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Monday, March 17, 2008

I blogged at 10:31 PM

Sunday, March 16, 2008

Give TWO examples with its purposes of the following categories of software:

1) General purpose application software
• Microsoft Office Word
Used to create, edit, save, retrieve and print files.
• Microsoft Excel
Used to create certain types of files such as for accounting purposes. For example, for creating ledger or journal.

2) Special purpose application software
• Spreadsheet templates, word processor macros, scientific simulations, graphics and animation scripts. Even email filters are a kind of user software. Users create this software themselves and often overlook how important it is.

3) Programming languages, compilers and Interpreters
• Turbo Pascal is a complete software development system that includes a compiler and an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for the Pascal programming language running under CP/M, MS-DOS and CP/M-86, developed by Borland under Philippe Kahn's leadership.
• Microsoft QuickBASIC (also QB or incorrectly, "QBasic", which is a different system) is an Integrated Development Environment (or IDE) and Compiler for the BASIC programming language that was developed by Microsoft. QuickBasic runs mainly on DOS, though there was a short-lived version for Mac OS. It is loosely based on GW-BASIC but adds user-defined types, improved programming structures, better graphics and disk support and a compiler in addition to the interpreter. Microsoft marketed QuickBASIC as the introductory level for their BASIC Professional Development System.
• These software are used to develop a certain program(for programmers).

4) Operating systems
• MS-DOS (short for Microsoft Disk Operating System)

5) Utility programs
• Disk defragmenters. Examples include a Disk defragmenter which can detect computer files whose contents have been stored on the hard disk in disjointed fragments, and move the fragments together to increase efficiency; a Disk checker can scan the contents of a hard disk to find files or areas that are corrupted in some way, or were not correctly saved, and eliminate them for a more efficiently operating hard drive; a Disk cleaner can find files that unnecessary to computer operation, or take up considerable amounts of space. Disk cleaner helps the user to decide what to delete when their hard disk is full.
• System Profilers. A System profiler can provide detailed information about the software installed and hardware attached to the computer. Backup software can make a copy of all information stored on a computer, and restore either the entire system (e.g. in an event of disk failure) or selected files (e.g. in an event of accidental deletion). Disk compression software can transparently compress the contents of the hard disk, in order to fit more information to the drive.
• Virus scanners. Virus Scanners scan for computer viruses among files and folders.
• Binary/Hex/Text Editor utility directly modify the text or data of a file without the WYSIWYG view in editor suites. These files could be data or an actual program.
• Archive utilities output a stream or a single file when provided with a directory or a set of files. Archive utilities, unlike archive suites, usually do not include compression or encryption capabilities. Some archive utilities may even have a separate un-archive utility for the reverse operation.
• Compression utilities output a shorter stream or a smaller file when provided with a stream or file.
• Encryption utilities use a specific algorithm to produce an encrypted stream or encrypted file when provided with a key and a plaintext.
• Application launchers provide a convenient access point for application software. See Comparison of applications launchers.

[Quoted from www.en.wikipedia.org]

I blogged at 5:38 AM

Friday, March 14, 2008

Define the terms:

1)Hardware
Computer hardware is the physical part of a computer, including the digital circuitry, as distinguished from the computer software that executes within the hardware. The hardware of a computer is infrequently changed, in comparison with software and hardware data, which are "soft" in the sense that they are readily created, modified or erased on the computer. Firmware is a special type of software that rarely, if ever, needs to be changed and so is stored on hardware devices such as read-only memory (ROM) where it is not readily changed (and is, therefore, "firm" rather than just "soft").

2)software
Computer software is a general term used to describe a collection of computer programs, procedures and documentation that perform some tasks on a computer system.[1] 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 provide the necessary services for application software, and middleware which controls and co-ordinates distributed systems.

3)Input Device
An Input device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system (such as a computer). Input and output devices make up the hardware interface between a computer and the user or external world.
Typical examples of input devices include keyboards and mice. However, there are others which provide many more degrees of freedom. In general, any sensor which monitors, scans for and accepts information from the external world can be considered an input device, whether or not the information is under the direct control of a user.

