ICTL

Evolusi Komputer

Komputer merupakan satu mesin yang menerima data (input) dan kemudiannya memprosesnya menjadi maklumat berguna dan disimpan dalam storan sekunder untuk kegunaan masa hadapan atau dikeluarkan melalui printer dan lain-lain (output).

Komputer sebenarnya berasal dari bahasa latin computare yang bermakna menghitung kerana luasnya bidang garapan ilmu komputer, para pakar dan peneliti sedikit berbeza dalam mendefinasikan termininologi komputer.


Generasi Pertama-Tiub Hampagas
( 1942 - 1958 )

1. Menggunakan teknologi tiub hampagas (vakum).

2. Berupaya memproses beberapa ribu arahan sesaat,lebih pantas daripada pergerakan alat mekanik.

3. Berupaya menyimpan 10,000 - 20,000 aksara.

4. Menggunakan ingatan teras magnet. Teras magnet adalah gelang-gelang logam yang amat kecil dan boleh memberikan kuasa magnet melalui satu dari dua arah.


Generasi Kedua-Transistor 
(1959 - 1964)

1. Menggunakan transistor menggantikan tiub hampa gas.

2. Dicipta oleh tiga saintis di Bell Laboratories, iaitu J. Bardeen, H. W. Brittain dan W. Shockley.

3. Transistor adalah sebuah alat elektronik yang kecil di mana fungsinya adalah untuk memindahkan isyarat-isyarat elektrik melalui perintang.

4. Keserasian terhad. Atur cara yang ditulis untuk satu komputer perlu diubah untuk dilaksanakan pada komputer lain.

5. Menggunakan hanya pita untuk storan yang boleh memproses secara jujukan sahaja.

6. Menggunakan bahasa aras rendah iaitu bahasa simbolik.

7. Lebih kecil, ringan, murah tahan lama dan mudah digunakan.

8. Bahasa pengaturcaraan peringkat tinggi atau bahasa perhimpunan (assembly language) seperti FORTRAN dan COBOL.

Generasi Ketiga-Litar Elektrik 
(1964 - 1970)
1. Menggunakan teknologi litar bersepadu yang terdiri daripada beribu-ribu transistor yang diletakkan pada kepingan silikon.

2. Atur cara lebih serasi.

3. Bermulanya konsep multi pengaturcaraan. Beberapa pengguna berkongsi mesin. Istilah baru perkongsian masa.

4. Bermulanya pemprosesan rawak dengan penggunaan cakera magnet.

5. Lebih kuat, utuh dan padat.6. Bahasa pengaturcaraan dihasilkan seperti BASIC dan Pascal.


Generasi Keempat 
(1971 -1999)
1. Penggunaan litar bersepadu berskala besar. Istilah yang digunakan ialah Penyepaduan Skala-Besar (Large-Scale Intergration ataupun LSI).

2. Penggunaan mikro pemprosesan pada satu serpihan.

3. Dengan pengenalan storan maya, atur cara yang bersaiz beberapa kali saiz ingatan mesin boleh dilaksanakan.

4. Pengenalan kepada cakera padat ingatan baca sahaja (Compact Disc Read Only Memory( CD ROM ).

5. Ingatan utama komputer menjadi lebih cekap, pantas dan besar.


Generasi Kelima 
( 2000 sehingga kini)
1. Lebih canggih, lebih murah, lebih pantas dan lebih hebat daripada yang sedia ada dan kemampuan 'melihat', 'mendengar', 'bercakap', dan 'berfikir' seperti manusia-kepintaran buatan.

2. Memiliki kecerdikan buatan iaitu setakat mana manusia membuat komputer itu cerdik.

3. Melaksanakan tugas secara selari berbeza dengan caranya sekarang dan membolehkan tugas diselesaikan serentak.

4. Lebih cepat dan lebih kuasa untuk membuat penaakulan, belajar dan membuat kesimpulan.

Set up your screen saver

Screen savers can help protect your monitor from wear by showing a constantly changing display when your computer is not being used. Screen savers can be simple, like the Blank screen saver that turns off your monitor to save energy.

To change your screen saver

1.	Right-click your desktop, and then click Properties.
2.	In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Screen Saver tab.
3.	Click the Screen saver drop-down box, and then click a screen saver.
4.	Click the Preview button to see how the screen saver will appear on your monitor.
5.	Move your mouse or press a key to return to the Display Properties dialog box. To try a different screen saver, return to step 3.
6.	Click the Settings button to change the standard behavior of the screen saver you selected. (Each screen saver has its own settings dialog box.) Then, click OK.
7.	In the Wait box, type the number of minutes the computer should wait to start the screen saver after you last touched the keyboard or mouse.
8.	If you are the only person who uses your computer and you are not concerned about security, clear the On resume, display Welcome screen check box. Otherwise, leave this check box selected. Note: If your computer is joined to an Active Directory, the Fast Users Switching feature will be disabled. This is a common change made to computers used for business, and it happens automatically when a computer joins an Active Directory domain. However, disabling the Fast User Switching feature is not the default setting. Almost all computers in home environments will have Fast User Switching enabled. When Fast User Switching is enabled, you'll see the On resume, display Welcome screen check box. If you're part of a domain, you'll see the On resume, password protect check box.
9.	Click OK.

