ICT is an acronym that stands for Information and Communication Technology

Lets focus on the three words of ICT:

-INFORMATION
-COMMUNICATION
-TECHNOLOGY

Prepared By:
Md. Mahmudul
Hasan
Research
Lecturer

A good way to think about ICT is to consider all the uses of digital technology that already exist to
help individuals, businesses and organizations to use the information.
ICT covers any product that store, retrieve, manipulate, transmits or receives information
electronically in a digital form. For example, personal computers, digital television, email, robots.
Importantly, it is also concerned with the way these different uses can work with each other.
The C part of the ICT refers to communication of data by electronic means, usually over some
distance. This is often achieved via networks of sending and receiving equipments, wires and satellite
links.
In business, ICT is often categorized into two broad types of products: (1) The traditional computer-based technologies (things that we can typically do on a personal
computer or using computers at home or at work). Such as word processing, spreadsheet, database,
graphic software, etc.
(2) The more recent and fast-growing range of digital communication technologies (which allow
people and organizations to communicate and share information digitally). Such as, internet
technology, email, distributed system, etc.
The potential uses of ICT:
1. Public Administration
2. Urban and Rural Development
3. Transport
4. Medical
5. Education
6. Environment
7. Agriculture
8. Manufacturing
9. Electronic Commerce
10. Travel and Tourism
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Computer: In basic term, a computer is an electronic device that is used for processing data and
converting it into information that is useful to people. Any type of computer is controlled by
programmed instructions, which give the machine a purpose and tell it what to do.
Different types of computers are described below:
1. Personal Computer (PC): This type of computer system is designed for use by a single
person. Personal computers are also called microcomputers, because they are among the
smallest computers created for people to use. There are several types of PC for different
purpose. These types are illustrated below:

a. Desktop computer: The most

common type of personal computer is
desktop computer-a PC that is
designed to sit on a desk or table.
These are the system we see all around
in schools, homes, and offices. Todays
desktop computers are far more
powerful than those of just a few years
ago and they can be used to perform a
of tasks. They can be used for browsing internet, communicate, produce music,
photographs and videos, play games, much more.

the

us,

lot
edit

b. Workstations: A workstation is a specialized, single user computer that typically has

more power and features than a standard desktop
computer. These machines are more popular among
scientists, engineers or animators who need a system
with greater-than-average speed and power to perform
sophisticated tasks
c. Notebook computers: Notebook computers as their
name implies, have the shape of an 8.5-by-11 inch
notebook and easily fit inside a briefcase. They are also
called laptop computers because people frequently set
these devices on their lap. The portability of laptops is one of the major reasons for the
increased use of laptops nowadays.
d. Tablet computers: Tablet PCs are the most recent
developments in portable, full featured computers. Tablet PCs
just like a notebook offers the full range of functionalities
except that they are lighter and accepts input from
pen/pointers known as the stylus. Tablet PCs can run
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specialized versions of standard programs and can be connected to a network or to the

