Information Processing Procedures

The operation of a computer can be compared to that of a factory. In it, a manufacturing process of products is carried out. The first phase is the reception of materials (information input). The second, and fundamental one, concerns manipulation and transformation (information processing). The third consists of the dispatch of products (information output). As can be seen, the process is very simple, although this does not prevent it from being laborious. Continuing the parallel already begun, the central unit of the computer may be compared to the director of the factory, who distributes tasks in the workshop or arithmetic-logic unit, where accounting workers carry out all the calculations and processes assigned to them. The work they complete returns once again to the director, who verifies the accuracy and quality of the operations performed. The control unit is a kind of internal electronic clockwork mechanism that reads and executes one instruction after another at a given rhythm. This rhythm is extremely fast.

Bit and Byte

The language of the computer’s internal structure is a system of voltage changes in the power supply. Through the transmission of electrical impulses, all operations and processes are encoded. This is the so-called machine language. To move from the high-level languages that we use to communicate with the device to machine language, an intermediate translation task is carried out. At the end of the coding and decoding process, what the machine understands is a long series of zeros (0) and ones (1). It consists of a zero or a one. However, the bit is not fully meaningful because it is too small. It is like a tiny pinch.

The possible combinations of the digits of the binary system within a byte allow 256 possible forms, to each of which a symbol, letter, or number can be assigned, either as complete information or as a fragment of a photograph or other image (the smallest fragment known as a pixel). The byte is the higher and complete stage that groups eight bits. Each byte by itself constitutes a word, a symbol, or a reference. A byte can be compared to a photograph that had been torn into eight pieces; when they are gathered together, the image becomes clearly visible.

Lexicon and Programming

Programming is easier than learning a language. The particularities of programming rules are fewer, simpler, and involve less ambiguity. In high-level programming languages the following elements can be distinguished.

Semantic and Syntactic Rules

If the expression being used is not correctly introduced (typographical accuracy and proper arrangement), the computer will not understand what is requested and will indicate this. There is a variety of syntactic errors that the machine is capable of identifying and reporting, which greatly assists the user.

Lexicon

Each language has a relatively limited number of terms or keywords (in some cases around a couple of hundred). Generally these terms are in English for commercial reasons. Some languages provide versions in different languages. Others, such as the Logo language, allow the incorporation of new terms at the user’s discretion and without distinguishing the language involved, so that the language expands through interaction between human and machine.

Sentence = Instruction

To communicate with a computer it is necessary to provide (or type) at least one unit of communication. This minimal unit is the sentence or instruction. As in natural language, a sentence may consist of a single word. In any case, what it expresses is an action: the instruction for a task to be carried out.

Program

A set of sentences in natural language forms a text, a higher and more nuanced unit of communication. In programming languages, ordered sets of instructions constitute a program. This represents the complete expression of the activity that we assign to the computer and that it must carry out. High-level programming languages present a structure similar to that of natural language, although rudimentary and strictly formal. Achieving this resemblance became a central objective, since it signified the transition toward a fifth generation of computers.

Although programming is not particularly difficult and it is advisable to encourage those who feel interested or inclined toward it, learning a programming language or programming techniques is not necessary if the intention is simply to use the resources offered by modern computing as an everyday user of applications. For this purpose there exist program packages that have been efficiently designed and tested, capable of operating in a coordinated way to meet all the requirements of their users. To make use of computing it is not necessary to be an engineer or a programmer. It is sufficient to be a good professional in one’s own field or simply a confident user, just as driving a vehicle does not require one to be a mechanic or an engineer.

At present, the lines of research in computing aim to ensure that human beings can communicate with machines in their own language. The immediate future lies in the powerful interrelation of three innovative technological elements: computing, telematics, and multimedia applications.