Electrical Engineering

One major staple of computer engineering is the embedded system, which consists of a computer, communication, and software. An embedded system is a special purpose designed to perform a dedicated function. Unlike a general purpose computer, like a personal computer, an embedded system performs one or a few predefined tasks, usually with very specific requirements, and often includes task-specific hardware, and mechanical parts not usually found in a general purpose computer. Since the system is dedicated to system tasks, design engineers can optimize it, reducing the size and cost of the product. Some examples of embedded systems include cell phones, antilock brake controllers, sprinklers, microwave ovens, washing machines, MP3 players, DVD players, and the Mars Rover.

Within computers lie the processor, memory, and hardware controllers. The control unit directs the various components of a computer. It reads and interprets instructions in the program one by one. The control system decodes each instruction and turns it into a series of control signals that operate the other parts of the computer. Control systems in advanced computers may change the order of some instructions so as to improve performance. The central processing unit (CPU) is the component in a digital computer that interprets computer program instructions and processes data. CPUs provide the fundamental digital computer trait of programmability and are one of the necessary components found in computers of any era along with primary storage and input/output facilities. Because of its speed and consistency, RAM is used for loading, displaying, and manipulating applications and data. In most personal computers, the RAM is not an integral part of the motherboard or CPUÐ'--it comes in the easily upgraded form of modules called memory sticks about the size of a few sticks of chewing gum, which can be quickly removed and replaced when they become damaged or too small for current purposes. A smaller amount of random-access memory is also integrated with the CPU, but this is usually referred to as "cache" memory, rather than RAM.

Software consists mainly of programs which enables a computer to perform specific tasks. Its physical components which can only do the tasks they are mechanically designed for. The term includes application software such as word processors which perform productive tasks for users, system software such as operating systems, which interface with hardware to run the necessary services for user-interfaces and applications, and middleware which controls and co-ordinates distributed systems. The term "software" is sometimes used in a broader context to describe any electronic media content which embodies expressions of ideas such as film, tapes, and records. The term "software" as an instruction-procedural programming source for scheduling instruction streams according to the von Neumann machine paradigm should not be confused with Configware and Flowware, which are programming sources for configuring the resources and for scheduling the data streams.

Application software is a subclass of computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer directly to a task that the user wishes to perform. This should be contrasted with system software which is involved in integrating a computer's various capabilities, but typically does not directly apply them in the performance of tasks that benefit the user. In this context the term application refers to both the application software and its implementation. A simple, if imperfect, analogy in the world of hardware would be the relationship of an electric lightÐ'--an applicationÐ'--to an electric power generation plant Ð'-- the system. The power plant merely generates electricity, itself not really of any use until harnessed to an application like the electric light which performs a service that the user desires. The exact delineation between the operating system and application software is not precise, however, and is occasionally subject to controversy. For example, one of the key questions in the United States v. Microsoft antitrust trial was whether Microsoft's Internet Explorer web browser was part of its Windows operating system or a separable piece of application software. As another example, the GNU/Linux naming controversy is, in part, due to disagreement about the relationship between the Linux kernel and the Linux operating system. Typical examples of software applications are word processors, spreadsheets, and media players. Multiple applications bundled together as a package are sometimes referred to as an application suite. Microsoft Office and OpenOffice.org, which bundle together a word processor, a spreadsheet, and several other discrete applications, are typical examples. The separate applications in a suite usually have a user interface that has some commonality making it easier for the user to learn and use each application. And often they may have some capability to interact with each other in ways beneficial to the user. For example, a spreadsheet might be able to be embedded in a word processor document even though it had been created in the separate spreadsheet