Computers are supposed to be useful tools; friendly, helpful, almost intuitive.  They make any job they assist with faster, more efficient, and more productive.  They can do repetitive tasks quickly without complaining.  And they can remember everything they work on.  They are the perfect office companion.  Oh Really!When you ask your friends about their computers, what do they say?  They brag how big, how fast, how wonderful they are, but what do they really use them for, besides internet access?Here’s where we come down to the real fundamental question.  Where (or what) is the line between the machine and the programs the machine can run?  Most of us have heard the terms ‘hardware’ and ‘software’.  We know those are computer terms, but, besides the geeks or nerds, who really knows, or cares what the difference is.  The computer does stuff, and you either know how to do it or you don’t, right? Right?  No? Let’s break it down into byte sized chunks (poor computer humor).  The hardware is the physical things you can see and touch on your computer.  And technically speaking, that’s not the keyboard, mouse, or screen.  Those are called peripheral (or outside) devices.  The hardware is what is actually inside the box you call your computer.  The hardware is things like the floppy disk drive, the CD Rom drive, the hard drive (why are they all called ‘drives’?), the CPU (the brain), the RAM (the memory the brain thinks with), and a few others pieces we’ll mention further along.

CPU

Computers think with the brain they have (called a CPU or Central Processing Unit).  Small brains think slower, big brains think faster, sort of.  It also depends on the amount of memory you give to the brain to think with.  Let’s say in order for the brain to make a decision it has to go through 100 different questions.  But the memory it has to think with can only handle 50 questions.  The brain would be able to answer the first 50 questions, and then move those answers someplace else so it could answer the other 50 questions, and then pull back the first 50 answers to make a decision.  The process of putting some of the answers in a separate place while the brain thinks about the rest of the questions is called ‘swapping. 

What the brain is actually doing is swapping questions and answers around to different locations in the computer until it has all the questions answered.  This is a rather slow process compared to doing it all in the memory.  So if there is enough memory to answer all 100 questions, the decision is made much faster.  So here is one of the computer dilemmas.  Which is faster at making decisions, a fast brain with not much memory to work with (lots of swapping) or a slow brain with lots of memory (no swapping).  The answer is related to the size of the decision the brain has to make.  Which means we give standard answer number 17, ‘it depends’.

Peripherals

Remember we mentioned peripherals before?  These are the pieces of equipment attached to the outside of the computer (which holds the CPU, memory, and drives).  The reason we call them peripherals, is the computer doesn’t need them to process anything.  WE need them to talk to the computer.  We have input devices and output devices.  Input is what we use to tell the computer something.  Output is what the computer uses to tell (or show) us something.  The keyboard and mouse are input devices.  We talk (type) and point using these devices.  The monitor and printer are output devices. The computer shows us what is going on or shows us our work using these devices.  The computer doesn’t need these things to think, but if we want to know what it is thinking about, its useful to have a way to talk to the computer.  If you want to generate a letter to someone, you need a way to get it into the computer, so you can print it out.  The keyboard is used on the computer just like it would be on a typewriter.  But instead of putting the letters you type on a piece of paper, they are displayed on a screen.  This makes for much easier editing and formatting because nothing is printed until you decide you like what you see and then print it.  This is a very common usage for a computer (called a word processor when only used for that).  It is very good at it because of the options it creates for the user.  But as good as doing letters as the computer can be, that is only 1 of hundreds of usages for the computer.Do you want to know what else it can do?  How long do you have?

