Choosing and Describing Applications and Hardware Essay

fractiouswargon is any penning of data cropor equipment which posterior be physically touched. All ironw atomic number 18 circularize then be split into four major categorieso stimulationo issueo Processoro StorageSome examples of hardw be argono Mo give Input occasionumabobo Keyboard Input machinationo Monitor output signal thingumajigo Tower fulfil/Storage deviceo newspaperman Output deviceo S croupener Input DeviceSoftwargon is a coded political platform which nates only be determinationd while the calculating machine is running. It is a non-physical thing which buttocks non be physically touched. Without the computing device softw atomic number 18, a computer would be utilizeless.Some examples of software areo Microsoft Wordo Microsoft Excelo trouble Shop Proo Microsoft Accesso PhotoFiltreHARDWARE2. Input DevicesThe types of input devices available to me wereInput devicesAdvantagesDisadvantagesKeyboard Al first gears the entry of number, letters and punctuation by the drug user pressing keys corresponding to each symbol.o A unsubtle range of opposite symbols cease be producedo It is flying and on the loose(p) to do it you tummy touch-typeo It is simple to learn how to use unrivalledo Speciallist keyboards mess forget often detailed and homey typingo Most computers countenance bingle attached as failureo Inputting data ignore be a in truth tedious process, e modifiedly if the user is non a touch-typero Errors washbowl comfortably be made by accident by the users hand/fingers slippingo It dealnot be utilise to easily access menus and change settings of the softwareMouse A standard pointing device which allows the cursor to move by moving the physical object. A roll is placed in the base of the cringe, and its dejections are proportionate to the movement of the cursor. It in desire manner has two buttons on it to press on- covering fire buttons.o It comes as standard with most desktop computers ( not laptops) so no additional approach is incurredo It is very simple for the user to learn how to use one, which intend the legal age of users prat use themo They are commonly attached by a wire to the computer, so the mouse needs to be full the computero A flat topographic point is take to use it properlyo It is not compatible to use with all types of hardware e.g. notebook or palmtop computersDigital Camera This is a device which allows the user to take photographs of scenes. It works by a array of light sensors, and when a picture is taken the colours are converted to digital signals by these sensors. These picture offer then be transferred to a computer when necessary, and they stooge as well as be printed. They come is a variety of roots.o Pictures place be taken, and then deleted immediately if they are not liked/neededo No film is needed, and it contains RAM which is good because it allows pictures to be taken off the camera, and much pictures can be put on again in the RAMo Editing the images is very easy and vigorouso Images are easily transported from one piece of software to another(prenominal)o They are becoming more(prenominal) and more easy to cloud in shops (commercial)o The cameras are more valuable than rule ones, and the equipment casualty is unremarkably proportionate to the resolution, which means good quality cameras are super expensiveo Memory is expensive, so images often urinate to be compressed to allow a competent number of pictures to be stored, the pictures are ordinarily very large (e.g. 3KB) Or only a a few(prenominal) pictures can be taken if they are not compressed image scanner A scanner copies text or pictures which are placed inner(a) the lid. It works by shining a beam of light onto the makeup you are copying and the light is then changed into a digital image. This device comes in lots of different resolutions and the pictures can the be stored onto the computer and special software can mod ify the picture to make different effects. in that respect are two types of scanner flat scanner and handheld scanner.o They can be very accurate because they ordinarily have a very high resolution, far higher than digital cameraso every of the images produced can be put onto the computer and enhanced to make different formats of picture and to produce different effects of the pictureo It is one of the only ways to get a detailed picture of a piece of paper onto a computero Images are normally very large and tend to take up a lot of quadruplet, which either means they have to be compressed to allow more pictures to be stored or only a few images can be storedo The quality of the final image is normally dependent on the quality of the original piece of paper, which has both(prenominal) limitationso Some scanners can be large and take up a lot of homeo A flat area is needed for a flatbed scanner which whitethorn not always be availableIt is all-important(prenominal) that data is entered in good order because true statement is extremely important. If telephone numbers are entered incorrectly, this would mean that customers would be unable to contact the organisation if needed. This could be noxious to the number of enquiries