internet.
e. Handheld computers and Smart phones: Smart phones or mobile phones are
handheld devices that have a processing unit attached to act as a handheld computer
cum phone. These phones come with additional
features beyond the traditional SMS and calling
features. Smart phones allow us to surf the internet,
take pictures, videos, listen to music, conducts
presentations, record voice, play games, e-mail, and
many other additional features. Now a days smart
phones are also equipped with GPS and Wi-Fi.
2. Network Servers: A network server is usually a more powerful personal computer with special
software and equipments that enable it to function as the primary computer in the network.
Network servers can be found in large offices or organizations. Individual users have their own
desktop computer known as client computer, which is connected to the network server.
3. Mainframe computers: Mainframe computers are used in large organizations such as
insurance companies and banks, where many people frequently need to use the same data. In a
traditional mainframe environment, each user
accesses the mainframes resources through a
terminal (network terminal). There are two kinds of
terminal, one is known as dumb terminal which does
not process or store data, just perform basic I/O
input output. Another one is the intelligent terminal
which can perform processing operations. These
terminals normally do not have any storage.
Mainframes are large and powerful systems to handle
the processing request of thousands of users
simultaneously.
4. Minicomputers: the capabilities of a minicomputer are somewhere between those of
mainframes and personal computers. For this reason, minicomputers are often called midrange
computers. Minicomputers were replaced by the microcomputers which took over the reign of
those mighty minicomputers due to their greater processing power.
5. Supercomputers: Supercomputers are the most fastest and
expensive modern computer systems. They are mostly used
for intense processing such as forecasting the weather, super
high resolution graphics, simulation, etc. Today, the worlds
fastest supercomputer is developed by IBM the IBM
Roadrunner which runs on 1.026 1.105 Pflops or petaflops.
It is placed in the Los Alamos National Laboratory, New
Mexico USA taking up a space of 6000 square feet.
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Applications of computer:
1. Home: In many homes, the family computer is nearly as important as the refrigerator or the
washing machine. People can not imagine living without it.
a. Communication: Electronic mail (e-mail) allows people to communicate with friends
and family.
b. Business work done at home.
c. School work.
d. Entertainment.
e. Finances.
2. Education: computer technology is now essential learning equipment for all students, starting
as early as preschool.
3. Small business: They rely on computers and software not only to perform basic work
functions, but to manage and grow their companies.
4. Industry: Computers are used in the industry for the following purposes:
a. Design
b. Shipping
c. Process Control
5. Government: Today computers play a crucial part in nearly every government agencies:
a. Population.
b. Taxes.
c. Military.
d. Police.
6. Health care: Computers are making health care more efficient and accurate while bringing
down the costs.
An overview of a Computer System:
The term computer is used to describe a device made up of a combination of electronic and
electromechanical components. By itself, a computer has no intelligence and is referred to as hardware,
which means simply the physical equipment and can't do anything. A computer can't be used until it is
connected to other parts of a computer system.
A Computer System is a combination of six elements.
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1. Hardware
2. Software
3. Data/Information
4. Procedure
5. People and
6. Communication
1. Hardware: Computer hardware is the physical equipments in the computer system, which can be
touched by hand. It has no power by itself. For example, monitor, keyboard, mouse etc.
2. Software: -A computer has no intelligence of its own and must be supplied with instructions that tell
it what to do, how and when to do. These instructions are called software. On the other hand, software
is made up of a group of related programs. Each program is made up of a group of related instructions
that perform specific processing tasks. Software acquired to perform a general business function is
often referred to as a software package. Software is usually created by professional software
programmers.
3. Data/Information: -Data can be considered the raw material whether in paper, electronic or other
form that will be processed by the computer. In other words, data consists of the raw facts and figures
that are processed into information. Information is summarized data or otherwise manipulated or
processed data. Actually, in ordinary usage, the word data and information are often used
synonymously.
4. Procedures: - Engineers make hardware and software and People operate them. All of them also
follow certain procedures to make and operate these hardware and software. Procedures are description
of how things are done step by step for accomplishing a result. Procedure for computer systems
appears in documentation manuals, also known as reference manuals, which contain instructions, rules
and guidelines to follow to use hardware and software.
5. People: People are the users of the computer, who make and operate the hardware and the software.
6. Communication: - One computer system can be set up to share data and information electronically
with another computer system. This exchanging of data and information is called communication.
Information can possible to exchange between computers over different types of cables, by phone
lines, microwave transmission or satellite etc.

