A real estate agent or a real estate agency business needs to be tech savvy today. Most of the clients are online, and are increasing on a very rapid pace. Most people like to go online, and browse for properties, and then call agents. In this day and age, having a basic working knowledge about computers, and having an IT enabled and networked office adds dramatically to productivity and hence increased business. Some basics about IT are as follows.
Computer Basics
Computer is an electronic device, which is used for computing and processing the data. The word computer is derived from compute; meaning to calculate, thus it is a machine, which can operate at high speed. It has features of speed (perform tasks in nanoseconds), consistency (work without getting tired and with same speed and accuracy), versatility (perform various types of jobs), memory (stores information for a long period and can increase it as per need) but disadvantages of malfunction (like any machine subject to occasional breakdown), wrong output (cannot correct wrong instructions) and have no feelings.
Computer Types
Computers can be divided as per usage as
- Desktop Computer: It is the most popular computers and used in private and government offices, education institutes etc. They are placed on table and have CPU chips, manufactured by Intel or AMD.
- Notebook computer: It can fit easily inside a briefcase or bag. Laptops can operate on plug – in current or with in-built batteries. Laptops with small screen (10”) are called net book which are also low in price.
- Tablet: It is a mobile computer, larger than a mobile phone with a touch screen. It is used by touching the screen and using an onscreen virtual keyboard or a digital pen for text entry.
Components of Computer
Computer can be divided into hardware and software which are
- Hardware: Physical components of the computer system are known as hardware e.g. Monitor, keyboard, mouse, chips, wires, buses etc. They can be touched or seen by humans.
- Software: Instructions, programs, written for the computer to run specific task are known as software. They are of two types System Software and Application Software. E.g. Word Application Package, Operating Systems Software etc. They cannot be touched or seen by humans.
Parts of a Computer
Computer consists of input, storage, output and processing unit, which are
- Input Devices: They are used to input text or data to computer and they include
- Keyboard: It is like a typewriter keyboard with 101 keys
- Mouse: A pointing device used to position the pointer, to create graphics, for click and drag-and-drop. Ball or optical mouse is connected by PS/2 port or USB port to computer.
- Other input devices include bar code reader, scanner, touch screen, voice recognition devices, etc.
- Output Devices: They are used to output soft or hard copy to the user and they include
- Monitor: It is similar to television giving a soft copy output. Earlier monochrome or Color CRT monitors were used but now LED & LCD.
- Printers: It produces hard copy output on paper and includes inkjet and laser printers.
- Storage Devices: They are used to store data for long periods and they include
- Hard Disk Drive: It is used for mass storage having 250-1024 GB capacity.
- Optical Disk: Laser beam stores data on disk and includes CD-ROM, DVD and blue ray.
- Flash Memory: It uses semiconductor memory and includes pen drives, memory cards, etc. Data can be read or written to it and are small in size with capacity of 1GB to 16GB.
- Processing Devices: It calculations and data flow control in computer and is the CPU (of Intel or AMD) mounted on motherboard in computer cabinet or chassis. ALU (Arithmetic and logical unit) does calculation and control unit controls the clock signal for controlling the data flow.
