The Architecture of Computer Hardware, Systems Software, & Networking: An Information Technology Approach, 5th Edition

PART ONE

AN OVERVIEW OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS

A computer-based information system is made up of a number of different elements:

• The data element. Data is the fundamental representation of facts and observations. Data is processed by a computer system to provide the information that is the very reason for the computer's existence. As you know, data can take on a number of different forms: numbers, text, images, and sounds. But it's all numbers in the computer.
• The hardware element. Computer hardware processes the data by executing instructions, storing data, and moving data and information between the various input and output devices that make the system and the information accessible to the users.
• The software element. Software consists of the system and application programs that define the instructions that are executed by the hardware. The software determines the work to be performed and controls operation of the system.
• The communication element. Modern computer information systems depend on the ability to share processing operations and data among different computers and users, located both locally and remotely. Data communication provides this capability.

The combination of hardware, software, communication, and data make up the architecture of a computer system. The architecture of computer systems is remarkably similar whether the system is a playstation, a personal computer that sits on your lap while you work, an embedded computer that controls the functions in your cell ...