• Unit 1: The Anything Machine
  • » IT Lesson

Computers

Personal computers are one of the most familiar examples of information technology.

An architect could use a computer to design a building. A student could use the same computer to write an essay. A movie fan could use the same computer to watch a movie trailer. This is possible because a computer becomes a different tool when it runs different software.

Software is the set of instructions that tells a computer what to do, what to display on the screen, and how to respond to a person, sometimes called the user, when he or she types on the keyboard or gives commands.

Some well-known software applications are Microsoft Office, QuickTax, and Counterstrike.