4)Storage Device
A storage device is a device used for storing something.
• When storing goods a box or container of some kind may be used.
• For different kinds of digital information (data), a data storage device may be used.
• For preserving audio, a vinyl record (now basically obsolete), compact audio cassette, or CD may be used.
• For preserving video, a video tape recorder like the Video Home System, or digital media such as a laserdisc or DVD may be used.

5)Output Device
An output device is any piece of computer hardware equipment used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by an information processing system (such as a computer) to the outside world.
In computing, input/output, or I/O, refers to the communication between an information processing system (such as a computer), and the outside world. Inputs are the signals or data sent to the system, and outputs are the signals or data sent by the system to the outside.
The most common input devices used by the computer are the keyboard and mouse. The keyboard allows the entry of textual information while the mouse allows the selection of a point on the screen by moving a screen cursor to the point and pressing a mouse button. The most common outputs are monitors and speakers.

Describe the purpose of:
1) Input devices
used to provide data and control signals to an information processing system (such as a computer)
2) Storage Devices
Used as an alternative storage other than the hard disk of the computer.
3) Output devices
used to communicate the results of data processing carried out by an information processing system (such as a computer) to the outside world.

Define the folowing types of software:
1) operating system
Software designed to control the hardware of a specific data-processing system in order to allow users and application programs to make use of it.
2) user interface
a program that controls a display for the user (usually on a computer monitor) and that allows the user to interact with the system
3) translator
A computer program or application that renders one language or data format into another.
4) utilities
programs that perform a specific task related to the management of computer functions, resources, or files, as password protection, memory management, virus protection, and file compression.
5) Programming languages

A programming language is an artificial language that can be used to control the behavior of a machine, particularly a computer.^[1] Programming languages, like natural languages, are defined by syntactic and semantic rules which describe their structure and meaning respectively. Many programming languages have some form of written specification of their syntax and semantics; some are defined only by an official implementation.

Programming languages are used to facilitate communication about the task of organizing and manipulating information, and to express algorithms precisely. Some authors restrict the term "programming language" to those languages that can express all possible algorithms;^[2] sometimes the term "computer language" is used for more limited artificial languages

6) common application software
a subclass of computer software that employs the capabilities of a computer directly and thoroughly 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.

[Qouted from www.en.wikipedia.org]

I blogged at 5:49 AM

Wednesday, March 12, 2008

State the purpose of each of the following pieces of utility softwares:

1)Disk Formatting

- To divide up the surface of a disk into more easily manageable sectors.

2)File handling

- To manage the files that are stored on a computer system.

3)Hardware Drivers

- used to control communication between computer and peripherals.

4)File Compression

- Reduces files without the loss of any details.

5)Virus Checker

- Used to check any files on or entering the system for viruses.

[Qouted from www.en.wikipedia.org]

I blogged at 7:14 AM

Give an example of each of the mode of operation and give brief function of it.

· Multiprocessing is the use of two or more central processing units (CPUs) within a single computer system. The term also refers to the ability of a system to support more than one processor and/or the ability to allocate tasks between them.^[1] There are many variations on this basic theme, and the definition of multiprocessing can vary with context, mostly as a function of how CPUs are defined (multiple cores on one die, multiple chips in one package, multiple packages in one system unit, etc.).

Multiprocessing sometimes refers to the execution of multiple concurrent software processes in a system as opposed to a single process at any one instant. However, the term multiprogramming is more appropriate to describe this concept, which is implemented mostly in software, whereas multiprocessing is more appropriate to describe the use of multiple hardware CPUs. A system can be both multiprocessing and multiprogramming, only one of the two, or neither of the two.

· multitasking is a method by which multiple tasks, also known as processes, share common processing resources such as a CPU. In the case of a computer with a single CPU, only one task is said to be running at any point in time, meaning that the CPU is actively executing instructions for that task. Multitasking solves the problem by scheduling which task may be the one running at any given time, and when another waiting task gets a turn. The act of reassigning a CPU from one task to another one is called a context switch. When context switches occur frequently enough the illusion of parallelism is achieved. Even on computers with more than one CPU (called multiprocessor machines), multitasking allows many more tasks to be run than there are CPUs.