Hardwires:

Hardware of a computer can be divided into five categories:

1) Input hardware
2) Processing hardware
3) Storage hardware
4) Output hardware
5) Communication hardware
1) Input hardware: Most common input hardwires are the keyboard and mouse. Any data,
information, or instructions are inserted into the computer through input hardware. The function of
input hardware is to collect data and converts it into a suitable form for computer processing.
Some examples of input hardware are:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)

v)
vi)

Keyboard
Mouse & Trackball
Touch Screen
Scanning Devices:
a) Bar-code Readers-To read the vertical zebra-stripped marks and convert them into product
number.
b) Marks and Character Recognition Devices:
1. MICR (Magnetic-ink Character Recognition/Reader)-For banking check processing.
2. OMR (Optical Mark Recognition/Reader)-To read the pencil marks and convert them
into computer usable form.
3. OCR (Optical Character Recognition/Reader)-To make bills and price tags.
Pen Based- Handwriting can be fairly successfully recognized and converted to text.
Microphone

2) Processing hardware: Processing hardware are the Central Processing Unit (CPU) and Main
Memory (MM). The functions of processing hardware are to retrieve and execute (interpret)
instructions (software) provided to the computer. Processing consists of performing calculations and
other logical activities.
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Central Processing Unit (CPU)

o Brain of the computer.
o Manages all devices and performs the actual processing of
data.
o Carry out instruction given by user.
o For Personal Computer (PC), the CPU is usually included in
a single Integrated Circuit (IC) chip (called microprocessor).
o Nowadays, one or more microprocessors (CPU) can be used to form a CPU.

There are two types of main memory

Random Access Memory (RAM)

o Features

Volatile: require continuous power supply to retain

information.

Relatively cheap in term of bytes per dollar.

o Functions

Receive commands and data from keyboard and mouse.

Store info ready to be sent to output.

Store currently running program and their data.

Store immediate data generated by the currently running program

Read Only Memory (ROM)

o Features:

Non-volatile: data retain even when power is off.

Suitable for storing essential data but in small volume.

o Functions:

Usually used for system boot up and basic control of

I/O devices.

When a computer first powers up, nothing is in RAM

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Need ROM to store the instructions to set up various I/O devices, such as disk
interface card, video adapter card, sound card etc.

ROM is used to store BIOS (Basic Input / Output System)

There are different types of ROM

o ROM (Read only Memory) Data is written by manufacturer and users are only able to
read.
o PROM (Programmable ROM) - In this type of memory data can be written once by the
user which will be permanent after it.
o EPROM (Erasable PROM) - The data can be written again and again in this type of
ROM.
o EEPROM (Electrically EPROM) - This is most flexible EPROM, where by electrical
method data are erased to write a new data.

3) Storage Hardware:

Storage devices are known as external memory.

They are non- volatile.

Used to store program and data for future use.

Also used when the capacity of the internal storage is insufficient

to keep the currently running programs and the data required.

Such as Floppy disks, hard disks, CD-ROMs, Magnetic taps etc.

The main differences between storage and main memory:

1. Larger capacity in storage than in memory.
2. Data in storage are retained while data in memory disappear
when power is off.
3. Storage is much cheaper than memory.
4) Output Hardware: The output hardwires are the printer, monitor
etc. Output hardware provides information printed on paper
(hardcopy) or displayed on computer screen (softcopy).

The function of output hardware is to provide the user with the means to view information
produced by the computer system.
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Information is output in either hardcopy or softcopy form. Hardcopy output can be held in our
hand, an example is paper with text (word or number) or graphics printed on it.
Softcopy output is typically displayed on a monitor, a television like screen on which we can
read text and graphics. Another type of softcopy output is audio output, such as voice.

5) Communication hardware: Communication hardware, such as modem facilitates the connections

between individual computers and groups of computers (networks). Through communication hardware
computers can exchange their messages between them.
Examples of Communication Hardwires are:
i)
ii)
iii)
iv)
v)
vi)

Different types of Cables

Wireless Communication
Satellite and Telephone Lines
Hub and Switch
Modem
Router, etc

Software: - Computer software can be divided into two broad categories.

1) System Software and
2) Application Software
1) System software:

Software design to allow the computer to manage its own resources and run basic operations is
called system software.

This software runs the basic operations and tells the hardware what to do and how and when to
do.

