ComputersEssay title: ComputersA common misconception about computers is that they are smarter than humans. Actually, the degree of a computerâ„–s intelligence depends on the speed of its ignorance. Todayâ„–s complex computers are not really intelligent at all. The intelligence is in the people who design them. Therefore, in order to understand the intelligence of computers, one must first look at the history of computers, the way computers handle information, and, finally, the methods of programming the machines.
The predecessor to todayâ„–s computers was nothing like the machines we use today. The first known computer was Charles Babbageâ„–s Analytical Engine; designed in 1834. (Constable 9) It was a remarkable device for its time. In fact, the Analytical Engine required so much power and would have been so much more complex than the manufacturing methods of the time, it could never be built.
No more than twenty years after Babbageâ„–s death, Herman Hollerith designed an electromechanical machine that used punched cards to tabulate the 1890 U.S. Census. His tabulation machine was so successful, he formed IBM to supply them. (Constable 11) The computers of those times worked with gears and mechanical computation.
Unlike todayâ„–s chip computers, the first computers were non-programmable, electromechnical machines. No one would ever confuse the limited power of those early machines with the wonder of the human brain. An example was the ENIAC, or Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer. It was a huge, room-sized machine, designed to calculate artillery firing tables for the military. (Constable 9) ENIAC was built with more than 19,000 vacuum tubes, nine times the amount ever used prior to this. The internal memory of ENIAC was a paltry twenty decimal numbers of ten digits each. (Constable 12) (Todayâ„–s average home computer can hold roughly 20,480 times this amount.)
Today, the chip-based computer easily packs the power of more than 10,000 ENIACs into a silicon chip the size of an infantâ„–s fingertip. (Reid 64) The chip itself was invented by Jack Kilby and Robert Noyce in 1958, but their crude devices looked nothing like the sleek, paper-thin devices common now. (Reid 66) The first integrated circuit had but four transistors and was half an inch long and narrower than a toothpick. Chips found in todayâ„–s PCs, such as the Motorola 68040, cram more than 1.2 million transistors onto a chip half an inch square. (Poole 136)
The ENIAC was an extremely expensive, huge and complex machine, while PCs now are shoebox-sized gadgets costing but a few thousand dollars. Because of the incredible miniaturization that has taken place, and because of the seemingly “magical” speed at which a computer accomplishes its tasks, many people look at the computer as a replacement for the human brain. Once again, though, the computer can only accomplish its amazing feats by breaking down every task into its simplest possible choices.
Of course, the computer must receive, process and store data in order to be a useful tool. Data can be text, programs, sounds, video, graphics, etc. Some devices for entering data are keyboards, mice, scanners, pressure-sensitive tablets, or any instrument that tells the computer something. The keyboard is the most popular input device for entering text, commands, programs, and the like. (Tessler 157) Newer computers which use a GUI (pronounced gooey), or Graphical User Interface, utilize a mouse as the main device for entering commands. A mouse is a small tool with at least one button on it, and a small tracking ball at the bottom. When the mouse is slid across a surface, the ball tracks the movement on the screen and sends the information to the computer. (Tessler 155) A pressure-sensitive tablet is mainly used by graphic artists to easily draw with the computer. The artist uses a special pen to draw on the large tablet, and the tablet sends the data to the computer.
One more thing to note here… it’s important to note that what you see and touch isn’t a part of the software itself. No GUI or graphical user interface is possible. If you have a keyboard, mouse, or any other key on your desk, you cannot enter program code or even use the keyboard’s built-in screen capture system. A program does not operate on the computer unless it is already on your computer, and it is the keyboard’s hardware or software (Windows or OSX) that will not operate if it isn’t already on your computer. Your hard disk will have access to more information than what is available on your computer, and so it will be useful to you to see where your hard drive is loaded, what you are doing, and where you installed programs. (Williams 130) To help you learn how to use an external keyboard and mouse, here are some examples of keyboard and mouse controls that are available.
To use any external keyboard and mouse, follow this helpful guide: Use an External Keyboard to Use Your Online Keyboard and Mouse For Online Play | What to Do and How to Use a External Keyboard (New User Manual ) | How to Use an External Mouse (Open User Manual)
To use a mouse, see “External Mice and Mouse”
To use a mouse, use the following instructions: You cannot use a keyboard for the sole purpose of typing text. That means that you must use both a keyboard and mouse. The keyboard may be attached to a monitor, or the mouse may be attached to a display or other device that displays text on a screen or screen-like environment. Although it may be possible to change mouse settings, these options are not recommended for those on a desk and a computer where the display or other device is at a distance from your computer. For instance, a small pen on a desk may change text, but without the keyboard or screen capture, you could not use those settings. For the purposes of that section, a “mouse” controls are only visible to a mouse on the computer. For more information on those types of keyboards and mouse controls, and to learn more about their functionality, see the New User Manual of the Internet Foundation. (Williams 131) Also, if you have any questions about a computer’s keyboard and mouse, see the New User Manual of the Internet Foundation’s Web site.
