Social Science Section 3 Flashcards
William’s tube based memory was replaced by
core memory
How many locations used the SABRE system?
54
Travel agents used what to input information into the SABRE?
keyboard terminals
What system gave the world the first interactive computing>
SABRE
What is time sharing?
Multiple keyboard terminals could be connected to central computer
What company was the primary forces in the reduction in computer costs
Digital Equipment Corporation
How large was the PDP
size of a small refridgerator
Who developed a timesharing system called CTSS?
Fernando Corbato
What does SAGE stand for?
Semi-Automated Ground Environment (air defense system)
By what year were all major airlines using interactive computerized systems?
1970s
What company used experience gained to create a system for the airlines?
IBM
How was the first version of UNIX written
It was written in assembly language
What did Thompson and Ritchie do to improve UNIX for the PDP-11?
Ritchie wrote a new programming language called C
How is C language best described compared to FORTRAN and COBOL?
C is much more minimalistic
How did AT&T become involved with UNIX?
They sold copies of UNIX to universities at a lower cost
Why couldn’t AT&T commercialize UNIX
They were a government-controlled monopoly that wasn’t allowed to enter into any venture not related to Telephony
Why were universities able to improve UNIX source code?
AT&T had a “flexible license” that allowed it.
What was the main reason that UNIX entered the workforce?
University students were well trained in UNIX, and wanted to keep working with it after university
Who began modern networking?
J. C. R. Licklider
What did Licklider do before networking?
He was the IPTO at ARPA
Why did Licklider want to network computers together?
He hoped that researchers would be able to use the computers more economically
What id the key difference between the ARPANET and earlier time sharing services?
The various computers in the ARPANET could be from different vendors and operating systems.
What is another name for the IPM?
Node
Define the function of an IPM
The IPM served as an intermediary between the host (the computer in the ARPANET) computer and the rest of the network.
What is store and forward packet switching?
Major city were connected through telegraph lines with smaller offices nearby. The message would reach one office be printed, stored until the operator was ready to forward it on; that’s were the term “store and forward” came from. So the lines weren’t monopolize by a single user, the messages were broke up into small chunks called packets. Each packet would contain the address of its destination computer. When the package reached the node, the node would check the address and forward it on as needed; that is were packet switching came from. When all the packages reached their destination node, it would re-assemble.
What does TCP/IP stands for?
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol
What were the first four universities that has nodes in the ARPANET?
University of California at Los Angeles, the University of California at Santa Barbara, Stanford Research Institute, and the University of Utah.
How many sites were connected to the ARPANET by the end of the 1970s?
Over one hundred sites
What is a protocol
A protocol is an agreement on how data ought to be formatted, encoded, and transmitted.
What was IMP replaced with?
IMP was eliminated with the introduction of TCP/IP.
What could the TCP/IP do?
Software implementing TCP/IP was written for various computer models. This allowed each host to connect to the ARPANET directly, rather than through an IMP.
Since they no longer had access they no longer had access to the General Electric mainframe, Thompson and Richie used what PDP to build their new operating system?
PDP-7 (which was obsolete by 1969)
How were Thompson and Ritchie able to convince Bell Labs to continue funding the project?
the first version of UNIX was successful enough to convince Bell Labs to purchase PDP-11 and instead of saying that they were building a new machine (since Multics recently failed), they said they were building tools to be used by clerks within Bell Labs
How did writing UNIX in C programming, make it portable?
it could run on other computer models that had a C compiler
What is BSD Unix?
short for Berkley Standard Distribution– made at the University of California at Berkley
True or False? Unix invented the idea of networking computers.
False, they only accelerated it
What was Licklider’s goal when it came to networking expensive computers together?
research could use them more economically and users would have access to other computers on the network to reduce the need for specialized facilities
What is one key difference between ARPANET and earlier timesharing machines like CTSS and BASIC?
had various computers (aka hosts) that were from different vendors and ran a variety of operating systems (Dartmouth BASIC and CTSS were designed around only one type of computer)
What was one of the motivating reasons for people to purchase home computers in the late 1970s’ and early 1908s’ ?
Computer games
What made personal computers suitable for video games?
small size, low cost, and interactive video screens
What were the first video games to appear for PC?
Adventure and Zork
How were the first videogames different from modern day games, such as those like Adventure and Zork?
text-based games, and were written for mini computers
PacMan and Centipede began as what?
dedicated arcade consoles
True or False? The invention of computers for PCs’ was so fast and innovated that people immediately figured out that they should be written for existing computers.
False; most of the earliest computers were custom computers in and of themselves
Who created Pong?
Atari in 1971
What was the first successful coin-operated video game console?
Pong
How was Pong written?
by wiring several microchips together
Breakout created using…
custom hardware
Pong is most similar to programming what?
the ENIAC
In the 1970s’, game designers realized that they could write more and better games in less time using what instead of what?
software running on commodity hardware, creating a custom set for each game
Although it was a gaming company, Atari began to create what in 1979?
its own line of personal computers, it became a general-purpose computing company as well
What four companies were designed primarily for home and educational use?
The Radio Shack, Atari, Commodore, and Apple
When was the first version of VisiCalc release?
in 1979
What is a killer app?
