Chapter 4 continued

Software application: Tools for Users
Customer applications
Many software companies have replaced their printed documentation with:
-tutorials
-reference materials
-help files
-online help
Upgrading
Users can upgrade a program to the newer version by paying an upgrade fee to the software manufacturer
-newer releases often have additional features and fewer bugs
Compatibility
It allows software to function properly with the hardware, operating systems and phripherlas
- Programs written for one type of computer system may not work on one another
Disclaimers
Software manufacturers limit their liability for software problems by selling software 'as is'
Licensing
Commercial software is copyrighted so it can't be legally duplicated and distributed to others
-software license
-volume license
Distribution
Software is distributed via:
-direct sale
-retail stores
-mail-order catalogs
-websites
(not all software is copyrighted such as public domain software or shareware)

Web Applications
Web applications are divided into 7 categories:
1. Some sample web applications preform simple data-processing tasks that could also be preformed by traditional programs running on stand-alone PCs
2. Most Web applications take advantage of the Wen's connectivity
3. Many Web applications leverage on the Web's strength as a huge repository of information
4. Some Webs Applications support online business transactions
5. News oriented Web applications provide up to the minute reports on a myriad of subjects
6. Other Web applications support a more traditional form of information broadcasting

The hardware-software connection
Operating system functions:
-it supports multitasking
-manages virtual memmory
-maintains file systems
-responsible for authentication and authorization

System software:
-a class of software that includes . . .

Utility programs
-serve as tools for doing system maintainance and repairs that arn't automatically handled by the operating system

This makes it easier for users to:
-copy files between storage devices
-repair damaged fata files
-translate files so other programs may use them
-guard against viruses and other potentially harmful programs
-compose files so they take up less disk space
-preform other importnat tasks

Symantic Norton utilities is a popular utility package that includes software tools for recovering damaged files, repairing damaged disks and improving daily proformance

Device drivers
Where the operating system lives
-some computers store their operating system in the ROM
-others include only part of it in the ROM
--> the remainder of the operating system is located into memory in a process called booting, which occurs when you turn on your computer

Linux
-Linux is free for anyone to use
-UNIX remains the dominant operating system for Internet servers
-some forms of UNIX is available for personal computers, workstations, servers, mainframes, and super computers

Chapter 4 Ghost in the machine

Linus Torvalds
-best known example of open source software
--> the source can be used by anyone and anyone can change the code behind it
examples: film and animation workstations, scientific computers

3 Major catagories of software:
-compilers and other translator programs: enable people to make other software
-software applications: productivity tools to help computer users solve problems
-system software: coordinate hardware operations and does behind the scenes work the computer barely sees

Processing with programs
-computers are equipped to produce whatever the user wants

OS vs. Application software
A fast stupid computer
-programmers begin with an algorithm: step by step instuructions
-steps are often ambiguous, error-prone generalities
-steps are translated into the vocabulary of a programing language

The language of computers:
-machine languages: numeric codes that represent data
-high-level language: falls between machine language and human language
--> computers translate high level language into machine language
-natural language: resembles language spoken by humans

IT News Presentation

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11342802

Facebook Places location-aware service launches in UK
The service allows users to see where friends are, near and far
Facebook has launched its location-based Places service in the UK.
It allows people to "check in" wherever they are and see who among their friends and other Facebook users is - or has been - at the same location.
The service also lists nearby businesses and attractions, and Facebook will target the locations it lists to each Places user.
It has numerous privacy controls in place to control the amount of location information that is shared.
Places is available in the US and now the UK for the iPhone and select other smartphones through Facebook's mobile site, with other countries to come.
Michael Sharon, product manager for Places, said that the firm was working on developing the application for Blackberry and devices running the Android operating system.
He added that the firm has made Places' API - the software that allows other programs to interface with it - available, so that Places will be able to integrate with existing location-aware services such as Foursquare.

