Chapter 5: Productivity Applications

Doug Engelbart Explores Hyperspace
- One of the pioneers of the computer hardware and software
- In 1968, he demonstrated his Augment system:
> Mouse
> Video Display Setting
> Mixed text and graphics, windowing
> Outlining
> Shared-Screen Video Conferencing
> Computer Conferincing
> Groupware
> Hypermedia

The Wordsmith's Toolbox

- Working with a word processer involves several steps
> Entering text
> Editing text
> Formatting the document
> Proofreading the document
> Saving the document on disk
> Printing the document

Entering, Editing, and Formatting Text

Entering Text

> Text is displayed on the screen stored in the computer's RAM
> Save your work periodically because RAM is not permanent memory

Editing Text

> Navigate to different parts of a document
> Insert or delete text at any point
> Move and copy text
> Search and replace words or phrases

- Formatting paragraphs involves:
Margin settings
Line spacing
Indents
Tabs
Justification

- Formatting the document
Stylesheets
Headers and footers
Multiple variable-width columns
Graphics
Automatic editing features
Hidden comments
Table of contents and indexes
Coaching and help features
(sometimes called wizards)
Conversion to HTML for Web publishing

-Rules of Thumb: Word Processing Is Not Typing
Use the Return or Enter key only when you must.
Word wrap moves text to the next line.
Use tabs and margin guides, not the spacebar, to align columns.
WYSIWYG is a matter of degree.
Text that looks perfectly aligned onscreen may not line up on paper.

Don’t underline.
Use italics and boldface for emphasis; italicize book and journal titles.
Use only one space after a period.
Proportionally-spaced fonts look better without double spaces.
Take advantage of special characters.
Bullets (•), em dashes (—), and curly or smart quotes (“ ”) make your work look more professional.

Outliners and Idea Processors are effective at:
Arranging information into levels
Rearranging ideas and levels
Hiding and revealing levels of detail as needed


Digital References
Dictionaries, quotation books, encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and other references are now available in digital form.
The biggest advantage of the electronic form is speed.
The biggest drawback is that quick and easy copying might tempt writers to plagiarize.

Synonym Finders
A computerized thesaurus can provide instantaneous feedback for synonyms

- Spelling Checkers
Compare words in your document with words in a disk-based dictionary
Words might be flagged, but you make the decision to ignore or change the spelling.
Grammar and Style Checkers
Analyze each word in context, checking for errors of content
Check spelling
Point out possible errors and suggest improvements
Analyze prose complexity using measurements such as sentence length and paragraph length

- Form Letter Generators
Mail merge capabilities produce personalized form letters.
Create a database with names.
Create a form letter.
Merge the database with the form letter to create a personalized letter.
You can incorporate custom paragraphs based on the recipient’s personal data.
Each letter looks as if it were individually written.

- Collaborative Writing Tools
Groupware: software designed to be used by a workgroup
Provides for collaborative writing and editing
Tracks changes and identifies them by the originator’s name
Compares document versions and highlights differences in documents

- Processing handwritten words
Processing words with software that can reliably recognize human speech
Anticipating a writer’s needs, acting as an electronic editor or co-author

- What Is Desktop Publishing?
The process of producing a book, magazine, or other publication includes several steps:
Writing text
Editing text

- Producing drawings, photographs, and other graphics to accompany the text
Designing a basic format for the publication
Typesetting text
Arranging text and graphics on pages
Typesetting and printing pages
Binding pages into a finished publication

With modern desktop publishing technology (DTP), the production process can be accomplished with sophisticated tools that are affordable and easy to use.
A desktop publishing system generally includes:
One or more Macs or PCs
A scanner
Transforms photographs and hand-drawn images into computer-readable documents
A high-resolution printer
Software

Chapter 1: Our Digital Planet

Objectives
- Describe several ways computers play a critical role in modern life

- Discuss the circumstances and ideas that led to the development of the modern computer

- Describe several trends in the evolution of modern computers

- Explain the relationship between hardware and software

- Outline the five major types of computers and describe their principal uses

- Describe how the explosive growth of the Internet is changing the way people use computers and information in technology

- Explain how today's information age differs from other times in history and prehistory

