system unit

System unit

The main part, processing unit and devices, of a microcomputer is a system unit. A system unit includes a board called a motherboard that holds a microprocessor chip (or a CPU), memory chips, and expansion slots. Electronic circuitry is printed on the board and it connects between two main parts of a microcomputer, the microprocessor and primary storage and other parts. The system unit is housed within the system cabinet. A system unit includes the following parts:

• Motherboard
• Microprocessor
• Memory Chips
• System Clock
• Buses
• Ports
• Expansion Slots and Cards

Motherboard

A Motherboard or system board is the main printed, flat circuit board in an electronic device such as microcomputers. The board contains expansion slots (sockets) that accept additional boards (expansion Cards). In a microcomputer, the motherboard contains the microprocessor, the primary storage chips (or main memory cards), the buses, and all the chips used for controlling the peripherals.

Microprocessor

A microprocessor is a processor whose elements are miniaturized into one or a few integrated circuits contained in a single silicon microchip. It executes instructions. In a microcomputer, the central processing unit (CPU) is held on a single microprocessor. In order to function as a processor, it requires a system clock, primary storage, and power supply.
Several important lines of microcomputers use some families of microprocessor chips. Intel and Motorola are the major companies that produce important microprocessors for IBM compatible and Macintosh computers.

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The central processing unit (CPU) is the computing part of the computer that interprets and executes program instructions. It is also known as the processor. In a microcomputer, the CPU is contained on a single microprocessor chip within the system unit. The CPU has two parts: the control unit and the arithmetic-logic unit.

Additional storage units called registers within control unit and ALU help make processing more efficient. 

•   Control Unit: A control unit is the circuitry that locates, retrieves, interprets and executes each instruction in the central processing unit. The control unit directs electronic signals between primary storage and the ALU, and between the CPU and input/output devices.

• Atithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU): ALU is a high-speed circuit part in the CPU. The arithmetic-logic unit (ALU) performs arithmetic (math) operations, logic (comparison) operations and related operations. The ALU retrieves alphanumeric data from memory and then does actual calculating and comparing. It sends the results of the operation back to memory again.

Memory Chips

A memory chip is a chip that holds programs and data either temporarily or permanently. The major categories of memory chips are RAMs and ROMs.

• RAM Chips  - RAM stands for random-access memory. Random- access memory holds the data or instructions that the CPU is presently processing. The type of primary storage is RAM. That is, a collection of RAM chips builds primary storage. Whenever a CPU writes data or instructions to RAM, it wipes out the previous contents of RAM, and when a CPU read data or instructions from RAM, it keeps their contents.

• ROM Chips - ROM stands for read-only memory. A ROM chip is a memory chip that stores instructions and data permanently. Its contents are placed into the ROM chip at the time of manufacture and cannot be modified by the user. A CPU can read and retrieve the instructions and data from the ROM chip, but it cannot change the contents in ROM .ROM chips usually contain special instructions for computer operations such as ROM BIOS. The variations on the ROM chip are the following:

•  PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory): A permanent storage device that becomes a read-only memory after it is written once by the customer rather than by the chip manufacturer. For example, a software producer can write instructions onto the PROM using special equipment.

• EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory): EPROM is a reusable PROM-chip that can be erased by a special ultraviolet light. EPROM holds its content until erased and new instructions can be written on it.

• EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory): EEPROM-chip can be erased, either within a computer or externally, by electric power. The process usually requires more voltage than the common +5 volts used in logic circuits.

Primary Storage (Memory)

Primary storage (internal storage, main memory or memory) is the computer's working storage space that holds data, instructions for processing, and processed data (information) waiting to be sent to secondary storage. Physically, primary storage is a collection of RAM chip.

The contents are held in primary storage only temporarily. Capacity varies with different computers. Data or instructions are stored in primary storage locations called addresses.

Ports

A port is an external connecting socket on the outside the computer. This is a pathway into and out of the computer. A port lets users plug in outside peripherals, such as monitors, scanners and printers.