Windows XP will start the screen saver you selected after your computer has been idle for the specified number of minutes. You can also instantly activate your screen saver. To stop the screen saver, just move your mouse or press a key.

You can download more screen savers from Microsoft or the Web. Try these free screen savers available from Microsoft:

•	3D Windows XP screen saver
•	MSN screen saver
•	Microsoft Video screen saver
•	Windows XP Media Center Edition screen saver

Customize your mouse settings

Published: September 7, 2006

Some people like their mouse pointer to move fast, while others prefer slow and precise mouse movement. The Microsoft Windows XP default mouse settings are designed to meet the needs of the average user, but you may want to change the settings. By adjusting your mouse settings, you can change your mouse and scroll wheel speed, the size and shape of your pointer, and how quickly you double-click.

To customize your mouse settings

1.	Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2.	Click Printers and Other Hardware.
3.	Click Mouse.
4.	In the Mouse Properties dialog box, click the Buttons tab.
5.	Drag the Double-click speed slider to adjust how quickly you want to click. Test the setting by double-clicking the folder icon. Then click Apply.
6.	On the Pointers tab, click the down arrow in the drop-down box to choose a pointer scheme. Windows Standard (extra large) or Magnified are good choices if you have a high-resolution monitor or if you have difficulty seeing your cursor. Dinosaur is perfect if you have kids, and Conductor is fun for musicians. Click Apply to immediately change your cursor.
7.	The Pointer Options tab gives you access to several additional settings. You can: • Drag the Select a pointer speed slider to change how fast your mouse moves. • Select the Automatically move pointer to the default button in a dialog box check box if you use a notebook computer. • Select the Display pointer trails and Show location of pointer when I press the CTRL key check boxes if you ever have a difficult time finding your cursor.
8.	After you make your changes, click Apply.
9.	On the Wheel tab, increase the number to make your scroll wheel move faster, or decrease the number to make it move slower. Then click Apply.
10.	Once you’ve made your changes, test them using your favorite program. If you like your changes, return to the Mouse Properties dialog box and click OK.

To allow everyone who uses your computer to have their own mouse settings, create separate accounts for each person. After you use your new mouse settings for a few days, you may decide to fine-tune them further and change them again.

Change your monitor resolution

Published: September 7, 2006

If you ever find yourself squinting to read text on your monitor screen or want to fit more windows on your desktop, you may be able to fix these problems by changing the resolution of your monitor. Changing the resolution changes the size of your computer desktop.

Note: Flat-panel monitors support only a single resolution. If you change the default resolution of a flat-panel display, text will appear blurry. If you have a flat-panel monitor like the ones in the image below, the default resolution provides the sharpest image for the size of your monitor screen.

If you have a CRT monitor (any monitor that is not a flat-panel monitor) and want to increase the size of text and pictures to make them more readable, you can decrease your monitor’s resolution (or decrease the size of the desktop that displays on your monitor). If, on the other hand, you would like text and pictures to appear smaller so that you can fit more windows on your desktop, you can increase your monitor’s resolution.

Resolution is the number of pixels (the building blocks of a picture) that are used to display your desktop on your monitor screen. For example, a resolution of 1024 x 768 means that a monitor displays 1,024 pixels across and 768 pixels down. A picture that is 500 pixels wide would cover about half the width of that screen. If you decreased the resolution of the monitor to 800 x 600, the same picture would appear bigger because it would cover about two-thirds of the screen. Similarly, if you increased the resolution of the monitor to 1600 x 1200, the picture would appear smaller because it would cover only about one-third of the screen.

The following image shows the same Web page displayed on two monitors with different resolutions. The monitor on the left is set at a high resolution (1600 x 1200), so the page appears small and covers only a portion of the desktop—this makes the text harder to read but leaves room for other windows. The monitor on the right is set at a lower resolution (1024 x 768), so the page takes up the entire area of the desktop.

To change your monitor’s resolution

1.	Right-click the desktop, and then click Properties.
2.	In the Display Properties dialog box, click the Settings tab.
3.	Drag the Screen resolution slider to the left to decrease the resolution of your monitor, making text and pictures appear larger. Or drag the Screen resolution slider to the right to increase your monitor’s resolution, making text and pictures appear smaller.
4.	Click Apply to have the new resolution take effect.
5.	If the Monitor Settings dialog box appears, look at your display. If you like the new resolution, click Yes. If you do not like the resolution, click No, and return to step 3 to try a different resolution.
6.	Click OK.