- Discuss the social and ethical impact of information technology on our society

Creating Communities on the Living Web

- Myspace creates an online community experience for young people

- Flickr creates a community for people to share their pictures

Living in a Non-Digital World

- Computers are no longer a luxury but rather a commodity

- Computers and their applications are used in all aspects

Computers in Perspective

- Every computer is use today follows the basic plan laid out by Charles Babbage and Lady Lovelace

- The computer is a very versatile tool

>It can compute taxes or deploy a missile

- All computers take in information called input and give out information called output

- Versatility is built upon its hardware and software

- 1939: Konrad Zuse completed the first programmable computer

- 1949: Alan Turing and others completed Colossus, the first electronic digital computer

- 1944: One million dollar grant from IBM grants Harvard professor Howard Aiken the Mark 1

- John Mauchly and J. Presper Eckert helped the U.S effot in World War II by constructing a machine to calculate trajectory tables for new guns

- After the war, Mauchly and Eckert started a private company called Sperry and created UNIVAC I, the first general-purpose commercial computer

>Vaccum tubes were used in early computers

>Transistors replaced vaccum tubes starting in 1956

>By the mid-1960s transistors were replaced by integrated circuits

Chapter 4:Processing With Programs Part 2

Web Applications

- Web applications fall into several categories
>Some simple Web applications perform simple data-processing tasks that could be performed by traditional programs running on stand-alone PCs
>Most Web applications take advantage of the Web's connectivity
>Many Web applications leverage the Web's strength as a huge repository of information
>Some Web applications support online business transactions
>News-oriented Web applications provide up-tp-the-minute reports on a myriad of subjects
>Other Web applications support a more traditional form of information broadcasting

Integrated Applications and Suites: Software Bundles

- Vertical-Market and Custom Software
>Tends to cost far more than mass-market applications
>Job specific software: Medical billings, library cataloging, legal reference software, restaurant management, single-client software needs
- System software
>A class of software that includes the operating system and utility programs, handles these details, and hundrers of other tasks behind the scenes


*What the operating system do?*
1) To interact with your hardware including processor, hard disk, DVD drive, sound & multimedia.
2) OS create an environment with various layers to handle hardware, programs, data & user's actions.
3) To create a "User Interface' so human can interact with this system.
I think thats all.


*What is the difference betweem authentication and authorization?*
Authentication is the process of obtaining identification credentials such as name and password from a user and validating those credentials against some authority. If the credentials are valid, the entity that submitted the credentials is considered an authenticated identity. Once an identity has been authenticated, the authorization process determines whether that identity has access to a given resource.

The purpose of authorization is to determine whether an identity should be granted the requested type of access to a given resource

*What is the difference between utility programs and device drivers?*

Utility programs serve as tools for doing system maintenance and repairs that aren't
automatically handled by the operating system

Device drivers are small programs that enable input/output devices such as keyboards, mouses, printers, etc

The Hardware Software Connection
- Where the operating systems live
>Some computers store their operating system in ROM
>Others include only part of it in ROM .. The remainder of the operating system is loaded into memory in a process called booting, which occurs when you turn on the computer
>Most of the time the operating system works behind the scenes
>Interacting with the operating system, like interacting with an application, can be intuitive or challenging and it depends on something called the user-interface

- User-Interface
>The interface defines the look and feel of the computing experience from a human point of view
>Desktop operating systems
- MS-DOS is a disk operating system in which the user interacts using characters: letters, numbers, symbols
>Features include: command-line interface (commands that are typed), menu-driven interface (commands are chosen from on-screen lists)
- Graphical User Interfaces (GUI)
>Mac OS was developed by Macintosh in 1984 using GUI
>Microsoft Windows is now the most popular operating system

- Multiple User Operating Systerms: UNIX and Linux
>UNIX was developed at Bell labs before personal computers were available
>Linux was created by Linus Torvalds and continues to be a work-in-progress
- UNIX allows a timesharing computer to communicate with several other computers or terminals at once

The User Interface: The Human-Machine Connection
- Future user interfaces will be built around emerging development
>The end of applications
>Natural-language interfaces
>Agents
>Virtual realities

