Heritage Studies: Annual Exhibition 2011

Since we're still in exam week, so I decided just to drive thru the exhibition but I promise I'll take a lot of pictures (if I got a better camera other than my own cellphone!)

Anyway, these are the pics I got from KAED website about the exhibition...

and this is the bunting...

I'll detail about the exhibition later, kay...

Pre-Calc!

Course: Mathematics
Course Code: BSC 0110
Venue: Tutorial Room 4, Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design
Time: 02:30 p.m.

Wish me luck, guys!

xoxo,

Ellie

Islam and ICT

Introduction

In 1999, Islamic Internet Conference (MISIC'99) was held with the objective of utilizing the Internet to present and acquire knowledge on Islam, sharing information among Muslims all over the globe, as well as establishing personal and organizational networks. This event has become a yearly programme under the supervision of the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and was renamed to "International Conference on Information Technology"2. In essence, supports from ICT will enable the Islamic knowledge to be effectively transmitted to the ummah.

Relation between Islam and ICT:

Information Technology (IT) is defined as "the use of computers and telecommunications for the processing and distribution of information in digital, audio, video and other forms". Based on this definition and the fact that Quran is neither a scientific text book nor a technological "how-to" manual, those who are unfamiliar with Islam might be questioning themselves about the relationship between IT and the book revealed more than 1400 years ago.

Quran stresses the importance of seeking both divine and worldly knowledge from the very first revelation: "Read in the name of your Lord who created * created man from a clot ....."

Knowledge Category

The Islamic tradition has categorized knowledge into two categories.

The first category of knowledge is that rendered by Allah to man through revelation (wahyu). This knowledge is regarded as the highest form of knowledge and eventually is made compulsory on every Muslim to learn, comprehend and implement.

The second type of knowledge is that acquired by humans via rational inquiry based on experience and observation, which normally concern with worldly matter.

Technologies Offered by ICT:

ICT offers various technologies that can be used by the humans in order to facilitate their routine activities. It is said that ICT will be changing the way we work, communicate, study, do business and other aspects of human life. One of the greatestbenefits to be gained from the use of ICT is Internet.

Links:

There are lots of Islamic sites have been developed with the purpose of providing and disseminating Islamic knowledge and information:

• Al-Islam
• IslamiCity
• Harf Information Technology
• Islamweb.net
• Answering Islam
• Alim
• Talk Islam
• Jannah.com
• IslamOnline.net
• IslamQA

..and so much more.

Do’s:

• Spread information about Islam:
• Forum Forum
• Chatting Chatting
• NewsGroup NewsGroup
• Listserv
• E-mail

Don’t:

• Blackmail Blackmail
• Send pornography
• Send virus

Prepared by:

Siti Sarah Bt. Maidin

Lab Coordinator,

Department of Information and Communications Technology,

Centre for Foundation Studies, IIUM

Introduction to Internet

Accessing the Internet and Web

We will need:

• A computer with an operating system, such as MAC OS, Windows, or UNIX, that supports Internet protocols
• Communications equipment such as a modem, ISDN adapter, or Ethernet card
• An Internet service provider (ISP)
• Web browser software such as Safari, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Internet Explorer

The Hypertext Concept:

Hypertext is a way of presenting information so that the order in which it’s read is left up to the reader.

Hyperlinks are underlined or highlighted words that can be used to view another document or Web page.

Hypermedia refers to a link to multimedia, such as music and movies.

The Web is a distributed hypermedia system or a system where the responsibility for creating content is distributed among many people.

Web Browsers and Servers:

Web browsers display a Web document and enable users to link to other Web pages. The first browsers were text-only. Mosaic was the first graphical browser. Web servers respond to the requests of browsers. They find and send requested resources back to the browser.

Web Addresses (URLs) are an addressing system that identifies where a Web resource is located. The uniform resource locator (URL) is the standard used to identify Web resources. The URL consists of:

Examples of Top-Level Domains

• .com – commercial businesses
• .edu – educational institutions
• .gov – government agencies
• .mil – military organisations
• .net – network providers
• .org – nonprofit organisations

Uploading and Downloading:

More than half of my music and video collections I downloaded from the Internet but I know I'm not the only one and posting things like this is how I contribute back to the computing community.

