Understanding Computer Systems: Hardware, Software, and Data
Computer Systems: Hardware, Software, and Data
A computer system is an information processing system based on computers. It is the set of physical elements (hardware) and logical elements (software) that allow the user to process information by equally efficient control of all possible resources.
The Physical Subsystem: Hardware
Hardware is the set of equipment or devices necessary for the effective treatment of information. It consists of electrical and electromechanical devices, circuits, and wires.
The Logical Subsystem: Software
Software is the set of logical resources necessary to carry out all work that will instruct you. It is formed by all logical elements (instructions, orders, etc.).
What is a Computer?
A computer is an electronic device capable of processing data, calculations, and arithmetic and logic operations without human intervention.
Definition of Informatics
Informatics is the science of automatic and sound information processing.
- Automatic: Because the work is done by machines.
- Sound: Because human reasoning processes are involved.
The Central Processing Unit (CPU)
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) is responsible for implementing programs and is composed of main memory, a control unit, and an arithmetic-logic unit.
Types of Computers
Supercomputer
A supercomputer is a machine especially designed for calculations that require great processing speed. They generally have a large number of processors working in parallel, which perform billions of operations per second.
Mainframe
A mainframe is a machine designed specifically to serve large enterprises and organizations. Its computing power is lower than a supercomputer, totaling in the execution of several billion operations per second. One of its main features is to support a large number of terminals or workstations.
Microcomputer
Microcomputers are average machines, able to process less than mainframes, and therefore can handle a smaller number of terminals. A microcomputer is a machine whose inner workings are based on the use of a microprocessor, and it gets a number of services in power, handling, portability, price, etc., covering the lowest range of needs in the world of computing.
Software Systems
Software systems are the essential software suite for the machine to work.
- Operating Systems: Intermediary between the user and the machine. Manages system resources.
- Editors: Translate source programs, generating an object program after purification of syntax errors. Then, through a linker process, the executable program is obtained, linking all programs and libraries used objects.
- Interpreters: Translate and execute source language instructions one by one. Parse the instructions just before being executed.
Information and Data
Information is the element we try and process in a program and anything that allows the acquisition of any kind of knowledge.
Data are unprocessed information that when processed (added, ordered, etc.) are converted into useful information or results.
Data Types
- Numeric: Used in arithmetic.
- Alphabetical: Part of literals. These are the letters.
- Alphanumeric: May act as operators or punctuation in programming languages. They are a combination of the above plus a number of special characters.
- Booleans: Those that can take only two values.
Processor
The processor is composed of a Control Unit and an Arithmetic-Logic Unit, plus a series of registers.
- The Control Unit (CU) supervises and manages the operation of other elements of the computer.
- Arithmetic-Logic Unit (ALU) is a group of electronic circuits to perform arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, etc.) and logical operations (compare, move, etc.). Internally it contains:
- Registers: They store the data with which we operate, and the intermediate results of operations are also stored.