Operating systems may adopt one of many different scheduling strategies, which generally fall into the following categories:

In multiprogramming systems, the running task keeps running until it performs an operation that requires waiting for an external event (e.g. reading from a tape) or until the computer's scheduler forcibly swaps the running task out of the CPU. Multiprogramming systems are designed to maximize CPU usage.
In time-sharing systems, the running task is required to relinquish the CPU, either voluntarily or by an external event such as a hardware interrupt. Time sharing systems are designed to allow several programs to execute apparently simultaneously.
In real-time systems, some waiting tasks are guaranteed to be given the CPU when an external event occurs. Real time systems are designed to control mechanical devices such as industrial robots, which require timely processing.

The term time-sharing is no longer commonly used, having been replaced by simply multitasking.

· Batch processing is execution of a series of programs ("jobs") on a computer without human interaction.

Batch jobs are set up so they can be run to completion without human interaction, so all input data is preselected through scripts or commandline parameters. This is in contrast to "online" or interactive programs which prompt the user for such input.

Batch processing has these benefits:

It allows sharing of computer resources among many users,
It shifts the time of job processing to when the computing resources are less busy,
It avoids idling the computing resources with minute-by-minute human interaction and supervision,
By keeping high overall rate of utilization, it better amortizes the cost of a computer, especially an expensive one.

A popular computerized batch processing procedure is printing. This normally involves the operator selecting the documents they need printed and indicating to the batch printing software when and where they should be output. Batch processing is also used for efficient bulk database updates and automated transaction processing, as contrasted to interactive online transaction processing (OLTP) applications.

[Qouted from www.en.wikipedia.org]

I blogged at 6:43 AM

EX.TOPIC 1. 4-3-08.

Q. Describe THREE types of hardware and their uses and upload it into your websites providing preferences.

Answer:

1)Scanner
Purpose of a Scanner:

In computing, a scanner is a device that optically scans images, printed text, handwriting, or an object, and converts it to a digital image. Common examples found in many offices today are variations of the desktop (or flatbed) scanner where the document is placed on a glass window for scanning. Hand-held scanners, where the device is moved by hand, were briefly popular but are now less common due to the difficulty of obtaining a high-quality image. Mechanically driven scanners that move the document are typically used for large-format documents, where a flatbed design would be impractical.

2)speaker

Purpose of a speaker:

speaker is an electromechanical transducer that converts an electrical signal to sound.

3)Keyboard

Purpose of a keyboard:

In computing, a keyboard is a peripheral partially modeled after the typewriter keyboard.

Physically, a keyboard is an arrangement of rectangular buttons, or keys. A keyboard typically has characters engraved or printed on the keys; in most cases, each press of a key corresponds to a single written symbol. However, to produce some symbols requires pressing and holding several keys simultaneously or in sequence; other keys do not produce any symbol, but instead affect the operation of the computer or the keyboard itself. See input method editor.

A majority of all keyboard keys produce letters, numbers or signs (characters) that are appropriate for the operator's language. Other keys can produce actions when pressed, and other actions are available by the simultaneous pressing of more than one action key.

[Qouted from www.en.wikipedia.org]

I blogged at 6:34 AM

(a) Comparisons of various emails:

YAHOO

HOTMAIL

GMAIL

Unlimited Mail Storage.
10 MB attachments (20MB for long-time users)
Protection against spam and viruses.
Advertising is displayed on the screen while working with the e-mail account.
POP3 support in some countries (but not in the US). However, SMTP support requires upgrade to a Plus account.
Accounts not logged into for four months get deactivated (The account can be retrieved but all stored data such as email is lost).
Early in 2006, Yahoo! Mail introduced aliases to its repertoire of features. Users could now add a (single) alias username containing a dot character for a pre-existing account.
The Chinese version of Yahoo! Mail offers 3.5 GB quota and 20 MB attachments.

Some users get features added if they are long time users.

· 5 GB of storage.

· patented security measures,Ajax technology, and integration with Windows Live Messenger, Spaces, Calendar and Contacts.

