Fbise Notes-Computer

Long Question Answers Chapter No.1

i. Describe the five generations of computer.

Ans: First Generation of Computers (1940-1956)

The duration lasted from 1940-1956 was based on vacuum tubes. These vacuum tubes were about the size of 100 watt light bulb and used as the internal computer component. Computers were very large and generate a large amount of heat.

In this generation input and output device (punched card) that was used for data storing purpose were very slow. The computers were operating manually and the language used was a low level machine language (symbolic language) with binary code that required a high programming skill. ENIAC, EDVAC, UNIVAC and Mark-1 were some of the major inventions of this generation.

Advantages of First Generation
1. Vacuum tubes were used as electronic component.
2. Electronic digital computers were developed for the first time.
3. These computers were the fastest calculating devices of their time.
4. Computations were performed in millisecond.

Disadvantages of First Generation
1. Too large in size.
2. They were unreliable.
3. Induce a large amount of heat due to the vacuum tubes.
5. Not portable.
6. Limited commercial use.

Second Generation of Computers (1959-1965)

The period of this generation is from 1959 to 1965. During this period transistor were used for internal logic circuits of computers. The input/output devices became much faster by the use of magnetic table. During this period the low level programing language were used however the high level programming languages such as FORTRAN and COBOL were also used. The problem of heat maintenance was solved and size of computer reduced, while speed and reliability were increased. The most popular second generation computer was IBM-1401, introduced in 1960, while the following computers were used by many business organizations. IBM-1400 series, IBM-1600 series, UNIVAC-III, NCR-300 etc.

Advantages of Second Generation
1. Smaller in size as compares to 1st generation.
2. Much more reliable.
3. Less heat generated.
4. Computation was performing in micro second.
5. Less hardware and maintenance problem.
6. Could be used for commercial use.

Disadvantages of Second Generation
1. Very costly for commercial use.
2. It still required frequent maintenance.
3. Frequent cooling also required.

Third Generation of Computers (1963-1971)

In this generation the integrated circuits (IC) were used. Integrated circuits contain many electronic components on a single chip. The size of computer became very small with better performance and reliability. High level programming languages were extensively used. In 1969 the first microprocessor chip INTEL 4004 was developed but it was used only in calculators. The faster input/output devices made possible multi-processing and multi programming. The famous computer were IBM-360, IBM-370, UNIVAC 9000 series etc.

Advantages of Third Generation
1. Smaller in size as compared to second generation.
2. More reliable.
3. Portable
4. Less electricity consumption.
5. Heat generation was rare.
6. General purpose computer.

Disadvantages of Third Generation
1. Air conditioning was required in many cases due to ICs.
2. Very advance technology was required to make the ICs.

Fourth Generation of computers (1971-Present)

In this generation of computers LSI and VLSI chips were developed. Microprocessor was also developed in this generation. IBM Think Pad, HP Pavilion series, Dell inspiron series and Apple’s MacBook are the examples of this generation.

Advantages of Fourth Generation Computers

1. They were very fast, large storage capacity and used advance I/O devices.

2. Small in size, reliable and consumed less power.

3. Operating system having GUI interface was developed in this generation.

4. They support multimedia software having text, audio and video.

5. They supported modern programming languages like C++ , Java etc.

6. Advance microprocessor like Dual core, Core2 Duo, core i3 , i5 etc were introduced.

Fifth Generation of Computers

The goal of fifth generation is to developed devices that can understand natural languages and have thinking power. This was a big challenge for computer developers and programmers to design such system. Robots and expert systems are the examples of this generation.

Advantages of Fifth Generation computers

1. They are based on artificial intelligence (AI)

2. Artificial will minimize the need to write the programs.

3. These computers will allow the users to give commands in any natural language.

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ii. Write a note on mainframe, minicomputer and micro computer.