• Serial Ports

Serial ports are external I/O connectors used to attach modems, scanners or other serial interface devices to the computer. The typical serial ports use a 9-pin DB-9 or a 25-pin DB-25 connector. Serial ports transmit bits one after another on a single communications line. Serial lines frequently are used to link equipment that is not located close by.

• Parallel Ports

Parallel ports are external I/O connectors on a computer used to hook up printers or other parallel interface devices. The parallel port uses a DB-25 connector. This port transmits several bits simultaneously. Parallel lines move information faster than serial lines do.

System Software

What is System software

System software works with end use, application software and computer hardware to handle the majority of technical details. For example, system software controls where a word processing program is stored in memory.

system software provides the basic functions for computer usage and helps run the computer hardware and system. It includes a combination of the following:

1. Device Drivers
2. Operating System 
3. Utilities
4. Language Translators : Convert the programming instructions written by programmers into a language that computers understand and process

System software is responsible for managing a variety of independent hardware components, so that they can work together harmoniously. Its purpose is to unburden the application software programmer from the often complex details of the particular computer being used, including such accessories as communication devices, printers, device readers, displays and keyboards, and also to partition the computer's resources such as memory and processor time in a safe and stable manner.

Getting started with OFFICE 2010

About Office 2010

Office 2010 comes complete with new and improved tools and features to help you create, communicate, and stay productive, whether you’re working at home, the office, or school. Access your files in more places - and on your schedule - with applications you can use from your computer, from a Windows phone, or via a Web browser. Grab your audience’s attention and give your ideas more impact with ready-to-use design templates, eye-catching visual effects, and enhanced photo-editing capabilities.

Work smoothly and simultaneously with people in different locations using the coauthoring capabilities in Microsoft PowerPoint 2010, Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft OneNote 2010 shared notebook, and Microsoft Excel Web App. With professional-caliber tools that are easy to use, Office 2010 helps you simplify your tasks and create outstanding work wherever life takes you.

Office 2010 files can be opened within Office 2007. If you have Office 2000, XP, or 2003, you will need to download the free Compatibility Pack. However, new features and formatting capabilities found in the new version might be lost when saving to or opening from previous versions of the software.

Supported browsers for Office Web Apps include Internet Explorer 7 or later, Safari 4 for Mac and Firefox 3.5 or later for Windows, Mac, or Linux.

What’s new in Office 2010

New features by program and version

Word 2010

·        - Give your words some added flair.

·        -  Edit and apply effects to photos without additional software.

·        -  Organize your documents and navigate easily with the new navigation pane.

·        -  Add powerful special effects to words with new text effects.

·        -  Edit a document with other authors at the same time.

Excel 2010

·       -   See data more clearly.

·  -   Highlight important data trends in seconds using Sparklines.

·       -  Clarify information with color schemes and data bars in Conditional Foramtting.

·       -   Spend less time shifting through data with new PowerPivot features.

·       -   Edit documents with others simultaneously using the new Excel Web Apps.

PowerPoint 2010

·        -  Create presentations that have an impact.

·        -  Embed, trim, add bookmarks and special effects to videos right in PowerPoint.

·        -  Apply sophisticated effects to pictures, like color saturation and artistic filters.

·        -  Broadcast presentation instantly by creating a link for real-time, online viewing.

·        -  Share with others and stay on top of charges using the Co-Authoring feature.

·        -  More easily automate common tasks using the revamped Macro Designer.

Office 2010

·         - Work your way

·         - Easily customize the Ribbon in every Office 2010 application.

·         -  Quickly access file management tasks, such as open, save, and print, with new Backstage view. 

  YOU can download an Office 2010 trial today!

Office 2010 features and benefits

Express your ideas and create visual impact

• Edit your pictures right within select Office 2010 programs. Try an array of eye-catching artistic effects and new background removal tool to add polish to your images.

Boost your productivity with easy-to-use tools

• Use the new Paste with Live Preview feature, available in many Office 2010 applications, to preview your Paste Options before you paste.

Bring new insights to your information and make better decisions

·         From business financials to household budgets, Office 2010 makes it easier to manage and analyze your data and present it in meaningful ways.