Downloading is when document or file is transferred from another computer to our computer.

Uploading is when files transferred from our computer to another computer.

Finding Information on the Web:

There are ways to find information on the Web:

• Browse or surf the Web – This involves linking from one Web page to another, and so forth.
• Search the Web – This method involves using search engines to locate Web pages with the information we’re looking for.
• Subject guides – Web pages are grouped under headings.

Using Search Engines:

To use a search engine, we:

1. Choose a search engine (Google, Yahoo, MSN, Lycos, Alta-Vistaetc.).
2. Type in one or more words describing your topic.

The search engine checks its database of Web pages that contain the words typed. The results are sent to our computer. Clicking on the link takes us to the corresponding page.

Using Search Techniques

Learning a few search techniques can increase the accuracy of Web searches. Searches using search operators will improve search performance.

Most search engines use the following search operators:

• Inclusion/exclusion operators
• Wild cards
• Phrases
• Boolean operators

The following tables show the results of using and not using search operators.

Not using search operators:

Words Entered	Possible Results: Web pages containing
Fire station	Fire station Fire station

Using search operators:

Words Entered	Possible Results: Web pages containing
+Fire+station	Fire station
+Fire+station*	Fire station Fire stations
+Fire-station*	Fire
“Fire station”	Fire station
Fire and station	Fire station
Fire or station	Fire station Fire station
Fire not station	Fire

E-Mail: Staying in Touch:

E-mail is short for electronic mail. It’s the most popular of the Internet services. Messages are sent and received in a few seconds. Attachments such as photos, music files, and any document may be sent with the message.

E-Mail Addresses
myname@someserver.com
User’s name@name of the server that the user is on

e.g.: danielle.ivory22@gmail.com

Instant Messaging: E-Mailing Made Faster

Instant messaging systems let a user know when a friend or business associate is online. It provides a means of communicating through real-time, text-based conversations.

IRC: Text Chatting in Real Time:

Internet relay chat consists of real-time, text-based conversations. Chat groups are divided into channels that cover a specific topic.

Usenet:

Usenet is the part of the Internet which enables users to participate in discussions and newsgroups. Usenet newsgroups are organised into hierarchies (categories) and subcategories. Subcategories include Standard, Alt, Biz, and Local newsgroups.

Standard Newsgroup Subcategories:

comp	computer applications, databases, multimedia
misc	activism, books, business, health
sci	chemistry, archeology, math
soc	human rights, world cultures
talk	Euthanasia, gun control, religion
news	Usenet announcements
rec	sports, gardening, bicycles

Listservs: Electronic Mail Lists:

A listserv is an automatic list server. Mail is sent to everyone on the list when e-mail is generated. It is similar to a newsgroup or a forum.

Alright, that's all for the introduction to Internet! Next post would be on discussion on how to relate what we have learned so far to our daily lives and of course as a Muslim.

Networks

A network is a group of 2 or more computer systems linked together to exchange data and share resources, including expensive peripherals such as high-performance laser-printers.

Network types are local area networks, home networks, wireless LAN, personal area networks, metropolitan area networks, and wide area networks.

Computer networks fall into 2 categories: local area network (LAN) and wide area network (WAN).

LAN uses cables, radio waves, or infrared signals to link computers or peripherals e.g. printers, within a small geographic area, e.g. building or group of buildings.

WAN uses long-distance transmission media to link computers separated by few miles or even thousands of miles. The Internet is the largest WAN as it connects millions of LANs all over the globe.

Advantages of Networking

• Reduced hardware costs.
• Application sharing.
• Sharing information resources.
• Centralised data management.
• Connecting people.

Disadvantages of Networking:

• Loss of autonomy.
• Lack of privacy.
• Security threats.
• Loss of productivity.

That's all for networks!

Communications

Communications (data communications or telecommunications) is the process of of electronically sending and receiving messages between 2 points. Communications occurs over communication channels.

Simply put, communications are the process of sharing data, programs, and informations between computers.

Communications today:

Numerous applications e.g. e-mail, instant messaging (IM), Internet, telephone, and e-commerce, depend on communication systems. Connectivity uses computer networks to link people and resources. Going wireless has been the most dramatic change.

Communication channels (also known as links) are the path through which messages are passed from one location to the next. There are 2 categories: physical connections and wireless connections.

