Choosing and Describing Applications and Hardware Essay Example for Free

Choosing and Describing Applications and Hardw ar EssayHardw atomic number 18 is some(prenominal) piece of figurer equipment which erect be physic exclusivelyy touched. solely hardware nooky then be split into four major categorieso Inputo Outputo Processoro repositingSome examples of hardware areo Mouse Input deviceo Keyboard Input deviceo Monitor Output deviceo Tower Processing/Storage deviceo Printer Output deviceo electronic s preservener Input DeviceSoftware is a coded plan which can only be employ while the reckoner is running play play. It is a non-physical thing which cannot be physically touched. Without the bundle, a reckoner would be useless.Some examples of software areo Microsoft Wordo Microsoft Excelo Pain Shop Proo Microsoft Accesso PhotoFiltreHARDWARE2. Input DevicesThe types of infix devices available to me wereInput devicesAdvantagesDisadvantagesKeyboard Allows the entry of number, letters and punctuation by the drug user pressing keys cor responding to each symbol.o A wide range of antithetic symbols can be producedo It is quick and palmy to do it you can touch-typeo It is simple to receive how to use oneo Speciallist keyboards can allow much minute and comfortable typingo Most computers sire one attached as defaulto Inputting selective development can be a genuinely tedious process, specially if the user is not a touch-typero Errors can easily be made by disaster by the users hand/fingers slippingo It cannot be utilize to easily access menus and change settings of the softwareMouse A standard pointing device which allows the pointer to move by moving the physical object. A ball is placed in the base of the black eye, and its movements are proportionate to the movement of the cursor. It alike has two preciselytons on it to press on-screen buttons.o It cums as standard with most desktop computers (not laptops) so no additional cost is incurredo It is rattling simple for the user to learn how to use o ne, which means the majority of users can use themo They are normally attached by a wire to the computer, so the mouse needfully to be near the computero A flat berth is needed 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 belief is taken the colours are converted to digital signals by these sensors. These picture can then be transferred to a computer when necessary, and they can also be printed. They come is a variety of resolutions.o Pictures can 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 more pictures can be put on again in the RAMo Editing the images is very easy and quicko Images are easily transported from one piece of software to anothero They are becoming more and more easy to buy in shops (commercial)o The cameras are more ex drop a linesive than normal ones, and the price is normally proportionate to the resolution, which means good lineament cameras are extremely expensiveo Memory is expensive, so images very much see to be compressed to allow a commensurate number of pictures to be stored, the pictures are normally very large (e.g. 3KB) Or only a some pictures can be taken if they are not compressedScanner A scanner copies text or pictures which are placed inside the lid. It works by shining a beam of light onto the paper 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 modify the picture to make different effects. There are two types of scanner flatbed scanner and handheld scanner.o They can be very accurate because they normally have a very high resolution, far h igher than digital cameraso Any 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 space, 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 some limitationso Some scanners can be large and take up a lot of spaceo A flat area is needed for a flatbed scanner which may not always be availableIt is important that data is entered correctly because accuracy is extremely important. If telephone numbers are entered incorrectly, this would mean that customers would be ineffective to contact the organisation if needed. This could be detrimental 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 picked up earlier. It also makes the organisation become sloppy and unprofessional if problems like this are not spotted, and if work is not proof read before it goes to print.I could encounter that the data has been correctly entered by proof reading everything several eons, and getting an unconnected person 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 programmes, which could pick up lots of mistakes. unless this does not pick up miss letters or missed words which would cause even more confusion. This can again be resolved by proof reading.The choice 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 employ, alongside a voice recognition programme, it would be a much quicker and efficient method of entering data. But this software is expensive to buy but at a time up and running, it is easy to use for most people.3. Output DevicesThe types of output devices available to me wereOutput devicesAdvantagesDisadvantagesMonitor This is the most common piece of equipment for boastinging information, 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 default with a standard computero They are very reliableo It allows to user to know what they are doingo It can display text and graphics all at the same time, in complicated layerso Flat screens do not take up excessive amounts of spaceo New screens are nor mally light and they do not reflect a lot of sunlight because of the specially designed screenso It is not a permanent copy, if items are not saved they will be lost when the computer is switched offo The screens are normally made of grump so they can be fragile and reflect a lot of light which can make the screen hard to reado They are not suitable for users with visual problemso The screen is only a certain size, which limits the amount of information that is able to be shown at one timeLaser Printer Their function is to put sign onto paper, so that a hardcopy of the document can be produced. It works by fusing powdered ink onto paper.o They can produce a very large quantity of prints in a very short amount of time e.g. 10 20 ppm rum 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 silent when running and when printing, which is good because it means it doesnt disrupt worko Even though the tone r cartridges are expensive, they last a very long time which means the running costs are relatively lowo The printers nearly always have a high start-up cost, especially the colour oneso The hardware used is very complex 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 Only 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 cheap 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 slow-movi ng 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 superior 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 for a long period of timeThe similarities and differences between these are4. Hardware used (for input and output)The hardware I used to make my system includedIn the computers that I used, they all had a 40GB Hard Drive which means that the computer can store 40GB worth of programs 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 merely allow the user have an easier time while carrying out tasks on the computer.5. Reasons for choosing this hardware.I decided to choose this hardware because it was the only option available to me in school. But the6. pick hardware.I could have chosen different hardware to useHardwareAdvantagesDisadvantagesSuitability for my problemTrack Ball This is similar to a normal mouse but instead of moving the object to make the pointer on the screen 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 rise up- nigh 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.Graphic 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* garner/word recog nition 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 tilt be created via another method. It would also be too 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 adjoining to the computer and attached with wires (external).* Everyone can hear the sounds, so it is especially good for making and presenting monstrances.* If special software is used, text can be converted into sound which is especially helpful for sight-impaired users.* Headphones can normally be attached* Exter nal 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 presentation 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 package of Microsoft Office, 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 legion(predicate) 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* Illiterat e 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.SoftwareAdvantagesDisadvantagesSuitability 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 al low more complex use 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 trained 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.