System Software tells the computer how to interpret data and instructions, how to run
peripheral equipments like printers, keyboards and disk drives.

System softwares are general programs written for the system, which provide the environment
to facilitate the writing of application software.

Without system software loaded into the RAM, our computer hardware and applications
software are useless.

System software can be grouped into three categories:

i) Operating systems such as DOS, WINDOWS, OS/2, UNIX, LINUX, MACHINTOSH

SYSTEM SOFTWARE etc.
ii) Utility programs such as Virus Protection, Memory Management, Defragmentation etc.
iii) Language translators such as Assembler, Compiler programs.
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2) Application software:

Application software is software that can perform a specific task to fulfill the needs of users.

Application software is the set of programs necessary to carry out operations for a specified
application.

Applications program may be provided by the computer manufactures or suppliers but many
cases the users produce their own applications called user programs.

There are two types of application software:

o Customized software: designed for particular customers according to their needs.

Such as payroll, inventory control, etc.

o Packaged software: developed for general use.

Such as MS-word, Excel, PowerPoint, Photoshop, etc.

Different package programs such as:

-

Word processing software (MS Word)

Spreadsheets analysis program (MS Excel)

PowerPoint (MS PowerPoint)

Database management software (MS Access)

Multimedia, Graphics

CAD (Computer Aided Design)

CAM (Computer Aided Manufacture) etc.

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Operating Systems
An operating system (OS) is a program that controls the entire operation of a computer system. All I/O
operations that are performed on a computer system are channeled through the operating system. The
OS must also manage the computer system resources and must handle the execution of programs. It
acts as an intermediary between a user of a computer and the computer hardware.
The purpose of an OS is to provide an environment in which a user can execute programs in a
convenient and efficient manner. The OS consists of master system of programs that manage the basic
operations of the computer.
How operating system loaded into memory:
1. When power is up, nothing is in RAM. No control is possible to the hard disk to load the OS.
2. CPU starts to read the BIOS instructions stored in the ROM
3. Thing that normally perform
a. Initialize all I/O devices: hard disk, video, mouse, keyboard, CD-ROM, etc.
b. Load the boot strap loader of the operating system to the RAM.
c. Start to execute the bootstrap loader in RAM.
4. The bootstrap loader further loads the other part of the operating system to the RAM.

The OS performs the following functions:

1. Easy interaction between humans and computers.
2. Loading and scheduling users programs along with necessary compilers.
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3. Controlling input and output.

4. Controlling program execution.
5. Manages the use of main memory.
6. Managing and manipulating (e.g. editing) files.
7. Proving security to users jobs and files.
8. Allocates use of peripheral devices.

Popular operating systems are:

1. DOS: Disk Operating System. It is one of the old operating system and no longer used today. There
were over 100 million users of DOS. DOS runs primarily on IBM and IBM compatible
microcomputers such as Compaq, Zenith, Dell, Tandy and Gateway. MS-DOS is designed
principally to perform a single task for a single user. It can switch back and forth between different
applications but it cant run two or more applications simultaneously.
2. Windows: Windows is an Operating System made by Microsoft that has a graphical user interface
(GUI). Windows supports multitasking operating system; we can display several windows on a
computer screen each showing a different application such as word processing or spreadsheet
analysis program. We can easily switch between the applications and move data between them.
GUI makes IBM type PCs easier to use. Graphical users Interface enables users to select menu
options by choosing pictures, called icons that correspond to the appropriate application. To use
software that includes a graphic user interface user typically use a mouse rather a keyboard to
choose menu options. Versions of Windows are Windows-95, Windows-98, Windows-NT,
Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7.
3. Linux: Linux is a free Unix-type operating system originally created by Linus Torvalds in
Helsinki, Finland with the assistance of developers around the world. Linux is developed under
GNU (GNU stands for GNUs Not Unix) General Public License, which means that its source
code is free and available to the general public. When Linus Torvalds first developed Linux back in
August 1991 the operating system basically consisted of a kernel and some GNU tools. Kernel is
the core of the OS. The kernel makes the computer run. It is a multitasking and multi-user
operating system. Many people can run different applications on one Linux computer at the same
time.