Microsoft Windows XP changes the resolution to the settings you chose.

Byte Convertor ( Click to go to page)

Parts of a computer

The illustration below shows the most common hardware in a desktop computer system. Your system may look a little different, but it probably has most of these parts.

Desktop computer system

Let's take a look at each of these parts.

System unit

The system unit is the core of a computer system. . Inside this box are many electronic components that process information. The most important of these components is the central processing unit (CPU), or microprocessor, which acts as the "brain" of your computer. Another component is random access memory (RAM), which temporarily stores information that the CPU uses while the computer is on. The information stored in RAM is erased when the computer is turned off.

Almost every other part of your computer connects to the system unit using cables. The cables plug into specific ports (openings), typically on the back of the system unit. Hardware that is not part of the system unit is sometimes called a peripheral device or device.

System unit

Storage

Your computer has one or more disk drives—devices that store information on a metal or plastic disk. The disk preserves the information even when your computer is turned off.

Hard disk drive

Your computer's hard disk drive stores information on a hard disk, a rigid platter or stack of platters with a magnetic surface. Because hard disks can hold massive amounts of information, they usually serve as your computer's primary means of storage, holding almost all of your programs and files. The hard disk drive is normally located inside the system unit.

Hard disk drive

CD and DVD drives

Nearly all computers today come equipped with a CD or DVD drive, usually located on the front of the system unit. CD drives use lasers to read (retrieve) data from a CD, and many CD drives can also write (record) data onto CDs. If you have a recordable disk drive, you can store copies of your files on blank CDs. You can also use a CD drive to play music CDs on your computer.

CD

DVD drives can do everything that CD drives can, plus read DVDs. If you have a DVD drive, you can watch movies on your computer. Many DVD drives can record data onto blank DVDs.

Floppy disk drive

Floppy disk drives store information on floppy disks, also called floppies or diskettes. Compared to CDs and DVDs, floppy disks can store only a small amount of data. They also retrieve information more slowly and are  more prone to damage. For these reasons, floppy disk drives are less popular than they used to be, although some computers still include them.

Floppy disk

Why are floppy disks "floppy"? Even though the outside is made of hard plastic, that's just the sleeve. The disk inside is made of a thin, flexible vinyl material.

Mouse

A mouse is a small device used to point to and select items on your computer screen. Although mice come in many shapes, the typical mouse does look a bit like an actual mouse. It's small, oblong, and connected to the system unit by a long wire that resembles a tail. Some newer mice are wireless.

Mouse

A mouse usually has two buttons: a primary button (usually the left button) and a secondary button. Many mice also have a wheel between the two buttons, which allows you to scroll smoothly through screens of information.

When you move the mouse with your hand, a pointer on your screen moves in the same direction. (The pointer's appearance might change depending on where it's positioned on your screen.) When you want to select an item, you point to the item and then click (press and release) the primary button. Pointing and clicking with your mouse is the main way to interact with your computer.

Keyboard

A keyboard is used mainly for typing text into your computer. Like the keyboard on a typewriter, it has keys for letters and numbers, but it also has special keys:

• 
  
  
  
  
  The function keys, found on the top row, perform different functions depending on where they are used.
• 
  
  
  
  
  The numeric keypad, located on the right side of most keyboards, allows you to enter numbers quickly.
• 
  
  
  
  
  The navigation keys, such as the arrow keys, allow you to move your position within a document or webpage.

Keyboard

You can also use your keyboard to perform many of the same tasks you can perform with a mouse.

Monitor

A monitor displays information in visual form, using text and graphics. The portion of the monitor that displays  the information is called the screen. Like a television screen, a computer screen can show still or moving pictures.

There are two basic types of monitors: CRT (cathode ray tube) monitors and LCD (liquid crystal display) monitors. Both types produce sharp images, but LCD monitors have the advantage of being much thinner and  lighter. CRT monitors, however, are generally more affordable.

LCD monitor (left); CRT monitor (right)

Printer

A printer transfers data from a computer onto paper. You don't need a printer to use your computer, but having one allows you to print e‑mail, cards, invitations, announcements, and other materials. Many people also like being able to print their own photos at home.

The two main types of printers are inkjet printers and laser printers. Inkjet printers are the most popular printers for the home. They can print in black and white or in full color and can produce high-quality photographs when used with special paper. Laser printers are faster and generally better able to handle heavy  use.

Inkjet printer (left); laser printer (right)

Speakers

Speakers are used to play sound. They may be built into the system unit or connected with cables. Speakers allow you to listen to music and hear sound effects from your computer.

Computer speakers

Modem

To connect your computer to the Internet, you need a modem. A modem is a device that sends and receives computer information over a telephone line or high-speed cable. Modems are sometimes built into the system unit, but higher-speed modems are usually separate components.

Cable modem