COMPUTER AND INTERNET
Computer:
A computer is a
programmable machine. The two principal characteristics of a computer are: It
responds to a specific set of instructions in a well-defined manner and it can execute a prerecorded list of instructions (a program).
History of Computer
First generation: 1937 – 1946 - In
1937 the first electronic digital computer was built by Dr. John V. Atanasoff and Clifford Berry. It was called the
Atanasoff-Berry Computer (ABC). In 1943 an electronic computer name the
Colossus was built for the military. Other developments continued until in 1946
the first general– purpose digital computer, the Electronic Numerical
Integrator and Computer (ENIAC) was built. It is said that this computer
weighed 30 tons, and had 18,000 vacuum tubes which was used for processing.
When this computer was turned on for the first time lights dim in sections of
Philadelphia. Computers of this generation could only perform single task, and
they had no operating system.
Second generation: 1947 – 1962 - This
generation of computers used transistors instead of vacuum tubes which were
more reliable. In 1951 the first computer for commercial use was introduced to
the public; the Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC 1). In 1953 the
International Business Machine (IBM) 650 and 700 series computers made their
mark in the computer world. During this generation of computers over 100
computer programming languages were developed, computers had memory and
operating systems. Storage media such as tape and disk were in use also were
printers for output.
Third generation: 1963 - present - The
invention of integrated circuit brought us the third generation of computers.
With this invention computers became smaller, more powerful more reliable and
they are able to run many different programs at the same time. In1980 Microsoft
Disk Operating System (MS-Dos) was born and in 1981 IBM introduced the personal
computer (PC) for home and office use. Three years later Apple gave us the
Macintosh computer with its icon driven interface and the 90s gave us Windows
operating system.
How to Operate Computer?
Materials
Needed:
- CPU
- keyboard
- monitor
- mouse
- speakers
- printer
- Operating System
Step 1
Prior to powering up the
computer system, make sure that the power cord is firmly connected to the back
panel of the CPU and is plugged into the wall socket.
Step 2
Check if the video cable
is firmly screwed to the port of the video card with the other end connected to
the back panel of the monitor.
Step 3
Make sure that both the
keyboard and mouse pointing device are securely plugged to the back panel.
Also, check if they are connected to the correct port by checking on the
markings. Steps 1 to 3 are essentially easy to do because aside from the mouse
and keyboard devices, other components can only be plugged into their proper ports
preventing the novice user from interchanging them.
Step 4
When all connections are
secure, start up the machine by pressing the power button normally located in
the front panel of the CPU.
Step 5
Depending on the
configuration of the machine, a username and password may be requested;
otherwise, the Operating System may be loaded directly to display the desktop
to the user.
Step 6
Other basic operations
that can be done include adjusting monitor settings in Step 8. Installation and
launching of software is outlined in Step 10. Navigation of the file system is
detailed from Step 15.
Step 7
The proper way to shut
down or turn off the computer system is by clicking on the 'Start' button and
choosing the 'Turn Off Computer' option. This will display the options to
'Standby', 'Restart', or 'Turn Off' the machine.
Step 8
To adjust the monitor
settings, right click on any blank portion of the desktop and select the
'Properties' option from the context menu.
Step 9
On the 'Display
Properties' window, select the 'Settings' tab to adjust the resolution of the
screen. The 'Themes' tab will allow the loading of pre-designed Windows themes.
The 'Desktop' tab provides the way for changing the color of the desktop as
well as the displayed wallpaper. The 'Appearance' tab provides the various
options of changing the behavior of the windows, icons, and other elements of
the platform, while the 'Screen Saver' tab shows the option to allow the
monitor to go on standby or display animation.
Step 10
To extend the
functionality of any computer system, software is normally installed into the
local hard drive. A software installer may be through some media like a CD or
DVD or from being downloaded from the Internet.
Step 11
For CD or DVD
installers, insert the installation disk in the CD or DVD drive of the machine.
This will be automatically read and launched by the Operating System.
Step 12
When the installation
process is initiated, a new window will normally be displayed to the user.
Majority of newer installers provide either a default or an advanced
installation procedure. In most cases, simply click on the default process to
allow the installer to complete the entire process with minimum user
intervention.
Step 13
Upon completion of the
installation process, a user may be prompted to reboot the machine. Follow the
guide in Step 7 to accomplish this task.
Step 14
To launch the software,
simply click on the 'Start' Menu, choose 'All Programs' and select from the
menu the program intended to be run. An alternative to this process is to check
if a shortcut link is created on the Desktop. Clicking this icon will also
launch the associated program.
INTERNET
What is Internet?
The Internet,
sometimes called simply "the Net," is a worldwide system of computer
networks - a network of networks in which users at any one computer can, if
they have permission, get information from any other computer (and sometimes
talk directly to users at other computers). It was conceived by the Advanced
Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969 and was first
known as the ARPANet.
How
to Operate Internet?
Select
a search engine. At
the top of any page on your browser (the window that you open to use the
internet), type the phrase “search engines” into the Search Bar to attain
access to several different internet sites that specifically aid in searching.
Common search engines .
2. After typing in whatever you want to
search, press the Enter key on the keyboard of your computer.
3. Choose a few of the most specific or relevant
keywords or phrases to describe your topic. Utilize synonyms. Type
your choice of words into the Search Bar offered by your chosen search engine.
·
Generally,
capitalization and punctuation are not needed.
·
Search engines usually
disregard minor words such as "the, and, to, etc."
4. Click Search or press the Enter key on
your keyboard.
5. Assess your results. Search through your list of web pages to
pinpoint information.
6.
Repeat above steps as necessary.
·
Choose a different
search engine.
·
Choose new search
words that are more or less specific
7. Use the Advanced Search found on most sites. For
example, if you want to go to Advanced Search on Yahoo,
8. Use
the Site Map of a site, if there is one.
9. It is not correct to assume that your
subject is more or less equally visible in all search engines, so it is very
important that you use a non-biased search engine (such as Yahoo, DuckDuckGo...). Recent engines sort pages also by rank that is assigned
is a complex, ever changing, usually secret way and is different for every
search company. Google sorts by who pays them, which means that they feature
those sites and you may not get all the information that you need. While
engines will likely be "consistent" for highly popular web sites,
less popular web sites may be ranked very differently and it may make sense to
try multiple engines.
