The Computer: Its Advantages
No matter where computers are found or how they are applied, they're used for input, processing, output, and storage. But computers wouldn't be worth the trouble without the following characteristics:
• They are fast. Many of today's computers can perform hundreds of millions of processing operations in one second-
• They are r eliable. Today's computers may run day in and day out for years without failure.
• They are accurate. The computer's physical processing circuits rarely make errors. Computers make errors, of course, but they are almost always due to faulty programs or incorrect data input.
• They can store massive amounts of information. Today's personal computers can be equipped with disks capable of storing more than one billion characters (letters or numbers). That capacity is enough to store the complete works of William Shakespeare, an unabridged English dictionary, а Л2-volume encyclopedia, a world atlas and almanac, dozens of computer programs, and all your written work from the third grade through graduate school - with room for more.
• They can move information very quickly from one place to another. Using an experimental connection that may soon play a role in the Information Superhighway, one computer can send the entire text of the Encyclopedia Britannica to another linked computer in less than one second.
People like to think of the computer asa useful tool. A computer-literate person knows that the computer is a tool for creating useful information that can be printed, communicated toothers, and stored for future use.
Computers come in many sizes. Supercomputers are highly sophisticated computers that perform complex calculations very quickly; supercomputers are most often used for scientific research. Mainframe computers are large, expensive computers designed to meet a large organization's computing needs. Minicomputers are smaller than mainframes bul still large enough to meet the computing needs of a medium-sized or small organization. Personal computers, or microcomputers, meet the computing needs of individuals. Notebook computers provide a personal computer's capabilities in a small, lightweight, portable package. All around us are embedded computers, special-purpose computers that perform control functions in such devices as microwave ovens, fuel-injection systems, and wristwatches.
Look through the text and find the passage where it is told about the capacity of computers. Read this passage and translate in the written form.
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Summary
Computers have changed the way we view our lives. Understanding the fundamental concepts of how computer systems are set up and how they work, as well as how to apply the computer to various tasks, contributes to computer literacy.
Some people who are not computer literate have cyberphobia—a fear of" computers.
A computer is a tool that can manipulate data. You can use software {IMs of instructions) lo instruct computer hardware (the machine and its components) to tin a variety of tasks that involve processing data,
The cycle that the computer hardware and software follows is known as the IPOS cycle. Input is the data that goes into a process, supported by storage, where the input is converted into output.
The computing process can be described in icons of five elements: hardware, software, data, people, and procedures.
Hardware is the equipment—it includes storage and memory. Memory is temporary whereas storage is permanent.
Hardware works with digital units, The digits are kept in binary form, with each binary digit (called a bit) being placed in either memory or storage.
The characteristics of computers that give them their power are speed, reliability, accuracy, storage capacity, and the capability to move data quickly from one place to another.
Hardware comes in various sizes, but the most common types are supercomputers, mainframes, minicomputers, microcomputers, and embedded microprocessors.
Software, or programs, gives computers their flexibility. When a task is needed, the instructions for it are loaded into memory. When the task is completed, a different program can be loaded to do a different task.
The basic language of the computer is machine language, but it is in binary form and extremely difficult to work with. Assembly languages were developed to simplify working with machine languages. High-level languages were developed to make programming available to most people.
Software packages are of two types: system software, which works directly with the hardware lo maintain the computer system; and application software, which accomplishes either a specific or a general task.
Look through the text and find the passage where it is told about software. Read this passage and translate in the written form.
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Online discovery
Computers seem to generate the use of jargon and many abbreviations. Although some of these words are eventually integrated into standard English, most of them remain a mystery to most people. Computing dictionaries, such as the Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (http://wfn-shop.princeton.edu/foldoc/) can help dispel some of the mystery. Take a look at this dictionary and try to learn at least four different computer-related terms or abbreviations.
To be able to access the sites described in Online Discovery, you will need access to the World Wide Web. You may have access in a number of different ways, depending on your particular setup. You may, fur example, access the Web through a commercial online service such as America Online, CompuServe, or Prodigy. If you get access to the Internet through your college or university, or through a local Internet service provider, you probably have a direct connection to the Internet; in this case, you access the Web through a browser program such as Netscape Navigator, Microsoft Internet Explorer, or Mosaic. Finally, certain types of Internet accounts provide access to the Web through a text-only program called Lynx. If your account provides text-only access, you will be able to access the sites mentioned in Online Discovery, but you might not be able to access all the information present; with text-only access, you will not be able to view graphics.
In the Online Discovery sections, the addresses of all the Internet resources and home pages mentioned in the examples are provided. These addresses are in the form of URLs, or Uniform Resource Locators, which are sort of like street addresses of pages on the Internet.
The URL of the Que Education and Training home page, for example, is htlp://www.queet.com. You can enter this address into your Web browser to retrieve and view the Que Education and Training home page. The way in which you enter addresses and view documents will vary depending on the Web browser you are using. In Netscape Navigator, you simply click the button labeled Open, and in the box that appears, you type the address of the document you want to view.
Look through the text and find the passage where it is told about the ways of access to the World Wide Web. Read this passage and translate in the written form.
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