Computers, Technology and Software

Paper Summary:

The writer of this paper focuses on the basic functions of the computer, which is primarily a data processor designed to accept input data and instructions, while remembering the data by holding it in memory cells. This paper details the software and technology involved in operating either a home or business computer. The writer contends that computer hardware is a heterogeneous ensemble of input devices, output devices, circuitry and memory. The most important component of any computer is the central processing unit (CPU), which is designed to process information and perform specific operations. This paper examines the advances in various forms of technologies used in computers since the introduction of the first electronic, general-purpose computers of the 1940s. The writer clearly explains how each element of the computer is used, for example: The memory located in the hard drive is a sequence of numbered cells, each containing a piece of information. The rule is that the content of a memory cell is changeable at any time and that memory is similar to a scratchpad rather than a stone tablet. The writer also details the significance of the operating system, which is the most important component of the software system.

From the Paper:

"As far as software is concerned, it can safely be said that a computer will always need at least one program running at all times to operate. Under what is supposed to be a normal operation, referring to the typical general-purpose computer, the program described above is the operating system (OS). The operating system has the job to decide which programs are run, when that particular event happens, and has to allocate resources, such as memory or input/output - I/O to these programs. Hardware and other programs would not function without an operating system, which actually provides a layer of abstraction over the hardware, thereby facilitating the access of other programs to the resources of the computer, such as code ("drivers") which enable programmers to write programs for a machine without being obligated to know the intimate details of all electronic devices attached to the computer."

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