INTRODUCTION

TO
INFORMATION SYSTEMS

LESSON 1: FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS

 INTRODUCTION
 People use computers in different ways.
 In school, students use computers for tasks such as writing papers, searching for
articles, sending email, and participating in online classes.
 At work, people use computers to analyze data, make presentations, conduct
business transactions, communicate with customers and coworkers, control
machines in manufacturing facilities, and do many other things.
 At home, people use computers for tasks such as paying bills, shopping online,
communicating with friends and family, and playing computer games.
 It is important to note that cell phones, iPads, BlackBerries, car navigation
systems, and many other devices are computers too.
 The uses of computers are almost limitless in our everyday lives.
 Computers can do such a wide variety of things because they can
be programmed.
 This means that computers are not designed to do just one job,
but to do any job that their programs tell them to do.
 A program is a set of instructions that a computer follows to
perform a task.
 Popular program examples are Microsoft Word and Adobe
Photoshop.
 Microsoft Word is a word processing program that allows you to
create, edit, and print documents with your computer.
 Adobe Photoshop is an image editing program that allows you to
work with graphic images, such as photos taken with your digital
camera.
 Programs are commonly referred to as software.
 Software is essential to a computer because it controls everything
the computer does.
 All of the software that we use to make our computers useful is
created by individuals working as programmers or software
developers.
 A programmer, or software developer, is a person with the training
and skills necessary to design, create, and test computer programs.
 Computer programming is an exciting and rewarding career.
 Today, you will find programmers’ work used in business, medicine,
government, law enforcement, agriculture, academics,
entertainment, and many other fields.
 HARDWARE

 The term hardware refers to all of the physical devices, or components, that a computer is made of.
 A computer is not one single device, but a system of devices that all work together. Like the
different instruments in a symphony orchestra, each device in a computer plays its own part.
 Usually when buying a computer users always check on components such as microprocessors,
memory, disk drives, video displays, graphics cards, and so on.
 A typical computer system consists of the following major components:

• The central processing unit (CPU)

• Main memory
• Secondary storage devices
• Input devices
• Output devices
 THE CPU

 When a computer is performing the tasks that a program tells it to

do, we say that the computer is running or executing the program.
 The central processing unit, or CPU, is the part of a computer that
actually runs programs.
 The CPU is the most important component in a computer because
without it, the computer could not run software.
 MAIN MEMORY
 You can think of main memory as the computer’s work area. This is where the
computer stores a program while the program is running, as well as the data that
the program is working with. For example, suppose you are using a word
processing program to write an essay for one of your classes. While you do this,
both the word processing program and the essay are stored in main memory.
 Main memory is commonly known as random-access memory, or RAM.
 It is called this because the CPU is able to quickly access data stored at any
random location in RAM.
 RAM is usually a volatile type of memory that is used only for temporary storage
while a program is running. When the computer is turned off, the contents of RAM
are erased.
 Inside your computer, RAM is stored in chips
 SECONDARY STORAGE DEVICES
 Secondary storage is a type of memory that can hold data for long
periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer.
 Programs are normally stored in secondary memory and loaded into
main memory as needed.
 Important data, such as word processing documents, payroll data,
and inventory records, is saved to secondary storage as well.
 The most common type of secondary storage device is the disk
drive.
 Other examples of secondary storage devices are tape drives, CD,
DVD, Floppy disk, pen drives and so on.
 INPUT DEVICES

 Input is any data the computer collects from people and from other
devices.
 The component that collects the data and sends it to the computer
is called an input device.
 Common input devices are the keyboard, mouse, scanner,
microphone, and digital camera.
 Disk drives and optical drives can also be considered input devices
because programs and data are retrieved from them and loaded
into the computer’s memory.
 OUTPUT DEVICES

 Output is any data the computer produces for people or for other
devices.
 It might be a sales report, a list of names, or a graphic image.
 The data is sent to an output device, which formats and presents it.
 Common output devices are video displays, speakers and printers.
 Disk drives and CD recorders can also be considered output devices
because the system sends data to them in order to be saved.
 SOFTWARE

 If a computer is to function, software is not optional.

 Everything that a computer does, from the time you turn the power
switch on until you shut the system down, is under the control of
software.
 There are two general categories of software: system software and
application software.
 Most computer programs clearly fit into one of these two categories.
 1. SYSTEM SOFTWARE
 The programs that control and manage the basic operations of a computer are generally referred to as system
software. System software typically includes the following types of programs:
1. Operating Systems: An operating system is the most fundamental set of programs on a computer. The
operating system controls the internal operations of the computer’s hardware, manages all of the devices
connected to the computer, allows data to be saved to and retrieved from storage devices, and allows other
programs to run on the computer. Popular operating systems are Windows, Mac OS, and Linux.
2. Utility Programs: A utility program performs a specialized task that enhances the computer’s operation or
safeguards data. Examples of utility programs are virus scanners, file compression programs, and data backup
programs.
3. Software Development Tools: Software development tools are the programs that programmers use to
create, modify, and test software. Assemblers, compilers, and interpreters are examples of programs that fall
into this category.
4. Device Driver: A driver is a specially written program which translates the commands from the operating
system into commands that the hardware will understand. Each piece of hardware e.g. printer, monitor,
scanner, keyboard etc will have its own driver. Printers from different manufacturers work in different ways,
so a printer from manufacturer A will need a different driver than printer from manufacturer B. If you try to use
a device without the correct driver, then it probably won’t work. If you do manage to get your new printer
working without installing its driver, it will probably just print gobbledygook!
 2. APPLICATION SOFTWARE

 Programs that make a computer useful for everyday tasks are

known as application software.
 These are the programs that people normally spend most of their
time running on their computers.
 Examples of application programs are Microsoft Word, a word
processing program, and Adobe Photoshop, an image editing
program.
 Some other examples of application software are spreadsheet
programs, email programs, web browsers, and game programs.
 PRACTICE QUESTIONS
1. What is a program?
2. What is hardware?
3. List the five major components of a computer system.
4. What part of the computer actually runs programs?
5. What part of the computer serves as a work area to store a program and its data while the program is
running?
6. What part of the computer holds data for long periods of time, even when there is no power to the computer?
7. What part of the computer collects data from people and from other devices?
8. What part of the computer formats and presents data for people or other devices?
9. What fundamental set of programs control the internal operations of the computer’s hardware?
10. What do you call a program that performs a specialized task, such as a virus scanner, a file compression
program, or a data backup program?
11. Word processing programs, spreadsheet programs, email programs, web browsers, and game programs
belong to what category of software?
THE END!!!
COMPILED BY F. ZINYOWERA