.

• Design your own database faster than before in Access 2010, even if you’re not a database expert. With new features such as Application Parts, you can add prebuilt components to your database in just a few clicks. Use Access 2010 to design Navigation Forms for your frequently used forms and reports using drag-and-drop functionality.

Break down location and communication barriers

Office 2010 offers innovative and flexible ways to bring people together. New technologies and improved features help you easily share your files and keep up with your communications.

• With new co-authoring capabilities in Office 2010, you can edit your files simultaneously with people in different locations. Co-authoring is available in Word 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, Excel Web App, and OneNote Web App.

The internet

BELIEVE IT OR NOT..Internet was created way back in 1969, during the Cold War, by the United States military. It was meant to be a "nuke-proof" communications network. Today, the Internet spreads across the globe and consists of countless networks and computers, allowing millions of people to share information. Data that travels long distances on the Internet is transferred on huge lines known collectively as the Internet backbone. The Internet is now maintained by the major Internet service providers such as MCI Worldcom, Sprint, GTE, ANS, and UUNET. Because these providers make huge amounts of revenue off the Internet, they are motivated to maintain consistent and fast connections which benefits everyday Internet users like you and me.

Many people think the Internet and the World Wide Web are the same thing. They're not! The World Wide Web is what you are browsing right now. It is one of the many features of the Internet. E-mail, FTP, and Instant Messaging are also features of the Internet.


There many advantages to using the internet such as:

Email. 
E-mail is an online correspondence system. With e-mail you can send and receive instant electronic messages, which works like writing letters. Your messages are delivered instantly to people anywhere in the world, unlike traditional mail that takes a lot of time. Email is now an essential communication tools in business. It is also excellent for keeping in touch with family and friends. The advantages to email is that it is free ( no charge per use) when compared to telephone, fax and postal services.

Information. 
The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The ‘search engines’ on the Internet can help you to find data on any subject that you need.
There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support.

Services. 
Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking and applications, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line or cost more.

Buy or sell products. 
The internet is a very effective way to buy and sell products all over the world. Along with getting information on the Internet, you can also shop online. There are many online stores and sites that can be used to look for products as well as buy them using your credit card. You do not need to leave your house and can do all your shopping from the convenience of your home.


Communities. 
Communities of all types have sprung up on the internet. Its a great way to meet up with people of similar interest and discuss common issues.

Online Chat. There are many ‘chat rooms’ on the web that can be accessed to meet new people, make new friends, as well as to stay in touch with old friends.

Downloading Software.
This is one of the most happening and fun things to do via the Internet. You can download innumerable, games, music, videos, movies, and a host of other entertainment software from the Internet, most of which are free.



Disadvantages of the Internet:-

There are certain cons and dangers relating to the use of Internet that can be summarized as:

Personal Information.
If you use the Internet, your personal information such as your name, address, etc. can be accessed by other people. If you use a credit card to shop online, then your credit card information can also be ‘stolen’ which could be akin to giving someone a blank check.

Pornography.
This is a very serious issue concerning the Internet, especially when it comes to young children. There are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can be easily found and can be a detriment to letting children use the Internet.

Spamming.
This refers to sending unsolicited e-mails in bulk, which serve no purpose and unnecessarily clog up the entire system.

Such illegal activities are frustrating for all Internet users, and so instead of just ignoring it, we should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that using the Internet can become that much safer. That said, the advantages of the Internet far outweigh the disadvantages, and millions of people each day benefit from using the Internet for work and for pleasure.

Information Technology, the Internet and You

WE are not a programmer or web developer so this information is difficult for us to grasp, we are just a group of university student that try to sharing with you guys about what we had learn about Technology & Information Systems in our classes.

For first step, let we share about five components of a computer-based information system.

There are :

1. People

2. Data

3. Procedures

4. Hardware

5. Software

So what can we describe about Information Technology, the Internet and You?

