Hence a new chapter on this topic has been included in this edition. With the increase in speed of networks and consequently the Internet, new computing environments such as peer to peer, grid, and cloud computing have emerged and will change the future of computing. Besides this, use of computers in multimedia processing has become commonplace and hence is discussed. Thus it has now become part of “fundamental knowledge” of computers and has been included. With growing use of wireless to access computer networks, cellular wireless communication systems, WiFi (Wireless high fidelity), and WiMAX have become important.
Software concepts such as programming languages, operating systems, and communication protocols are discussed. The interconnection and communication between the I/O units, the memory, and the processor is explained clearly and concisely. The book begins with how numeric and character data are represented in a computer, how various input and output units function, how different types of memory units are organized, and how data is processed by the processor. Both hardware and software aspects of computers are covered. The sixth edition of the highly acclaimed “Fundamentals of Computers” lucidly presents how a computer system functions.