Introduction to Information Technology

1. Lecture 1- PC, Client Server, Future IT These materials are from “Textbook using Information Technology by Williams and Sawyer, fifth edition, ISBN 0-07-115105-2”

2. Introduction to Information Technology Information technology becomes popular, as There are many cellphones, E-Mail, the Internet, & the E-World in our lives. The “All-Purpose Machine”: The Varieties of Computers. A computer can access the Internet, play games, buy software over the internet, send and receive e-mails. Understanding Your Computer: What If You Custom-Ordered Your Own PC? Where is Information Technology Headed?

3. “Say goodbye to the personal computing era. Just on the horizon is the era that comes next--the personal information era.” --Kevin Maney, Technology Journalist • Pervasive (common) computing trends: • Information overload • Less use of our brains for memorizing • A surge in multi-tasking activity

4. 1.1 Infotech Becomes Commonplace: Cellphones, E-Mail, the Internet, & the E-World • Information technology (“infotech”): • Computers - programmable multiuse machines that convert data into information • Communications - electromagnetic devices and systems for communicating over long distances

5. The mobile phone Grows Up • Approximately 1 billion people using cellphones • Internet phones are cell phones plus: • Email • Web services • Video

6. “You’ve Got Mail!” E-Mail’s Mass Impact • E-mail (“electronic mail”) - messages transmitted over a network • Network - communications system connecting two or more computers

7. The Internet, the World Wide Web, & the “Plumbing of Cyberspace” • Cyberspace encompasses the whole wired and wireless world of communications: • The Internet - the “mother of all networks” • The World Wide Web - multimedia part of Net

8. The E-World & Welcome to It • E-business • E-commerce • E-government • E-learning • E-pinions(opinion) • E-tailing(retailing) e-service

9. 1.2 The “All-Purpose Machine”: The Varieties of ComputersAll Computers, Great & Small: The Categories of Machines • Supercomputers • Mainframes • Workstations • Microcomputers • Microcontrollers IBM ASCI White

10. All Computers, Great & Small: The Categories of Machines • Supercomputers • Mainframes • Workstations • Microcomputers • Microcontrollers VP2400 mainframe

11. All Computers, Great & Small: The Categories of Machines • Supercomputers • Mainframes • Workstations • Microcomputers • Microcontrollers Sony tower PC

12. All Computers, Great & Small: The Categories of Machines • Supercomputers • Mainframes • Workstations • Microcomputers • Microcontrollers

13. Servers and clients • Server – it is a central computer that holds collections of data & programs for clients • Clients - PCs, workstations, & other devices • Server and Clients linked together. It is called Client/Server network such as the Internet. (don’t miss “the”) The Internet

14. Client, server and Internet Service Provider (ISP) such as i-cable

15. Data is defined as: The raw facts and figures that are processed into information Information is defined as: Data that has been summarized or otherwise manipulated for use in decision making 1.3 Understanding Your Computer: What If You Custom-Ordered Your Own PC?

16. Hardware is: All the machinery and equipment in a computer system, You could physically see and touch, Software is: All the instructions that tell the computer how to perform a task, you could not physically see and touch. How Computers Work - Concept #2Computers consist of hardware and software.

17. How Computers Work - Concept #3All computers follow the same five basic operations. • Input – keyboard & mouse • Processing • Storage • Output • Communications Keyboard Mouse

18. How Computers Work - Concept #3All computers follow the same four basic operations • Input • Processing • Storage • Output • Communications Motherboard

19. How Computers Work - Concept #3All computers follow the same four basic operations • Input • Processing • Storage • Output • Communications

20. How Computers Work - Concept #3All computers follow the same four basic operations • Input • Processing • Storage • Output • Communications Video card

21. How Computers Work - Concept #3All computers follow the same four basic operations • Input • Processing • Storage • Output • Communications Modem

22. Put all the hardware together and…

23. You still need the software! Bill Gate • System software • Helps the computer perform essential operating tasks and enables the application software to run, such as Windows XP, 2000 and 98, Linux • and…

24. 1.4 Where Is Information Technology Headed?Three Directions of Computer Development • Miniaturization • smaller • Speed • faster • Affordability • cheaper Then (1946) Now

25. Three Directions of Communications Development • Connectivity–connects to other machines • Interactivity– two-way communication, a user can respond to information • Multimedia – supports text, graphics, video and sound Auto PC

26. When Computers & Communications Combine:Convergence, Portability, & Personalization • Convergence –means combining industries through various devices that exchange data in the format used by electronics, entertainment and mass media. • Portability –it is so tiny that you could carry • Personalization –creation of information tailored to individual

27. Summary • Data and Information • Hardware and Software • Computer Scale: supercomputer, mainframe, minicomputer, microcomputer, microcontroller • Microcomputer: Input, Output, CPU, memory, hard disk • Software: Operation software (Windows XP) and application software (Word)