1.1.1 Hardware

Here is a short 3-minute video on the basic hardware that makes up your computer. It is focused on desktops, but the same components (with the exception of the optical drive) are commonly found in cell phones, smart watches, and laptops.

When programming, it is usually helpful to understand the distinction between RAM and disk storage (hard drives). We also need to know at least a little bit about processors (so that we know when we’ve asked our processor to do too much). Most of the other details aren’t necessary (for now).

1.1.2 Operating Systems

Operating systems, such as Windows, MacOS, or Linux, are a sophisticated program that allows CPUs to keep track of multiple programs and tasks and execute them at the same time.

1.1.3 File Systems

Evidently, there has been a bit of generational shift as computers have evolved: the “file system” metaphor itself is outdated because no one uses physical files anymore. This article is an interesting discussion of the problem: it makes the argument that with modern search capabilities, most people use their computers as a laundry hamper instead of as a nice, organized filing cabinet.

Regardless of how you tend to organize your personal files, it is probably helpful to understand the basics of what is meant by a computer file system – a way to organize data stored on a hard drive. Since data is always stored as 0’s and 1’s, it’s important to have some way to figure out what type of data is stored in a specific location, and how to interpret it.

That’s not enough, though - we also need to know how computers remember the location of what is stored where. Specifically, we need to understand file paths.

When you write a program, you may have to reference external files - data stored in a .csv file, for instance, or a picture. Best practice is to create a file structure that contains everything you need to run your entire project in a single file folder (you can, and sometimes should, have sub-folders).

For now, it is enough to know how to find files using file paths, and how to refer to a file using a relative file path from your base folder. In this situation, your “base folder” is known as your working directory - the place your program thinks of as home.