· It has over 280 million users worldwide and is available in 35 different languages.

· over 6500 MB of free storage (increasing by approximately 3.348 MB every day), with an additional 10 GB available for US$20 per year.

· It has a search-oriented interface and a unique 'conversation view' similar to an internet forum. Gmail is well-known for its use of the Ajax progra mming technique in its design, and has tens of millions of users.

(b) Comparisons of various O.S

Windows XP

Windows Vista

Windows XP introduced several new features to the Windows line, including:

Faster start-up and hibernation sequences
The ability to discard a newer device driver in favour of the previous one (known as driver rollback), should a driver upgrade not produce desirable results
A new, arguably more user-friendly interface, including the framework for developing themes for the desktop environment
Fast user switching, which allows a user to save the current state and open applications of their desktop and allow another user to log on without losing that information
The ClearType font rendering mechanism, which is designed to improve text readability on Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and similar monitors
Remote Desktop functionality, which allows users to connect to a computer running Windows XP from across a network or the Internet and access their applications, files, printers, and devices
Support for most DSL modems and wireless network connections, as well as networking over FireWire, and Bluetooth.

End-user features

The appearance of Windows Explorer has changed since Windows XP.

Windows Aero: The new hardware-based graphical user interface is named Windows Aero, which Jim Allchin has said is an acronym for Authentic, Energetic, Reflective, and Open. The new interface is intended to be cleaner and more aesthetically pleasing than those of previous Windows, including new transparencies, live thumbnails, live icons, and animations, thus providing a new level of eye candy.
Windows Shell: The new Windows shell is significantly different from Windows XP, offering a new range of organization, navigation, and search capabilities. Windows Explorer's task pane has been removed, integrating the relevant task options into the toolbar. A "Favorite links" pane has been added, enabling one-click access to common directories. The address bar has been replaced with a breadcrumb navigation system. The preview pane allows users to see thumbnails of various files and view the contents of documents. The details pane shows information such as file size and type, and allows viewing and editing of embedded tags in supported file formats. The Start menu has changed as well; it no longer uses ever-expanding boxes when navigating through Programs. The word "Start" itself has been removed in favor of a blue Windows Orb (also called "Pearl").
Instant Search (also known as search as you type) : Windows Vista features a new way of searching called Instant Search, which is significantly faster and more in-depth (content-based) than the search features found in any of the previous versions of Windows.

Windows Sidebar: A transparent panel anchored to the side of the screen where a user can place Desktop Gadgets, which are small applets designed for a specialized purpose (such as displaying the weather or sports scores). Gadgets can also be placed on other parts of the desktop.
Windows Internet Explorer 7: New user interface, tabbed browsing, RSS, a search box, improved printing,Page Zoom, Quick Tabs (thumbnails of all open tabs), Anti-Phishing filter, a number of new security protection features, Internationalized Domain Name support (IDN), and improved web standards support. IE7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system (protected mode); exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit user consent.

Windows Media Player 11

Windows Media Player 11, a major revamp of Microsoft's program for playing and organizing music and video. New features in this version include word wheeling (or "search as you type"), a new GUI for the media library, photo display and organization, the ability to share music libraries over a network with other Vista machines, Xbox 360 integration, and support for other Media Center Extenders.
Backup and Restore Center: Includes a backup and restore application that gives users the ability to schedule periodic backups of files on their computer, as well as recovery from previous backups. Backups are incremental, storing only the changes each time, minimizing disk usage. It also features Complete PC Backup (available only in Ultimate, Business, and Enterprise versions) which backs up an entire computer as an image onto a hard disk or DVD. Complete PC Backup can automatically recreate a machine setup onto new hardware or hard disk in case of any hardware failures. Complete PC Restore can be initiated from within Windows Vista or from the Windows Vista installation CD in the event the PC is so corrupt that it cannot start up normally from the hard disk.
Windows Mail: A replacement for Outlook Express that includes a new mail store that improves stability,and features integrated Instant Search. It has the Phishing Filter like IE7 and Junk mail filtering that is enhanced through regular updates via Windows Update.
Windows Calendar is a new calendar and task application.
Windows Photo Gallery, a photo and movie library management application. It can import from digital cameras, tag and rate individual items, adjust colors and exposure, create and display slideshows (with pan and fade effects) and burn slideshows to DVD.
Windows DVD Maker, a companion program to Windows Movie Maker that provides the ability to create video DVDs based on a user's content. Users can design a DVD with title, menu, video, soundtrack, pan and zoom motion effects on pictures or slides.
Windows Media Center, which was previously exclusively bundled as a separate version of Windows XP, known as Windows XP Media Center Edition, has been incorporated into the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista.
Games and Games Explorer: Games included with Windows have been modified to showcase Vista's graphics capabilities. New games are Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans and Purble Place. A new Games Explorer special folder holds shortcuts and information to all games on the user's computer.