it would receive. This could be harmful to the amount of profit gained by the organisation, which could have been easily prevented if this human error was parted up earlier. It also makes the organisation plump sloppy and unprofessional if problems like this are not spotted, and if work is not proof read before it goes to print.I could check that the data has been correctly entered by proof reading everything several times, and getting an unconnected somebody to read it through to spot any errors. This would prevent any misunderstandings and confusion. I could also use the Spelling and Grammar Checker which is on most of the Microsoft architectural planmes, which could pick up lots of mistakes. But this does not pick up mazed lett ers or missed words which would cause even more confusion. This can again be resolved by proof reading.The extract of data entry method can affect speed and accuracy because typing is normally a very slow and tedious process which takes up a lot of time. This method of entry means that it is also easy to make a typing error, which not always be picked up upon, which is inaccurate. If a microphone was use, a bigside a voice credit designme, it would be a untold quicker and efficient method of entrance data. But this software is expensive to purchase but once up and running, it is easy to use for most community.3. Output DevicesThe types of output devices available to me wereOutput devicesAdvantagesDisadvantagesMonitor This is the most common piece of equipment for discloseing nurture, and the picture is made of pixels, and the resolution is dependent on how dense the pixels are. Typically they are of 17inch size, but some are larger, and more expensiveo They normally come def ault with a standard computero They are very authentico It allows to user to know what they are doingo It can display text and graphics all at the same time, in heterogeneous layerso Flat screens do not take up luxuriant amounts of spaceo New screens are normally light and they do not reflect a lot of sunlight because of the specially intentional screenso It is not a permanent copy, if items are not deliver they will be lost when the computer is switched offo The screens are normally made of glass so they can be little(a) and reflect a lot of light which can make the screen hard to reado They are not suitable for users with opthalmic problemso The screen is only a certain size, which limits the amount of information that is able to be shown at one time optical maser Printer Their function is to put sign onto paper, so that a hardcopy of the document can be produced. It works by fusing powdered sign onto paper.o They can produce a very large quantity of prints in a very sho rt amount of time e.g. 10 20 ppm wino hey are very efficiento The quality of the printouts are very good, with a high resolution e.g. 600 1200 dpio The device is almost smooth when running and when printing, which is good because it means it doesnt disrupt worko Even though the toner cartridges are expensive, they last a very long time which means the running costs are comparatively lowo The printers nearly always have a high start-up cost, peculiarly the colour oneso The hardware used is very decomposable and they are hard to repair if they break, which can be costlyo They are very bulky and take up a lot of space which means not everyone would be able to have themo simply certain sizes of paper can be used in them, which can cause problemsInkjet Printer Its function is to put ink onto paper, so that a hardcopy of the document can be produced. It works by letting ink flow out of a nozzle onto the paper.o They are flashy to buy and run, which means they are suitable for most householders and small officeso They have a relatively good resolution, which means their prints are of a good quality e.g. 300 dpio They are quiet so they dont cause a nuisance to workerso They are not as bulky or heavy as Laser Printers which makes them easier to store and useo They are slower compared to Laser Printers, which means they are not necessarily suitable for bigger offices, colour prints can take up to 30 seconds per pageo The general cost of the cartridges is more than those of the Laser Printerso Cartridges also need to be replaced much more frequently than Laser Printerso The ink takes a few minutes to dry and it can easily be smudged if the wet ink is touchedo Cartridges can easily dry out if left field for a long period of timeThe similarities and differences between these are4. computer hardware used (for input and output)The hardware I used to make my remains includedIn the computers that I used, they all had a 40GB Hard grow which means that the computer can store 40GB worth of platforms and games for it to function properly. The Hard Drive stores all the computers information and protects it all when the computer has been turned off. The computers also had Pentium 4 Processors in them, which are microprocessors, which allows a much higher bandwidth than on computers with the old Pentium 3 Processors. It also has 256MB RAM, which allows the computer to do all the necessary tasks needed, when the computer is turned on. All these components are more than are actually needed, but they just allow the user have an easier time while carrying out tasks on the computer.5. Reasons for choosing this hardware.I decided to necessitate this hardware because it was the only option available to me in school. But the6. option hardware.I could have chosen different hardware to usecomputer hardwareAdvantagesDisadvantagesSuitability for my problemTrack Ball This is similar to a normal mouse but instead of moving the object to make the arrow on the s creen move, your fingertips move the ball which is on top of the object. It also has two buttons on it so buttons on screen can be clicked. It is normally used with CAD. It is an input device.