It’s important for anyone who uses a PC to know your preferences. You have probably heard it said, “The PC can’t make the Web.” A laptop is often a good substitute for your laptop as part of your personal computing experience. But the problem is that in PC world, there are not many choices — they all depend on what you need to do, what kind of computer you want them to be. When you use your PC to build new services, you want to be able to use it as much or as little as you want so that you will not lose any of your experience. If you are in a place, place, and area where people often share different and more important functions, and you have a lot of computing power, and you use an HD desktop computer, you don’t want your input device to function with those functions. You are better off keeping your input device (not connected to an optical drive or computer) where it can be easy to share your code with, and in a way that is compatible with you needs.
Keyboard
Mouse
Dock Pads
USB StickTessler, R., & Deutscher, A. (2001). A computer in the digital mind: “the computing world of computer programs.” Computing, Technology, and Society, 15(12), 1–11.
Tosh. N. (1990). A computer program that, through the use of the mouse, automatically sends images to the computer. Computer Science, 38(1), 47–49.
Taylor, R. M. (1993). Digital assistants that are easy to use and inexpensive, and that act like desktop assistants. Computer Science, 36(4), 667–671.
Tuck, M. D., & Bailor, L. (1994). Computer program interfaces, digital effects, and computer speech synthesis. Computer Science, 36(7), 819–824.
Tom. B. (2009). Computing and the computer language. In: B. & R. (Eds.), Computer language and semantics (pp. 17–29). MacMillan, IN: MacMillan Computer Society.
Tovar, S., & Crenshaw, D. K. (2012). A new interface to computer input, a new system for program processing (pp. 43–55). Computer Science, 38(9), 2187–2199.
Uldrich, E., & Sontag, K. (2008). An analog to digital interface: A demonstration. New York: Academic Press.
Volk, C. (1989). Computer programs for general purpose: The purpose of virtual computer systems (pp. 63–87). New York
Tessler, R., & Deutscher, A. (2001). A computer in the digital mind: “the computing world of computer programs.” Computing, Technology, and Society, 15(12), 1–11.
Tosh. N. (1990). A computer program that, through the use of the mouse, automatically sends images to the computer. Computer Science, 38(1), 47–49.
Taylor, R. M. (1993). Digital assistants that are easy to use and inexpensive, and that act like desktop assistants. Computer Science, 36(4), 667–671.
Tuck, M. D., & Bailor, L. (1994). Computer program interfaces, digital effects, and computer speech synthesis. Computer Science, 36(7), 819–824.
Tom. B. (2009). Computing and the computer language. In: B. & R. (Eds.), Computer language and semantics (pp. 17–29). MacMillan, IN: MacMillan Computer Society.
Tovar, S., & Crenshaw, D. K. (2012). A new interface to computer input, a new system for program processing (pp. 43–55). Computer Science, 38(9), 2187–2199.
Uldrich, E., & Sontag, K. (2008). An analog to digital interface: A demonstration. New York: Academic Press.
Volk, C. (1989). Computer programs for general purpose: The purpose of virtual computer systems (pp. 63–87). New York
Tessler, R., & Deutscher, A. (2001). A computer in the digital mind: “the computing world of computer programs.” Computing, Technology, and Society, 15(12), 1–11.
Tosh. N. (1990). A computer program that, through the use of the mouse, automatically sends images to the computer. Computer Science, 38(1), 47–49.
Taylor, R. M. (1993). Digital assistants that are easy to use and inexpensive, and that act like desktop assistants. Computer Science, 36(4), 667–671.
Tuck, M. D., & Bailor, L. (1994). Computer program interfaces, digital effects, and computer speech synthesis. Computer Science, 36(7), 819–824.
Tom. B. (2009). Computing and the computer language. In: B. & R. (Eds.), Computer language and semantics (pp. 17–29). MacMillan, IN: MacMillan Computer Society.
Tovar, S., & Crenshaw, D. K. (2012). A new interface to computer input, a new system for program processing (pp. 43–55). Computer Science, 38(9), 2187–2199.
Uldrich, E., & Sontag, K. (2008). An analog to digital interface: A demonstration. New York: Academic Press.
Volk, C. (1989). Computer programs for general purpose: The purpose of virtual computer systems (pp. 63–87). New York
Once the data is entered into the computer, it does no good until the computer can process it. This is accomplished by the millions of transistors compressed into the thumb-nail sized chip in the computer. These transistors are not at all randomly placed; they form a sequence, and together they make a circuit. A transistor alone can only turn on and off. In the “on” state, it will permit electricity to flow; in the “off” state, it will keep electricity from flowing. (Poole 136) However, when all the microscopic transistors are interconnected, they have the ability to control, manipulate, and move data according to the condition of other data. A computerâ„–s chip is so ignorant, it must use a series of sixteen transistors and two resistors just to add two and two. (Poole 141) Nevertheless, this calculation can be made in just a microsecond, an example of the incredible speed of the PC. The type of chip mainly used