Information system ralph CH02

Fundamentals of Information
Systems, Fifth Edition
Chapter 2
Hardware and Software


Principles and Learning Objectives
• Computer hardware must be carefully selected to
meet the evolving needs of the organization and its
supporting information systems
– Identify and discuss the role of the essential
hardware components of a computer system
– Identify the characteristics of and discuss the usage
of various classes of single-user and multiuser
computer systems

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Principles and Learning Objectives
(continued)
• Systems and application software are critical in
helping individuals and organizations achieve their
goals
– Identify and briefly describe the functions of the two
basic kinds of software
– Outline the role of the operating system and identify
the features of several popular operating systems

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Principles and Learning Objectives
(continued)
• Organizations should not develop proprietary
application software unless doing so will meet a
compelling business need that can provide a
competitive advantage
– Discuss how application software can support
personal, workgroup, and enterprise business
objectives
– Identify three basic approaches to developing
application software and discuss the pros and cons
of each
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Principles and Learning Objectives
(continued)
• Organizations should choose a programming
language whose functional characteristics are
appropriate for the task at hand, considering the
skills and experience of the programming staff
– Outline the overall evolution and importance of
programming languages and clearly differentiate

among the generations of programming languages

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Principles and Learning Objectives
(continued)
• The software industry continues to undergo
constant change; users need to be aware of recent
trends and issues to be effective in their business
and personal life
– Identify several key software issues and trends that
have an impact on organizations and individuals

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Computer Systems: Integrating the
Power of Technology
• To assemble an effective and efficient system
– Select and organize components while
understanding the trade-offs between overall system
performance and cost, control, and complexity

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Hardware Components
• Central processing unit (CPU)
– Arithmetic/logic unit (ALU)
• Performs calculations and makes logical comparisons

– Control unit
• Sequentially accesses, decodes and coordinates data
in CPU and other devices

• Primary memory
– Holds program instructions

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Processing and Memory Devices:
Power, Speed, and Capacity
• System unit
– Houses the components responsible for processing
(the CPU and memory)

• All other computer system devices are linked either
directly or indirectly into the system unit housing

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Processing Characteristics and
Functions
• Clock speed
– Produces a series of electronic pulses produced at a
predetermined rate that affects machine cycle time

• Physical characteristics of the CPU
– CPU speed is also limited by physical constraints
– To turn a digital circuit on or off, electrical current
flows through silicon

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Memory Characteristics and Functions
• Storage capacity
– Data is stored in memory as a combination of on or
off circuit states
– Eight bits together form a byte (B)

• Types of memory
– Random access memory (RAM)
• Temporary and volatile

– Read-only memory (ROM)
• Usually nonvolatile

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Multiprocessing
• Multicore microprocessor
– Shares workload among two or more independent
processors in a single computer

• Parallel processing
– Speeds processing by linking several processors to
operate at the same time, or in parallel

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Multiprocessing
• Grid computing
– Collection of computers working to solve a common

problem

• Cloud computing
– Giant cluster of computers serving as a host to run
applications that require high-performance
computing

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Secondary Storage and Input and
Output Devices
• Secondary storage
–
–
–
–

Also called permanent storage
Nonvolatile
Greater capacity and greater economy than memory
Costs considerably less per megabyte of capacity
than SDRAM

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Access Methods
• Sequential access
– Data must be accessed in the order in which it is
stored

• Direct access
– Data can be retrieved directly, without having to pass
by other data in sequence

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Secondary Storage Devices
• Magnetic tapes
– Secondary storage used primarily for backups

• Magnetic disks
– Direct access secondary storage, e.g., hard disk

• RAID
– Method of storing data so that if a hard drive fails,
the lost data on that drive can be rebuilt

• SAN
– Provides high-speed connections between data
storage devices and computers over a network
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Secondary Storage Devices
(continued)
• Optical disks
– Compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) with a
storage capacity of 740 MB of data

• Digital video disk (DVD)
– Used to store digital video or computer data

• Flash memory
– Nonvolatile silicon computer chip
– Keeps its memory when the power is shut off

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Input Devices
• Personal computer input devices
– Keyboard, mouse

• Speech-recognition technology
– Input devices that recognize human speech

• Digital cameras

– Record and store images or video in digital form

• Touch-sensitive Screens
– Allow display screens to function as input as well as
output devices
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Input Devices (continued)
• Optical data readers
– Used to scan documents

• Magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) devices
– System that reads data quickly

• Pen input devices
– Touching the screen with a pen input device allows
you to activate a command

• Radio Frequency Identification
– Transmits data by a mobile device, called a tag
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Output Devices
• Display monitors (CRTs)

– TV-screen-like device on which output from the
computer is displayed

• Liquid crystal displays (LCDs)
– Easier on eyes; use less electricity; take up less
space than CRTs

• Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)
– Directly emits light rather than using backlight
– Sharper colors and thinner displays

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Output Devices (continued)
• Printers and plotters
– Laser printers are generally faster than inkjet printers
and can handle more volume

• Digital audio player
– Stores, organizes, and plays digital music files

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Computer System Types

• Handheld computers
– Single-user computers that provide ease of
portability

• Ultra laptop computer
– Weighs less than three pounds (1.4 kg)
– Usually targeted for use by business travelers

• Portable computers
– Computer small enough to be carried easily

• Thin client
– Low-cost, centrally managed computer with no extra
drives
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Computer System Types (continued)
• Desktop computers
– Small, inexpensive single-user computer systems
that are highly versatile

• Workstations
– More powerful than personal computers but small
enough to fit on a desktop

• Servers
– Computers designed for a specific task

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Computer System Types (continued)
• Mainframe computer
– Large, powerful computer shared by hundreds of
concurrent users

• Supercomputers
– Most powerful computer systems
– Has fastest processing speeds and highest
performance

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