CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY
 TOPIC LEARNING OUTCOME
At the end of this topic, students must be able to:

- Define the computer and information technology

- Differentiate the revolution of computers
- Identify first computer produced
- Diffrentiate types of computers and give examples
- Understand computer softwares and functions of operating systems
- Identify computer hardwares
- Identify and provide examples on computer storage and communication devices
 DEFINITION
WHAT IS A COMPUTER?
Electronic device that accept data, process the data
according to specified rules, produce results and store the
results for future use.
 DEFINITION

• Data - Collection of unprocessed items.

• Information - Processed data.
• Information Technology - Methods & techniques used in
information handling and retrieval by automatic means.
 COMPUTER REVOLUTION
HISTORY OF COMPUTERS
From Abascus to IPhone
LEIBNIZ PASCAL
- Abascus is first being used for
mathematical instructions “+,-,x, /”
- In 1642, Blaise Pascal: first practical
mechanical calculator, the Pascaline
- In 1671, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz:
advanced calculating machine and
invented binary code.
- In 1854, George Boole: Boolean
ABASCUS algebra. IPHONE
 FATHER OF COMPUTER Charles
Babbage (1791–1871)

Generations Revolutions
The First Generation (1943-1958) Vacuum tubes

Second Generation (1959-1964) Transistors

- smaller, faster, more reliable and consumed less electricity.
- Assembler languages or symbolic languages.
- Higher level languages (Fortran and Cobol).

Third Generation (1965-1970) Integrated circuit (IC)

- Size, powerful, smaller and cheaper
- Multi-tasking
Fourth Generation (1971-present) Large-scale integration
Very Large Scale Integration (VLSI)
Microcomputer
Fifth Generation (the future) Artificial Intelligence, Expert Systems, Natural Language.
 The First Computer?

First programmable computer?

• Konrad Zuse, a German Scientist, during 1936 and 1938 built
the Z1.
First Digital Computer?
• J. Presper Eckert and John Mauchly were the first to invent
“the ENIAC” at the University of Pennsylvania in 1946. It
weighed almost 50 tons with 18,000 Vacuum Tubes.
First commercial Computer?
• The first commercial computer is Z4, by Kondrad Zuse in 1942.
TYPES OF COMPUTER

4 basic types of computers:

• Supercomputer
• Mainframe Computer
• Minicomputer
• Microcomputer
 Supercomputer
• MOST powerful computers in terms of
performance and data processing.
• For research and exploration purposes, eg:
NASA to launch space shuttles & controls.
• Very expensive and very large in size.
• Eg: Space Exploration, Space Exploration,
Weather Forecasting, Nuclear weapons
testing
 Mainframe Computer
• Used by large firms & government.
• Process & store large amount of data.
• Eg: Banks, Institutions, Insurance companies
 Minicomputer
• Also known as “Midrange Computers” for
small bussiness.
• Not for single use. 4 to about 200 users
simultaneously.
• For example, a production department use it
for monitoring certain production process.
 Microcomputer
• For general usage like entertainment,
education and work purposes.
• Desktop computers, laptops, personal digital
assistant (PDA), tablets & smartphones,
Gaming consoles, Sound & Navigation
systemCalculators
COMPUTER SOFTWARES
• set of instructions written in a computer
language that solves a computational task

