WDIM - Computers
Introduction
As you can imagine, computers have become a major component in every persons life. I am writing this post using a computer, you are reading this post using a computer, there are computers storing this information and serving it up, etc. In fact, computers have become one of the essential pieces to furthering our careers and bettering our lives. Many marketing campaigns, sales communications, business intelligence gathering, education research, etc. all revolve around a computer. But, as we allow this technology to integrate into our lives, should we be required to understand the history and intricacies for us to use and utilize computers appropriately?
History
When we think of a computer, we have an assumption that a computer requires a keyboard, screen, mouse/trackpad, etc. However, a computer has historically been defined as a machine that carries out sequences automatically (ELI5: Does what we tell it to). This general definition can tie a "computer" to a long history, but for this post, we will refer to the history of computers that the common user would understand. This history starts in the 1980s with Apple developing the first user interface based computer called "Lisa". This computer allowed the user to click on images they saw without needing to learn a programming language to do what they wanted. Obviously, "Lisa" was very limited in what it was able to do, but it opened the floodgates for quick advancement in hardware and software, and has culminated in what we have today (~30 years later).
Hardware
One of the main parts of a computer is the physical side, referred to has "Hardware". The most common hardware components to every computer are the CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM/Memory, hard-drive, motherboard, network, keyboard, mouse/trackpad, and monitor/screen. To deliver the desired output, the common inter-connectivity starts with the keyboard and mouse/trackpad (also known as "user input"), which talks to the motherboard, and is then sent through the other hardware components to accomplish what was programmed (CPU and RAM talk together and write/read information to/from the hard-drive, sent over the network if desired, etc.). As with almost everything else in life, these components are limited in what they can do and what resources they have available (CPU resources, memory resources, hard-drive resources, etc). And, when these resources are capped, everything in the computer slows or stalls, which is where most of the complaints about computers stem from. But what takes up these hardware resources?
Software
Software is the most commonly known part of a computer, since software is what every user knowingly interacts with. When you turn on your computer and see the images on the screen, even at the most basic point (logging in), you are interacting with the software of the computer. Software spans all points of user input, and the more software that is being used, the more hardware resources are consumed. Those who are reading this post are doing so using software (the browser), on their software (operating system), while reading about software (Software-ception!). Every application you use, every point of interaction you have with the computer, is software based. And every piece of software is programmed using specific programming languages which allows the user to instruct the computer to do what the user wants to do. And the most basic software piece that is found in almost every facet of the computing world is the "Operating System".
Operating System
As discussed above, the hardware and software components are what makes the computer tick. Yet, the relationship between these two essential parts of the computer must have a common platform to talk to each other; how else would a click on the screen result in the hardware committing to accomplishing a required task? This is done through the Operating System (OS), which is the most prolific software on our computers today. The OS takes the input from the user, sends a set of commands to the hardware to be executed, and then delivers the output of those commands back to the user. When we log in, log out, send emails, open applications, etc., these are all supported by the Operating System.
Why Does It Matter?
As has been stated above, the relationship between a computer and our lives is closely linked. In some ways, we eat, sleep, and breath computers (for example, think of how often you use your phone). And the way we interact with modern computers (software and hardware) is the world of applications. These applications are developed for many different reasons; such as interacting with students, connecting with family, selling a product, planning and sending marketing campaigns, as well as a host of others (think of how you use your computer now). And as the world has become more software-centric, company revenue and brand-recognition is closely linked to the software that you use. Therefore, as a user in the modern-age of computers, with new applications being released daily, the important question to ask is: How is a computer making your life better?