Hardware+and+software

== Hardware  media type="custom" key="9279482" align="center" ==

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 * The hardware topic deals with a computer system consisting of input devices, output devices, a central processing unit and storage. ITGS students are required to understand the meaning of the terms and concepts listed here and, where appropriate, briefly describe how they work.The increasing tendency to develop hardware in modular units raises a range of social impacts and ethical issues such as the use of non-renewable natural resources, the global transportation of manufactured components and their eventual disposal by individuals, organizations and governments. Students are expected to discuss possible solutions and evaluate their effectiveness. **


 * //Possible Scenario: //**
 * A computer user is planning to upgrade their current computer system to a newer model and must use their knowledge to: **
 * ** Understand the specifications of the proposed new system **
 * ** Evaluate other physical considerations that may influence the choice of the physical environment of the proposed new system, such as ergonomics and other health-related issues **
 * ** Suggest upgrades to the computer system to take advantage of improvements in components, such as processing speed **
 * ** Describe how the proper disposal of the old computer system can take place and whether the choice of computer may be affected by the manufacturer's policies on disposal. **

__** The computer system **__
 * // Types of computers: //**
 * [|personal digital assistant (PDA)] || [|laptop] || [|desktop computer] ||
 * [[image:PDA.jpg width="274" height="163"]] || [[image:http://www.laptoppicker.com/archives/sony-vaio-n-laptop.jpg width="215" height="183"]] || [[image:http://capsoftnm.com/images/computer.jpg width="308" height="182"]] ||


 * • [|MAC address] **
 * • [|Motherboard] **
 * • [|Central processing unit (CPU)], [|microprocessor], [|clock speed]: for example, megahertz (MHz), gigahertz (GHz), terahertz (THz) **
 * • Primary storage: [|read-only memory (ROM)], [|random-access memory (RAM)] **
 * • Secondary storage: [|optical], [|magnetic], [|flash memory]: for example, USB (universal serial bus) flash drive **
 * • [|Bit, byte, kilobyte (KB), megabyte (MB), gigabyte (GB), terabyte (TB), petabyte (PB), exabyte (EB),zettabyte (ZB), yottabyte (YB)] **
 * • Character encoding: ASCII ([|Unicode and American Standard Code for Information Interchange]) **
 * • [|Ports] **

//** Input and output devices: **//
 * • [|Keyboards], [|mice], [|touch pads] **
 * • [|Optical mark recognition (OMR)], [|optical character recognition (OCR)], [|magnetic ink characterrecognition (MICR)],[| radio frequency identification (RFID)], [|radio tag], [|bar code scanners],[| magnetic stripe readers] **
 * • [|Microphones] **
 * • [|Smart card readers] **
 * •[| Webcams], [|digital cameras], [|digital video cameras] **
 * • [|Sensors], probes, [|real-time data collection] **
 * • [|Composite devices]: for example, game controllers **
 * • [|Touch-sensitive devices]: for example, pads **
 * • [|Printers], [|monitors], [|speakers], [|projectors] **
 * • [|CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory)], [|DVD (digital versatile/video disk) readers and burners] **


 * [[image:http://www.westonsigns.com/images/P/WSCL1_H_INFBLUE.jpg width="43" height="49" align="left"]] ardware is any part of your computer system, internal or external, that you can see and touch. Example: Mouse, printer, cable, screen...etc

When a hardware is plugged into a computer device for the first time the device and the computer preform a procedure called "handshaking" where a path for communication is established so that both devices can send information as well as data to one-another.

** Types of Hardware: **
There are two main types of hardware which are:
 * 1)  Internal - These are hardware that are built into the computer system, examples of internal hardware include: Motherboard, Hard drive, Processors, Fans, Memory and Graphic/Sound/Network cards.
 * 2)  External - These are hardware which are input to the computer systems, example of external hardware include: The different types of Mouses, Keyboards, Webcams, USBs, CDs and Microphones. All of these may be either input devices, output devices processing units and storage.

All these hardware have either applications 1) input 2) output 3) Storage || == **How some hardware developments help specific people in specific scenarios:** ==
 * Mouses can now be used to help disabled people use a mouse, this is not a regular type of mouse, it has a ball on the top which the user moves with his fingers. This can be used by people who cannot move their whole arms but can use their fingers. [[image:http://www.mrgadget.com.au/uploaded_images/Logitech_marble_mouse_trackball_blog-749054.jpg width="104" height="94" align="right" caption="Tracker Ball"]]
 * Microphones are nowadays used to input data into the computer, speech recognition can now help disabled people as well as people with not disabilities to preform many tasks such as typing, this can be done by simply saying the words through the microphone. Click [|here]to view a short video on speech recognition. Your say about speech recognition


 * Webcams are being used to perform video conference from all parts of the world. It is being used for business meetings as well as for social and other reasons. It is very helpful for businesses if they need to perform urgent meetings.[[image:http://www.groceryshopforfree.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/logitech_pro-900-webcam.jpg width="179" height="100" align="right"]] ||

Authenticity Authenticity of hardware is a huge problem all around the world, fake hardware are being sold on large scale all the time which is creating a huge problem with the unsuspecting customer. Fake hardware can lead to problems such as:
 * 1) Viruses
 * 2) Ease of breaking the hardware

Another problem is that the more hardware is used the more non-renewable sources are being consumed! Other materials should be used in the manufacture of hardware, recycled material is an example of preserving our earths recourses while still meeting our wants as it can be used to manufacture the new hardware. Also because they don't get recycled they are melted for their metals which pollutes the air and can harm people.