* It uses up very little space when being used, because the actual object just stays in one place and does not move around like a mouse does* They are useful for computers that have limited spaces as the ball can be built into the keyboard* The user has to learn how to use it which can be difficult if they are used to a normal mouse* They do not come standard with a computer and have to be bought separately at an extra costIt would be very suitable to use when doing my project because once the user is used to using it, the process would be much quicker. It would also be useful because it is small and can carried around to be plugged into various computers at different locations. in writing(predicate) Tablet This is a flat pad which is placed on the worktop and a special pen is used to write on it. This allows much more accurate/detailed pictures to be produced on the computer compared to a mouse. Designers normally use this hardware and it is a input device.* It is an easy way to input hand-drawn pictures into the computer without using a scanner* It is easy to use, just like writing on paper* Letter/word recognition software can be installed to make a easier method of inputting text* They can be expensive to buy* It is harder to click on menu buttons than with a regular mouse* The pictures they produce will normally be a .jpg file which can be hard to edit once on the computerThis wouldnt be very suitable because there is no need for detailed pictures top be put on the computer that cant be nominated via another method. It would also be withal expensive for me to buy personally so it would have to be provided by a second party.Speakers These are a type of hardware which is used to listen to sounds and music. They either come within the computer (internal) or they can be placed next to the computer and attached with wires (external).* Everyone can render the sounds, so it is especially good for making and presenting creations.* If special software is used, text can be converted into sound which is especially helpful for sight-impaired users.* Headphones can normally be attached* External customers can end up being very expensive* Space is needed next to the computer for external speakers to sit* The speakers could disturb other people workingThis piece of hardware would be helpful to use because it would have allowed me to add sounds to my display which I could hear in the making of it.SOFTWARE7. Software usedThe software I used to create my system wasSoftwareAdvantagesDisadvantagesMicrosoft PowerPoint This is normally used to make basic presentations, and animations and sounds can be added to make the presentation more effective. This was used to make my main presentation.* The program comes with the standard software system of Microsoft O ffice, so no extra charge is incurred to purchase it* Most people are familiar with the program* The controls on the program are relatively easy to use, so many people can use them* The program does not have very good graphic settings, so normally another program had to be used to manipulate pictures etc* Illiterate users may find it hard to use* It is easy to make mistakes when producing presentationsPhotoFiltre This is a complex graphics package, which is used to make and manipulate pictures, and is often used to create logos etc. I used this program to produce my logo for the Health Centre.* The controls on the program are very easy to use* Pictures can be manipulated easily, as to improve the effect of the graphic* This is not a default program of the Microsoft package, so an extra charge is incurred for the user to purchase it* Many users are not familiar with the program, so they may have to learn to use it or they may turn to an easier program8. Alternative solutions.Softwa reAdvantagesDisadvantagesSuitability for my problemPaintShopPro This is another graphics program and could be used instead of PhotoFiltre. It could be used to create my logo.* This program is more well known than PhotoFiltre, so more people would be able to use it* There is more advanced versions available which allow more complex manipulation to take place* This is more expensive than PhotoFiltre, and can often cost hundreds of pounds* It is hard to use unless you have been ingenious in using itThis would be very suitable for my problem as it does the same job, just in a more efficient and quick way- because the controls are a lot more complex. But this program was not available in school.