Understanding Computer System

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE

Computer hardware refers to the mechanical parts of the computer. The central processing unit (CPU) performs the calculations; the hard disk stores information; the screen displays information; and the printer gives a hard copy or printout of information.

Computer software consists of the programs that run on the computer. By analogy, compact discs or tapes are "software" that "run" on the audio equipment, such as the speakers and receiver (the "hardware"). Programs can do all sorts of things to aid the user in analyzing data.

COMPUTER LANGUAGES

When intensive analysis or heavy data use is warranted, computer languages are still the best way to go. If you need to develop your own complex and proprietary study, computer languages provide a way, as long as the study is objective and easily quantifiable.

The important point about programming is that learning a language is not always easy for some people, and paying top programmers to design a system can be very expensive. Another problem with using outside programmers is keeping your work secret. Be very careful in choosing programmers whom you can trust will not divulge your information.

Two important considerations, among many, when choosing a computer language are whether the language allows structured programming and how it deals with data.

Structured programming refers to writing programs for small tasks and combining them to solve bigger problems. An unstructured program is one that has no clearly defined individual tasks or groups of ideas, and can be very hard to work with.

Certain computer languages have record structures specifically designed to deal with data. Others have a less structured way of handling data. Languages which have record structures such as "C" or Pascal make data handling much easier, and, therefore, are recommended over languages that do not.