Physical connections i.e. wired:

• Ethernet Cable (twisted pair cables)

The same type of wire used for telephones, twisted pair uses 2 insulated wires twisted around each other to provide a shield against electromagnetic interference, which is generated by electric motors, power lines, and powerful radio signals.
Although twisted pair is an inexpensive medium, the bandwidth of traditional twisted-pair telephone lines is too small to carry video, voice, and data simultaneously. Twisted pair carries data at transfer rates of 1Kbps.

• Coaxial Cable

Familiar to cable TV users e.g. Astro in Malaysia, coaxial cable consists of a centre copper wire surrounded by insulation, which is then surrounded by a layer of braided wire. Data travels through the centre wire, while the braided wire provides a shield against electrical interference.
Coaxial cable carries data at transfer rates of 10 Mbps. In contrast to twisted pair, coaxial cable makes it easy to achieve very-high-end-bandwidth data communication.

• Fibre-Optic Cable

Fibre-optic cable consists of a thin strands of glass that carry data by means of pulses of light. Broadband uses fibre-optic or coaxial cable to transmit data. Fibre-optic cable can carry more data without loss of signal strength for longer distances than twisted pair or coaxial cable. Fibre-optic cable carries data at transfer rates of 1 Gbps.

Wireless connections:

• Radio frequency (RF)

With radio transmission, data in a variety of forms (music, voice conversation, and photos) travels through the air as radio frequency (RF) signals or radio waves via a transmitting device and a receiving device. Instead of separate transmitting and receiving devices, radio transmissions can also use a wireless transceiver, a combination transmitting and receiving device equipped with an antenna. Data transfer rates via radio transmission are variable but generally fall in the low-bandwidth range of 64 Kbps to 720 Kbps.

• Wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) 802.11

Wi-Fi is a wireless standard for connecting electronic devices. A Wi-Fi enabled device such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, and digital audio player can connect to the Internet when within range of a wireless network connected to the Internet. A single access point (or hotspot) has a range of about 20 meters indoors. Wi-Fi has a greater range outdoors and multiple overlapping access points can cover large areas.

• Bluetooth

Bluetooth is a short-range radio transmission technology that has become very popular in recent years. Bluetooth technology relies on a network called a piconet or a PAN (personal area network) that enables all kinds of devices e.g. iMac, iPhone, iPod Touch, printers, and etc., within 30 feet of each other to communicate automatically and wirelessly.
Unlike infrared technologies, Bluetooth doesn’t require a direct line on sight to be connected. Because the frequency used by Bluetooth devices changes often, Bluetooth devices never use the same frequency at the same time and don’t interfere with each other. Bluetooth can accommodate data transfer rates up to 1 Mbps.

• Microwave

Microwaves are high-frequency, electromagnetic radio waves with very short frequencies that are used to transmit data.

• Satellite

Essentially microwave relay stations suspended in space, communications satellites are positioned in geosynchronous orbit, which matches the speed of the Earth’s rotation, and therefore are permanently positioned with respect to the ground. Satellites transmit data by sending and receiving microwave signals to and from Earth-based stations. Devices such as hand-held computers and Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers can also function as Earth-based stations.

• Infrared e.g. Remote control

Infrared is a wireless transmission medium that carries data via beams of light through the air. No wires are required, but the transmitting and receiving devices must be in line of sight or the signal is lost. When the path between the transmitting and the receiving devices is not obstructed by trees, hills, mountains, buildings or other structures, infrared signals can work within a maximum of about 100 feet.

Last-Mile Technologies:

Because the local loop’s last mile of twisted-pair will be with us for many years, phone companies and other providers offer a number interim digital telephony technologies that make use of twisted-pair wiring that’s sometimes called as last-mile technologies. These solutions include digital telephone standards e.g. ISDN and DSL* that use twisted-pair wiring as well ‘always on’ high-speed wired services i.e. coaxial cable and cable modems.

Simply put, telephone, DSL, cables and wireless are the connection devices.


*I’ll explain the ISDN and DSL later

That's all about communications and I'll post the network part on the next entry!

Application Software

Chapter 8 & 9 Application Software

Application software refers to programs that enable the user to be productive when using the computer.

General Purpose application software are the applications software used by many people to accomplish frequently performed task.

