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Assignment
Assignment
The Basics
The Information Age began around the 1970s and is still going on today. It is also known as the
Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age. This era brought about a time period in which
people could access information and knowledge easily.
The Scientific Revolution changed the modern era by introducing important scientists such as
Galileo, Copernicus, and Sir Isaac Newton. Their discoveries paved the way for modern tools,
inventions and innovations.
The Industrial Revolution brought about major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining,
transportation, and technology. This era had a profound effect on the social, economic, and
cultural conditions of the world.
The Internet has turned society into homebodies, individuals who do everything from the
comfort of their homes instead of venturing outdoors to complete tasks. People can do
everything online; shopping, communicating, bill paying, working, education, entertainment,
even ordering food. This may be good, but it has also made us a very lazy and uneducated
society.
Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are several important people of the Information
Age. Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web. Jobs who was created the first effective
personal computer called the Apple 1
The Apple 1 was a huge advancement in computer sciences and it carved the path for the
computers we have now. Apple has created iPhone, iPod, iPad, iMac, and Apple TV. Gates is
also a huge force in the Information Age. He founded Microsoft, which creates almost
everything that has to do with computers. Microsoft develops programs like Microsoft Office,
Windows, and many other influential products.
Changes of the Information Age
The Information Age has changed people, technology, science, economies, culture, and even
the way people think. The Internet is arguably the most prominent innovation of the Information
Age. The Internet changed the way people do everything. It has made people lazier, but it also
makes a large amount of the population smarter. The Information Age has made industrial
countries stronger. With online companies being some of the most successful and economically
stimulating businesses out there, economies receive more from them and keep our world
turning. People are becoming more mature and more educated due to things like the computer
and the Internet. This time period has reshaped governments, with new technology being
created every day. Governments can now have more advanced and effective militaries.
Because of things like the Internet, new laws had to be put in place to stop hacking, piracy, and
identity theft.
In conclusion...
The Information Age is now. Every era from the Stone Age up to The Industrial Revolution has
led to the world as we know it. Without the information, knowledge and discoveries of those
from the past, we would not be where we are today. The past has shaped our present and will
continue to shape our future.
Classification of Computers/ Types of computer
Computers differ based on their data processing abilities. They are classified according to
purpose, data handling and functionality.
According to purpose, computers are either general purpose or specific purpose. General
purpose computers are designed to perform a range of tasks. They have the ability to store
numerous programs, but lack in speed and efficiency. Specific purpose computers are designed
to handle a specific problem or to perform a specific task. A set of instructions is built into the
machine.
According to data handling, computers are analog, digital or hybrid. Analog computers work on
the principle of measuring, in which the measurements obtained are translated into data.
Modern analog computers usually employ electrical parameters, such as voltages, resistances
or currents, to represent the quantities being manipulated. Such computers do not deal directly
with the numbers. They measure continuous physical magnitudes. Digital computers are those
that operate with information, numerical or otherwise, represented in a digital form. Such
computers process data into a digital value (in 0s and 1s). They give the results with more
accuracy and at a faster rate. Hybrid computers incorporate the measuring feature of an analog
computer and counting feature of a digital computer. For computational purposes, these
computers use analog components and for storage, digital memories are used.
Analog Computer
An analog computer (spelt analogue in British English) is a form of computer that uses
continuous physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model
the problem being solved.
Digital Computer
A computer that performs calculations and logical operations with quantities represented as
digits, usually in the binary number system
Mainframe Computer
A very large and expensive computer capable of supporting hundreds, or even thousands, of
users simultaneously. In the hierarchy that starts with a simple microprocessor (in watches, for
example) at the bottom and moves to supercomputers at the top, mainframes are just below
supercomputers. In some ways, mainframes are more powerful than supercomputers because
they support more simultaneous programs. But supercomputers can execute a single program
faster than a mainframe.
Mini Computer
A midsized computer. In size and power, minicomputers lie between workstations and
mainframes. In the past decade, the distinction between large minicomputers and small
mainframes has blurred, however, as has the distinction between small minicomputers and
workstations. But in general, a minicomputer is a multiprocessing system capable of supporting
from 4 to about 200 users simultaneously.
• Laptop Computer: a portable computer complete with an integrated screen and keyboard. It is
generally smaller in size than a desktop computer and larger than a notebook computer.
Mainframe: Mainframe computers are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and
governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census. In
some ways, mainframes are more power than supercomputers because they support more
simultaneous programs.
Supercomputer: Supercomputer is a board term for one of the fastest computer currently
available. Supercomputers are employed for specialized application that requires immense
amounts of mathematical calculations.
History of Multimedia Systems
Newspaper were perhaps the first mass communication medium to employ Multimedia -- they
used mostly text, graphics, and images.
In 1895, Gugliemo Marconi sent his first wireless radio transmission at Pontecchio, Italy. A few
years later (in 1901) he detected radio waves beamed across the Atlantic. Initially invented for
telegraph, radio is now a major medium for audio broadcasting.
Television was the new media for the 20th century. It brings the video and has since changed
the world of mass communications.