I used a Mouse to control and design everything, a Keyboard for writing important information concerning my customers. I also typed numbers with my Keyboard, and numbers are very important to use for Excel, concerning formulas. The Desktop was the main important thing, where my Travel Agency took place, and where everything was stored. I used a Canon Inkjet printer, to print out information for my Travel Agency, like drafts. The reason I used a Canon inkjet printer was because it was easy to use, low cost, and high quality of output.

Another output device I used was a monitor, this helped a lot so that I can see what changes I need to make and just visually analyze my Travel Agent. Using a keyboard to type while looking at the screen, is much faster than writing with other properties, such as pen and paper. I could have used pen and paper, but I also wanted a safer way for my data, example- stored more safely on the computer/ USB. Writing in Microsoft Word rather than pen and paper, is a higher advantage because I can also use spelling and grammar checker.

The disadvantage of using a computer to do my Travel Agent booking System is that it might take a while, and while staring at the computer screen for too long, electromagnetic rays from the monitor can damage your eyes. It would be safer to take a break after a few hours, or so. The cost of a computer is much more expensive than paper and pen, but the quality of your work is much more neat, tidy and professional. I used a mouse instead of a Tracker Ball is because it was cheaper, more simple, and easier to control.

I didn’t use a Graphics Tablet and Pen because it’s informal, and isn’t needed in my Travel Agent Booking System. The Software I used was Adobe Fireworks and Microsoft Excel. I used Adobe Fireworks for creating my Travel Agency logo, and Microsoft Excel to design and make my whole Travel Agent Booking System, I also added my logo to it. I use a laser printer to print out my Travel Agent Booking System because it was good quality and it was more suitable towards my printing goal.

An ink jet printer uses water-soluble ink, while a laser printer uses a variety of toner types of some melt-able ink. There is also Dot matrix printers, it only has dots that print onto the paper. In my opinion, laser printer is also the best to pick from here because it doesn’t lose images when the ink becomes wet, which an inkjet printer does. Dot matrix is way too simple for my liking. I used an LCD monitor because it is small-sized and can fit in small places, unlike the CRT monitors, which are very big, and need a suitable amount of larger space for them.

A LCD screen is also healthier for the eyes than the CRT because the CRT uses more detail images, which makes it better but also unhealthier for the eyes. My system diagram of chosen hardware: Input Process Output Here is a system diagram of the alternative hardware: Input Process Output My chosen Hardware For my input, a mouse is supposed to control/ move what you want with a pointer that is viewed by the monitor. In my opinion, it is one of the main things, because it is how you first begin your process. Its purpose is to help the user do what they have in mind.

I think it is easy to use for the user and easily understood without complication. The mouse-pointer viewed by the monitor helps the user understand what the mouse is designed for. A mouse has many advantages, but it also has negative points, such as when drawing you can’t use hand drawing and have to use the mouse to draw/ design what you want. In my opinion, this is very hard when drawing and to be able to draw and design with a mouse is a very good talent. A keyboard is supposed to insert any information you want and the type of action you want, depending on what you write.

When you want to inform your computer something, you use your keyboard to write the action or key words that are understood by your computer. I do not think this is as important as the mouse, because if you do not have a keyboard you can also have a touch screen, which you can click on what you want to insert. The good thing about keyboards is that they include all the letters and numbers that are needed, as well as different symbols and actions. The hard thing about a keyboard is that if you want to do something quickly, you need to be able to type fast, and to be able to type fast it takes time and practice.

For my process, a Desktop Computer Tower is designed to keep all your information in the hard drive and does calculations very fast, such as a calculator or a program, the same as Microsoft Excel. The Desktop Computer Tower’s purpose is simply to keep the whole process running, and it is what makes the computer work. Everything is connected to the Desktop Computer Tower which also proves that it is very important and one of the main hardware’s. The Desktop Computer Tower is good at entertaining the user, because it is the computer as itself and many people enjoy computers.