Personal Productivity softwares are like Word processing i.e. Pages, spreadsheets i.e. Numbers, Calendar i.e. iCal and Address books.

Internet softwares like Web Browsers i.e. Safari and E-mail.

Multimedia or Graphics softwares like Desktop Publishing, Photo Editing and 3D Rendering.

Home and Education softwares like Personal Finance, tax preparation, reference, and games.

For multimedia or graphics, we can compress and decompress them using data compressor software like WinZip (download software here) to reduce the size of the files. Usually the reason why we want to compress them is to make them easier to upload or downloaded from internet. Lossless files will be restored with no flaws but lossy files usually eliminates information that is not perceived.

For Microsoft Windows users, Paint program is pre-installed in their computers. For Macintoshes, we have options like Paintbrush. These programs can save our files as:

• Graphic Interchange Format (GIF) - lossless, simple images, solid colour.
• Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) - lossy, photographs
• Portable Network Graphics (PNG) - lossless
• Windows Bitmap (BMP) - optional compression.

Drawing programs create vector (mathematically generated) graphics.

• 3D Rendering Programs add 3D effects to graphic objects.
• Image Editors used to edit and transform bit-mapped images
• Animation i.e. Flash simulates motion.

Audio are captured and processed sound while video can be modified then digitized using video editors.

Multimedia Authoring Systems used to create multimedia presentations i.e. montage.

Audio formats:

• MP3 or MPEG3 are the most popular format for downloading and storing music. Can be compressed while maintaining good quality. I have around 8000 plus of MP3 stored in my iPod.
• Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is a standardized, lossy compression and encoding scheme for digital audio. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves better sound quality than MP3 at similar bit rates.
• AU are the small-sized of file and normally used to distribute short audio clips over the Internet.
• WAV are used mainly in Windows PCs. Commonly used for storing uncompressed.
• MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is an industry-standard protocol that enables electronic musical instruments (synthesizers, drum machines), computers and other electronic equipment (MIDI controllers, sound cards, samplers) to communicate and synchronize with each other.

Video formats; the popular ones....

• MPEG-4 (files with extension .mp4) is method of defining compression of audio and visual (AV) digital data. It usually have a high-quality picture. I always have to convert videos from various formats with extensions like .flv, .avi, .mkv. to MPEG-4 so I can open them in my iPhone and iPod Touch.
• QuickTime is an extensible proprietary multimedia framework developed by Apple Inc., capable of handling various formats of digital video, picture, sound, panoramic images, and interactivity. The classic version of QuickTime is available for Windows XP and later, as well as Mac OS X Leopard and later operating systems. A more recent version, QuickTime X is currently only available on Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
  
• Windows Media Video (.wmv) is the Microsoft's lossy compression format for motion video. Used for both streaming and downloading content via the Internet.

Tailor-made applications are used for specialized fields. Types of this application softwares:

• Billing programs i.e. electricity bills.
• Inventory tracking programs (I used this while working in Nike Concept Store).
• Point of Sale software (my friend used this while working as Parkson's cashier).
• Custom software

Integrated Programs and Suites: The All-In-One Approach

Standalone programs are fully self-contained e.g. Microsoft Word, Excel.

Integrated programs contain modules that share the same interface e.g. Microsoft Works and for Mac users, Apple, Inc.'s iWork that contains Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. iWork is actually replacing the now-discontinued AppleWorks suite.

Software suites contain standalone programs that share resources i.e. common program code, with each other. Popular office suites offer a word processor, spreadsheet, database, presentation programs. e.g. Microsoft Office, Corel WordPerfect Office, and Lotus Smart Suite.

	Microsoft Office	WordPerfect Office 12	Lotus SmartSuite
Word processing	Microsoft Word	WordPerfect	Word Pro
Spreadsheet	Microsoft Excel	Quattro Pro	Lotus 1-2-3
Database	Microsoft Access	Paradox	Lotus Approach
Presentation Graphics	Microsoft PowerPoint	Corel Presentations	Freelance Graphics
Personal information managers	Microsoft Outlook	Corel Central	Lotus Organizer

That's all for this topic....

I'll post the 'Communication and Network' later...

Virus

Chapter 7 Virus

Computer virus are malicious programs that infect a computer system causing various problems with its use.

