Computer System

Computer System

• Today computer system

are found everywhere.
What is computer?
• A computer is a system made of
two major component: hardware
and software.
Types of computer
• Supercomputers, the most expensive,
can perform trillions of functions in a
second.
• Solves complex math problems.
• Mainframe computers are used by large
businesses such as banks, insurance
companies, and universities, because
they allow many users to perform
different computing functions at the same
time.
• Large Businesses; Facebook, Google
• Minicomputers, or midrange computers,
are about the size of refrigerators and are
typically used by medium-sized
companies or by departments of larger
companies, such as manufacturing
departments.
• Microcomputers include the computers
that we use everyday, such as the laptop.
There are six types of microcomputers

• Desktop computers
• Media centers
• Notebook computers
• Netbooks
• Tablet PCs
• Handheld computers such as Personal
Digital Assistants and smartphones
Hardware

• Is the physical equipment

• 5 parts
– Input device
– CPU
– Primary storage
– Output device
– Auxiliary devices
Software

• Is the collection of programs

(instructions) that allow the hardware to
do its job.
• 2 categories
– System Software
– Application Software
System Software

• Manages the computer resources.

• It provides the interface between the
hardware and the user but does nothing
to directly serve the user’s needs.
• Consists of programs that manage the
hardware resources of a computer and
perform required information tasks.
Application Software

• Is directly responsible for helping user to

solve their problems.
3 classes of System software

1. Operating system
– Provides services such as a user interface,
file and database access, and interfaces to
communication system such as internet
protocols.
– Primary purpose is to keep the system
operating in an efficient manner
Cont.…

2. System Support System

– Provides system utilities and other operating
services.
– Example: sort programs and disk format
programs
Cont.…

3. System Development
– Includes the language translator that convert
program into machine language for
execution, debugging tools to ensure that
the programs are error-free.
2 classes of Application Software

1. General-Purpose software
- Is purchased from software developer and
can be use more than one application
- Example: Word Processor, database
management system
2. Application- Specific software
- Can be used only for its intended purpose.
- They can be used only for the tasks for
which they were designed; they cannot be
used for other generalized tasks.
- Example: Inventory System of Budget
Office, Enrolment system of Registrar
Office, Adobe Products.
Hardware and Software Relationship
Diagram
User

userSoftware
Application
System

Hardware

Software
Program

• An organized list of instructions that,

when executed, causes the computer to
behave in a predetermined manner.

• Without programs, computers are

useless.
Computer Programming

• Is the process of giving instructions.

• It is the action or process of writing
computer programs.
• Process of developing and implementing
sets of instructions to enable a computer
to do a certain taks.
Programming Language (PL)

• An artificial language used to write

instructions that can be translated into
machine language and execute by a
computer.
2 Types of PL

• High Level Language

– Resemble to human language.
– Design to be easy for human to write and
read programs.
– Example: C Language, c++, Java, etc.
• Low Level Language
– A language that close to machine language
– Have same structure and set of command
as machine language but the enable the
programmer to understand it.
Machine Language

• Is a set of instructions executed directly

by a CPU.
• Consist of binary or hexadecimal
instructions that a computer respond
directly.
Compiler

• A program that translate a high level

language to machine language.
• Example: GNU GCC Compiler