Tuesday, December 8, 2009

HARDWARE

Computer have arrived and they have already made them indispensible for us. But yet, the work on developing a new generation computers is on since 1985. The fifth generation computers are expected to make entry with the drawing of the next century. Besides obeying capacity, these computers would have power to think, to feel, to judge things and make decisions accordingly. Present computers have no feelings, no instincts, no intuition, no heart or soul. They are only as good as man makes use of them.

Some advanced countries like Japan and USA have been directing their resources in bringing the era of the Fifth Generation Computers, which would apart from high processing power and large storage capacity or memory, would have very natural input/output devices, such as, human languages, written statements or a pattern or picture. A new field of computer science called as the Artificial Intelligence(AI) has been developed for use in the new computer architecture to ensure that the computers behave like human beings. These computers would be working on (Knowledge Information Processing System) instead of data processing by DIPS/LIPS ( Data or Logic Information Processing System). The currently used high level languages will be obsolete. New low level languages like PROLOG ( PROgramming for LOGic), LISP (LISt processor), Small Talk etc. along with highly sophisticated operating system will be used for these computers.

The dream for manufacturing a human-like computer has not yet been realised. But unendind researches are going on for bringing into daylight computers which will fall under Fifth Generation.

The functioning of a computer depends on the successful interaction between hardware and software.

Hardware of a computer is a term which refers to the component physical parts of a computer, including its peripheral. Peripheral stands for all units that are connected to CPU including input/output and secondary storage devices.

Thus the following parts constitute the hardware system of a computer:

1. Processinf unit: CPU, ALU, ROM, RAM, Mother board, Chips, electronic switches with circuit, Optical and Magnetic Ink Character Reader Cards like MGA, CGA, MPEG etc.

2. Auxiliary Storage devices: Magnetic tape, Floppy disk, hard disk, semiconductor memory, magnetic core memory, microcomputer memory.

3. Input devices: Key-board, Mouse, Light pen.

4. Output devices: VDU, CRT, Printers ( Dot- matrix, daisy wheel), plotters.

5. Connecting switches and wires (cable), Voltage stabilizers.

A computer Engineer assembles the hardware components to manufacture a computer. Tecnological developments have caused a rapidly growing state of changes in computer hardware. Computer architecture is a term used to refer to the layout of computer hardware.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

KNOWING YOUR SOFTWARE

Ever since the invention of the computer, there has been computer software to go with it. But what is 'Software'? Every electronic device has software. It is the programming embedded into the device, and it is the rules and steps the device always follows. Yes, every electronic device has software built into it. A GPS device has software that tells it to follow voice instructions; an electric guitar has software that recognizes when it is plugged into an audio device; electronic things have software that we can use to.....well, do basically anything with it.

The most commonly accepted use of the term 'software' is in reference to computer software, which is typically a set of instructions that defines what the computer is to do next. Software basically uses your computer resources in order to fulfill a specific task. They may be systems, or application(which are software we use to accomplish a certain task)like Photoshop or Microsoft Word. Software can be programmed to do anything your computer is capable of. For most software, there are a few minimum system requirements that have to be fulfilled. These requirements are necessary to be fulfilled because the new software will be utilizing the already present hardware and other supporting software to do its bits. Software are popular, basically because it is much easier to buy certain software you need rather than program one yourself from the ground up. Also, due to the emergence of numerous independent software developers, computer users are having a jolly good time choosing between ones with similar advantages.

CAD 2D-3D

If you’re interested in architecture, engineering or precision design, then bring your drawings to life with Total CAD 2D-3D.Total CAD 2D-3D delivers the tools you need to design and draft practically anything, from the simple to the complex, from start to finish. Or in another word, a name very close to the heart of all engineers,designers, drafts and the like is AutoCAD. Such software are essential to technical professionals, mainly because of two things: they save time, because most of the necessary tools are already presented, and also due to the coherency and consistency they provide. AutoCAD is CAD( Computer Aided Design or Computer Aided Drafting) software application for 2D and 3D design and drafting, developed and sold by Autodesk, inc. Initially released in late 1982, AutoCAD was one of the first CAD programs to run on personal computers, notably the IBM PC. Most CAD software at the time ran on graphics terminals connected to mainframe computers or mini-computers.

This package is ideal for novice users with powerful tools, helpful features and familiar functions to easily make custom designs. AutoCAD literally brought the power to the users' fingers. In earlier releases, AutoCAD used primitive entities - such as lines, polylines, circle, arcs, and text - as the foundation for more complex objects. Since the mid-1990s, the software had developed vastly, and now supports customs objects through its C++ API. Modern AutoCAD includes a full set of basic solid modeling and 3D tools. Today, AutoCAD runs exclusively on Microsoft Windows Operating Systems. Versions for Unix and Mac OS were released in the 1980s and 1990s, but these were later dropped. 27 years ago, nearly every drawing produced in the world was done with pencil or ink on paper. Minor changes meant erasing and redrawing while major changes often meant recreating the drawing from the scratch. CAd has fundamentally changed the way design is done.

CAD programs use the principles and elements of geometry to create objects. If too many years have passed since your school geometry lessons, then let Total CAD™ 2D-3D show you how to easily import drawings! It comes complete with over 2000 detailed CAD symbols, so you’ll have the freedom to create the design you want, with helpful tips to guide you as you go.