Computer Concepts One: Personal Computers

Programma 101

First commercial "desktop personal computer" that marked the beginning of the era of the personal computer

Microsoft, MS-DOS

From the early 1990s to now, who has dominated the personal computer market? What was their first notable product to dominate the market?

The Computer

In 1982 "_______" was named Machine of the Year by Time Magazine.

Workstations

In the 1980s, these were characterized by high-performance processors and graphics displays, with large-capacity local disk storage, networking capability, and running under a multitasking operating system

larger and more expensive systems (for example, running CP/M)

In the early 1980s, what systems were aimed at office and small business use, typically using "high resolution" monitors capable of at least 80 column text display, and often no graphical or color drawing capability?

Application Suite

Multiple applications bundled together as a package

the IBM Los Gatos Scientific Center; 1973

This center developed a portable computer prototype called SCAMP (Special Computer APL Machine Portable) based on the IBM PALM processor with a Philips compact cassette drive, small CRT and full function keyboard (give the year this happened)

The Amiga 1000

This computer featured a multitasking, windowing operating system, color graphics with a 4096-color palette, stereo sound, Motorola 68000 CPU, 256 kB RAM, and 880 kB 3.5-inch disk drive, for US$1,295

Douglas Engelbart; 1968

This man gave a preview of what would become the staples of daily working life in the 21st century: e-mail, hypertext, word processing, video conferencing and the mouse using a technical support staff and a mainframe time-sharing computer (give the year this happened)

Micral N

This was the earliest commercial, non-kit microcomputer based on a microprocessor, the Intel 8008

Commodore PET

This was the first successfully mass marketed personal computer and was introduced in January 1977

a microprocessor, the CPU supporting circuitry, main memory, and facilities for initial setup of the computer (often called boot firmware or, in IBM PC compatible computers, a BIOS or UEFI).

What all does a motherboard contain?

a computer case, motherboard, hard disk drive, and optical disc drive.

What all does a typical desktop computer consist of?

Several companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Sony sold off their PC and laptop divisions

What caused the declaration of the death of the personal computer in the 2010s?

a computer monitor or visual display unit, keyboard, and a pointing device

What external devices are usually found in a personal computer?

relatively little can be done to upgrade the overall computer from its original design (Internal upgrades are either not manufacturer-recommended, can damage the laptop if done with poor care or knowledge, or in some cases impossible, making the desktop PC more modular)

What is one of the main drawbacks of a laptop?

the influence of the IBM PC

What led to the lost of technical distinction between personal computers and home computers?

software for personal productivity, programming and games

What major development occured in home computers during the early 1980s?

Gaming platforms like Steam and GOG.com (as well as competitive e-sports titles like League of Legends)

What were largely responsible for PC systems overtaking console revenue in 2013?

5.25-inch and 3.5-inch floppy drives

What were the initial forms of removable storage for backup of user files and distribution of software?

low durability, accuracy and required internal cleaning.

What were the three main problems to the tradition "Mouse Ball" method of detecting movement in mice?

Home Theater PC

a convergence device that combines the functions of a personal computer and a digital video recorder; connected to a TV set or an appropriately sized computer display, and is often used as a digital photo viewer, music and video player, TV receiver, and digital video recorder, also referred to as media center systems or media servers

Linux

a family of Unix-like computer operating systems; one of the most prominent examples of free software and open source development: typically all underlying source code can be freely modified, used, and redistributed by anyone.

PC's Main Memory

a fast primary storage device that is directly accessible by the CPU, and is used to store the currently executing program and immediately needed data.

