throughputs and large data processing capabilities
• Mainframes become quite big in size and provide facility
for connecting Minicomputers and microcomputers with
them
CHARACTERISTICS OF
MAINFRAMES
• They possess the capability of addressing larger memory
sizes than that of Minicomputers
• They also support larger capacity disks like optical disks etc
• Their terminal connectivity can go as high as 256 or
beyond
• They possess large number of application libraries that
provide great help to developers in developing useful
applications
• DEC 20, IBM 370 etc. are the examples of few mainframes
• IBM (USA) is the largest manufacturer of Mainframes
SUPERCOMPUTERS

• Supercomputer is the largest category of computers

• They use multiple CPUs for processing the data and
executing the instructions
• While performing a task through Supercomputer, the
complete task gets divided into multiple independent
tasks
• Each CPU performs individual task and completes it in
parallel
• This methodology of processing is called parallel
processing
CONT.

• Due to parallel processing, Supercomputers are capable

of processing large volumes of data at very fast speed
• They process multi million to few trillion commands per
second
• Applications like weather forecasting, nuclear weapon
design, projection system modeling, aero modeling etc.
which require tremendous processing capabilities, can be
very well executed on
• CRAY, XMP 24 and NEC 500 are few examples of
Supercomputer
COMPUTER OPERATION

Computer performs four general operations which are:

• Input - Entry of raw data; for example, typing names
and addresses on a keyboard or transmitting a
picture from a digital camera
• Processing - Manipulation of the raw data to
produce useful information, the key purpose of a
computer; for example, sorting or indexing the
names and addresses or adding effects to the picture
• Output - is the result of a computer process
• Output may be viewed on a monitor screen, heard through
speakers, printed on printers, and so forth.
CONT.

• Storage- Retention of the data until it is

needed; for example, filing names and
addresses in a database or archiving the picture
in an online library
• With a basic understanding of these key
functions, the role of each of the components of
a PC becomes much clearer
ASSIGNMENT

Are there any tasks that can be

automated or require the use of
computers in your field? Identify possible
applications of computers in your field of
expertise.
Discuss in the group of five/ten students and
write your answers in three pages, by hand.
Deadline Wednesday 20th March 2024.