Title: 1.1.2.1
Course: Module 1, Concepts of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

Know some of the factors that impact on a computer’s performance like: CPU speed, RAM size, graphics card processor and memory, the number of applications running.

Q: [Image: Mainframe]PCs are small, low cost, general-purpose [...] that are designed to be operated by one person at a time. These computers would sit on an ordinary office desk (desktop) or be portable (laptop) and they became very popular during the 1980s.

The story of the personal computer started around 1975 with the Altair, which was little more than a toy for hobbyists; it had no keyboard and no [...]. Still, this first machine gave a young man, by the name of Bill Gates, a vision that one day there would be a microcomputer on every desk and in every home. Gates started a company from his garage, Microsoft, which started to produce [...] for microcomputers.

[Image: IBM]In the early 1980s the computer hardware giant IBM, producer of big computers started to see a market for small computers and they joined forces with [...] producer Intel. Then they went looking for an [...] to operate their computers with. IBM wanted to buy a program called CP/M, but there was some confusion and delay. Bill Gates saw the opportunity and bought the rights to a version of CP/M. He called the program MS DOS and offered it to IBM for practically nothing.

[Image: MS-DOS]The personal computer, with [...] and screen, was born in 1981 and it soon gained great popularity. IBM became the standard in PC development and MS DOS became the most commonly used operating system; the basis for Bill Gates' fortune was laid. This marked the start of the PC revolution that has come close to making Bill Gates's dream come true.

These days every office in the Western world and an increasing number of households can boast of one or more PCs. Office PCs are sometimes referred to as [...] and PCs in private homes as [...].

Classifications

[Image: Intel chip]Personal computers are generally classified according to the type and speed of their processor, which is measured in [...] (GHz). Older types of microprocessors, like the 286, had a [...] (or clock rate) of only a few megaherz (up to 24 MHz in turbo mode!).

Modern chips, like the Pentium IV or the latest AMD offer clock speeds of over 3000 MHz (3GHz) and the development of more powerful chips continues. Ever more powerful chips are necessary to handle the huge amounts of data available to us nowadays in demanding [...] applications like on-line video.

[Image: CRT's]Another classification of PCs refers to their size and portability. The [...] PC was the standard for a long time; portable PCs were too heavy and underpowered to compete. However, the development of flat panel displays, especially the highly efficient [...] (Liquid Crystal Display) screens, which are very flat and require little battery power, led to the development of the light-weight [...] computer.

A drawback was the lower quality (in viewing angle, refresh rate and colour) of the LCD-screen image in comparison with the [...] (Cathode Ray Tube) monitor of the desk top PC, but modern technological advances have improved the situation. LCD screens have made the laptop computer into a great success. First, when their power was still limited compared to desktops, they were used as notebooks. These days laptops can compete with desktop PCs in speed and computing power.

The focus of development has now shifted to the even smaller [...] or palm computers that are expected to revolutionise portable computing in the years to come. The handheld PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and Netbook are competing with the mobile phone as the ultimate computing platform of the future.

If you want to see the original images you can click on the links below.
[Image: Mainframe]http://www.flickr.com/photos/naotakem/120643442/

[Image: IBM]http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrisdag/3105123976/

[Image: MS-DOS]http://www.flickr.com/photos/bludgeoner86/2298512615/

[Image: Intel chip]http://www.flickr.com/photos/henrymaxm/3956562343/

[Image: CRTs]http://www.flickr.com/photos/70316967@N00/2989780843/
A: computers; mouse; software; microchip; operating system; keyboard; desktops; personal computers; gigahertz; speed; multimedia; desktop; LCD; laptop; CRT; mobile
Gap 1 offers: desktops; devices; computers
Gap 2 offers: screen; memory; mouse
Gap 3 offers: hardware; games; software
Gap 4 offers: software; printer; microchip
Gap 5 offers: manager; keyboard; operating system
Gap 6 offers: processor; memory; keyboard
Gap 7 offers: microsomputers; typewriters; desktops
Gap 8 offers: game machines; PDA's; personal computers
Gap 9 offers: megahertz; terahertz; gigahertz
Gap 10 offers: memory; size; speed
Gap 11 offers: office; X-Box; multimedia
Gap 12 offers: Amstrad; Microsoft; desktop
Gap 13 offers: LED; CRT; LCD
Gap 14 offers: RAM; desktop; laptop
Gap 15 offers: CSI; CCTV; CRT
Gap 16 offers: Wii; Playstation; mobile

Q: [Image: mainframe]In 1981, IBM launched the [...].

The main components were the computer body or {}, which is the case that has the motherboard with the {} mounted on it.

Then there was the {} or VDU (video display unit), which was like a small TV-screen on which the users could see what they were doing with the computer programs.

The basic set up was completed by the {}, which was much like the one used in typewriters.

The system unit in the original PC had connectors for the monitor, a keyboard, and a [...]

. Later PC's had more disk drives incorporated into the system unit, such as a hard disk, [...], and CD drives.

In addition the number of connectors at the rear of the system unit, known as [...], was increased as the PC could be connected to more and more [...], like the printer or the scanner and in particular the [...], which became an indispensable pointing tool when the [...] (GUI) became the standard in PCs.

After computer networks became common in companies, PC's were also given network adapter cards. For surfing the Internet a [...] was often added to home computers.

This is how the hardware configuration of the PC was extended and diversified over time.

You can read more about the history of the IBM Personal Computer at www.ibm.com
A: gap 1 = Personal Computer; gap 2 = 3. Mouse; gap 7 = ?; gap 8 = ?; gap 9 = ?; gap 10 = ?; gap 11 = ?; gap 12 = ?
Partly right: gap 1 Desktop computer (50%); gap 2 4. Printer (50%)
Gap 1 offers: Smartphone; Typewriter; Personal Computer; Desktop computer
Gap 2 offers: 1. Network; 2. Playstation; 3. Mouse; 4. Printer