Touchpad Plus Ver. 3.1 Class 6: Linux & LibreOffice

By Geeta Zunjani

Touchpad PLUS (Version 3.1) series based on Ubuntu 20 and LibreOffice 7 is designed carefully keeping in mind the overall growth of the child.

The books contain updated topics like 3D Printing and Artificial Intelligence that will definitely give our students an edge above others and hence make programming ideas more innovative and creative.
Lea

• Language: English
• Publisher: Orange Education Pvt Ltd.
• Release date: Jun 12, 2024
• ISBN: 9789390475926

Book preview

1 CATEGORIES OF COMPUTERS AND SOFTWARE

In the past two decades, computers have reshaped our lives almost everywhere, whether it is at home, work, school, hospital, etc. There has been an enormous increase in the use of computers.

A computer can be defined as:

An electronic device that performs diverse operations with the help of instructions to process the data in order to achieve desired results.

Categories of Computers

Nowadays, different types of computers are used that can be categorized on the basis of their:

Type

Size, speed, processing power and price

Let us learn about these categories in detail.

Type

On the basis of their type or functioning, computers can be classified into three categories which are as follows:

Analog: refers to a computer that operates by measuring instead of counting. It measures the continuously changeable physical quantities like voltage, pressure, water flow, etc. This type of computers generally display the output in the form of graph. Examples of analog computers are mercury thermometer, speedometer in cars, old radio, etc.

An Analog Computer

Digital: refers to a computer that uses digits (binary numbers 0’s, and 1’s) to generate, process and display data. The results produced by digital computers are more accurate than that of analog computers. All the modern computers that currently we use like Desktop, Laptop, and smartphone are examples of the digital computers. Some other examples of the digital computers are digital watch, digital thermometer, electricity meter, etc.

A Digital Computer

Hybrid: refers to a computer that provides the functionality of both an analog and a digital computers while processing and displaying data. It uses the speed of analog computer and accuracy from digital computer. This type of computers is generally used in scientific research and specialized applications. Heart beat measuring machine used in hospital is the common example of the hybrid computer.

An Hybrid Computer

Size, Speed, Processing Power and Cost

Computers are differ in their size, processing power, speed and cost. On the basis of these factors, computers can be categorized as follows:

Microcomputer

A microcomputer is a type of computer that has one microprocessor as its processing unit. It is a small and less expensive digital computer. This type of computers is made to be used by single user at a time. Microcomputer is also called as Personal Computer (PC). Some examples of microcomputer are:

Desktop

Desktop: It is a personal computer developed for regular use and generally placed at a single place on a desk or table. All its components such as keyboard, mouse and storage devices are connected through wire or wireless. Due to its size and power requirements, we cannot carry this type of computers. Desktop computers are generally used in schools, colleges, offices, etc.

Laptop

Laptop: It is a portable and small digital personal computer that is suitable for use while travelling. We can use a laptop computer by keeping it on our lap. A laptop computer has a built-in mouse, monitor and a keyboard. It also has a rechargeable battery. After fully charging the battery, we can use the laptop computer without power for 4 hours or more. Laptop computers are mostly used by marketing executives who travels frequently far from his offices.

Tablet

Tablet: It is a portable digital computer smaller than the laptop computer. It has a touchscreen as its primary input device instead of mouse. Similar to a laptop, the tablet computer also has a rechargeable battery. The tablet computer generally provides less features than a laptop computer. Tablet computers are commonly used by professionals in various organizations.

Minicomputer

Minicomputer

A minicomputer, also known as mini is a type of computer that is bigger, more expensive and more powerful than a microcomputer. It can contain one or more microprocessors as its processing unit. This type of computers is mainly used for scientific and engineering computations. A minicomputer has the capability to serve a number of users simultaneously. It is also known as small or midsize server computer. Some common examples of minicomputers are PDP-11, PDP-8, HP-3000, etc.

Mainframe Computers

Mainframe Computers

Mainframe computers are very large, fast, powerful and more expensive than the minicomputers. They can have multiple microprocessors as their processing unit. Some mainframe computers are so big that they require as much large space as that of a room.

Mainframe computers are generally used in big organisations where large amount of data need to be processed such as banks. Examples of mainframe computers are IBM zSeries, IBM 4381, ICL 39, etc.

Supercomputers

Supercomputers

Supercomputers are the largest and fastest of all types of computers. Even some supercomputers require much space as that of a floor of a building. The cost of supercomputer is very high. They can process very large amount of data quickly.

They are used in very big organisations and government departments to do tasks such as weather forecasting and rocket launching. PARAM was India’s first supercomputer developed in 1991. Some other examples of supercomputers are PACE, Titan, Sunway TaihuLight, Pratyush, Mihir, etc.

Some other Special Computers

Apart from the types of computers that we have discussed in the previous sections, some other types of computers are embedded computers and handheld computers. Let us learn about these computers in detail.

Embedded Computers

An embedded computer is a special type of microprocessor based system that is developed for performing a specific task. It is different from general-purpose computer like PC. Today, embedded computers are used in various applications. Some commonly used examples of the embedded computers are digital camera, microwave, ATM, etc. Let us learn about some of these embedded computers in detail.

Digital Camera

Digital Camera

Digital camera is one of the most commonly used embedded computers. Due to the use of embedded computers, cameras become very smart and provides lots of features that were not present in older cameras. The main function of a camera is to capture photos and shoot videos. It also have a memory to store the captured photos and videos.

ATM

ATM

Automated Teller Machine (ATM) is another example of the embedded computers that allows us to withdraw money from our bank account from anywhere and anytime. This machine is connected with the bank’s server. When we withdraw some money from ATM machine, equal amount is debited from our bank account.

Microwave

Microwave

The microwave that we use at our home is also an example of the embedded computer that allows us to warm and cook food. It contains a computer system embedded inside to control the time and temperature.

Handheld Computers

A handheld computer is a type of computer that can easily be stored in our pocket and used by holding it in our hands. Most of the handheld computers have a touchscreen in which we input data by using our fingers. Some of the commonly used examples of handheld computers are smartphones, smart watches, PDA, and gaming consoles.

Smartphone

Smartphone

Smartphone is a type of mobile phone that provides the facilities of a computer. It has a touchscreen and a rechargeable battery. A smartphone provides the features of an earlier cell phone and also some advanced features similar to a computer. The size of the smartphone is smaller than the tablet computer. Hence, you can easily carry a smartphone in your pocket.

PDA

PDA

Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) is a hand held computer that has a touchscreen and allows to organize our daily routine works like schedules, calendars and address book information. It also has a pen like stylus which allows us to give input. It can also accepts handwritten input directly from the touchscreen.

Smart Watch

Smart Watch

A smart watch is a computing device which you can wear on your wrist. It provides the features of an older watch and some advanced features of smartphone like connecting to the internet, using mobile apps, and making phone calls, etc.

Gaming Consoles