Viruses replicate and attach themselves to programs in the system.

There are more than 20,000 different computer viruses with the number growing daily.

How virus infections spread by:

• Inserting a disk with an infected program and then starting the program.
• Downloading an infected program from the Internet.
• Being on a network with an infected computer.
• Opening an infected e-mail attachment.

Type of Viruses:

File Infectors; the most common type of virus, usually attach themselves to program files and spread to other programs on the hard drive.

Boot Sector Viruses usually attach themselves to the boot sector of a hard drive. They are executed each time the computer is started and this may lead to destruction to all data.

Macro Viruses infect automatic command capabilities of productivity software. They usually attach themselves to the data files in word processing, spreadsheet, and databases programs thus will be spread when the data files ares exchanged between users.

More rogue programs:

Time bombs (also known as logic bombs). They are harmless until a certain event or circumstance activates the programs.

Worms resemble viruses. They are spread from one computer to another. They control infected computers. and attack other networked computers.

Denial of Service Attack (DoS) is when the syn is flooding. It overload an Internet server with a large number of requests.

Trojan Horses disguise themselves as useful programs but actually they contain hidden instructions. They may erase data or cause other damage.

Fraud and Theft

Like selling social security numbers and etc.

Memory shaving is taking RAM chips from computers.

Salami shaving is when a programmer alters a program to take a small amount of money out of an account.

Data Diddling is when data is altered to hide theft.

Techniques to Obtain Passwords:

• Password guessing.
• Shoulder surfing.
• Packet sniffing.
• Dumpster diving.
• Social engineering.
• Superuser status.

I think that's all covered for this topic... since it's a half an hour replacement class...

Tomorrow is the final session.. and the carry marks will be released..

MS Excel Part II

Continue with making the charts exercises!

MS Excel Part I

Quiz II on Week 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Microsoft Excel Part I

Found Something!

I was retrieving the copy of Excel's note from the photocopy centre and I found something among the lost and found sections.

Landscape assignment. A map. A plan...

I think it's quite okay so I made a copy... =)

P.S.: to the owner, I won't use for other purpose other than personal use so no worries!

Important!

For Monday and Wednesday next week, the class will start on 8 a.m.

On Monday we'll be having a quiz, covering the 2nd and 3rd week's topic.

..and we have to retrieve some notes from the photocopy centre on Excel's topic.

anyway, since our instructor isn't feeling well, she finished the class at 9.

That Was a Lot!

Finishing 2 topics in one day is almost a crazy thing to do but we made it.

We covered Limits and Continuity in one day for Pre-Calculus!

I'll have the 5th quiz on Matrices tomorrow... Wish me luck!

2 Weeks Before Finals!

so the dates for the finals have already been announced! Only 2 weeks left before I'm done fore this semester and I'll be flying home on 4th of July...

2 months of vacation! Ramadhan, 'Eid... and not forgetting my birthday!

Still working on my birthday list but I think I'll just go with latest iPad and iPhone...

Anyway, yesterday I had my 4th Maths quiz and got my mid term paper result.. both of them are okay I guess... Since I know I'm not good at Maths...



P.S.: I'm in the computer lab... the keyboard feels so nice under my fingertips.. LOL

Done with Trigonometry!

Finally! After a very long very and draggy lectures, we're done with the Trigonometry!

I actually have been dreading the day since the first day about this topic...

I Want To Go To His Country!

As someone from Malaysia, I kinda have a big responsibility representing my country. Still, I just give a shot... I talked about the basic facts about Malaysia, the festivals held, Islam in this country, the people, and annual activities like Dragon Boat, Le Tour de Langkawi, and so much more... not forgetting the national parks and heritage...

Anyways, let's talk about other presenters!

Second presenter is from Republic of Somaliland. He talked about the location and the history of the country.

Third presenter is actually from Palestine but he lives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
He talked about basic facts of the people and culture... Mecca as the Qiblatul Muslimin...

Next one is a girl - also from Republic of Somaliland. She talked about experiencing the nature in her country like in Mountain Daalo...

Next is a guy from from Palestine. He talked about myths and the realities in Palestine...

Another one is from Republic of Somaliland who talked about the location of the Republic and little bit of the history...

Next one, Hasan who is from Sudan. Since he have been living in Saudi Arabia most of his life, little that he can talk about his country.