Software

So we have the computer, the thinking part, the peripherals, the show and tell part, and then we have the software.  These pieces of software are most often called applications or programs.  If we were to compare this setup to a mechanic who works on cars we would say the computer is the toolbox and the programs are the tools.  He has a box where he puts all his tools.  And if he wants to be able to work on a special part of the car, he may need to by a special tool to do it.  He buys the tool and puts it in his toolbox along with all his other tools.  So it is with programs.  When you want a program to do something specific, like making greeting cards, you buy the software, or program, and put it into the computer along with all your other programs (whether you know they are there or not).If a mechanic only has a pair of pliers in his toolbox, he can probably do a lot of different things with it.  He can turn things, he can bend things, and he can even hit things.  So it can be used for multiple purposes.  But it would be good to have a hammer to hit things.  And it would be easier to have a screwdriver or a wrench to turn things.  The more appropriate tools you have for the job, the better and faster you can do the job.  The same is true for the computer.  There are lots of specific programs created for specific tasks.  They are the ‘tools of the trade’.  And they make the job easier, faster, and more enjoyable (after you learn how to use them).But you can have great tools, but not know how to use them, so they don’t seem like great tools.  There is the old joke about the logger who buys a chain saw because he heard you could cut a lot more wood with a chain saw than a regular saw.  But after using it for a day he takes it back because he isn’t cutting nearly the amount of wood he thought he would.  He goes back in the store to tell them how badly it works and to get his money back.  The guy at the store wants to verify it is working right so they both go outside the back of the store where there is some wood.  The store clerk takes the saw and starts it up.  The surprised logger jumps back and exclaims ‘what’s that noise?’  And the moral of the story?  The best of tools doesn’t get very good results if you don’t know how to use it.  That’s what software is like.  There are lots of great tools for computers available.  They can balance your checkbook, makes cards and banners, make long distance phone calls for free, accept faxes from news groups, suggest dinner ideas from ingredient lists, and even plan weddings.  But if you don’t know how to use it, it’s just a floppy disk or CD you add to your dust collection on the shelf.

Networking

So what do you do?  Go to school to learn how to use it?  Well, the simple answer would be yes, but the real question is what can the computer do?  What we have discussed so far is the capabilities of a single PC.  But businesses all over the world now depend on connecting multiple computers together to achieve success in their daily job.  This is called a computer network.  But what do you get, or add, when you connect multiple computers?  Do they just think faster?  Does every computer now know what every other computer knows?  So far those are simple questions, with simple answers, no and no.  But you can think of it as a harmonious community.  In a working community, resources are shared, and information passed as it is needed.  If you need a shovel, you borrow one from your neighbor.  And when they need a stick of butter or a cup of sugar, they come and get it from you.  Computers do the same thing.  If you don’t have a printer attached to your computer, you just ‘borrow’ one from a computer that does have one.  And in some communities, they have shared parks or shared community buildings.  In a computer network, there is shared space for storing large amounts of information; they have shared printers and faxes, and other business devices.  So sharing resources means you don’t have to buy so much equipment and still get the job done well.

The Internet

So what about the Internet?  Is it just a very, VERY large network?  No, not really.  It is meant to share information, but not resources.  Computer networks are linked together by phone lines and can share information when they need too.  This opens up the whole idea of privacy and protection.  How do I keep my information private (business secrets) and how do I keep it safe (hackers).  And now the overall question.  How many areas out there are computer related that the average home user has no idea even exist?  Well… there are a lot of areas.  There are hundreds, maybe thousands of small companies that either have or are creating a niche in the market for their new or existing product line.  Computer related businesses are continuing to grow at a rapid pace.  But what are they building? 

Let’s start by breaking this down into 3 over simplified areas: 

Hardware: The touchable pieces of the computer
Software: The programs that do special things
Networking: The pieces between the computers making communication possible

Each of these areas has large numbers of industries supporting them.  And each area has lots of smaller industries that supply specialty items going into these broad areas.  There are whole industries focused around computer memory.  There are large corporations that focus just on monitors or keyboards.  And the list goes on and on.

So what is the combining factor for all these areas?  Its all about making the computer a useful tool; always looking for ways to do a function faster, more efficiently, less expensive, more productive, etc.  Business is all about time and money.  And these are the driving factors in the computer business as well.  So whether you realize it or not, there are lots of areas that make it possible for you to go to your computer, or to the library, and call up information on what it takes to go on a deep-sea dive for wreckage in the Mediterranean Sea or complete a dog sled race in Alaska.  So, does everyone have their parka?

by Ron Mohr / Compute Made Easy