Here are a few examples to do with Authenticity of Hardware:

 * ======[|FBI nails fake Cisco hardware scam] ======
 * ======[|US Military Wasted Millions on Fake Hardware, Sparking Cyber-Terrorism Fears] ======
 * ======[|Crooks plant fake payment card terminals at multiple stores] ======

= Home and Leisure = Many old and large devices are being replaced at homes for the leisure of their users. Laptops as an example have replaced our regular large desktop included computer. The "i-pad", which is the "third device" between the mobile and laptops, has been made especially for the leisure e at home, it has been especially made to be very user friendly and made so that you don't have to bend your back and hurt yourself while using it. As stated on "Digital Planet" many competitors who are know as "the i-Pad killers" of the i-pad such as the "Samsung galaxy pad" and "Folio 100" (toshiba) have been entering the market.

= **Education** = Hardware can really help teachers and students in schools and universities. Hardware such as projectors, interactive white boards and speakers help teaching students in an interactive way.

= **Security** =

Hardware can help in security and surveillance, motion sensors, infrared and cameras are examples of hardware that can be used to monitor and protect. They are used in schools, warehouses, museums, parliament buildings and many other places.



= Policies, Standards and Protocols =

Policies are enforceable measures intended to promote appropriate and discourage inappropriate use relating to information technologies. Hardware have standards and protocols which must be met for compatibility with other components.

=** Different types of Computers ** =


 * 1) Mainframe Computers ﻿are computers usually used in large organizations used for bulk processing.
 * 2) Microcomputers are the computers you would usually find at homes, schools and in businesses, they are basically computers with a microprocessor. They can fit desks or tables and have input devices such as keyboards and mouses.
 * 3) Desktops essentially suppose to be used in one place with relatively low repair and replacement costs.
 * 4) Laptops are a smaller version of desktops that are more mobile.
 * 5) Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are small hand held devices with a friendly touch interface. They may be used as web browsers and audio devices.
 * 6) Analogue Computers are very old and cans be said to be "extinct", they used CMD to operate the system.
 * 7) Hybrid Computers are computers that are digital as well as analog, this computer is used in scenarios where digital data or analogue data need to be converted.
 * 8) Minicomputers are very large computers that would take the space of a bed lying vertically.
 * 9) Supercomputers are computers used for very large calculations such as weather prediction, quantim physics, mechanics and molecular theory.

=Mother Board =

A motherboard is the central printed circuit board (PCB), it connects to all the computers essential components. The layout is called the "form factor". There are buses in mother boards, these are channels that transport data, the more data that can be transported the faster the motherboard, the speed is measured in <span style="border-collapse: collapse; display: block; font-family: Verdana; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">MHz. As shown in the diagram on the right, there is a slot for the power supply connector, PCI extensions, audio chip, chipset, CMOS battery, BIOS, processor power supply, chipset, processor support, input/output connectors, jumpers, disk drive and floppy drive connections, and slots for <span style="font-family: arial,helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;">Graphic/Sound/Network cards.

=<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-size: 14px; line-height: 21px; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">Storage = Data is measured in bytes, the diagram on the right "SI prefixes" indicates how many zeros there are depending on the prefix before the word "byte" <span style="display: block; font-size: 1.4em; margin: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 5px;">** ﻿ There are three main types of primary storage devices: **
 * 1) RAM - is random access memory which is memory that is temporarily saved while the computer is on and gets deleted when the computer is switched off, for example the auto saves in Microsoft word document are actually saved in the RAM.
 * 2) ROM - is read only memory which cannot be changed and come with the computer even if there is no operating system on it, an example of data that is saved in the ROM is the data which tells the computer how to boot up.
 * 3) CACHE - is a type of hight speed storage device usually found in personal computers or laptops. its is very fast as all the data entered has an index as well as a tag.

There are many examples of secondary devices, they are external devices which can hold memory, examples include:


 * CDs
 * DVDs
 * USBs
 * Floppy disks
 * Zip and Jaz disks

Secondary storage devices are often used as backup because they are external and if the computers crash then they will not.

**ASCII**

ASCII is a standard code based on the English language to communicate between data processing systems.With each letter assigned a number from 0 to 127, it makes data easier to read from one computer to another.

Special thanks to my top contributors:

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