A computer application so compelling that users want to buy the computer just to run the program.
What computer did Bricklin chose to create VisiCalc on?
Apple II
What is world processing?
A type of software application that facilitates the preparation, editing, and printing of documents.
What were the first commercially successful word processors?
the Wang OIS
What did the PARC team call their computer?
the Alto
- named after the city they were located in
Who created the first Graphical User Interface?
PARC team
What did the invention of the microprocessor help do?
Allow for a wave of cheaper computers
What did Norm Abrasom create?
ALOHAnet
What was ALOHAnet?
a system where packets are transferred via radio signals rather than telephone lines
What could the ALTO do that other computers could not at the time?
display both text and pictures at the same time
What did the PARC team develop that made designing software easier?
Smalltalk
Smalltalk uses what type of programming?
object oriented programming
When did Bell Labs withdraw from the Multics System
1969
why did thompson and ritchie downplay the fact that they were building a new operating system
The failure of Multics was still fresh on the mind of supervisors
Ritchie invented a new programing language called?
C
C had a minimalist design compared to
FORTRAN and COBOL
Writing Unix in C made it…
portable (from system to system)
Making it portable meant it could
Run on other models besides the PD-11
Who was the owner if Bell Labs
AT&T
Who was the owner if Bell Labs
Monopoly
AT&T could not enter another industry, however, they sold copies of Unix to…
Universities at a low cost
Some of the most popular PC games included
Pac Man and Centipede
Some of the earliest video games were written for…
Custom Computers
What was VisiCalc
The first computerized spreadsheet
What launched personal computers into the business world
Visicalc
What today are considered killer apps
Word processors and spreadsheets
Wang OIS included
a keyboard, a high-resolution monitor, and a microprocessor that allowed it to process commands locally
Wang OIS stored documents on
a centralized serv
What inspired the Apple Lisa
Xerox PARC’s Alto
What was the issue with the Apple Lisa
Far too expensive for most home users
What was the Macintosh
An affordable computer based on the PARC’s GUI design
Who was in charge of Project Whirlwind?
The US Air Force
What was the purpose of Project Whirlwind?
to create flight simulators for training pilots
Who was put in charge of Project Whirlwind?
Jay Forrester
What did Forrester determine regarding the speed of the simulators
they needed technology from the new ENIAC
What did the goal of Project Whirlwind become?
to create the fastest computer
How was Project Whirlwind’s funding saved?
Because there was word of the Soviet Union building nuclear weapons
What was the US military’s goal in saving Project Whirlwind?
to hopefully get a computer that was good enough for the US defense system
What did core memory replace on the Whirlwind project
tube-based memory
What kind of display did Whirlwind have?
A cathode-ray tube one
When was SAGE decommissioned?
Early 1980s
What does SABRE stand for
Semi-automatic Business Research Environment
what 2 companies shared the idea of timesharing?
SAGE and SABRE
what is timesharing?
there is one central computer that multiple people can run their keyboards off
who lead a team at MIT that built a timesharing
system called CTSS?
Fernando Corbató
what dose CTSS stand for?
compatible time-sharing system
when was CTSS built?
1963
what companies worked together to create a timesharing operation to replace CTSS?
General Electric, MIT, and AT&T Bell Labs
Multics was made to replace what operating systems?
CTSS
what is the second-system effect?
“the general tendency is to over-design the second system, using all the ideas and frills that were cautiously sidetracked on the first one.”
what year did bell labs withdraw from Multics?
1969
why did bell labs withdraw from Multics?
Stung by the difficulties and delays of the Multics project, Bell Labs withdrew from the project in 1969,
what was Robert taylor’s previous job?
he was a former director at ARPA
why was Robert taylor hired?
manage the Palo Alto Research Center, or PARC.
who invented ALOHAnet?
Norm Abramson
what is Norm Abramson profession?
engineer and computer scientist
in the mid 20th century Xerox was the leader in what market?
copy machine industry
what lead to Xerox failure at it’s peak?
patents expired
what year did Xerox’s patents expire?
1970s
what is a bitmapped?
could display both text and pictures simultaneously.
what did the alto have in addition to a keyboard?
a mouse
how many buttons did the mouse on the Alto have?
3 buttons
Why were people motivated to buy home computers in the ’70s and ’80s?
Video Games
Why couldn’t basic people play games on the PDP11?
Because the basic person didn’t have a PDP11
Why did Video Games flourish on home computers?
Home computers were easy and less expensive
What were some of the earliest video games to come out on home computers?
Adventure and Zork
What were some of the popular more complex games for the home computers?
Pac Man and Centipede
Why was PONG special?
It was not written in software but by wiring microchips together
How did Atari branch out in ‘79?
They designed their own home computers and such
What was Visicalc?
Computerized Spreadsheet. Like this one!
Who was Co-Creator of Visicalc?
Daniel Bricklin
Why was Visicalc considered a “Killer App”?
It was instantly popular and hordes of people bought Apple IIs just to use it.
Why were Word Processors slower to catch on than spreadsheets?
Computers had limited text capabilities.
So how did Word Processors become a thing?
They had to become computers in and of themselves
Where was Bill Gates on the Microsoft Staff Picture on December 7, 1978?
Front left.
