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Originally,
the word computing was
synonymous with counting and calculating, and a science
that deals with the original sense of computing mathematical calculations.
"Computing" has come to mean the operation and usage
of computingmachines,
the electricalprocesses carried
out within the computing hardware itself,
and the theoretical concepts governing them (computer
science).
The
discipline of computing is the systematic study of algorithmic
processes that describe and transform information: their
theory, analysis, design, efficiency, implementation,
and application. The fundamental question underlying
all the computing is 'What can be (efficiently) automated?'
Computer
Hardware is
the physical part of a computer,
including the digital
circuitry, as distinguished from the computer
software that executes within the hardware.
The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed,
in comparison with software and data, which are "soft" in
the sense that they are readily created, modified
or erased on the computer. Firmware is
a special type of software that rarely, if ever,
needs to be changed and so is stored on hardware
devices such as read-only
memory (ROM) where it is not readily changed
(and is therefore
"firm" rather than just "soft").
Most
computer hardware is not seen by normal users. It is
in embedded
systems in automobiles, microwave ovens, electrocardiograph machines, compact
disc players, and other devices. Personal
computers, the computer hardware familiar to most
people, form only a small minority of computers (about
0.2% of all new computers produced in 2003) Market
statistics.
Computer
Software (or
simply software) is the programs that
enable a computer to
perform a specific task, as opposed to the physical
components of the system (hardware).
This includes application
software such as a word processor, which enables
a user to perform a task, and system
software such as an operating
system, which enables other software to run
properly, by interfacing with hardware and with
other software.
The
term "software" was first used in this sense by John
W. Tukey in 1957.
In computer
science and software
engineering, computer software is all computer
programs. The concept of reading different sequences
of instructions into the memory of
a device to control computations was invented by Charles
Babbage as part of his difference
engine. The theory that is the basis for most modern
software was first proposed by Alan
Turing in his 1935 essay Computable
numbers with an application to the Entscheidungsproblem. [1]
A Word
Processor (more formally a document preparation
system) is a computerapplication used
for the production (including composition, editing,
formatting, and possibly printing) of any sort of
printable material.
A
word processor may also refer to a stand-alone computer
unit similar to a typewriter,
but often including technological advancements such as
a screen, advanced formatting and printing options, and
the ability to save documents onto memory
cards or diskettes.
Word processors almost invariably allowed the user to
choose between standard typing and word processing modes
by way of a switch. Such word processors should not be
confused with an electric
typewriter.
Word
processors are descended from early text formatting tools
(sometimes called text justification tools, from
their only real capability). Word
processing was one of the earliest applications for
the personal
computer in office productivity.
Although
early word processors used tag-based markup for document
formatting, most modern word processors take advantage
of a graphical
user interface. Most are powerful systems consisting
of one or more programs that can produce any arbitrary
combination of images, graphics and
text, the latter handled with type-setting capability.
Microsoft
Word is the most widely used computer word processing
system; Microsoft estimates
over five million people use the Office suite.
There are also many other commercial word processing
applications, such as WordPerfect. Open-source applications
such as OpenOffice's Writer and KWord are
rapidly gaining in popularity.
A Simulation is
an imitation of some real thing, state of affairs, or
process. The act of simulating something generally entails
representing certain key characteristics or behaviors
of a selected physical or abstract system.
Historically,
the word had negative connotations:
…for
Distinction Sake, a Deceiving by Words, is commonly
called a Lye, and a Deceiving by Actions, Gestures,
or Behavior, is called Simulation…Robert
South (1643-1716)[1]
However,
the connection between simulation and dissembling later
faded out and is now only of linguistic interest.
Simulation
is used in many contexts, including the modeling of
natural systems or human systems in order to gain insight
into their functioning. Other contexts include simulation
of technology for
performance optimization, safety
engineering, testing, training and education.
Simulation can be used to show the eventual real effects
of alternative conditions and courses of action.
Key
issues in simulation include acquisition of valid source
information about the referent, selection of key characteristics
and behaviours, the use of simplifying approximations
and assumptions within the simulation, and fidelity and
validity of the simulation outcomes.
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Computer
Graphics (CG)
is the field of visual computing,
where one utilizes computers both
to generate visual images synthetically
and to integrate or alter visual and spatial information
sampled from the real
world.
This
field can be divided into several areas: real-time3Drendering (often
used in video
games), computer
animation, video capture and video creation rendering,
special effects editing (often used for movies and television),
image editing, and modeling (often
used for engineering and medical purposes).
Development in computer graphics was first fueled by academic interests
and government sponsorship.
However, as real-world applications of computer graphics
in broadcast television and movies proved a viable alternative
to more traditional special
effects and animation techniques,
commercial parties have increasingly funded advances
in the field.
It
is often thought that the first feature film to
use computer graphics was 2001:
A Space Odyssey (1968),
which attempted to show how computers would be much more
graphical in the future.
However, all the "computer graphic" effects in that film
were hand-drawn animation, and the special effects sequences
were produced entirely with conventional optical and
model effects.
A computer network, often simply referred to as a network, is a collection of computers and devices connected by communications channels that facilitates communications among users and allows users to share resources with other users. Networks may be classified according to a wide variety of characteristics.
Computer security is a branch of computer technology known as information security as applied to computers and networks. The objective of computer security includes protection of information and property from theft, corruption, or natural disaster, while allowing the information and property to remain accessible and productive to its intended users. The term computer system security means the collective processes and mechanisms by which sensitive and valuable information and services are protected from publication, tampering or collapse by unauthorized activities or untrustworthy individuals and unplanned events respectively. The strategies and methodologies of computer security often differ from most other computer technologies because of its somewhat elusive objective of preventing unwanted computer behavior instead of enabling wanted computer behavior.
Users are also widely characterized as the class of people that use a system without complete technical expertise required to fully understand the system. In most hacker-related contexts, they are also divided into lusers and power users. Both are terms of degradation, but the latter connotes a "know-it-all" attitude. See also End-user and Nomadic User.