"We started seeing that in status updates people were saying things like 'going to the gym' or 'hanging out with Joe and Sue'," Mr Sharon said at the UK launch.
"We realised that this is something that people do every single day, telling their friends where they are.
"The natural thing is to build a product that takes advantage of this and makes it easier, more convenient and more social for them to do what they're already doing."
The service allows people to access "Place pages" wherever they are, indicating local points of interest and listing people who are "Here Now" and friends who have visited the place.
Users can then "check in" to the location, making themselves visible to their friends, to everyone on Facebook, or to no-one at all.
The location information can then appear on a user's wall and newsfeed; however, the default setting is that only Facebook friends can see the check-in.
Places allows users to "tag" friends with them, prompting privacy concerns
Mr Sharon stressed that there were also a number of security features in place for minors; for example, only a minor user's friends will be able to see check-ins.
Josh Feldberg, a digital consultant attending the UK launch, told BBC News that the sheer size of Facebook's user base would make it more successful than other location-aware services such as Gowalla and Foursquare.
"It makes my location check-ins more useful; Foursquare's a bit of fun but only a couple of times has it led to actual offline meetups; with Facebook, the people on there are more my close friends and family."
Advertisements will not be linked to Place pages, but rather targeted at specific users; Mr Feldberg said the location-aware service could offer new types of content.
"It could help with their advertising revenue but their ads are already quite targeted; from a marketing point of view for businesses it offers interesting opportunities. You could do reward schemes for people who check in at a certain business, for example."
Rik Ferguson of security firm Trend Micro, trialled the service as it was launched on Friday. He raised a number of concerns about the functionality that allows users to check in their friends at a given location.
"One of the major issues is the way that Facebook have implemented his functionality," Mr Ferguson told BBC News.
"By default, users are opted in to the ability to be tagged by their friends, they are opted in to allowing their friends' Facebook apps to access their location information, and they are opted in to allowing 'non-friends' checked-in to the same place to see their whereabouts.
"This is all backwards - this should be deployed on a purely opt-in basis and no information about my whereabouts should be posted without my explicit consent, every single time a post is made."

Chapter 3

From person to processor
Keyboard
-The most familiar input device
-Used to enter letters, numbers and special characters
àStandard keyboard
àErgonomic keyboards
To address possible medical problems
àWireless keyboard
àFolding keyboards
Used with palm-sized computers
àOne-handed keyboards
àKeyboards printed on membranes

Pointing Devices
- Mouse
-Touchpad
-Pointing stick
-Trackball
-Joystick
-Graphics tablet
-Touch screen
-Stylus

Reading Tools
-Read marks representing codes specifically designed for computer input
-Optical-mark readers
-Magnetic-ink character readers
-Bar-code readers
-Pen scanners
-Tablet PC
-Smart whiteboard
-Radio Frequency Identification Readers (RFID)
Input: From Person to Processor
Digitizing the Real World

-Scanners capture and digitize printed images.
-Flatbed
-Slide
-Drum
-Sheet-fed

−Digital camera
-Snapshots captured as digital images
-Digital images stored as bit patterns on disks or other digital storage media

−Video digitizer
-Capture input from a:
-Video camera
-Video cassette recorder or television
-Convert it to a digital signal
-Stored in memory and displayed on computer screens
−Videoconferencing
People in diverse locations can see and hear each other
-Used to conduct long-distance meetings
-Video images transmitted through networks

-Audio digitizers
-Digitize sounds from
- Microphones
- Other input devices
-Digital signals can be
- Stored
- Further processed with specialized software
-A digital signal processing chip
compresses the stream of bits before
it is transmitted to the CPU.

-Speech recognition software
•Converts voice data into words that can be edited and printed
−Sensors
-Designed to monitor physical
conditions
- Temperature, humidity, pressure
-Provide data used in:
- Robotics
- Environmental climate control
- Weather forecasting
- Medical monitoring
- Biofeedback
- Scientific research

From Pulses to People
−Screen Output
-A monitor or video display terminal (VDT) displays characters, graphics, photographic images, animation and video.
àVideo adapter—connects the monitor to
the computer
àVRAM or video memory—a special
portion of RAM to hold video images
-The more video memory, the more picture detail is displayed.

-Monitor size: Measured as a diagonal line across the screen
-Resolution: The number of pixels displayed on the screen
-Pixels (or picture elements): tiny dots that compose a picture
-The higher the resolution, the closer together the dots.
-Image quality is affected by resolution and color depth (or bit depth).
-Color depth refers to the number of different colors a monitor
displays at one time.

