Article 1 - Introducing The Computer

Introducing The Computer

Just like any other profession, computer people have their own jargon and tend to assume that everybody else just understands what is being said. I thought that I would use this article to explain some of this gobbledegook.

A computer system consists of ‘hardware’ and ‘software’. The ‘hardware’ part is the physical box containing the electronics as well as the printer, keyboard, mouse and any other bits which have been attached to the main box. The ‘software’ is the so called ‘programs’ which make the hardware do things which are (hopefully) useful. Most of you will be familiar with ‘windows’ from Microsoft – this is a piece of ‘software’. Word processors (such as ‘Word’), games, garden designers etc. are all examples of ‘software’. Many people in the computer business believe that all software contains errors of some kind ('bugs' in the jargon) despite extensive testing before you, the user, get your hands on the finished product.

Getting back to the ‘hardware’, the box known as the PC consists of several separate parts:

CPU (central processing unit)

This is the brain inside the machine. This unit processes all the instructions passed to it, and does so slavishly however idiotic the instruction might be. There are two main CPU manufacturers: Intel and AMD, and processorsare available as 'single core', 'dual core', and 'quad core'. New processors are frequently released, making it hard to keep up. The Pentium 4 was replaced by the Pentium D (dual core), which was in turn has been replaced by the 'Core 2 Duo' and 'Core 2 Quad. The latest releases from Intel are the i3, i5, and i7 processors.

Memory

Internal memory (ram - random access memory) is where programs and data are stored while they are being processed. Once a program has been terminated, the memory it was using can be used for something else. Memory is wiped clean when the PC is switched off.

Hard Disk

This can be compared to a very large CD and is used to store programs and data until they are required. Things stay recorded on the hard disk until you decide to delete it.

Graphics

The graphics card (sometimes also called video card) is what generates the picture you see on the monitor. People talk about dedicated graphics and integrated / onboard graphics. The onboard or integrated graphics is built into the motherboard and uses the system memory. Effectively, if your computer has 512 MB memory, 128 MB will be used by the onboard graphics system, leaving you with 384 MB memory for the rest of the computer. Dedicated graphics is a separate graphics card, which plugs into a specialized connection on the motherboard, has its own memory, and runs without borrowing resources from the rest of the computer.

Modem

The ‘modem’ is used to communicate with other computers, usually via the internet these days. With the advent of broadband, the 'dial-up' modem (usually found inside the computer box) is being fazed out. Instead you are given a broadband modem when you sign up for broadband which connects to the computer PC via one of the interface ports (see below for interface ports).

CD ROM

Most computers now come equipped with a CD ROM drive (or DVD). A CD ROM is a CD containing computer programs, the ROM part meaning Read Only Memory. It is now possible to get drives which enable the computer to write to the CD (or DVD) so providing a handy way to create a back up copy of your data.

Interface Ports

These are separate connectors which are usually to be found at the back of the main box. Some are purpose built such as the connectors for the keyboard, mouse, speakers and screen. Others can be used to connect a variety of extra boxes to your computer such as printer, scanner, modem, games console etc..

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