Final presenter is from Jordan! I think this guy has the most abundant interesting facts about his home country... Jordan also known as 'The land of Adventure', has a lot of beautiful places we can go like the Red City Rose Petra, the "Dead Sea" and etc. Since it's a 4 season country, he said we can do different activities at different times throughout the year. He also talked about the currency 1JOD= 1.34 USD, the traditional food - Mansaf, and lastly, he showed some videos of the country.

I think that wraps the topic on what we can do with MS PowerPoint ... Still, even after exploring all those things I can do with the software, I still prefer using Keynote...

Mid Term Computer!

Basic Computer Skills (BSC 0114)

Date: 11th of June 2011
Time: 02:00 p.m.
Venue: Examination Hall 1, E01, Kulliyyah of Engineering

System Software

Chapter 06 System Software

As for today, we learned about the system software and explored the popular OSs.

First of all, let's discuss about the system software.

System Software includes all of the programs needed to keep a computer and its peripheral devices running smoothly. There are two major categories of system software, which are the operating systems (OS) and the system utilities.

The operating system (OS) is a set of programs that perform certain basic functions with a specific type of hardware. The functions of the operating system are:

• Starting the computer

Booting is the process of loading or reloading the operating system into the computer’s memory. The booting processes are:

1. Cold boot – Loads the OS when the power is turned on
2. Warm boot – Reloads the OS when the computer is already on (Sleep Mode)

The computer copies the kernel from the hard drive into the computer’s memory. The kernel:

• Is the central part of the operating system
• Starts all applications
• Manages devices and memory
• Resides in memory at all times
• Performs other essential functions

The step-by-step booting process:

Step 1: The BIOS and Setup Program


• BIOS (basic input/output system) is the part of the system software that includes the instructions that the computer uses to accept input and output
• Setup program is a special program containing settings that control the computer’s hardware. The program can be accessed while the BIOS information is visible.

Step 2: The Power-On-Self-Test (POST)


• POST (power-on-self-test) is a series of tests conducted on the computer’s main memory (random access memory or RAM), input/output devices, disk drives, and the hard disk.
• BIOS conducts a Power-On-Self-Test (POST) to check the input/output system for operability.
• The computer will produce a beeping sound and an error message will appear on the monitor if any problems are encountered.

Step 3: The Operating System (OS) Loads


• BIOS searches for the OS.
• Settings in the complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) determine where to look for the OS.
• The operating system’s kernel is loaded into the computer’s memory.
• The OS takes control of the computer and begins loading system configuration information.

Step 4: System Configuration

• Registry is a database that stores information about peripherals (computer equipments) and software.
• Driver utility program that makes peripheral devices function properly
• The system is configured from the operating system’s registry.
• Drivers are loaded into memory.

Step 5: System Utilities Loads

• System utilities are loaded into memory.
• Volume control
• Antivirus software

Step 6: User Authentication

• Authentication or user login occurs. The computer asks for user's name and the password.
• The user interface starts, enabling user interaction with computer programs.

That's all about starting the computer. Next Operating System's function is,

• Managing Applications

Single-tasking OSs run one application program at a time. While multitasking OSs have the ability to run more than one application program at a time. Multitasking is accomplished by:

• A foreground application is the active program or program in use
• A background applications is the inactive program or program not in use.

Preemptive multitasking enables the OS to regain control if an application stops working.

Another Operating System's function is,

• Managing Memory

Basically, computers use memory to make processing more fluid. The operating system allocates memory areas for each running program; it keeps programs from interfering with each other. The operating system also uses virtual memory (part of hard disk) as an extension of random access memory (RAM) and of course it's slower than RAM.

Next Operating System's function is,

• Handling Input and Output

Input and output devices generate interrupts, or signals, that tell the operating system that something has happened.

The OS provides interrupt handlers or mini-programs that begin when an interrupt occurs.
Interrupt request (IRQ) lines handle the communications between input/output devices and the CPU.

An IRQ conflict causes system instability when two devices try to use the same IRQ line.

The last Operating System's function is,

• Providing the User Interface

The user interface is that part of the operating system with which the user interacts with a computer. User interface functions:

• Start application programs
• Manage disks and files. We can format new disks, copy files from one disk to another, rename files, and delete files.
• Shut down the computer safely by following an orderly shutdown procedure.