It also helps with a variety of options that you need. There are also bad points about it, such as speed which depends on the GHz but it would cost more to have a higher amount. For the output, a monitor is designed to visually show a user what is happening inside the Desktop Computer Tower in a form that the user can understand. The monitors’ purpose is just to basically show everything a user is doing/ changing. A monitor is good at showing you everything, although there can be lag (freezing) which is irritating and annoying. There are also screen waves that can harm your eyes gradually.

A printer is designed to print out what you have viewed on your monitor screen, onto paper. This isn’t one of the important things, although it is quite helpful if you are not carrying a USB stick or would want to give out information physically. The good thing about printers is that they print out onto paper what is on the screen but much more clear, and of course, not in pixels. This also does not harm your eyes, unlike a monitor screen. The disadvantage of a printer is that the ink runs out and you would need to refill it, which would cost more than just inputting and reading data.

Another thing that runs out is paper, which is another costly item Alternative Hardware- I used a normal USB mouse, because it was easy and simple to use. I could have used a Tracker Ball although it is harder to use for me, and I am not experienced well enough with it. It is also expensive to buy and rare to find in stores. A Tracker Ball is designed to be used as a mouse and you use your hand on the tracker ball to move the pointer viewed by the monitor screen. The size of it is much bigger than the USB mouse, so that is another disadvantage of the Tracker Ball.

A mouse is easier than a Tracker Ball when it comes to moving around the pointer quicker. I also used a QWERTY keyboard instead of a Graphics Tablet ; Pen because the text material was more formal and cheaper. A QWERTY keyboard is hard to use for writing words informally, because it is not free hand, unlike a Graphics Tablet ; Pen which is free hand. The Graphics Tablet ; Pen is good for writing quickly. The QWERTY keyboard can be used to type quickly although you need experience with typing and have always typed. The monitor I was using was an LCD monitor because it does not take up a lot of physical space and the weight is much lighter.

An LCD monitor gives out less harmful lasers to the eyes than a CRT monitor. I could have used CRT monitor, which is designed to do the same thing as an LCD monitor, and that is to show what is happening inside the desktop and what adjustments/ commands you are making. The good thing about a CRT monitor is that it can be viewed normally without any colour loss at any angle, unlike the LCD. However, this was not important to me as I was creating my Travel Agent Booking System because I was not moving around while I was creating it, and stayed in one position, which was a seat in front of my LCD monitor screen.

Nowadays, LCD monitors are easier to find than CRT monitors, mainly because of the ‘new look’. I find an LCD monitor quite energy saving, because it uses less power to display darker colours. CRT monitors are not so good with intolerant of damp conditions, size, weight, geometric distortion, and uses more power than LCD monitors. I am glad that I have used a LCD monitor rather than CRT because of all the points I have stated above, and I think the LCD is better than CRT monitors health-wise but maybe they come to a meeting point when it comes to the quality.

I used a Laser Printer because it produces high quality text and graphics on plain paper by laser, not ink. I could have used an Inkjet printer which is designed to drop liquid (ink) onto paper and that is why it is called an Inkjet printer. The good things about an Inkjet Printer are that they are quieter while doing the printing process, they also print finer and smoother details, and are widely available. Comparing this to laser printers, they have the advantage of practically no warm up time at all, and lower cost per page.

Another good thing about Inkjet Printers is that the inkjet cartridges can be refilled, and this method is more cost effective as to buying a new cartridge each time one is finished. The things that an Inkjet Printer is not so good at doing are, the ink is often very expensive to purchase, the lifetime of inkjet is limited and they will eventually fade and the colour quality might change. The ink used in Inkjet Printers is water-soluble, therefore you must avoid the slightest drop of water on a printed-paper, because it can cause colour mix and it will be blurred/ hard to read.

I could have also used a Dot-Matrix printer, which is designed to draw letters out of a dot matrix. The way it does this is by a small ink-soaked cloth ribbon on paper, creating ‘dots’, which is similar to a typewriter. The good thing about it is, as the ink is running out, the printing gradually fades rather than stopping in the middle of a page. A few not so good points about a Dot-Matrix Printer are, they are usually noisy, very low speed compared to a Laser Printer, and limited printing quality.