Transcript
Copyright © 2012 Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Digital Planet:
Tomorrow’s Technology
and You
George Beekman • Ben Beekman
Tenth Edition
Digital Planet:
Tomorrow’s Technology and You
Chapter 1
Exploring Our Digital Planet
Copyright © 2012 Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Chapter 1 Objectives
Describe digital technology’s critical role in our lives
Discuss several key trends in the evolution of computers and digital technology
Describe the major types of computers and their principal uses
Explain how the growth and evolution of the Internet is changing our lives
*
Objectives (cont.)
Explain how our information age differs from any time that came before
Discuss the social and ethical impact of information technology on our society
*
Living in a Nondigital World
Computers are everywhere.
Our lives are directly affected when they do not operate.
Computers have infiltrated our lives so we do not know how to function without them.
*
Computers in Perspective
Computers have been with us for a short time but are built on centuries of insight and effort.
Early humans counted with fingers or rocks.
The abacus was used by Babylonians and Chinese for thousands of years.
By early 19th century, the need for more accurate calculating tools became evident.
Charles Babbage and Ada Lovelace imagined the construction of the Analytical Engine.
*
Computers in Perspective (cont.)
Brief history of computers
1939—Atanasoff-Berry Computer created
1943—Alan Turing developed Colossus
1944—Mark I completed to compute ballistics tables
1945—ENIAC completed
1951—UNIVAC I (the first general-purpose commercial computer) was delivered to the U.S. Census Bureau
*
Computers in Perspective (cont.)
*
Computer hardware
Early computers used vacuum tubes.
Tubes were replaced by transistors.
By mid-1960s, more powerful machines were based on integrated circuits—small silicon chips containing hundreds of transistors.
A vacuum tube, a transistor, and an integrated circuit.
Computers in Perspective (cont.)
Benefits of integrated circuits
Reliability: Less prone to failure
Size: Single chips could replace entire boards
Speed: Electricity had shorter distances to travel
Efficiency: Small chips used less electrical power and created less heat
Cost: Mass production techniques made it easy to manufacture inexpensive chips
*
Computers Today: A Brief Taxonomy
*
Thanks to an abundance of low-cost microprocessors, today’s world is populated with an incredible variety of computers, each particularly well-suited to specific tasks.
Embedded Systems
Embedded system: A microprocessor used as a component of a larger system
More than 90% of microprocessors are hidden inside common household and electronic devices:
Thermostats, traffic lights, cars
Wristwatches, toys, game machines
TVs, camcorders, ovens
Anything powered by electricity—battery or house current—is candidate for microprocessor implant
*
Personal Computers
Personal computer: Designed to be used by one person at a time
Tool for enhancing productivity, creativity, communication
Desktop computer has several components:
Tower (containing microprocessor and other components)
Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers
Some house all components in monitor casing
*
Workstations
Workstation: A high-end desktop computer with massive computing power.
Used for computationally intensive interactive applications
Large-scale scientific data analysis
Line separating workstations and desktop computers becoming less distinct.
*
Portable Computers
*
Laptop computers—sometimes called notebook computers—designed for portability
Netbooks are extra-small, extra-light, no-frills computers
Handheld Devices
Personal digital assistants (PDAs)
Smart phones combine the functions of a phone, camera, PDA, game machine, and music/video player.
Tablet computers bridge the gap between smart phone and notebook/netbook PC.
*
Smart phone
Servers
Server: A computer that provides other computers connected to a network with access to data, programs, and other resources
Any desktop computer can be used as a server but some are specifically designed for this purpose.
Servers have faster processors, more memory, or faster network connections.
Often clustered together in groups to increase processing power
*
Mainframes
Mainframes: Room-sized computers with price tags to match
Before microcomputers, most information processing was done on mainframe computers.
Today mainframe computers are used by large organizations, such as airlines and banks.
Mainframe computers can communicate with several users simultaneously through timesharing.