Pocket PC

a hardware specification for a handheld-sized computer (personal digital assistant, PDA) that runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system; may have the capability to run an alternative operating system like NetBSD or Linux

Workstation

a high-end personal computer designed for technical, mathematical, or scientific applications; intended primarily to be used by one person at a time and used for tasks such as computer-aided design, drafting and modeling, computation-intensive scientific and engineering calculations, image processing, architectural modeling, and computer graphics for animation and motion picture visual effects

OS X (formerly Mac OS X)

a line of operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc; the successor to the original Mac OS, which had been Apple's primary operating system since 1984

Visual Display Unit (computer monitor or just display)

a piece of electrical equipment, usually separate from the computer case, which displays visual images without producing a permanent computer record

Microprocessor

a single chip with all the circuitry that formerly occupied large cabinets

Gaming Computer

a standard desktop computer that typically has high-performance hardware, such as a more powerful video card, processor and memory, in order to handle the requirements of demanding video games, which are often simply called "PC games."

Tablet

a type of portable PC that de-emphasizes the use of traditional input devices (such as a mouse or keyboard) by using a touchscreen display, which can be controlled using either a stylus pen or finger

Laptop

also called a notebook computer, is a small personal computer designed for portability; all of the hardware and interfaces needed to operate a laptop, such as the graphics card, audio devices or USB ports (previously parallel and serial ports), are built into a single unit and contain high-capacity batteries that can power the device for extensive periods of time, enhancing portability

Netbooks

also called mini notebooks or subnotebooks; are a subgroup of laptops acting as a category of small, lightweight and inexpensive laptop computers suited for general computing tasks and accessing web-based applications; They are often marketed as "companion devices"

Motherboard

also referred to as system board or main board, is the primary circuit board within a personal computer, and other major system components plug directly into it or via a cable

Keyboard

an arrangement of buttons that each correspond to a function, letter, or number. They are the primary devices used for inputting text. In most cases, they contain an array of keys specifically organized with the corresponding letters, numbers, and functions printed or engraved on the button.

Computer Case

an enclosure that contains the main components of a computer.

Computer software

any kind of computer program, procedure, or documentation that performs some task on a computer system

Computer hardware

comprehensive term for all physical parts of a computer

Desktop Computer

computer that could fit on a desk; was remarkably small, leading to the "desktop" nomenclature; usually indicates a particular style of computer case

Power Supply Unit (PSU)

converts general-purpose mains AC electricity to direct current (DC) for the other components of the computer.

Personal Computer

general-purpose computer intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator; also known as PC

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

is a part of a computer that executes instructions of a software program

Computer Mouse

is a small handheld device that users hold and slide across a flat surface, pointing at various elements of a graphical user interface with an on-screen cursor, and selecting and moving objects using the mouse buttons.

The ultra-mobile PC (UMPC)

is a specification for small-configuration tablet PCs. It was developed as a joint development exercise by Microsoft, Intel and Samsung, among others.

An operating system (OS)

manages computer resources and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources; processes system data and user input, and responds by allocating and managing tasks and internal system resources as a service to users and programs of the system; performs basic tasks such as controlling and allocating memory, prioritizing system requests, controlling input and output devices, facilitating computer networking, and managing files.

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

memory read at high speed but not capable of being changed by program instructions after the manufacture of the memory device

Video Card (otherwise called a graphics card, graphics adapter or video adapter)

processes the graphics output from the motherboard and transmits it to the display. It is an essential part of modern multimedia-enriched computing.

Freeware

software that is available free of charge

Open source software

software with a source code that anyone can inspect, modify, and enhance

Single Unit

subtype of desktop computers that combine the monitor and case of the computer within a single unit, in which case the inner components of the PC are often located directly behind the monitor and many of such PCs are built similarly to laptops

Microsoft Windows

the collective brand name of several operating systems made by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named ____ in November 1985, as an add-on to MS-DOS and in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces (GUIs) generated by Apple's 1984 introduction of the Macintosh

Bootstrap Program

the first code that is executed when the computer system is started; the entire operating system depends on the bootstrap program to work correctly as it loads the operating system

Operating System

the software that supports a computer's basic functions, such as scheduling tasks, executing applications, and controlling peripherals

MS-DOS

used a command-line interface for the user to input commands and did not use a mouse or graphics

Software Applications for PCs

word processing, spreadsheets, databases, web browsers and e-mail clients, digital media playback, games and myriad personal productivity and special-purpose software applications