Chapter 3

Computer Hardware
 Brief History about Computing
• Blaise Pascal - 1642 – first mechanical adding machine
• Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz - 1674
• Joseph Jacquard – 1804
• Charles Babbage – 19th century
• Herman Hollerith – 1880s
• Vacuum tube
• ENIAC – 1946 – first electronic digital computer
• UNIVAC – 1950s – handled 10K calculations per second
• Transistor –late 1950s – 200K calculations per second
• Integrated Circuit – 1958, Jack Kilby
 Types of Computer Systems
• Micro computers
– Computer terminals, network terminals, Information appliances

• Midrange systems
– High-end servers, network servers, webservers
– Integrated enterprise-wide manufacturing, distribution & Financial applications, process
control system
– Data warehouse management, data mining, OLAP
– CAD, CAM, graphics intensive applications
• Mainframe systems
– Data-mining, seismic data, flight simulation, superservers for client/server networks
– eCommerce & data mining big data
– Int’l banks, airlines & large corporations use it to process millions of transactions per day
– Supercomputer – science, engineering, business applications, government research
agencies, large universities, military defense, computational cosmology, global weather
forecasting
• Distributed or Grid Computing
 Computer Peripherals
• “The right peripherals can make all the
difference in your computing experience”
• Human-Computer Interface and its business
application
• Peripherals are all the input, output and
secondary storage devices that are part of
computer system
– And are directly or indirectly connected to the
CPU
– Online devices
 Input Devices
• Devices used for entering data and instructions into
the computer
• No need to manually write down data on a physical
or paper source
• The input command can be entered:
– Thru keyboard
– By selecting command on the screen
– By pressing finger on the touch screen
– By speaking through the microphone
– By sending image through digital camera
– By scanning data printed on paper through scanner
 Computer Peripherals
Input Technologies
• Pointing devices makes better use of GUI
– Mouse
– Trackball
– Touchpad
– Pointing stick/Track point
– Touchscreen
• Pen-Based Computing
– Systems can use pen written script to convert them
to text quickly
– Stylus can be used over the screen or a touchpad
– Digital Signatures by Fedex
 Computer Peripherals
Input Technologies
• Speech Recognition Systems
– Non-typist, people with disabilities and business
travelers make frequent use of it
– Used to input data in natural way
– Used for giving command or navigating the system
– Voice response to hear voice messages or type
texts while driving
• Speech recognition system assisted EHR
– Nuance Dragon Medical, Dolbey, Entrada
– Vocollect AccuNurse
 Computer Peripherals
Input Technologies
• Optical Scanning
– Devices read text or graphics and convert them
into digital format and digital input
– Document Management – desktop scanner
– Optical Character Recognition
• Optical scanning technology that reads code and
characters on merchandize tags (UPC), product
labels, credit card receipts, airline tickets
– Used in receiving the purchases to update
Inventory management system
• Wireless handheld scanners
 Computer Peripherals
Input Technologies
• Optical Scanning
– Scans checks and deposit anywhere
• Biometric thumb scanner to make payments

• Other input technologies

– Magnetic strip
– Smart Card
– Digital camera
– MICR
 Computer Peripherals
Output Technologies
• Video Output
– High quality vs low quality
– Ergonomic built
• Printed output
– Sales invoices, payroll checks, bank statements
– Thermal printers for KOT orders, management
of queue
– Laser printer, multi-function printers
• Interactive Voice Response system
 Computer Peripherals
Storage Trade-Offs
• Cost-Speed-Capacity Trade-offs
• Primary and secondary storage media
– Semiconductors memories
– SSDs

Primary Storage
– Magnetic disks
– Optical disks

es es
Inc De ses
as as
re cre
Semico
yte ity ea
– Magnetic tape
r B a c n cr

nductor
pe ap I
st e C eed

• Direct Access Vs. Memor

Co rag Sp

Secondary Storage
y Disks
Magnetic
Sto cess

• Sequential Access
Ac

Optical Disks

Magnetic Tape
 Computer Peripherals
Semiconductor Memory
• RAM vs. ROM
• RAID (Redundant Arrays of Independent Disks)
• SAN (Storage Area Network)

RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)

• A system for tagging and identifying mobile objects
• Efficient and Faster SCM
• Item Level Inventory Tracking
• Access Control
• Laundry Management
• Interactive Grocery Shopping With RFID
• RFID enabled parking system
• RFID issues – Spychips