Essential Guide to Computing, The: The Story
of Information Technology, 1/e
E. Garrison Walters, Columbus, Ohio
Copyright 2001, 526 pp.
Paper format
ISBN 0-13-019469-7
Summary
For courses in Introduction to Computers and Introduction to Computer
Science.
The Essential Guide to Computing demystifies the digital society we live in
with an intelligent, thorough, and up-to-date explanation of computer,
networking, and Internet technologies. It's perfect for smart professionals
who want to get up to speed, but don't have computer science or
engineering degrees. You'll find up-to-the-minute coverage on all of today's
hottest technologies.
Features
●
The evolution of computing—From the room-sized “monoliths” of
the 1950s to today's global Internet.
❍
Historical and evolutionary coverage provides a solid
foundation and prepares students to delve into technical
information. Ex___
●
Preview of the next revolution—“Pervasive computing.”
●
Computer hardware—Microprocessors, memory, storage, I/O,
displays, and architecture.
Windows®, Macintosh®, UNIX®/Linux®, DOS, NetWare®,
Palm—What operating systems do, and how they compare.
●
●
Programming languages—From machine language to advanced
object-oriented technologies.
●
Key software applications—Databases, spreadsheets, word
processing, voice recognition, and beyond.
●
Microsoft® and the software industry—Where they stand, where
they're headed.
●
How networks work—LANs, WANs, packet switching, hardware,
media, and more.
The Internet, e-commerce, and security.
●
●
Enterprise applications—Data warehousing, Web-centered
development, and groupware.
❍
Thorough, intelligent, detailed coverage of every aspect of
computing provides students with a wide-ranging background.
Table Of Contents
(NOTE: Each chapter concludes with a Conclusion and Test Your
Understanding.)
I. COMPUTER HARDWARE.
1. The Core of Computing: How the Key Elements of Hardware Work
Together.
An Overview of How a Computer Works. What Happens When a Computer
Starts Up. The Computer Begins to Work. Binary and Digital. The Internal
Operations of the CPU. Fetch. Decode (Analyze). Execute. Store. The
Clock. Interrupts. Designing a Faster CPU. Architecture: Suiting the CPU to
the Task. RISC. SIMD. VLIW. Linking CPUs. Microprocessors for Special
Purposes. ASICs. DSPs. Media Processors. FPGAs. New Approaches to
Computing. Supercooling. Optical Computing. Even More Exotic Stuff.
2. Memory, Storage, and Input/Output.
An Overview of How Storage Works. A File Is Loaded into Memory. The
CPU Gets Information from Disk. A File Is Saved to Disk. The Memory
System. The Memory Problem. The System (Memory) Bus. Memory Chips.
Some Other Types of Chip Storage. Disk Storage. Magnetic Storage. Optical
Storage. The I/O Bus. PCI. External I/O. Chipsets.
3. Computer Monitors and Graphics Systems.
Making an Image. Pixels and Dots. Resolution. Resolution, Content, and
Perception. Color. Contrast and Brightness. Image Stability and Smoothness
of Motion. Monitor Technologies. The Structure of Graphics Systems.
Bitmapped Images. Vector Images. Bitmaps vs Vectors. Generations of
Graphics Systems. First Generation Graphics. Second Generation Graphics
Systems. The Key Elements of Third Generation (3D) Systems. Changes in
Graphics Software. Printers. Printer Resolution. Major Types of Printers.
Printer Intelligence.
4. Silicon Economics.
Silicon Foundations: Making Chips. Smaller Is Cheaper. Smaller Is Faster.
Smaller Uses Less Power. New Approaches to Chipmaking. Microprocessor
Families. Intel Corporation. Intel Clones. RISC CPUs. Summary: Can
Anyone Compete with Intel? Types of Computers. Mainframes.
Supercomputers. Servers and Workstations. Desktops. The Set-top Box.
Portable Systems. The Evolving Microprocessor Architecture: What Do You
Do with a Billion Transistors on One Chip? ASIC-Oriented. General-Purpose
CPU. Media Processors. System on Chip.
Putting It All Together.
Servers. A Graphics System. An Analytical System. A Desktop System. A
Portable System.
II. SOFTWARE.
5. Fundamentals of the Operating System.
Why Have an Operating System? The Core Functions of an Operating
System. System Supervision. Services to Hardware. Services to Software.
Communications Services. Security. Single-User Systems in a Networked
Environment. Directories. The Structure of the Operating System. The
Kernel. User Section. The Challenge of Multiprocessing. Multiprocessing and
the OS. Multiprocessing in Hardware.
