Computers in Your Life Today: Are You Ready to Become Wired and Unwired? p. 2
The Productivity of Technology p. 4
Computing Basics p. 8
Your Computer Hardware and Software p. 8
Categories of Computer Software p. 9
Categories of Computer Hardware p. 10
Computers for Personal Use p. 13
Computers that Support Organizations p. 14
Computing Productivity With and Without ... p. 15
Computing without a PC p. 15
Computing with the World p. 16
Computing without E-Mail p. 18
Computing without Wires p. 19
Computing with Your Career in Mind p. 20
Computing with Society p. 23
Consumer Q&A p. 24
Should I Buy a Desktop or a Notebook Computer? p. 25
Won't My Computer Be Obsolete Just as Soon as I Buy It? p. 25
Should I Consider Mail Order or Purchasing Locally? p. 25
Can I Expand My Computer after I Buy It? p. 25
Summary and Key Terms p. 25
Review of Terminology p. 27
Review of Concepts p. 28
Hands-On Projects p. 30
The World Wide Web and the Internet: How Vast Is Your Virtual Imagination? p. 34
Electronic Commerce p. 36
Types of E-Commerce Businesses p. 36
Types of E-Commerce Activities p. 37
The World Wide Web p. 39
Web Sites, Pages, and Addresses p. 39
Using a Search Engine p. 40
Enjoying Web Multimedia p. 43
Multimedia Formats p. 45
Interactive Web Multimedia p. 45
The Internet Behind The Web p. 47
The Structure of the Internet p. 47
Computers on the Internet p. 47
Information on the Internet p. 48
Getting Connected p. 50
Internet Service Providers p. 50
Modems and Their Capabilities p. 51
Software for Web Surfing p. 53
Consumer Q&A p. 55
What Is the Format of an E-Mail Address? p. 55
How Fast Can I Surf the Web? p. 56
Can I Spend Too Much Time Surfing the Web? p. 56
How Can I Get My Business Online? p. 56
Can I Take Advantage of Web E-Commerce Using a PDA or Smart Phone? p. 56
Summary and Key Terms p. 56
Review of Terminology p. 59
Review of Concepts p. 60
Hands-On Projects p. 62
Application Software and Digital Media: What Can Your Computer Do for You? p. 66
The Application Software you Need p. 68
Let Your Needs Drive Your Purchase p. 68
Software Publishers, Names, and Versions p. 68
Application Software Suites p. 69
Personal Productivity Software Tools p. 71
Word Processing and Desktop Publishing Software p. 71
Web Authoring Software p. 71
Graphics Software p. 72
Spreadsheet Software p. 73
Presentation Software p. 75
Personal Information Management and Personal Finance Software p. 77
Database Management System Software p. 78
E-Mail and Web Browser Software p. 79
Digital Media p. 80
Two-Dimensional Images and Photos p. 81
3-D Graphics p. 82
Audio p. 83
Video p. 85
Consumer Q&A p. 86
When I Buy Software, Do I Really Own It? p. 86
Is There Software I Can Try Out before I Buy It? p. 86
Is Installing Software a Difficult Task? p. 86
How Can I Add Video to My Web Site? p. 87
Summary and Key Terms p. 87
Review of Terminology p. 89
Review of Concepts p. 90
Hands-On Projects p. 92
System Software, Virus Protection, and File Management: What Software Runs Your Hardware? p. 96
Operating System Software p. 99
Types of Operating System Software p. 99
Operating System Characteristics and Functionality p. 99
Personal Operating Systems p. 102
The Microsoft Family of Operating Systems p. 102
Mac OS and Linux p. 103
Choosing the Right Personal Operating System p. 104
Operating Systems for PDAs and Tablet PCs p. 104
Device Drivers, Utilities, and Virus Protection p. 105
Device Drivers p. 105
Utility Software p. 106
Utility Software Suites p. 107
Anti-Virus Software p. 108
File Management p. 110
File Naming Conventions p. 110
Organizing Your Files p. 111
File Allocation Tables (FAT) p. 113
File Compression p. 115
Consumer Q&A p. 117
How Can I Upgrade My Operating System Software when a New Version Is Available? p. 117
If I Receive a Zipped File as an E-Mail Attachment, How Do I Decompress It? p. 117
Which PDA Operating System Provides the Best Compatibility with My Computer's Operating System? p. 118