There are 3 types of User Interface:

Graphical User Interface (GUI) is the most popular user interface. It takes advantages of the computer's graphics capabilities to make the OS and program's easier to use. On today's Macintoshes and PCs, GUIs are used to create the desktop that appears after the OS finishes loading into memory. On the desktop, we can initiate many actions by clicking small images called icons that represent computer resources e.g. programs, data files, and network connections.

The latest Mac OS X Lion (coming on July). Apple, Inc. introduces the first GUI to the world.

Menu-driven User Interface enable us to to avoid memorizing keywords e.g. copy and paste, and syntax i.e. set of rules for entering commands. On screen, text-based menus are used to show all of the options available at a given point. With most systems, we select an option with the arrow keys and press Enter.

Command Line User Interface require us to type commands using keywords that tell the OS what to do e.g. format or copy, one line at a time. We must observe complicated rules of syntax that specify exactly what we can type in a given place. Command-line user interfaces aren't popular with most users because they requires memorization, and it's easy to make a typing mistake. Although the commands are usually very simple e.g. copy and paste, others are more cryptic. Example of a command,

copy D:\homework.pages C:\homework.pages

This command means copies a Pages file from the disk in drive D to the disk in drive C.

I'll post the 'exploring the popular OSs' part later...

MS PowerPoint

Lab 6: Microsoft PowerPoint

By the end of the lab, we were given assignment, using presentation slides, tell the class about your own home country. It should be 5 to 10 minutes presentation and we have to present it on next class.

Storage

Chapter 6 Storage Devices

What we learned was about how data is stored, and the various optical media available for personal computers.

Before we go to latest tech on storage, let's go back to the late 60's when the floppy disks first invented by David L. Noble at IBM.

Floppy disk (also known s diskette) is a portable data storage medium that is composed of a disk of thin, flexible ("floppy") magnetic storage medium sealed in a square or rectangular plastic carrier lined with fabric that removes dust particles. Floppy disks are read and written by a floppy disk drive (FDD).

In the early 70s, the largest in capacity 8" floppy disks were released in 1.2 MB. Then during late 70s, the 5¼" floppy disks were released with capacity of 360 kB. Early 80's is when the 3¼" floppy disks were released with 1 MB capacity. Almost all floppy disks used today are of the high-density (HD) type, giving them more storage capacity than their predecessors - up to 1.2 MB Macintosh disks and up to 1.44 MB for PC disks.

Floppy disk (image was taken from here)

In late 1994, Zip disk was introduced by Iomega. Zip disk is a medium capacity removable disk storage system. Originally, Zip disks launched with capacities of 100 MB, but later versions increased this to first 250 MB and then 750 MB by data compression. Another disk storage option is Sony's HiFD, a removable storage drive that uses cartridges capable of holding more than 200 MB. HiFD drives have an advantage over Zip drives: they are downwardly compatible with 3 floppy disks, unlike Zip drives.

Zip disk (image from Wikipedia)

Protecting the data on the disks:

• Don't touch the surface of the disk. Fingerprints can contaminate the disk and cause errors.
• Don't expose disk to magnetic field e.g. those from transformers, desktop telephones, and magnets. Because data are magnetically encoded on the disks, direct exposure to magnetic fields may cause cause loss of data.
• Avoid contamination, don't eat or drink around disks as crumbs and spillage may destroy the disk.
• Avoid condensation, keep disks in dry place.
• Avoid excessive temperatures.

OPTICAL STORAGE DEVICES

CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives are read-only disk drives that read data encoded on CDs and DVDs and transfer these data to a computer. These drives are called as optical storage devices.

Optical storage devices use tightly focused laser beams to read microscopic patterns of data encoded on the surface of the plastic discs. Microscopic indentations called pits absorb laser's light in certain area. The drive's light-sensing device receives no light from these areas, so it sends a signal to the computer that corresponds to a 0 in the computer's binary numbering system. Flat reflective areas called lands bounce the light back to a light-sensing device which sends a signal equivalent to a binary 1.

