3b3ci intro_computing

An information system is a complete interconnected environment in which raw data—quantifiable facts and figures—is turned into useful information. An information system includes the following parts: people, hardware, software, procedures, and data (see Figure 1.1).

◾ People: If you think about it, the only reason computers exist is to help people accomplish their goals. Therefore when planning an information system, it’s critical to understand what the people hope to get out of it. Do they need certain information? Do they need for the computer to activate a device that performs a task? Are they looking to be entertained or educated? The first step in planning an information system is to analyze the requirements of the people.

◾ Hardware: When most people think of computers, they immediately think of hardware, the physical parts of the computer system. The hardware includes circuit boards with silicon chips and transistors mounted on them, input devices like the keyboard and mouse, and output devices like printers and monitors.

◾ Software: Computer hardware just sits there idle unless it has software, which is a program that tells the hardware what to do. There are many different levels of software, including the operating system (like Windows or Mac OS) and applications (like a word processing or accounting program).

◾ Procedures: The software doesn’t run itself (usually). People must interact with the computer to tell it what software to run. For example, before you can write checks with your accounting software, you must start up the software, open the file that stores the data for the business, and issue the command that opens the checking account register. You can learn procedures from the online Help system in the application, from a printed user manual, from a training class, or by trial and error.

◾ Data: Computer programs operate upon the data they receive. For example, in your accounting software, you enter data about the checks you are writing—the date, the amount, the recipient—and the program stores that data so you can recall it later.