Computer as a System

  Computer can be considered as a device made up of a combination of electronic and electromechanical components.As any other devices computer by itself has no intelligence.A computer comes to life only when it is connected to some other components .The computer along with these components make it a system - Computer System.

 The computer system is a combination of basically five elements.

♣ Hardware

♣ Software

♣ Users/People

♣ Procedures

♣ Data/Information

Hardware
   The physical equipments and components which one can see, touch and feel(tangible components) in a computer system are called hardware.

Software
  The instructions that tell the hardware how to perform a task is called software.The hardware does not know what to do without these instruction.

Users
   Users or people are considered as the most important of the computer system.They operate the hardware, create, the instructions to perform a particular task i.e., software, responds to present and coordinate the data     and information flow.

Procedures
   Procedures are the steps to be followed while a particular task is being performed using the computer system.These procedures may be documented or guided by the software that perform the task.

Data/Information
   The prime objective of a computer system is data processing.Data are raw, unevaluated facts and figures, concepts or instruction.This raw material is processed into useful information.Information is the product of data processing.

Connectivity
   A computer system as such can be set up to communicate with another computer system.The media used to connect the two systems like phone lines, artificial satellites, microwave stations are also considered as an element of the computer system.