Transcript Computers and Networks

Software for Personal
Computing
A course overview
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Goal
• To provide you with the
knowledge and skills
needed to use computers
effectively.
– Learn about Windows XP
– Learn to navigate in a Unix
environment
– Use electronic mail
– Work with a word processor
– Work with a web browser
– Work with spreadsheets
– Connect to remote computers
– Transfer files between computers
– Compress and uncompress files
– Search and retrieve files
– Read and compose email messages
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Computers and their uses
• Personal Computer (PC)
– Windows XP
– Unix
– Mac OS
• In this class:
Windows XP
Unix
Word Processing
Basic usage
Spreadsheets
Database
Slide Presentations
Telnet and ftp
Drawing Tools
File Compression
Web browser and creating
web pages
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The Main Components of your PC
• Hard Drive
• RAM
• CPU (Central Processing Unit)
– Processor, sort of
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Mouse
Keyboard
Monitor
Software
Anything else???
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The Motherboard
• A motherboard is the central
or primary circuit board
making up a modern
computer.
• It is also known as a
mainboard, baseboard, system
board, or, on Apple
computers, a logic board.
• Is to provide the electrical and
logical connections by which
the other components of the
system communicate.
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The Hard Drive
• This is where every program and file on
your computer is stored.
• When you start a program or open a file,
that program/file is copied into memory
from the hard drive.
• Because all of your files/programs are
located on your hard drive, you need to
have more storage space than memory.
• Current hard drive sizes are in excess of 200
GB and are growing fast.
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Random Access Memory (RAM)
• Any data to be processed must be stored in memory rather
than on the hard drive.
• This makes access much faster since the RAM can be
accessed quicker than the hard drive.
• When you start a program, the program and the data it needs
are loaded from the hard drive into memory.
• When a computer does not have enough memory, information
must be swapped from RAM to the hard drive, which slows
down the computer a great deal.
• You can add additional RAM chips to gain more memory for
your PC. A currently acceptable amount of RAM is 1~2 GB.
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Central Processing Unit (CPU)
• The “brains” of your computer. If you have
a 2.8 GHz CPU, then your processor can
handle 2.8 billion commands a second.
• One Hertz (Hz) means the frequency of
<some event> is 1/second.
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Read Only Optical Storage
Media
• ROM means Read only Memory. Discs
labeled as ROM can only be read.
• CD-ROMs can hold about 700 MB, or the
equivalent of 486 floppies.
• DVDs (Digital Video Disk) have multiple
capacities, ranging from ~5-10 GB.
• BlueRay is gaining popularity,
and can store over 50 GB.
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CDs
• CD players’ read speed is measured with an X, or
the number of times greater than 150 Kilobytes
per second the speed of the first CD reader. So a
48X reader can read at 150 KB * 48 per second.
• CD-R discs can be written to once. Files deleted
from a CD-R before the disc is finalized are NOT
deleted. They are simply no longer accessible.
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DVDs
• High capacity optical or laser disc.
• One layer can hold 4.7 GB of data.
• Most commercial DVDs are dual layer. Each layer can
be written to. As a result, dual layer dvds can hold up to
8.5 GB of data, twice as much as a regular DVD.
• DVD-R can be written to just once.
• There are many dual layer burners on the market. They
require blank dual layer DVD R discs.
• There are two competing technologies: DVD+R and
DVD-R. Some drives can only read or write one
format, although most drives work with both formats.
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Software
• Software is another name for programs
 Instructions that tell the computer how to
process data
• Two kinds of software
 System software – what the computer uses
 Operating Systems
 Application software – what you use
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Personal Operating Systems
Mac OS and Linux
• Mac OS is the operating system for today’s Apple
Computers. Its GUI is similar to Windows, but the
differences are large enough that people tend to
pick one or the other.
• Linux is an open source operating system. It’s
used mostly with high end workstations and
network servers.
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History of Operating Systems
By Microsoft
• Microsoft has been making OS software utilizing
graphical user interfaces since around 1985.
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Windows 3.1
Windows 95
Windows 98
Windows ME
Windows XP
Windows NT and Windows XP Professional both are
personal operating systems when used as stand alone
machines but can be considered network operating
systems when connected to a network.
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Windows
• Graphical User Interface (GUI)
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perform tasks by clicking or dragging a mouse
access programs and documents with the Start button
related files are grouped in a window
each program is represented by an icon
menus and toolbars provided additional functionality
buttons and scroll bars are used to manipulate a window
• Mouse usage is essential for using Windows!
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Required Mouse Skills
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Pointing
Clicking
Right Clicking
Double Clicking
Dragging
Right Dragging
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Windows XP
Minimize button
Close button
Menu
Maximize/Restore button
Desktop icon
Start menu
Taskbar
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Disk Drives
Removable Drives
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Word Processing
• Microsoft Word
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create and edit text
format text (bold, italics, underline, font, font size)
orient text on a page (center, left-justified, right-justified)
bullets, borders and shading
word wrap
spell checker
insert graphical image in document
tables
Word Art
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Spreadsheets
• Microsoft Excel
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insert text, numbers, formulas or functions into a cell
format a range of cells
place a border around a range of cells
change text or background color
copy a formula to a range of cells
develop a chart from the data
macros (automate a sequence of keypresses)
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Web Browsers
• Examples
– Internet Explorer
– Mozilla Firefox
– Opera?
• Uses
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view multimedia from the World Wide Web (WWW)
search and retrieve information
download software
download multimedia
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Connect to remote computers
(using Telnet)
• Telnet to UNIX
(i.e., unixs.cis.pitt.edu)
• Telnet to VMS
(i.e., vms,cis.pitt.edu)
• Telnet to remote computer
(i.e., archie.rutgers.edu)
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Connect to UNIX
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UNIX OS
• UNIX environment
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type a command to perform a task or start a program
at login, you are sitting in your root directory
you can move to a different directory
you can copy or move a file
you can rename or delete a file
you can create or remove a directory
you can create or edit a text file
you can send email
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enter a unix command
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Transfer files between computers
(using FTP)
• WS_FTP or Rapid Filer
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transfer a text file
transfer a binary file
change directory
delete a file
rename a file
• Smart FTP
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Transferring Files
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Electronic Mail
• Client programs (installed on computer)
– MS Outlook
– Mozilla Thunderbird
• Web-based:
– Pitt mail
– Gmail (Google email)
• Uses
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Compose and send a message
Receive and read a message
Send or receive attachments
Create your own personal
signature
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Save a message
Insert files into messages
Create an address book
Delete messages
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Reading Email
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Key Terms
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application software
browser
chassis
compact disc (CD)
computer competency
computer network
connectivity
• data
• database file
• database management
systems
• desktop computer
• digital versatile (or
video) disc (DVD)
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Key Terms cont.
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document file
end user
floppy disk
handheld computer
hard disk
hardware
information
• information system
• information
technology
• input device
• internet
• keyboard
• Hertz
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Key Terms cont.
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mainframe computer
memory
microcomputer
microprocessor
midrange computer
minicomputer
monitor
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mouse
notebook computer
operating system
optical disk
output device
palmtop computer
people
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Key Terms cont.
• personal digital
assistant (PDA)
• presentation file
• presentation graphics
• primary storage
• printer
• procedures
• program
• random access
memory (RAM)
• secondary storage
devices
• software
• spreadsheet
• supercomputer
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Key Terms cont.
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system cabinet
system software
system unit
video display screen
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Web
wireless revolution
word processors
worksheet file
World Wide Web
(WWW)
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