Windows Mobility Center.

Windows Mobility Center is a control panel that centralizes the most relevant information related to mobile computing (brightness, sound, battery level / power scheme selection, wireless network, screen orientation, presentation settings, etc.).
Windows Meeting Space replaces NetMeeting. Users can share applications (or their entire desktop) with other users on the local network, or over the Internet using peer-to-peer technology (higher versions than Starter and Home Basic can take advantage of hosting capabilities, Starter and Home Basic editions are limited to "join" mode only)
Shadow Copy automatically creates daily backup copies of files and folders. Users can also create "shadow copies" by setting a System Protection Point using the System Protection tab in the System control panel. The user can be presented multiple versions of a file throughout a limited history and be allowed to restore, delete, or copy those versions. This feature is available only in the Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista and is inherited from Windows Server 2003.

Windows Update with Windows Ultimate Extras

Windows Update: Software and security updates have been simplified,now operating solely via a control panel instead of as a web application. Windows Mail's spam filter and Windows Defender's definitions are updated automatically via Windows Update. Users who choose the recommended setting for Automatic Updates will have the latest drivers installed and available when they add a new device.
Parental controls: Allows administrators to control which websites, programs and games each standard user can use and install. This feature is not included in the Business or Enterprise editions of Vista.
Windows SideShow: Enables the auxiliary displays on newer laptops or on supported Windows Mobile devices. It is meant to be used to display device gadgets while the computer is on or off.
Speech recognition is integrated into Vista. It features a redesigned user interface and configurable command-and-control commands. Unlike the Office 2003 version, which works only in Office and WordPad, Speech Recognition in Windows Vista works for any accessible application. In addition, it currently supports several languages: British and American English, Spanish, French, German, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) and Japanese.

New fonts, including several designed for screen reading, and improved Chinese (Yahei, JhengHei), Japanese (Meiryo) and Korean (Malgun) fonts. ClearType has also been enhanced and enabled by default.
Problem Reports and Solutions, a control panel which allows users to view previously sent problems and any solutions or additional information that is available.
Improved audio controls allow the system-wide volume or volume of individual audio devices and even individual applications to be controlled separately. New audio functionalities such as Room Correction, Bass Management, Speaker Fill and Headphone virtualization have also been incorporated.
Windows System Assessment Tool is a tool used to benchmark system performance. Software such as games can retrieve this rating and modify its own behavior at runtime to improve performance. The benchmark tests CPU, RAM, 2-D and 3-D graphics acceleration, Graphics Memory and Hard disk space.
Windows Ultimate Extras: The Ultimate edition of Windows Vista provides, via Windows Update, access to some additional features. These are a collection of additional MUI language packs, Texas Hold 'Em (a Poker game), Bitlocker and EFS enhancements which allow users to backup their encryption key online in a Digital Locker, and Windows Dreamscene, which enables the use of videos in MPEG and WMV formats as the desktop background. As of March 2008, no future Ultimate Extras have been announced.
Disk Management: The Logical Disk Manager in Windows Vista supports shrinking and expanding volumes on-the-fly.
Reliability and Performance Monitor includes various tools for tuning and monitoring system performance and resources activities of CPU, disks, network, memory and other resources. It shows the operations on files, the opened connections, etc.

[Qouted from www.en.wikipedia.org]

I blogged at 6:30 AM