-Monitor classes
-CRTs (cathode-ray tubes)
-LCDs (liquid crystal displays)
- Overhead projection panels
- Video projectors
- Portable computers

−Paper Output
-Printers produce paper output or hard copy.
-Two basic groups of printers:
-Impact printers
-Line printers
-Dot-matrix printers
-Non-impact printers
Laser printers
−Laser beam reflected off a rotating drum to create
patterns of electrical charges
−Faster and more expensive than dot matrix printer
−High-resolution output
Inkjet printers
−Sprays ink onto paper to produce printed text and
graphic images
−Prints fewer pages/minute than laser printer
−High-quality color; costs less than laser printer

-Multifunction printer or MFP combines a scanner,
printer and a fax modem.
-A plotter can produce large, finely scaled engineering
blueprints and maps.

−Fax Machines and Fax Modems
-Facsimile (fax) machine
-Sending:
-scans each page as an image
-converts the image into a series of electronic pulses
-sends those signals over phone lines to another fax
-Receiving:
-uses the signals to reconstruct the image
-prints black-and-white facsimiles or copies of the originals
-Fax modem
-Connect from PC to fax machine via modem and phone line

-Output You Can Hear
-Sound card
-Enables the PC to:
-Accept microphone input
-Play music and other sound through
speakers or headphones
-Process sound in a variety of ways
-Synthesizers
-Used to produce music, noise

-Controlling Other Machines
-Output devices take bit patterns and
turn them into non-digital movements.
-Robot arms
-Telephone switchboards
-Transportation devices
-Automated factory equipment
-Spacecraft
-Force feedback joystick

Rules of Thumb: Ergonomics and Health

-Choose equipment that’s ergonomically designed.
-Create a healthy workspace.
-Build flexibility into your work environment.
-Rest your eyes.
-Stretch to loosen tight muscles.
-Listen to your body.
-Seek help when you need it.
Storage Devices: Input Meets Output
-Magnetic Tape
-Can store large amounts of information
in a small space at a relatively low cost
-Limitation: sequential data access
-Used mainly for backup purposes

-Magnetic Disks
-Random data access
-Floppy disks
àProvide inexpensive, portable storage
-Hard disks
àNon-removable, rigid disks that spin continuously and rapidly
àProvide much faster access than a floppy disk
-Removable media (Zip & Jaz disks)
àProvides high-capacity portable storage

−Optical Disks
-Use laser beams to read and write bits of information on the disk surface
-Not as fast as magnetic hard disks
-Massive storage capacity
-Very reliable

-CD-ROM
-Optical drives that read CD-ROMs
-CD-R
-WORM media (write-once, read many)
-CD-RW
-Can read CD-ROMs and write, erase and
rewrite data onto CD-R & CD-RW disks

-DVD (Digital Versatile Disks)
-Store and distribute all kinds of data
-Hold between 3.8 and 17 gigabytes of information
-DVD-ROM drives
-Can play DVD movies, read DVD data disks
-Read standard CD-ROMs, and play audio CDs
-Read-only: can’t record data, music, or movies
-DVD-RAM drives
-Can read, erase, and write data (but not DVD video) on multi-gigabyte
DVD-R (but not CD-R or CD-RW) media

−Solid-State Storage Devices
-Flash memory is an erasable memory
chip:
-Sizes range from 16 MB to 1 GB
-Compact alternative to disk storage
-Contains no moving parts
-Designed for specific applications such as
storing pictures in digital cameras
-Likely to replace disk and tape storage
Computer Systems: The Sum of Its Parts
Personal Computer Design Classes
àTower systems
-Tall, narrow boxes, generally have more expansion slots and bays than
other designs
àFlat desktop systems
-Designed to sit under the monitor like a platform
àAll-in-one systems (like the iMac)
-Combine monitor and system unit into a single housing

-Laptop computers
Include all the essential components, including keyboard and pointing device,
in one compact box

-Ports and Slots Revisited
-The system or motherboard includes several standard ports:
-Serial Port for attaching devices that send/receive messages one bit at a time (modems)
-Parallel Port for attaching devices that send/receive bits in groups (printers)
-Keyboard/Mouse Port for attaching a keyboard and a mouse

-Other ports are typically included on expansion boards rather than the system board:
-A video port is used to plug a color monitor into the video board.
-Microphones, speakers, headphones, MIDI ports are used to attach sound equipment.
-An SCSI port allows several peripherals to be strung together and attached to a single port.
-A LAN port uses faster connections to a local-area network (LAN).

