A computer system is a basic or functional computer or computer, which includes all the hardware and software necessary to be functional for a user. It is the system in charge of collecting data, processing them and transmitting the information once processed. Later we will see how you perform each of these 3 tasks.
– Hardware: physical part of the computer. Set of boards, integrated circuits, chips, cables, printers, monitors, etc. (what we can touch)
– The Software: they are the programs, that is to say the instructions to communicate with the computer and that make their use possible (we cannot touch it). If you want to delve deeper into the software and hardware, we recommend you click on the links above.
Any Computer System must have the ability to receive information from the user (enter data), process the data and with the processed data, create information for storage and / or for its output.
Computer systems generally include a computer or computer, a monitor, a keyboard, a mouse and other optional components called peripherals. All these components can also be integrated into all-in-one units, as in laptops.
Other elements that do not belong properly to the computer, but if they are part of the Computer System since they are essential for its operation, are the so-called peripherals.
Peripherals are external elements to the computer itself, so they are called peripherals (they are on the periphery of the computer). Some of the best known peripherals are, for example, the keyboard or the mouse to put information in the computer or the printer to get the information from the computer on written paper. They are so essential today that they are already considered part of the computer itself. There are 3 types of peripherals according to their use, input, output and input / output. More about the peripherals here: Peripherals.
Frequently, the terms “computer”, “computer” and “computer system” are used interchangeably, especially when peripheral devices are integrated into the same unit as the computer or when a system is sold and installed as a package.
In a computer system, data is entered through the input peripherals (for example the keyboard), data is extracted or extracted through the output peripherals (for example the monitor) and there are also input / output peripherals, which serve to insert and remove data on the computer (for example a router).
We are missing an important part of the computer system …. Who processes the data the system? The answer is simple “The Microprocessor” or CPU. What the micro does is to collect the input data that arrives, organize them, store them already organized, and once you can transform them to serve as output data to the output peripherals.
A very simple example, imagine that we want to make the sum of 2 plus 3 with the computer system. First we put 2, +, 3, in the system, now the micro stores and organizes on the one hand the numbers (2 and 3) and on the other the symbols (+). When it is free, it will use a computer program (instructions) with which it will perform the 2 + 3 operation. The program it uses tells it that the output is 5. It stores it so that when it is required by an output peripheral it is sent.
Note that for the processing to take place, there is a need for a set of instructions on what to do. This set of instructions is what is called a program. The good thing about this type of computer system is that it is flexible, since the machine performs a different task simply by loading a different storage program.
Today, most computer systems are “open”, which means they are compatible with the hardware and software of different manufacturers.
In the past, all components of a computer system were from the same manufacturer. There were no standards for the entire industry. As a result, printers, monitors and other peripheral equipment of one manufacturer did not work if they were used with another manufacturer’s computer. The software could only run on the brand of the specific computer for which it was designed.
Today, however, with “open systems”, several teams from different manufacturers can be combined. Open systems are especially popular among small business owners because they allow companies to update or expand their computer systems more easily and economically.
Finally, say that the term “computer system” may also refer to a hardware and software configuration designed for a specific purpose, such as a manufacturing control system, a library automation system or an accounting system. Or it can refer to a network of multiple computers connected to each other so they can share software, data and peripheral equipment.