Introduction to Computers and Programming

1.1 Introduction Think about some of the different ways that people use computers. In school, students use computers for tasks such as writing papers, searching for articles, sending email, and participating inonline classes. At work, people use computers to analyze data, make presentations, conduct business transactions, communicate with customers and coworkers, control machines in manufacturing facilities, and do many other things. At home, people use computers for tasks such as paying bills, shopping online, communicating with friends and family, and playing computer games.And don’t forget that cell phones, iPods®, BlackBerries®, car navigation systems, and manyother devices are computers too. The uses of computers are almost limitless in our everyday lives.Computers can do such a wide variety of things because they can be programmed. This meansthat computers are not designed to do just one job, but to do any job that their programs tellthem to do. A program is a set of instructions that a computer follows to perform a task. Forexample, Figure 1-1 shows screens from two commonly used programs, Microsoft Word andAdobe Photoshop. Microsoft Word is a word processing program that allows you to create,edit, and print documents with your computer. Adobe Photoshop is an image editing programthat allows you to work with graphic images, such as photos taken with your digital camera.Programs are commonly referred to as software. Software is essential to a computer becauseit controls everything the computer does. All of the software that we use to make our computers useful is created by individuals working as programmers or software developers. Aprogrammer, or software developer, is a person with the training and skills necessary todesign, create, and test computer programs. Computer programming is an exciting andrewarding career. Today, you will find programmers’ work used in business, medicine, government, law enforcement, agriculture, academics, entertainment, and many other fields.