Chapter 4 Flashcards
• What is SixthSense? Provide at least 3 specific examples of what SixthSense can do. When do you think everyone will be using this technology and why?
-‘SixthSense’ is a wearable gestural interface that augments the physical world around us with digital information and lets us use natural hand gestures to interact with that information.
Provide at least 3 specific examples of what SixthSense can do.
- SixthSense also lets the user draw icons or symbols in the air using the movement of the index finger and recognizes those symbols as interaction instructions. For example, drawing a magnifying glass symbol takes the user to the map application
- recognizes user’s freehand gestures (postures). For example, the SixthSense system implements a gestural camera that takes photos of the scene the user is looking at by detecting the ‘framing’ gesture.
-SixthSense system also augments physical objects the user is interacting with by projecting more information about these objects projected on them. For example, a newspaper can show live video news or dynamic information can be provided on a regular piece of paper.
• What is grid computing? Be clear. Provide one specific example of who might use this and why.
Grid computing is a form of distributed computing in which an organization (business, university, etc.) uses its existing computers (desktop and/or cluster nodes) to handle its own long-running computational tasks.
- grid computing is a computer network in which each computer’s resources are shared with every other computer in the system.
USERS
- Scientists use grid computing for their research. A scientist studying proteins logs into a computer and uses an entire network of computers to analyze data.
- Businessman- A businessman accesses his company’s network through aPDA in order to forecast the future of a particular stock.
- Military- Army official accesses and coordinates computer resources on three different military networks to formulate a battle strategy.
• With regards to memory, we discussed RAM. Provide a specific example and explain clearly how/when this is used. Is RAM volatile or non-volatile? What does this mean?
RAM is volatile; in other words, its contents are lost when power is switched off or when the program using the data is closed. The computer uses RAM to temporarily store information
- RAM consists of circuitry for storing data and instructions that are acted upon by CPU. The CPU reads data and instructions from memory, and it stores results of computations in main memory.
- RAM is used to store information for every program that is currently running on a computer. For example, before a program is started by clicking its icon, it sits on the hard drive and not in RAM. When the program starts, the computer code for the program is transferred to RAM along with any information the program needs to function. This is done because RAM is much faster than the hard disc.
• What is cache? Provide a specific example and explain clearly how/when this is used. Is cache volatile or non-volatile? What is the difference between cache and RAM?
Cache is a specialized form of computer memory. Cache is designed to speed up the computer by prioritizing its contents for quick access. The CPU keeps frequently used instructions in the cache.
- . For example, a Web browser like Internet Explorer uses a cache to store the pages, images, and URLs of recently visted Web sites on your hard drive. With this neat strategy, when you visit a page you have recently been to, the pages and images don’t have to be downloaded to your computer all over again.
- Cache is volatile
DIFFERENCE OF RAM AND CACHE:
- Cache memory is the closer memory to the CPU when compared with the RAM. Cache memory is much faster and also expensive when compared with the RAM. But the capacity of the RAM memory is larger than the capacity of the cache memory.
• What is meant by open-source software? Provide an example. What is the advantage? Be clear.
- Open source software is computer software that is distributed along with its source code - the code that is used to create the software - under a special software license. The license allows users to use, change and improve the software’s source code, and to redistribute the software either before or after it has been modified.
- Examples: Open Office, Firefox, MySQL, Apache, Ubunto, Android
ADVANTAGES: - less costly
- more secured as the code is accessible to everyone. Anyone can fix bugs as they are found, and users do not have to wait for the next release.
- not dependent on the company or author that originally created it. Even if the company fails, the code continues to exist and be developed by its users
- The companies using open-source software do not have to think about complex licensing models and do not need anti-piracy measures like product activation or serial number.
• In acquiring application software, I may have different options: build, buy, or lease. Provide specific examples of when each of these options (3) would be best utilized and support your answer for each.
- Companies choose to build their own software because their software needs are unique. Other companies do not have similar needs. Thus companies need to create their own software that fits their requirement.
- A company prefers to buy software if they do not want to take risk. If you buy the software off the shelf like for example you bought I from Best Buy, then you are guaranteed that that software is working. Also, some companies choose to buy software instead of building it themselves because of accessibility. Buying the software rather than building it saves you time. Some software that you can buy online that provides capabilities common across all organizations are Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
- Company chooses to lease software because they think it is cheaper to rent than to buy. By renting software, you don’t have to pay the whole amount right away. Instead, they charge you monthly and that sort of splits up the cost. Moreover, it is best for a company to rent when they think of adding or reducing user accounts based on the pace of their business. Since renting is “pay-as-you-go” option, when they choose to add people, they could just do it easily. Microsoft office is an example of software that can be rented.
• Explain clearly a minimum of 3 different ways a computer virus can affect your computer.
- Virus slows can slow down your computer.
- Some viruses are attached to documents that when you open it, the virus is placed in startup file for application. This virus infects every file the application creates or process.
- A Worm Virus can choke networks- a worm uses one computer on a network system to scan all the other computers it is connected to for security holes. Once the worm finds a hole on another computer on the network, it copy and pastes itself into that computer by exploiting the security hole. It continues replicating until it runs out of computers to infect.
- Email virus can hijack your computer and send out copies of itself to everyone on your contact list. Email virus can load onto your computer simply by opening an email into the preview frame. Once the virus has been opened, it automatically downloads its attachment to your computer
• What is Phishing? Explain clearly.
- The act of sending an e-mail to a user falsely claiming to be an established legitimate enterprise in an attempt to scam the user into surrendering private information that will be used for identity theft. The e-mail directs the user to visit a Web site where they are asked to update personal information, such as passwords and credit card, social security, and bank account numbers, that the legitimate organization already has. The Web site, however, is bogus and set up only to steal the user��s information.
• Explain what is meant by “cloud computing”? What are the benefits? What are the potential problems?
-Cloud computing is a form of hardware/software in which organizations obtain server resources from vendors that specialize in server processing.
Advantage?
- Amount time and the resources leased are flexible and can change dynamically.
- Allows multiple organizations to use the same computing infrastructure.
- Customer pays only for the resources used.
- With cloud computing, your university could lease server resources when it needs them from a cloud vendor such as IBM.
- Cost efficient.
- Almost Unlimited Storage
Problems?
- Cloud Compatibility Issues- company would have to replace much of its existing IT infrastructures in order to make the system compatible on the cloud.
- Security in the Cloud- entirely based on the Internet makes it vulnerable to hack attacks.
- Compliance of the Cloud- if a certain center develops and issue and cannot be accessed, it might pose a serious problem for the company involved.
• We discussed how the City of Dearborn uses virtualization. What is this and what does it allow them to do? Explain clearly.
- Virtualization is the process whereby multiple operating systems share the same hardware. With virtualization they can easily configure servers to accommodate workload changes.
- Virtualization helps the City of Dearborn access and maintains their files without having to be physically present.