Ans: Mainframe Computer:

Mainframe computers were developed in early 1940’s. a mainframe computer is a very large, powerful and expensive computer that can support hundreds and even thousands of users at the same time. The modern mainframe computer that use cutting edge technology are the foundation of today’s business. They are used in banks, insurance agencies, education, air travel, research, health care government and many other organizations. They can execute trillion instructions per second (TIPS). Some mainframe computers are IBM’s zEnterprise EC12, EC 196, HP 16500 series and HP Integrity Superdome etc.

Minicomputer:

Minicomputer was introduced in the 1960s when IC chips were introduced. It is bigger than a microcomputer but smaller than a mainframe. They can execute billions of instructions in one second (BIPS). Today minicomputers with cutting edge technology are playing an important role in business organizations for their data processing requirements. They are used in PIA, NADRA, police departments, hospitals etc. some minicomputers are IBM System/36 and HP 3000.

Microcomputer:

Microcomputers are the smallest and the low cost computers. These are most commonly used in homes and offices. They were introduced in 1970s when microprocessor was developed. A microprocessor is a single chip that controls the operations of the entire computer system. They are also known as personal computers or PCs. Modern microcomputers have large storage capacity and they can execute millions of instructions per second (MIPS). A variety of software is available for use in these computers. They are available in various forms such as desktop, laptop and tablet. Some microcomputers are IBM, Dell, HP, Toshiba and Acer etc.

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iii. Explain the basic operations of a computer.

Ans: The following are the basic operations performed by a computer.

Input Operation:

A computer is a data processing machine. It must need data in the form of input for processing. Users enter the data and instructions through a keyboard or a mouse. It can also be provided from a storage device such as hard disk, CD or USB memory.

Processing Operation:

The micro processor fetches the data and instruction from the memory and process it according to the instructions. In this process the control unit decodes the instruction to find out which operation is to be performed. After decoding the instruction, it sends signals to other parts of the computer to execute it.

Output Operation:

The results of data processing stored in memory must be output so that it can be seen by the user. The control unit displays the results on the monitor or prints it on the printer. Results can also be saved in a storage device such as hard disk for future use.

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iv. Write short note on the following:

a) Hardware Engineer

b) Network Administrator

c) Database Administrator

d) Web Designer

e) Multimedia Designer

Ans:

Hardware Engineer:

He designs and manufacture computer hardware. His work also involves repair and maintenance of computer hardware. He has deep knowledge of internal working of the computer, processor, circuit boards etc.

Network Administrator:

A network administrator is responsible for installation, configuration and maintenance of computer networks in an organization. He assign passwords to the network users so that unauthorized people do not have access to network.

Database Administrator:

He is a person who is responsible for the design, implementation and maintenance of a database in an organization. He is also responsible for maintaing the security and monitoring the performance of database.

Web Designer:

Web designer is a person whose job is to plan create websites. He design web pages that include text, images, sound and video clips and make the website interactive. HTML is the most commonly used language for creating websites.

Multi-media Designer:

They are the people who organize and present the information in easy and attractive manner. They combine text, graphics, animation, audio and video. They create digital images and arrange them in sequence for animation. They have the skill to edit and manipulate audio and video files. They usually work in TV , film and different computer software companies.

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v. Describe the following types of Application Software.

Ans: Productivity Software:

Productivity software includes word-processing, spreadsheet and database management software packages. These are used by individuals to speed up their daily routine tasks by doing their work in an organized and efficient way.

Business Software:

The software that helps in running business in a more efficient way is called business software. Some examples of commonly used business software are accounting, sales and marketing, inventory control, project management and payroll software.

Entertainment Software:

The software developed to entertain people is known as entertainment software. Video games are one of the most popular form of entertainment software. Many games have lot of fun to play but sometimes they can help to improve skills such as typing or reading. The term edutainment merges games and education software into single software. Edutainment software is used mainly for entertainment but it educates as well.

Education Software:

Software used for educational purpose is known as education software. A large variety of education software has been developed. It includes typing tutor, spelling tutor, language learning, medical and healthcare, driving test and flight simulation software etc.

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