-Expansion Made Easy
-With the PC open architecture and the introduction of new interfaces, you can hot swap devices.
-USB (Universal Serial Bus) transmits a hundred times faster than a PC serial port
-Firewire (IEEE 1394) can move data between devices at 400 or more megabits per second. The high speed makes it ideal for data-intensive work, like digital video.
•FireWire 800, which offers 800 Mbps transfer speeds, was recently introduced on high-end Macintosh systems.

Putting It All Together
-A typical computer system might have several different input, output, and storage peripherals—the key is compatibility.
-Networks blur the boundaries between computers.
-Networked computers may have access to all the peripherals on a system.
-The computer is, in effect, just a tiny part of a global system of interconnected networks.
Inventing the Future: Tomorrow’s Peripherals
Tomorrow’s Storage
-Smaller disks that hold more
-A single electron memory chip the size of a thumbnail that can store all of the sounds and images of a full-length feature film

Tomorrow’s Output
-Flat-panel screens replacing desktop CRTs
-Retinal displays that work without a screen

Tomorrow’s Input: Sensors
-More sophisticated devices will serve as eyes, ears, and other types of sense organs for computer networks.

Lesson Summary
-Peripherals allow computer to communicate with the outside world and store information for later use information.
-The most common input devices today are the keyboard and the mouse. A variety of other input devices can be connected to the computer.
-Output devices perform the opposite function: They accept strings of bits from the computer and transform them into a form that is useful or meaningful outside the computer.
-Storage devices are capable of two-way communication with the computer. Because of their high-speed random access capability, magnetic disks are the most common forms of storage on modern computers.
-Network connections make it possible for computers to communicate with one another directly.

Chapter 2 continured

The computers memory
RAM (random access memory)
-used to store program instructions and data temporarily
-unique address and data can be stored in any location
-can be used to retrieve info
-will not remain if power goes off

ROM (read-only memory)
-information stored permanently on a chip
-contains startup instructions and other permanent data

CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor)
-special low energy kind of ram

FLASH memory
-used ofr phones, pagers, portable comps etc

Bases Ports and Peripherals
-Information travels between components on the motherboard through groups of wires called system buses or just buses.

Buses:
-typically have 31 or 46 wires
- connect to storage devices in bays
-connect to expansion slots
-connect to external buses and ports

Slots and ports
-Make it easy to add external devices called peripherals

Inventing the future
New raiser etching technology called extra ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) could reduce chip size and increase performance radically
-Super conductors that transmit electricity without half heat could increase computer speed a hundred fold
-the optical computer transmits information in light waves rather then electrical pulses

Net Neutrality

Heres what i understood from my research:
Net Neutraility are some what laws that allow the FCC (federal communications commision) to have power over the internet. The FCC are 5 people apointed by the president who looks over comunications such as radio, television etc. By having power over the internet they can:
-prohibit against degrading wireless internet trafic
-able to see wireless boradband platforms
- authority to adjusut user complaints and give fines against bad actors.

Verizon agreed to voluntarily go by these requirements. Other companies are hopped to follow in suit. But who knows if having the FCC is a good or bad thing.

Although what they are doing may sound like a positive thing for wireless internet, it may also be a bad thing. Who knows how much control the FCC will take? And how will they manage their power? Who knows if they are even qualified?

Sources:
http://googlepublicpolicy.blogspot.com/search/label/Net%20Neutrality

http://www.fcc.gov/aboutus.html

Social issues

Social Issues
-Usually there are two parties with a disagreement. Instead of jumping headfirst into the argument, try to figure out where the other person is coming from. Think outside the box.
-Human need has always been the same, its the way we want it that has changed
-Everything should be brought back to basics
-Ask relevant questions tied to basic needs

Technology:
1. network
2. database
3. middle ware

Social Issues:
1. reliability
2. integrity
3. security
4. privacy
5. anonymity

Application/ Input:
1. education
2. business
3. employment

Clients vs. server
clients is the person being served
Server is the one doing the action

PBX switches- a box that takes the flow and passes it to another (referring to phones)
rowder:

HW: research net neutrality
read news articles first
build vocabulary and understand terms
have an opinion