File Management: Where's My Stuff?
- Files can be scattered all over the system, which often makes data management difficult
>One solution to this problem is to organize data files logically
>Both Windows and the Mac support the notion of common system folders with self-explanatory names:
* My Documents (Documents)
* My Pictures (Pictures)
* My Music (Music)

- Files Management Utilities
>View, rename, copy, move, and delete files and folders
>Hierarchies help with organization
>Help with locating a file
>Get size, file type, and last modification date
- Managing Files from Applications
>Operations: Open, Save As, Save, and Close
- Defragmentation

Chapter 4:Processing With Programs

Tools for Users
Consumer 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 new version by paying an upgrade fee to the software manufacturer
>Newer releases often have additional features and fewer bugs
- Compatibility
>Allows software to function properly with the hardware, operating system, and peripherals
>Programs written for one type of computer system may not work on 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 for distribution to others
>Software licenses
>Volcume licenses
- Distribution: Software is distributed via:
>Direct sale
>Retail stores
>Mail-order catalogs
>Websites
>Not all software is copyrighted: Public domain software, shareware

Web Applications

- Web applications fall into several categories
>Some simple Web applications perform simple data-processing tasks that could also be performed by traditional programs running on stand-alone PCs
>Most Web applications take advantage of the Web's connectivity
>Many web applications leverage the Web's strength as a huge repository of information
>Some web applications support online business trnasactions
>News-oriented Web applications provide up-to-the-minute reports on a myriad of subjects
>Other Web applications support a more traditional form of information broadcasting

Chapter 3: Tomorrow's Technology and You: Part 2

Output: From Pulses to People
Screen Output
- A monitor or video display terminal (VDT) displays characters, graphics, photographic images, animation and video.
>Video adapter—connects the monitor to
the computer
>VRAM 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

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

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 Disks
- Random data access
- Floppy disks
>Provide inexpensive, portable storage
- Hard disks
>Non-removable, rigid disks that spin continuously and rapidly
>Provide much faster access than a floppy disk
- Removable media (Zip & Jaz disks)
>Provides 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

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

Chapter 3: Tomorrow's Technology and You: Part 1

Objectives:
- List several examples of input devices and explain how they can make it easier to get different types of information into the computer.
- List several examples of output devices and the explain how they make computers more useful.
- Explain why a typical computer has different types of storage devices.
Diagram how the components of a computer system fit together.

Input: From Person to Processor

- Keyboard
>The most familiar input device
- Used to enter letters, numbers and special characters

- Standard keyboard
- Ergonomic keyboards
>To address possible medical problems
- Wireless keyboard
- Folding keyboards
>Used with palm-sized computers
- One-handed keyboards
- Keyboards 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
>Magnetic-ink character readers
>Optical-mark readers
>Bar-code readers
>Pen scanners
>Tablet PC
>Smart whiteboard
>Radio Frequency Identification Readers (RFID)

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

Chapter 2: Hardware Basics

Objectives
- Explain in general terms how computers store and manipulate
information.
- Describe the basic structure and organization of a computer.
- Discuss the functions and interactions of a computer system’s
principal internal components.
- Explain why a computer typically has different types of
memory and storage devices.

What Computers Do

- Receive input: Accept information from the outside world
- Process information: Perform arithmetic or logical (decision-making) operations on information
- Produce output: Communicate information to the outside world
Store information: Move and store information in memory

Basic Components of a Computer

Input devices :
Keyboards and pointing devices(mouse)

Output devices:
Display or video monitor
Printer
Speakers
Central Processing Unit (CPU)

Memory and storage devices
- Primary storage: RAM (Random Access Memory)
- Secondary storage: Storage devices that serve as long-term repositories for data:
>Hard disk drives
>Recordable CD and DVD drives
>Tape drives

A Bit About Bits
- Every track gives a specific function
- When you press a button it sends through tracks

Decimal Numbers:
- Decimal numbers are 0/1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8/9
- Using two symbols, all numbers can be represented on a calculator as well as performing arithmetic
- Calculator translates the touch on the numeric keypad into series of 0's and 1's