6. Evolution of the Operating System.
Mainframe Systems. Minicomputer/Server Systems. Proprietary: VMS.
Proprietary: OS/400. Open: UNIX and Variants.
7. Microcomputer Operating Systems.
Microsoft's MS-DOS. An Overview of MS-DOS. Memory and Task
Management. The Mac OS. Key Characteristics of the Mac OS. Initial
Development of the Mac OS. Compatibility Issues. The Mac Shifts to the
PowerPC. The Current Mac OS. Windows. Key Characteristics of the
Window OS Series. Windows 1.0 to 2.0. Windows 3.0. Windows 95 and
Windows 98. Windows NT/2000. OS/2. A Network-only OS: NetWare. Very
Small System OSs. The Palm OS. Epoc.
8. Programming, Object Oriented Technology, and Software
Development.
Basic Programming Terminology. Subroutines. Interrupted vs Compiled
Languages. The Software Crisis. Structured Programming. Project Modeling.
Modular Programming. Programming Languages by Level. Machine
Language Programming. Assembly Language. High-level Languages. 4GLs
(Whatever They Are). Artificial Intelligence: 5GL? Object-Oriented
Technology. How OOT Works. Applying OOT. The Compound Document
Concept. The Major Object-Oriented Languages. Software Development
Strategies and Programming Tools. CASE Tools. Rapid Application
Development.
9. Databases, Applications, and Software Reliability.
Databases. The Elements of a Database. Planning a Database. The
Relational Model of Database Organization. Nonrelational Databases. The
Power of Legacy Database Systems. Database Markets. Application
Software. Spreadsheets. Word Processing. Voice Recognition: Coming on
Strong. The Software Industry. Microsoft. The Rest.
Putting It All Together.
Choosing an OS for E-Commerce. Choosing a Database for E-Commerce.
Choosing a Programming Language and Tools for E-Commerce.
III. NETWORKS AND THE INTERNET.
10. Digital vs Analog: Communications Basics.
Waves of Information. Amplitude Modulation (AM). Frequency Modulation
(FM). Phase Modulation (PM). Bandwidth. Amplitude and Attention.
Frequencies and Diffusion. Replacing Analog Signaling with Digital. Data
Compression. Noncontent-based Compression. Error Detection and
Correction. Forward Error Detection/Correction.
11. Network Fundamentals.
An Overview of Network Fundamentals. A Quick Analogy. Sending a File.
The Importance of Packets. Addresses. Sequencing and Flow Control. Error
Detection and Correction. Packet Size. Latency. Protocol Stacks. Layer 4:
The Transport Layer. Layer 3: The Network Layer. Layer 2: The Data Link
Layer. Layer 1: The Physical layer. Getting from A to B: Circuits, Virtual
Circuits, and Circuitless Approaches. Type One: Leased Line. Type Two:
Switched Circuit. Type Three: Internet Type. Type Four: Cell or Framed
Switched. Media. Wireless. Wired. Topologies, Multiplexing, and
Synchronization. Topologies. Channels: Timing and Multiplexing. Network
Connecting Points. Passive Devices: Hubs and Repeaters. Active Devices:
Switches, Routers and Bridges. The Issue of Multicasting.
12. Types of Networks.
Local Area Networks. Ethernet. Token Ring. LAN to LAN Connections:
Campus Networks. FDDI. ATM. Gigabit Ethernet. Which Is Best for
Backbone and Campus Links? Local to Wide Area Connections: Access
Networks. Carriers (Physical Links). Network Services. WANs. SONET.
Wave Division Multiplexing. Wireless Wide Area and Access Networks.
Wireless Local Loop. LMDS and MMDS. Satellite Links.
13. Client/Server Concepts.
Network Generations. Terminal-Host. Client-File Server. Client/Server.
Distributed Data vs Distributed Processing. Distributed Data Structures.
Client/Server Data Systems. Data Warehouses. Computer Telephony
Integration. Distributed Applications/Groupware. E-mail and Calendaring.
Groupware: Lotus Notes and Others. Web Integration. Agent Software.
14. The Internet and Network Security.
Origins of the Internet. From DARPA to ARPA. Early Uses. Organization.
Virtual Private Networks, Firewalls, and the Concept of an Intranet. Network
Security. Encryption Concepts. Digital Signatures. Digital Envelopes. Digital
Certificates/Digital IDs. Digital Birthmarks. Cracking Codes. Methodology.
Summary of Digital Security.
Putting It All Together.
Conclusion: The Next Stages of Computing.
Glossary.
Recommended Readings.
Index.
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