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Types of Operating Systems

Operating systems can be organized into four major types: real-time, single-user/single-tasking, singleuser/multitasking, and multi-user/multitasking.

Real-Time OS: A real-time OS is a very fast, relatively small OS. Real-time OSs are also called
embedded OS. They are built into the circuitry of a device and are not loaded from a disk drive.
Multitasking OS means more than one application can be run on the same console.
Multi-user OS means more than one user can login and can run applications simultaneously.
Single-tasking OS Only one program can run at a time.
Reasons to Choose Linux:
1) It gives us a stable and reliable computing platform.
2) It is highly secure and almost virus free.
3) It is a low-cost or free operating system.
4) We can use Linux for heavy network or as the web server.

The Central Processing Unit (CPU)

The CPU is the brain of the computer, the place where data is manipulated. In large computer systems,
such as supercomputers and mainframes, processing tasks may be handled by multiple processing
chips. In the average microcomputer, the entire CPU is single unit, called a microprocessor. Every
CPU has at least two basic parts: (i) the control unit and (ii) the arithmetic logic unit (ALU).

1. The control unit: All the computers resources are managed from the control unit. It is like a
traffic signal directing the flow of data through the CPU, as well as to and from other devices.
The control unit is the logical hub of the computer.
The CPUs instructions for carrying out commands are built into the control unit. The
instructions, or instruction set, list all the operations that the CPU can perform. Each instruction
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in the instruction set is expressed in microcode- a set of basic directions that tell the CPU how
to execute more complex operations.
2. The Arithmetic Logic Unit (ALU): Because all computer data stored as numbers, much of the
processing that takes place involves comparing number or carrying out mathematical operation.
These mathematical operations are performed in ALU. The computer can perform two types of
operation: arithmetic operation and logical operations. Arithmetic operations include addition,
subtraction, multiplication, and division. Logical operations include comparisons, such as
determining one number is equal to, greater than, or less than another number.

The ALU includes a group of registers- high speed memory locations built directly into the
CPU that are used to hold the data currently being processed.

Machine Cycles: Each time the CPU executes an instruction, it takes a series of steps. The completed
series of steps is called a machine cycle. A machine cycle itself can be broken down into two smaller
cycles: (i) the instruction cycle and (ii) the execution cycle. In the instruction cycle CPU takes two
steps
Fetching: Before the CPU can execute an instruction, the control unit must retrieve or fetch a
command or data from the computers memory.
Decoding: Before a command can be executed, the control unit must break down or decode the
command into instructions that correspond to those in the CPUs instruction set.

At this point the CPU is ready to begin the execution cycle:

Executing: When the command is executed, the CPU carries out the instruction in order by
converting them into microcode.
Storing: The CPU may be required to store the result of an instruction in memory.

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Pipelining: Instructions are executed even faster by using a process called pipelining. In pipelining,
the control unit begins a new machine cycle before the current cycle is completed. Executions are
performed in stages: When the first instruction completes the fetching stage, it moves to the decode
stage and a new instruction is fetched.