Binary Numbers:
- Represented in 0's (off) and 1's (on)
- Binary denotes all numbers with combination of 2 digits
- Decimals are automatically converted into binary's, vice-versa
- Binary number processing is completely hidden from the user
- Binary's go from right to left

Bits as Codes:
-> ASCII
- Most widely used
- Stands for American Standard code for information interchange
-> Unicode
- Coding scheme that supports 65,000 unique characters

Bits as Instructions in Programs
- Programs are stored as collection of bits
- Program instructions are represented in binary notation through use of codes

Bits, Bytes, & Buzzwords
- Byte = 8 bytes
- Kilobyte (KB) = One thousand bytes
- Megabyte (MB) = One million bytes
- Gigabytes (GB) = One billion bytes
- Terabytes (TB) = One trillion bytes

Green Computing

*The manufacture of hardware and software can have an impact on the environment
- Buy green equipment (energy star)
- Use a notebook & solar battery
- Use energy-saving features
- Turn off the computer when you're away
- Screen savers don't save energy
- Print only once
- Recycle waste products
- Energy costs already exceeds hardware cause
- 20bn kWh a year is wasted die to PCs being left overnight in US & UK
- Power can be saved through server virtualization
-> 2900 servers, 30 mainframes, 80% saving
- Energy efficient coding could cut energy use by up to 30%
- Computers can be both the problem and solution to the problem of being green

- Computers can:
-> Increase business efficiency
-> Enable dematerealization (buying things digitally)
- Intel says computing has saved more resources then it has consumed

Make A Checklist

Plan
-> Buy laptops instead of PC, or thing clients
-> Don't over-specify
-> High-efficiency power unit supply
-> Only green

Maintenance
-> Set monitors off when you leave house
-> Turn off your PC when you leave house
-> Replace CRT monitors with LCDs

Data Centres
-> Highly efficient servers
-> Virtual Servers if possible
-> Review cooling strategies

The computer: The real computer

-> CPU (Microprocessor)

-> Interprets and executes the instructions in each program

-> Supervises arithmetic and logical data manipulations

-> Communicates with all the other parts of the computer system indirectly through memory

-> An extraordinarily complex collection of electronic circuits

-> Houses along with other chips and electronic components on the motherboard

Compatibility

- All software is not necessarily compatible with every computer

- Software written for the powerPC family of processors used in Macintosh computers wont run on Intel processors

- Programs written for Linux cant run on Windows

- CPU's from the same family are generally designed to be backwards compatible

Performance

- Applications require faster machines to produce satisfactory results

- A computer's overall performance is determined by: its internal clock speed and architecture and word size of processor

- Techniques to speed up a computer's performance: parallel processing, server clusters

Social & Ethical Issues

Reliability
Reliability refers to the operation of hardware, the design of software, the accuracy of data or the correspondence of data with the real world. Data may be unreliable if it is entered incorrectly or if it becomes outdated.
-> For example, a medical record that becomes dissociated from the patient it refers to becomes unreliable

Integrity
Integrity refers to correspondence of data with itself, at its creation. Data lacks integrity when it has been changed accidentally or tampered with.
-> For example, a hacker might change driver license data resulting in arrests of innocent people

Application to Specific Scenarios

Education and Training
- Use of IT in teaching and Learning: Educational software, online research and forums, virtual learning, environments (VLE), e-books, Web 2.0 educational networks, use of mobile devices, game-based learning, fully immersive environments, filtering and monitoring of studens' internet use, 1-to-1, m-learning
- Hardware and network technologies in the classroom: Laptop computers, handheld devices, interactive whiteboards
- Teachers these days need to use technology to teach

Science Vs. Projects, Critical Thinking

Science Projects Vs. Projects
-> 4 Steps
1) Question is identified
2) Hypothesis is formulated
3) Relevant data is sought and gathered
4) Hypothesis is tested and evaluated
5) Reliable conclusion is drawn

Critical Thinking: Correct thinking in the pursuit of relevant and reliable knowledge about the world

Critical Thinkers
- Asks appropriate questions
- Gather relevant information
- Efficiently and creatively sort through information
- Reason from said info
- Come to reliable and trustworthy conclusion
-> Scientists and critical thinkers want us to do this