The computer based information system is developed by the people and for the people. Computer users are people who will use the computer system. The developers are the people who will develop the system on basis of requirement in the market. Data is a collection of raw facts and figures that is available. There are several ways the organize data e.g. DataBase Management System, File Management System and etc. A computer based information system is used to process data into information that be useable for the user. Procedures are the actions and instruction that are used by the people to process the data into information. Operating procedures are used to operate the computer, data entry, communication, maintenance, back up and error recovery. Emergency procedures are used to trouble shoot the system if there is any problem detected.

There are different types of Hardware used for Computer Based Information System including:

Input hardware (Keyboard, mouse, etc.), Processing hardware (Processor, Memory, etc), Output hardware (Monitor, printer, etc) and Storage device (Disk Drive, etc).

Next we want to share information about what is internet. What is INTERNET all about?

The term the Internet when referring to the entire global system of IP networks has been treated as a proper noun and written with an initial capital letter. In the media and popular culture a trend has also developed to regard it as a generic term or common noun and thus write it as "the internet" without capitalization. Some guides specify that the word should be capitalized as a noun but not capitalized as an adjective.

Depiction of the Internet as a cloud in network diagrams

The terms Internet (The Internet explained's video) and World Wide Web (World Wide Web's video) are often used in everyday speech without much distinction. However, the Internet and the World Wide Web are not one and the same. The Internet is a global data communications system. It is a hardware and software infrastructure that provides connectivity between computers. In contrast, the Web is one of the services communicated via the Internet. It is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs.

In many technical illustrations when the precise location or interrelation of Internet resources is not important, extended networks such as the Internet are often depicted as a cloud. The verbal image has been formalized in the newer concept of cloud computing.

THE IMPACT OF THE INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE

There is a big influence of technique on our daily life. Electronic devices, multimedia and computers are things we have to deal with everyday. Especially the Internet is becoming more and more important for nearly everybody as it is one of the newest and most forward-looking media and surely "the" medium of the future.

Therefore we thought that it would be necessary to think about some good and bad aspects of how this medium influences us, what impacts it has on our social behaviour and what the future will look like.

The Internet changed our life enormously, there is no doubt about that. There are many advantages of the Internet that show you the importance of this new medium. What we want to say is that Internet changed our life in a positive way.

First we have to make a differentiation concerning the usage. You can use the Internet at home for personal or you at work for professional usage. Let's come to the first to spend a part of our day on the Internet is for many people quite normal. They use this kind of medium to get information about all kinds topics. Maybe some of them are interested in chatting probably they are members of a community. Whatever you are looking for you will find it. Even if you want to have very specific information, you will find it in a short time.

Normally, you often have to send a letter, than you have to wait for the reception of the reply, or you have to make some telephone calls and so on. In any case, the traditional way is the longer one. To put your own information on the Internet is also possible. Create your own homepage, tell other users about your interests, what you want, that's no problem at all.

Due to the birth of computer technology, we now have credit cards or what others call plastic money, which are very useful especially when you have no cash on hand or when ordered a product over the Internet. It's amazing how computer technology has changed both the way we live. Today, buying products such as mobile phones, bags, household utensils and clothing or even paying bills can be made effortlessly in the comfort of your own home.

With the computer use a lot of students, especially those with disabilities or serious illnesses can register unfortunate to different schools through home schooling. Students are still able to take their examination paper or check out their qualifications for use of the computer.

From our knowledge of computer technology has helped many businesses to better serve the community. But computers have not only helped us in the business industry but also has an effect on our communication systems. Long before the birth of computers, writing letters were the main source of communication which would be a nuisance particularly to those who live in distant places plus the phones are pretty expensive for most people prefer to write to their loved ones. And for that reason, people who are far from civilization really have difficulty communicating with others. Now we have email and live chat or even voice messages. Today we have video calls which would be able to see the person you're talking about. This would be great for people who have loved ones who are away from home. Contact with each other is now a piece of cake.

Computer technology has changed our lives for the better. Without it, we will still be living in pre-historic times.These days, the information technology industry is rapidly growing and changing. Along with the growth and change in information technology are the people who almost instantly adapt to change.