• To carry out instructions, computer must

execute a program

• Program can be executed many times

 Operating System
• Acts as an interface between the user and the
computer hardware and controls the execution of
all kinds of programs.
• Allow users to communicate with the computer
& other software
• Eg: Windows Vista or XP – Microsoft’s OS &
Mac OS X – Apple’s OS
Functions Of Operating System
1. Starting a computer
2. Providing a user interface
3. Managing programs
4. Managing memory
5. Coordinating tasks
6. Configuring devices
7. Establishing an Internet connection
8. Monitoring performance
9. Providing file management & other utilities
10.Controlling network
 Utility Programs
• Allow user to perform maintenance-type tasks
(related to managing a computer, its devices
@ programs)
– Some utility program:
File manager, Search utility, Image viewer,
Personal firewall, Uninstaller, Disk
scanner, Disk defragmenter, Diagnostic
utility, Backup Utility, Screen saver
COMPONENTS OF COMPUTE
RS
 COMPUTER HARDWARES
Input devices – any hardware that allows
users to enter data & instruction into a
computer.
Output device – hardware components that
conveys information to one or more people.
 STORAGE DEVICES
Holds data, instructions & information for future use
• Capacity – no of bytes a storage medium can hold
• Writing – process of transferring data, instructions and
information from memory to a storage medium
• Reading – process of transferring items from a storage medium
into a memory
• Speed of storage devices and memory – access time measures:
– Amount of time it takes a storage device to locate an item on a
storage medium
– Time required to deliver an item from memory to the processor
 PRIMARY STORAGE DEVICES

• Smaller size to hold data for a temporary

period.
• Found inside the computer, and they
have the fastest access to data.
• Examples: Cache memory and RAM.
 Memory
• 2 types of memory
– Volatile -> RAM (Random Access Memory),
also called main memory (temporary)
– Non-volatile -> ROM (Read Only Memory),
flash memory & CMOS (Complementary
metal–oxide–semiconductor - CMOS chips
require less power )
 Read Only Memory (RAM)
3 basic types:
i) Dynamic RAM (DRAM)
Must be re-energized constantly or they lose their contents.
- SDRAM (Synchronous DRAM) faster than DRAM chips
- DDRSDRAM (Double Data Rate SDRAM) faster than SDRAM

ii) Static RAM (SRAM)

Static means : DO NOT HAVE to be re-energized as often as DRAM chips. More
expensive.

iii) Magnetoresistive (MRAM)

Stores data using magnetic charges. Better in terms storage, consume less power, faster
access time, retain contents after power remove.
 Cache
• High-speed access area that can be either
a reserved section of main memory or
storage device. 
• As the microprocessor processes data, it
looks first in the cache memory and if it
finds the data there.
Non Volatile: Read Only Memory (ROM)

• Memory chip storing permanent data and instructions.

• Data on most ROM chips cannot be modified
• Other types of nonvolatile memory:
-Flash Memory
-CMOS
 SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICES

• Larger storage capacity & store data

permanently.
• The device can be both external and
internal to a computer and includes;
compact disk, USB drive, hard disk, etc
 Magnetic Storage Devices
Common types of storage used with
computers and is the technology that many
computer hard drives use.
– Floppy Disk
– Hard Drive
– Magnetic Strip
– Tape Cassette
 Optical Storage Devices
Another common storage is optical storage, which
uses lasers and lights as its method of reading and
writing data.
- Blu Ray Disc
- CD ROM Disc
- CD-R / CD-RW Disc
- DVD-R, DVD-RW Disc
 Flash Memory Devices
Flash memory has started to replace magnetic media as it
becomes cheaper as it is the more efficient and reliable solution.
– USB Flash Drive/Thumb Drive
– Memory Card
 Online and Cloud
Storing data online and in cloud storage is
becoming popular as people need to access
their data from more than one device.
-Cloud Storage
- Network Media
 COMMUNICATION
DEVICES
Any hardware capable of transmitting data, instructions &
information between sending device & receiving device
• Dial-up modems
• ISDN Modem – ISDN line
• DSL Modem – DSL line
• ISDN & DSL – external device
• Cable Modems
– Broadband modem; sends & receives digital data over the cable
television (CATV)
• Wireless Modems
• Network cards
– Also known as NIC (network interface card)
• Wireless Access Point
– Central communications – allows computers to transfer data
wirelessly
• Routers
– Connects multiple computers & transmit data to its correct
destination
– To prevent unauthorized users – built-in firewall
THE END