Three important themes thats emerged from IT
- Price & Performance advances: Continuous evolution of IT enabled prices of processing power, data storage and network capacity to improve dramatically
- Smaller is better: History of IT is summarized by the constant trend to make things smaller yet more powerful
- The network is the thing: Value of IT is measured by the power of the processor but also the power of network that the machine can assess.
Define computer hardware
Electronic components and related gadgetry that input, process, output, and store date according to encoded instructions.
Hardware components: CPU
“the brain”
Selects instructions, processes them, performs arithmetic and logical comparisons, and stores results of operations in memory.
2 CPU=dual processor
4 CPU=quad processor
Hardware components: main memory
Works in conjunction with the CPU
CPU reads data and instructions from memory and then stores the results in main memory
Also called RAM (Random access memory)
Hardware components: Storage hardware
Used to save data and programs
Magnetic disks, called hard drives are most common
Solid-state storage (SSD Drive): Much faster, but several times more expensive
USB is a portable SSD
Optical disks such as CDs and DVDs are also storage
Types of hardware
- PC (Apple Mac Pro)
- Tablet (iPad, Microsoft Surface)
- Phablet (Phone+Tablet) (Samsung Galaxy Note, iPhone Plus)
- Smartphone (cell phones with processing capability) (iPhone, Samsung Galaxy)
- Server: Computer designed to support processing requests from many remote computers and users. (‘clients’ are PCs, tablets, and phones that access the servers. Similar to a server-client relationship in a restaurant)
- Server farms: Collection of thousands of servers.
Bits
Binary digits
How computers represent data
001000101010101111101010
Data sizes (Bytes)
Bits are grouped into 8-bit groups, called bytes.
One character data fits into one byte, thus computing device with 100 million bytes of memory = holds up to 100 million characters.
Kilobyte (KB): 1024 bytes Megabyte (MB): 1024 KB Gigabyte (GB): 1024 MB Terabyte (TB): 1024 GB Petabyte (PB): 1024 TB Exabyte (EB): 1024 PB Zettabyte (ZB): 1024 EB
What is CPU speed measured in?
Expressed in cycles called hertz
Volatile vs Non volatile data
Volatile: Contents are lost when the power is off (cache and main memory)
Nonvolatile: Contents survive when the power is off (magnetic and optical disks)
Internet of Things (IoT)
One of the hardware developments that can disrupt existing organizations
Idea that everyday objects are being embedded with hardware capable of sensing, processing, and transmitting data
People like ‘smart’ devices and are willing to pay considerably more for them. Businesses need to improve their existing devices into smart ones and sell them for more, or the competition will.
Self-driving Cars
One of the hardware developments that can disrupt existing organizations
Navigation of the traditional cars using variety of sensors, to remove human intervention.
Will make life easier, cheaper, safer, and disrupt established industries
3-D printing
One of the hardware developments that can disrupt existing organizations
New advances in 3-D printing could alter not on the competitive scene, but the business industries in general.
There may be a time when you can create literally anything with a printer
Operating system (OS) & Application programs
Program that controls the computer’s resources. Makes the computer usable (read/write data, perform memory swapping, manages user interface, etc) but does little application-work.
the application’s design determines whether the client, the server, or both can process the app
Two software-related constraints
- Particular versions of operating systems are written for particular types of hardware. (Microsoft Windows works only on processors from Intel and other suitable companies)
- Two types of application programs exist
Native (thick-client) applications: Programs that are written for a particular OS (Microsoft Access will only run on Windows OS)
Web (thin-client) applications: Designed to run within a computer browser (Chrome, firefox, etc)
Nonmobile Client OS (Microsoft, macOS, Unix, Linux)
Used on personal computers
Most popular is Microsoft Windows. Windows is largely distinguished due to its ‘modern-style applications’, being touch-screen oriented with minimal menu bars, status lines, or other visual overhead.
Second is mac OS, traditionally used by graphic artists but shifted into the general market due to its strength of Mac Book products and the connection to iPhone.
Unix, mostly used by scientific and engineering communities
Linux: Version of Unix developed by volunteered programmers. Open sourced, which means there is no fee to use it.
Mobile Client operating systems
Used on mobile computers (phones, tablets, etc)
Android leads the way, with iOS at second. Symbian in Europe, Windows 10 (mobile) and blackberry OS also exists
Virtualization
Process by which one physical computer hosts many different virtual computers within it.
One OS, host operating system, runs one or more operating systems, called virtual machines (vm).
Types of virtualization
- PC virtualization
User can host multiple OS (Linux and Microsoft) into the same hardware - Server virtualization: Server computer hosts one or more server computers
- Desktop virtualization: Server hosts many versions of desktop OS. User can assess any computer and use it like its your own PC.
Owning vs Licensing (site license)
You never own the computer program you buy, you simply buy a license to use the program
Site license is for large organizations that pay a flat fee which authorizes the organization to install the product on all of its computers or on all of its computers at a specific site
Types of applications
Horizontal-market: Provides capabilities common across all organizations and industries. Word, graphic program, spreadsheets, etc. (honda civic, bought by everyone, used differently)
Vertical-market: Serves the need of a specific industry. Programs that track patients for hospital, customer data/repairs for mechanics, etc. (construction truck, specific for an industry)
One-of-a-kind: Developed for a specific, unique need. Typically organizations such as the U.S. army, etc. (military tank)
