Output Devices
The output devices of any computer are linked to the senses of its human operator. If you
haven’t made this connection before, give it some thought. The computer must commu-
nicate with its operator through one of their senses, most likely sight and sound. These
two human senses allow the operator to see and hear the outputs produced by the
computer. The other human senses could be used, but at least so far the computer has not
had much success with using the operator’s senses of touch, taste, and smell. (You know
systems that produce real-time smells can’t be too far into the future, and there are already
printers that can produce their output in Braille for sight-impaired users.)Printers and Displays
The human sense of sight is by far the sense most often used to view a computer’s output.
Text and graphics can be permanently placed on paper by a printer (like the one in
Figure 1-19) or viewed temporarily on the monitor (see Figure 1-20). Some outputs of
the computer, some of which may not even seem like outputs—like the Windows desk-
top—do not need to be printed for permanent reference, while others need to be printed
so they can be viewed away from the computer and shared with others. See Chapters 16
and 17 for more information about displays and printers, respectively.Sound Devices
The other common output from a personal computer is sound. Whether it is as simple as the
beep codes produced through the system speaker when the computer is started up or the(^20) PC Hardware: A Beginner’s Guide
Figure 1-19. A laser printer. Photo courtesy of Lexmark International