Factors affecting processing speed

Processing speed means how faster computer processes a set of data. The design of the CPU
determines its basic speed, but other factors also make the computer much faster.
The factors are:
1. Registers
2. Memory
3. The Computers Internal Clock
4. Cache Memory
5. The BUS lines
1. Registers: The size of a registers is called the word size, indicates the amount of data with which the
computer can work at any given time. The bigger the word size, the more quickly the computer can
process a set of data. Occasionally, the terminologies32-bit processors or 64-bit processors or even
64-bit computers refers to the size of the registers in the processor.
If all other factors are kept equal, a CPU with 32-bit registers can process data twice as fast as one with
16-bit registers.
2. Memory: The amount of RAM in a computer has a profound effect on the computers power. More
RAM means the computer can execute bigger, more powerful programs, and those programs can
access bigger data files. The computer does not necessarily have to load an entire program into
memory to run it. However, the greater the amount of the program that fits into memory, the faster the
program runs.
If the capacity of main memory is smaller than the program we execute, the computer can execute the
part of program is located on the memory. When the computer needs access to other parts of a program
or data on the disk, it can unload, or swap out, executed parts of program form RAM to the hard disk.
Then the computer can load, or swap in, the program code or data it needs from hard disk to RAM. In
this situation, the computer system performance becomes slower, because the CPU, memory and disk
are continuously occupied with the swapping process.
If you already own a PC and decide that it needs more RAM, usually you can purchase additional
RAM chips, open up your computer and plug it in. If all other factors are kept equal, a CPU with 128
MB RAM can process data twice as fast as one with 64 MB RAM.
3. The computers internal clock: Every microcomputer has a system clock, but keeping the time of
day is not the clocks primary purpose. Like most modern wristwatches, the clock is driven by a quartz
crystal. When the electricity is applied, the molecules in the crystal vibrate millions of times per
second, at a rate that never changes. The speed of the vibration is determined by the thickness of the
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crystal. The computer uses the vibrations of the quartz in the system clock to time its processing
operations.
For example, the first PC operated at 4.77 Megahertz. Hertz (Hz) is a measure of cycles per second.
Megahertz (MHz) means millions of cycles per second. Gigahertz (GHz) means billions of cycles
per second. One clock cycle means the time it takes to turn a transistor off and back on again. If all
other factors are kept equal, a computer with 1 GHz can process data twice as fast as a computer with 2
GHz.
4. Cache memory: Cache Memory is a very high-speed memory area that the CPU can access quickly.
Cache memory moves data back and forth between the CPU and main memory. Moving data between
RAM and the CPUs registers is one of the most time consuming operations a CPU must perform,
simply because RAM, is much slower than the CPU. The cache memory speeds processing by storing
more frequently used data or instructions in its high-speed memory.
If all other factors are kept equal, a computer with 256 KB of Cache Memory can process data as fast
as a computer with 128 KB of Cache Memory.
5. The Bus Lines: A bus line is an electrical pathway through which bits are transmitted within the
CPU and between the CPU and other devices in the system unit.
There are three main buses in a computer:
A) Data Bus
B) Address Bus
C) Control Bus
A) Data Bus: The data bus is an electrical path that connects the CPU, memory and the other hardware
devices on the motherboard. A bus resembles a multilane highway. The more lanes it has, the faster the
bits can be transferred. The earlier microprocessor had only 8-bit bus eight pathways. It was therefore
four times slower than the 32-bit bus. So, a 16-bit bus can transfer two bytes and a 32-bit can transfer
four bytes at a time.
B) Address Bus: The address bus is a set of wires similar to the data bus that connects the CPU and
RAM and carries the memory addresses. The address bus is important because the number of wires in
it determines the maximum number of memory addresses. For example, one byte of data is enough to
represent 256 different values. If the address bus could carry only eight bits at a time, the CPU could
carry only 256 bytes of RAM.
Most of the early PCs had 20-bit address buses, so the CPU could address 2 bytes or 1 MB of data.
Now a day most CPUs have 32-bit address buses that can address 4 GB (more than 4 billion bytes) of
RAM. Some of the latest models can address more.
If CPU needs any data from RAM, it sends out memory address for the particular data through address
bus and memory sends the requested data through data bus.
C) Control Bus: This BUS is used to send commands and get status signal from the devices. For
example it could show whether the computer is reading or writing to memory.

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Expansion Slots and Boards:

PCs are designed so that users can adapt, or configure, the machines to their own particular needs. PC
motherboards have two or more empty expansion slots, which are extensions of the computers bus
that provide a way to add new components to the computer. The slots accept expansion boards, also
called cards, adapters, or sometimes just boards.

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