CD Disks and Drives

CD-ROM stands for Compact Disc-Read Only Memory. Data recorded on them are to be read many times but it cannot be changed. CD-ROM drives can not write data to discs but CD burner can do so. They are capable of storing 700 MB of data (more than 400 floppy disks!). They are used for storing operating systems, large application programs, and multimedia programs.

CD-R vs. CD-RW

As for CD-R, it can only be read and written to, and only be written to once. CD-R drives are capable of reading and writing data.

As for CD-RW, the discs can be read and written to, but the discs can also be erased and written to many times. CD-RW drives are capable of reading, writing, and erasing data on the CD-RW discs.

DVD Disks and Drives (watch out for the Plus and Dash signs)

DVD stands for Digital Video Disc and it comes in 2 standards.

The first format is the DVD+ standard. This standard employs 2 types of discs. DVD+R is recordable format that enables the disc to be written to one time and read many times. The DVD+RW is a recordable format that can be rewritten many times. This scheme is supported by manufacturers such as Sony, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell.

The second format is the DVD- standard. DVD-R operate the same way as CD-R; we can write to the discs once and read them many times. With DVD-RW, we can write, erase and read from the disc many times. This format is supported by manufacturers such as Apple, Toshiba, and Samsung.

Protecting Data on CDs and DVDs:

• Do not expose discs to excessive heat or sunlight.
• Do not touch the underside of discs. Hold them by their edges.
• Do not write on the label side of the disc with hard instrument, such as ballpoint pen.
• To avoid scratches, do not stack discs.
• Store discs in jewel boxes (plastic protective cases) when they are not in use.

The Future Storage

FMD-ROM (Fluorescent multilayer disc read-only memory)

The idea: Each layer of the disc contains data but the layer is transparent enough for light to shine through. The laser beam focuses on only one layer at a time.

On FMD-ROM, each storage layer is coated with a fluorescent substances. When the laser beam strikes each layer, the light that is bounced back is also fluorescent. This type of light can pass undisturbed through the disc's many layers. Research indicates that FMD-ROMs of up to 100 layers are possible i.e. up to 1 TB of data!

Solid State Storage Devices

Solid state storage devices use non-volatile memory chips to retain data. The data stored in them even if the chips are disconnected from a computer or other device. They are small, lightweight, reliable and portable.

Examples:

• PC Card - a credit card-sized accessory typically used with notebook computers (I had this in my 06's Acer laptop model)
• Flash memory Card - Wafer thin, highly portable and capable of storing as much as 1 GB of data.
• Smart Card - credit card-sized device that combines flash memory with a tiny microprocessor, enabling the card to process as well as store information.
• Smart media Card - Flash memory card standard owned by Toshiba, with capacities ranging from 2 MB to 128 MB but these are no longer manufactured.
• CompactFlash Card - mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Capacities ranging from 2 MB to 128 GB. Developed by SanDisk.
• Memory Stick - Sony's chewing gum-sized flash memory card that is currently available up to maximum of 2 TB of capacity (Memory Stick XC).
• USB Drive - flash memory data storage device integrated with USB interface. Capacities as of 2011 can be as large as 32 GB with steady improvements in size and price per capacity expected.
• Digital cash system - enables users to purchase a prepaid amount of electronically stored money to pay the small amounts required for parking, transport fares, even movie tickets! (e.g. In Malaysia, Touch 'n Go Card)

That's all for this chapter. By the end of the class I submitted the 'Terms and Definitions' assignment.

Important!

Mid term for Pre-Calculus !

Date: 7th of June 2011
Venue: Examination Hall, Level 3, Kulliyyah of Engineering
Time: 2.00 p.m.

MS Word Exercise!

Given assignment is to design a flyer. Assume you as the representative for a company during a Computer Fair. Formats were given which most of them are basics in MS Word - Drop Cap, indents, borders, watermark, header and footer, and etc.

Therefore, for the presentation, I acted as the Representer of my fiction company, Ivory and Brown Studio, the fiction Authorized Dealer of Apple, Inc.

This is the flyer look like.

During the presentation, I was asked to explain merely focusing on how to do the watermark, header and footer, the drop cap, and etc. Since it was real easy assignment, I think I nailed it!

P.S.: This flyer is for my personal use only, okay... DON'T use it in any way...

Wish Me Luck!

Quiz I on Chapter 01 and Chapter 2 together with lab topics on MS Windows and Explorer.