Chapter 1 Introduction to Information Technology

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Chapter 1Introduction to Information Technology
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Pervasive Computing

• Technology becomes common-place
• Self destructing text messages (Staellium)
  deletes itself after 40 sec of being first
  viewed, WAP enabled mobile phones
• Hondas driverless car LKAS radar distance
  monitoring
• Super fridge (IBMs Smart Kitchen) displays
  contents of fridge, inventory, sensor alerts when
  door is open
• Nethrone designer work/gaming station, soothes
  pains and aches
• Whereabouts clock (MS Research) pinpoint
  locations of group members
• Can you think of any novel gadgets?
• Effects of pervasive computing
• Information overload
• Lesser use of memory surge is multitasking
• Privacy concerns
• Smart dumb mobs

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The Net Generation

• What is the worse computer problem youve
  encountered?
• What intimidates you the most about computers?
• Characteristics of Netgeners
• Staying connected is essential
• Multitasking is a way of life
• Students are impatient and results-oriented (e.g.
  doing rather than listening)
• They gravitate towards group activity
• Being Computer Savvy
• Computer literacy
• Know how to make better buying decisions, fix
  ordinary computer problems, upgrade hardware and
  integrate it with new products, use the Internet
  most effectively, protect yourself against cyber
  villains, advance your career using IT

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Information Technology (IT)

• Computer Technology
• Programmable, multiuse machines that accept data
  and process it into information
• Speeds up problem solving and increases
  productivity
• There are various categories of computers with
  respect to their size and the way in which they
  are used
• Communications Technology
• Electromagnetic devices and systems for
  communication over long distances
• Allows for transmission of data over various
  mediums in a wired (e.g. via cables) or wireless
  (e.g. via IR and RF signals) manner
• Cyberspace
• The whole wired and wireless world of
  communications in general
• The Internet and the Web
• The internet is the mother of all networks
• The web is the multimedia part of the internet

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IT Your Life

• Education
• Effects on learning/research habits (bad good)
• Expanding educational opportunities
• Health
• Disease diagnosis and patient care
• Telemedicine/Telesurgery
• Money Digital (electronic) payment mechanisms
• Lesiure More multimedia (higher quality)
• Government
• Higher availability of information to and on
  government establishments
• Electronic voting
• Jobs Careers
• Online recruitment
• Technical training

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Moores Law

• It is an empirical observation attributed to
  Gordon Moore, a co-founder of Intel
• The number of transistors on integrated circuits
  (a rough measure of computer processing power)
  doubles every 18 months
• Why and for how long will it hold?
• How fast will our computers become?
• Does processor improvement always yield a faster
  computer?

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Categories of ComputersSupercomputers

• Introduced in the 1960s and primarily designed by
  Seymour Cray
• Typically custom designs, military and scientific
  establishments are the main users
• Capable of storing and processing massive amounts
  of data, processing speeds are measured in FLOPS
  (FLoating point Operations Per Second)
• Who makes them HP, IBM, Cray, NEC, etc.
• Cost millions of dollars
• Applications weather forecasting, breaking
  encryption codes, simulation of bomb explosions
• Some specialize in solving a specific problem,
  e.g. IBMs Deep Blue for playing chess, first to
  beat world champion Kasparov in 1996
• Challenges cooling, communication latency, data
  storage requirements

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SupercomputersThe IBM Blue Gene/L Architecture
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Categories of ComputersMainframes

• Introduced in the late 1950s, the only type
  available until the late 1960s
• Accessible via dumb terminals, have superior I/O
  capacities, highly reliable
• Incorporate multiple processors ( lt 100),
  processing speeds are measures in MIPS (Millions
  of Instructions Per Second)
• Used by large organizations such as banks,
  universities, and corporations
• Applications can handle a wide variety of tasks
  such as bulk data processing, statistical
  analysis, financial transaction processing, etc.
• Cost 5,000 - 5 million
• The smallest zSeries IBM mainframes today run at
  about 26 MIPS and range up to over 18,000 MIPS

