Hardware Components
Central Processing Unit (CPU) - "The brain" of the computer. Selects instructions, processes them, performs arithmetic and logical comparisons, and stores results of operations in memory.
Dual Processor - Computer with two CPUs
Quad Processor - Computer with four CPUs
*Some high-end computers have 16 or more CPUs.
CPU reads data and instructions from memory and then stores the results of computations in main memory. Main memory is sometimes called RAM, for random access memory.
All computers include storage hardware, which is used to save data and programs. Magnetic, or hard, disks are the most common storage device. Optical disks such as CDs and DVDs are popular storage media.
Types of Hardware
Computer Data
Computers represent data using binary digits, called bits. A bit is either a zero or a one. They are used because they are easy to represent physically.
Bits are grouped into 8-bit chunks called bytes. One character will fit into one byte. Bytes are used to measure sizes of non character data as well. Data can be numbers, characters, currency amounts, photos, recordings, or whatever. All are simply a string of bits. Specifications for size of main memory, disk, and other computer devices are expressed in bytes.
•Disk capacities specified by amount of bytes.
–500 GB•CPU speed expressed in cycles called hertz.–Slow personal computer speed of 3 Gigahertz.
–Fast PC 3.5+ GHz.
Three new hardware developments that have the potential to disrupt existing organizations:
Internet of Things - the idea that objects are becoming connected to the Internet so they can interact with other devices, applications, or services. The impact of IoT forces companies to make new protocols, add more bandwidth, and tighter security, as well as better battery-life.
Self driving cars - will make things easier, cheaper, and safer. Automobile accidents, in time, will become non-existent. Household will no longer need multiple cars. No risk of DUI, traffic tickets, or parking tickets. With fewer cars on the road, auto sales will decrease dramatically. More jobs will open up for engineers, programmers, systems designers, etc.
3D Printing - able to mold plastics, metals, ceramics, foods, and biological material. Can benefit aerospace, defense, entertainment, and healthcare industries.
Operating system (OS) - program that controls a computer's resources. Functions include reading and writing data, allocating main memory, and performing memory swapping.
There are two types of application programs: Native application & Web application
Native applications are programs that are written to use a particular operating system. Microsoft only runs on Windows. Some apps come in multiple versions: Windows and Mac versions of Microsoft Word. Native apps are sometimes called thick-client apps.
Web application, or thin-client app, is designed to run within a computer browser such as Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.
Major Operating Systems
Non-moile clients are used on personal computers. Some version of Windows resides on more than 85% of the world's desktops.
Virtualization
•Virtualization:
process
by which one computer hosts the appearance of many computers. One operating
system, called the host operating system runs
one or more operating systems as applications. Hosted operating systems are
called virtual
machines (vm).
•Each virtual machine has disk space
and other resources allocated to it. Operates as if installed on own computer.
•Host operating system controls
activities of virtual machines to prevent them from interfering with one
another.
Own Versus License
Buying a computer program really means you are buying a license to use the program.
Large organizations do not buy a license for each computer user. Instead, they negotiate a site license,
a flat fee that authorizes company to install the product on all company computers.
•Horizontal-market
application software
provides capabilities common across all organizations and industries. Word
processors, graphics programs, spreadsheets, and presentation programs are all
horizontal-market application software.
•Vertical-market
application software
serves the needs of a specific industry. Example of such programs are those
used by dental offices to schedule appointments and bill patients.
•One-of-a-kind
application software
is developed for a specific, unique need.
•Because
of the risk and expense, custom development is the last-choice alternative,
used only when there is no other option.
Firmware - computer software installed into devices such printers and other types of communication devices. They are coded into special, read-only memory. Program becomes part of device's memory.
GNU - tool by Richard Matthew Stallman for creating free Unix-like operating system.
GNU general public license (GPL) agreement - standard license agreement for open source software.
Open Source - source code of program available to public.
Source code - computer code written by humans and understood by humans.
Machine code - compiled source code that is not understandable by humans and cannot be modified.
Open source is viable depending on the requirements and restraints of the situation.
Native
applications run on just one operating
system. Web applications run in
browsers. In the
latter case, the browser provides a more or less consistent
environment for the application; the
peculiarities of operating systems and
hardware are handled by the browser’s code and hidden
from the Web application.
Five Components of Mobile Change and Opportunity
Challenges of Personal Mobile Devices at Work
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