REVIEWER IN IT MIDTERMS 2.pdf

REVIEWER IN IT (MIDTERMS) EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS Information technology has been around for a long, long time. Basically, as long as people have been around, information technology has been around because there were always ways of communicating through tech...

REVIEWER IN IT (MIDTERMS) EVOLUTION OF COMPUTERS Information technology has been around for a long, long time. Basically, as long as people have been around, information technology has been around because there were always ways of communicating through technology available at that point in time. There are 4 main ages that divide up the history of information technology. Only the latest age (electronic) and some of the electromechanical age really affects us MECHANICAL PERIOD today, but it is important to learn about 1450-1840 how we got to the point we are at with This period served as the bridge between technology today. our current period and the pre-mechanical PREMECHANICAL PERIOD period. This period concentrated primarily on 3000 BCE to 1450 CE development of machines that will Humans started communicating with one enhance calculation speed. another using words and pictograms curved The highlight of this period is the advent of in rocks. the mechanical calculator called Pascaline, Then they started to write symbols as invented by Blaise Pascal along with substitutes for pictures to depict ideas and, Wilhelm Schickard. objects and animals. These gave rise to our This device inspired other investors to modern-day alphabet. automate counting and calculations. Paper was finally produced from papyrus Charles Babbage (Father of the plant Computers)- a mathematician. He invented Human continue to write information and the Analytical Engine, which is considered kept as permanent record. They eventually the first programmable mechanical compiled and bound together, eventually computer. giving birth to books. As these books grew in number, they ELECTROMECHANICAL PERIOD needed to be compiled and stored in areas; 1840-1940 hence, libraries (first data centers in The use of electricity for information history) were created. bloomed. In the late stages of this period, human This period saw the use of telegraph to started using numerical system. transmit information over long distances. Abacus is a manually operated device The information is coded in sounds of dots, similar to the modern calculator. This was spaces and dashes over wired and wireless considered as the first device to process media. information. Telephone was later invented, enabling Abacus is said to have come from China. voice transmission over long distances.  Telegraph- considered the first electrical 2. Transistors Period communications device and first device to In 1947, the transistor (SOLID STATE) was use electricity to transmit information over invented. an electrical media. First invented by It is an electronic device with properties William Cooke and Sir Charles Wheatstone, and functions similar to vacuum tubes, but the first working model used five magnetic it is lightweight and faster. needles that could be pointed around set of The transistor is the foundation of every letters and numbers by using electric electronic device today. current. In fact, you can find a transistor for every Then 1844, an American inventor Samuel electronic device. The first full transistor Morse introduced the first single-circuit computer was developed in 1957 and was telegraph, which gave rise to the Morse faster than vacuum computers. Code. In 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was 3. Integrated Period granted the patent for the telephone. The Jack Kilby- credited for introducing the telephone converts sound into electricity integrated circuit (IC) in 1958, a device that and enables the telephone network to is composed of a group of transistors and transmit it over copper wires. circuit elements compressed in a single ELECTRONIC PERIOD package. Because of this, a number of smaller The last period in ICT history, started in devices intended for information the 1940s and continue to the present. processing and communication were The highlight of this period is focused on developed. the advent of solid-state devices or electronic devices. 4. Computer Processors Period 4 MAIN EVENTS The advent and development of integrated circuits ushered in the period of powerful 1. Late Vacuum Tubes Period processors. ICs are used in processing The latter period of vacuum tube machines devices, and processors are constructed in is the start of the electronic period IC forms. Electronic Numerical Integrator and Personal computers then used these Computer (ENIAC)- first electronic and processors to deliver user applications. general-purpose computer, marked a From this time up to today, computers are revolutionary period in computing. ENIAC evolving from basic interfaces to Graphical was a big machine that occupied an area of User Interfaces or GUI 167 square meters. Aside form its big size, For decades, scientists and engineers its processing speed was slower than those developed methods of connectivity for of machines used today. sharing processed information stored in computers and processing devices. The result of this is the interconnection of computer devices and equipment we enjoy today. This network is commonly known as the Internet or World Wide Web. FIRST GENERATION ADVANTAGES OF STATIC WEBSITES The first generation of computers used Lower once-off cost vacuum tubes and were massive. Faster loading than dynamic sites Cheaper hosting required than dynamic SECOND GENERATION sites, as they usually use less bandwidth The introduction of transistors led to and server resources than dynamic sites. smaller and more efficient computers. Developer independent. Dynamic sites are usually built in a specific way, with a specific THIRD GENERATION framework, and thus requires a developer Integrated circuits further miniaturized with a specific skill set to manage. computers. DISADVANTAGES OF STATIC WEBSITES FOURTH GENERATION Might have higher maintenance costs if the Microprocessors, with thousands of ICs on content changes often. a single chip, were introduced. This led to No user registrations, or advanced the development of personal computers functionality usually connected with (PCs). dynamic sites. Dependent on a developer to make FIFTH GENERATION changes, which can be a problem during Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Quantum holidays, or on short notice, whereas with a Computing. dynamic site you can make changes to the content any time. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY SOME EXAMPLES OF STATIC WEBSITE WORLD WIDE WEB www.9boninnes.co.za www.quayside906.co.za The world wide web, commonly referred to www.fibercom.co.za as WWW, W3 or simply the Web is an interconnected system of public webpages www.blouberg-holiday.co.za accessible through the internet. It was www.strongroom.co.za invented by Sir Tim Berners-Lee in 1989. WEB 2.0 Web pages are what make up the world wide web and it can either be static or Term used to describe the present dynamic. generation of the world wide web that concentrates on its capability of providing WEB 1.0 people the means to collaborate and share Web pages are static and not interactive. information online. You can’t post comments or create an The second stage in World Wide Web account. DYNAMIC WEBSITE and edit word processing and spreadsheet documents online. When you need The content of the website changes software, like a Word Processor, you can INTERACTIVE purchase it for a one-time huge amount and install it in your computer and it is The user may be able to comment or yours forever. Software as a service allows create user account you to “rent” as a software for a minimal Enables an increased user participation in fee. the web MASS PARTICIPATION FEATURES OF WEB 2.0 It is a diverse information sharing through FOLKSONOMY universal web access. Since most users can It allows users to categorize and use the internet, Web 2.0’s content is classify/arrange information using freely based on people from various cultures. chosen keywords. (e.g., tagging). Popular WEB 3.0 social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc. use tags that Also called as Semantic Web start with the pound sign (#). This is also Semantics- ability of Web technologies to referred to as hashtag. understand and interpret human-generated content. RICH USER EXPERIENCE The aim of Web 3.0 is to have machines Content is dynamic and is responsive to understand the user’s preferences to be user’s input. An example would be a able to deliver web content specifically website that shows local content. In the targeting the user. case of social networking sites, when logged The internet is able to predict the best on, your account is used to modify what possible answers to your question by you see in their website. “learning from your previous choices” USER PARTICIPATION Example: Apple’s Siri The owner of the website is not the only one who is able to put content. Others are able to place a content of their own by means of comment, reviews, and evaluation. Some websites allow readers to comment on an article, participate in a poll, or review a specific product (e.g., Amazon.com, online stores). SOFTWARE AS A SERVICE Users will subscribe to a software only when needed rather than purchasing them. This is a cheaper option if you do not always need to use a software. For instances, Google Docs is a free web-based application that allows the user to create