*
Supercomputers
Typical supercomputer is constructed out of thousands of microprocessors.
Power users with special requirements need access to fastest, most powerful computers.
*
Computer Connections:
The Internet Revolution
Internet: Work began on experimental network in the in late 1960s as it evolved it became known as the Internet.
In 1990s, software became more usable.
The Internet was transformed from text-only to include pictures, animation, sounds, and video.
The World Wide Web (WWW) became accessible to millions who connect through a Web browser.
*
Computer Connections:
The Internet Revolution (cont.)
Growth of the Internet
Widespread email and Web use
Few million users in 1990s—about two billion users today
Internet’s population reflects population at large
More than half are now female
Areas with no Internet access are harder to find
*
Computer Connections:
The Internet Revolution (cont.)
Web 2.0 sites are built around contributions from Web users
My Space
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
Google Maps
*
Into the Information Age
10,000 years ago, people learned to domesticate animals and grow their own food.
Agricultural age: Lasted until about 200 years ago
Industrial age: Advances in machine technology ushered in this age
Information age: A convergence of computer and network technology—where most people earn their living working with words, numbers, and ideas
*
Living with Digital Technology
In 1943, Thomas Watson, Sr., declared that the world would not need more than five computers.
Since then, computers have evolved from massive, expensive, unreliable calculators into (mostly) dependable, versatile machines.
Who could have imagined netbooks, iPhones, PlayStations, Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, eBay, robot moon rovers, or laserguided “smart bombs”?
*
Phases of the Information Age
Institutional computing phase, starting about 1950: large, expensive mainframes
Personal computing phase, starting about 1975: millions of PCs joined mainframes
Interpersonal computing phase, starting about 1995: networks connected the PCs and mainframes
Collaborative computing phase, starting about 2005: smart phones, tablets, and other digital devices join PCs on the Internet; migration to Internet “cloud”
*
Explanations: Clarifying Technology
Computer hardware and software details change every few years.
Internet is evolving even faster.
Most of the underlying concepts remain constant.
It is important to understand the basics to keep up with the changes.
*
Applications: Digital Technology in Action
Everyone can benefit from knowing the following:
Network applications
Word processing and desktop publishing
Spreadsheets and databases
Graphics and image processing
Audio, video, and multimedia
Programming and customized problem solving
Artificial intelligence
*
Implications: Social and Ethical Issues
Potential risks of digital technology:
Threat to personal privacy
Hazards of high-tech crime
Difficulty of defining and protecting intellectual property
Threat of automation and the dehumanization of work
Abuse of information for political and economic power
Dangers of dependence on complex technology
Emergence of biodigital technology
*
Computer Ethics
Know the rules and the law.
Don’t assume that it’s okay if it’s legal.
Think scenarios.
When in doubt, talk it out.
Make yourself proud.
Remember the golden rule.
Take the long view.
Do your part.
*
History of the Future
Today’s technology raises fascinating and difficult questions.
We will need to deal with even more difficult questions as technology evolves.
Exponential growth in computing power makes it likely that we will see technology that was once considered far-fetched in our everyday lives.
*
Chapter 1 Summary
Mechanical computing devices date back hundreds of years.
First real computers were developed during 1940s.
Computers have evolved at an incredible pace, becoming consistently smaller, faster, more efficient, more reliable, and less expensive.
Computers today come in all shapes and sizes with specific types suited for particular jobs.
*
Summary (cont.)
Connecting to a network enhances the value and power of a computer.
Computers share resources with other computers and facilitate electronic communication with other users.
The Internet is a collection of networks connecting computers and other devices around the globe.
Internet users have access to billions of pages on the World Wide Web.
*
Summary (cont.)
Our civilization is in a transition from an industrial economy to an information economy.
Emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, offer promise for future applications.
At the same time, computers threaten our privacy, our security, and perhaps our way of life.
Our future depends on computers and our ability to understand and use them in productive, positive ways.
*
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.
*