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Categories of ComputersWorkstations

• Introduced in the early 1980s
• High-end general-purpose personal computers with
  exceptional graphics and processing capabilities
• Applications complex scientific, mathematical,
  and engineering computations such as CAD and
  movie special effects
• Some features overlap with personal computers,
  e.g. some low-end workstations use Intel Pentium
  4 or AMD Athelon 64 processors

SGI O2 Workstation
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Categories of ComputersMicrocomputers
Microcontrollers

• Microcomputers
• Introduced in the mid 1970s, increasing sharply
  in capabilities in the 1990s
• Stand-alone or networked machines suitable for
  general purpose tasks
• Categories desktop PCs, tower PCs, laptops,
  PDAs, portable computers, tablet PCs
• Cost 500 - 5,000

• Microcontrollers
• Tiny, specialized microprocessors embedded in
  smart appliances and automobiles
• Contains all the memory and I/O interfaces needed
• They are found in smart home appliances such as
  microwaves and washing machines, air and chemical
  sensors, vibration sensors, etc.

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MITs 100 Linux Laptop (2B1)

• Specifications
• Powered by a hand crank, a pedal, or a pull-cord
• 400Mhz AMD Geode processor , 128MB DRAM, 512MB
  flash memory
• Uses skinny Fedora distribution of Linux
• 7.5 dual-mode display (full color, black/white)
  LCD
• Has a video/still camera, three external USB-2.0
  ports
• Wireless network capability
• The estimated lifetime is at least 5 yrs
• Taiwans Quanta Computer chosen to manufacture it
• Controversy (opponents of the project)
• Similar efforts in India, MS considering it
• Project page http//laptop.media.mit.edu/

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Roles of Computers

• The client-server model
• Server central computer that holds collections
  of data programs
• Processes requests from clients
• Must be able to handle load
• E.g. web, e-mail, and file servers
• Client PCs, workstations, and other devices that
  issue requests and receive data and services from
  servers
• Features
• Highly structured
• Server is a centralized point of failure

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Roles of Computers

• The peer-to-peer (P2P) model
• Peer client server
• Various degrees of distribution of load and tasks
  including the indexed (e.g. Napster), hybrid, and
  pure P2P (e.g. Gnutella) models
• Features
• Pooling of resources
• No single point of failure
• Flexible structure
• Reliability, trust, and privacy concerns
• Some P2P Systems
• BitTorrent
• Freenet

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How Computers WorkConcept 1

• The purpose of the computer is to process data
  into information
• Data raw facts and figures
• Information data that has been summarized or
  otherwise manipulated for use in decision making

Test 1 85 Test 2 65 Final 95
Total Grade 83 Letter Grade B
Total Grade Test 1 x 0.3 Test 2 x 0.3
Final x 0.4
Process
Input Data
Output Info
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How Computers WorkConcept 2

• Computers consist of hardware and software
• Hardware The tangible machinery and equipment in
  a computer system
• Hardware may contain software, e.g. CD holding
  programs and files
• Examples mice, keyboards, storage devices,
  processors, etc.
• Software (programs) The non-tangible electronic
  instructions that tell the computer how to
  perform specific tasks, i.e. make a computer
  compute
• 1) System Software Helps the computer perform
  essential operating tasks and enables application
  software to run, e.g. operating systems,
  antivirus software
• 2) Application Software Enables the user to
  perform specific tasks, such as solving problems
  and entertainment, e.g. productivity and game
  software

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How Computers WorkConcept 3
All computers perform the same five basic tasks
Processing
Input Data
Storage
Communications
Output
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Trends in IT

• Computers
• Miniaturization
• Speed
• Affordability
• Communications
• Connectivity
• Interactivity
• Multimedia
• When both combine
• Convergence
• Portability
• Personalization

• Into the future
• Artificial intelligence
• Nanotechnology
• Quantum Computing