Figure 4.9 Mentions Cookies--What Are They? p. 118
How Often Do I Need to Scan My Hard Disk for Viruses? p. 118
Can I Compress Multiple Files into a Single Smaller File? p. 118
What Happens if a Virus Attacks My File Allocation Table File? p. 118
Summary and Key Terms p. 119
Review of Terminology p. 121
Review of Concepts p. 122
Hands-On Projects p. 124
Input, Output, and Storage: What Kinds of Peripheral Devices Would Suit Your Needs? p. 128
Input Devices p. 131
Keyboards and Pointing Devices p. 131
Game Controllers p. 133
Specialized Input Devices p. 134
Output Devices p. 137
Monitors p. 137
Printers p. 139
Speakers p. 141
Storage Devices p. 142
Magnetic Storage Devices p. 142
Optical Storage Media p. 144
Flash Memory Cards p. 147
Flash Memory for PDAs p. 149
Consumer Q&A p. 150
How Can I Tell How Many Megapixels My Camera Should Have to Print Good 8 X 10 Photos? p. 150
What Type of Mouse Should I Get for Gaming? p. 150
Are Flat Panels and Flat Screens the Same Thing? p. 150
What Should I Look for in a Scanner? p. 150
Summary and Key Terms p. 150
Review of Terminology p. 153
Review of Concepts p. 154
Hands-On Projects p. 156
Computer Architecture: How Does a Computer Work? p. 160
The Big Picture p. 163
The Journey from an External Storage Device to an Output Device p. 163
Representing Information Inside A Computer p. 167
Binary p. 167
ASCII, EBCDIC, and UNICODE p. 167
CPU, RAM, and MACHINE CYCLES p. 169
The Central Processing Unit (CPU) p. 169
Random Access Memory (RAM) p. 169
How Instructions Are Processed p. 170
CPU and RAM Productivity Issues p. 171
Making Connections p. 175
Connectors and Ports p. 175
Expansion Cards and Slots for Desktop Computers p. 179
Buses p. 179
Notebook Computers p. 180
Notebook CPUs and RAM p. 181
Expansion Cards and Slots for Notebook Computers p. 181
Consumer Q&A p. 182
Why Does My USB Device Not Work Right in My USB Port? p. 182
How Long Can I Expect My Notebook Battery to Last? p. 182
How Do I Connect Multiple Devices to a USB or Firewire Port? p. 182
Summary and Key Terms p. 183
Review of Terminology p. 185
Review of Concepts p. 186
Hands-On Projects p. 188
The Nuts and Bolts of Networks: How Can You Use Networks to Your Advantage? p. 192
Networks: The Big Picture p. 194
Network Cards p. 195
Connecting Devices p. 195
Communications Media p. 195
Network Operating System Software p. 195
Applying Network Concepts p. 196
Home Networks p. 197
Ethernet Cards p. 198
Routers p. 198
Wired Communications Media p. 199
Network Operating System Software p. 200
Wireless Network Access p. 200
Reasons to Have a Home Network p. 201
Large Networks p. 202
Organizational Networks p. 203
Cellular Telephones--Worldwide Wireless Networks p. 207
Global Positioning Systems (GPS) p. 208
Communications Media p. 210
Bandwidth p. 211
Wired Communications Media p. 211
Wireless Communications Media p. 212
Consumer Q&A p. 214
Does It Matter What Type of Cable Modem I Get if I Want to Share a Broadband Internet Connection? p. 214
How Do I Turn On File and Device Sharing? p. 214
Which Cell Carriers Use Which Type of Cell Networks? p. 215
Summary and Key Terms p. 215
Review of Terminology p. 217
Review of Concepts p. 218
Hands-On Projects p. 220
E-Commerce and Web Site Development: How Do You Harness the Power of the Web? p. 224
Keys to Success in B2C Electronic Commerce p. 226
Personalizing the Shopping Experience p. 226
Creating "Sticky" Web Sites p. 227
Marketing and Advertising through Other Sites p. 229
Marketing to and through Customers p. 231
Payment Methods and Secure Transactions p. 234
Payment Options p. 234
Secure Transactions p. 235
Web Authoring and Web Site Management p. 237
HTML p. 237
Web Authoring Software p. 239
Publishing and Maintaining Your Web Site p. 240
Advanced Web Technologies p. 241
CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) p. 241
XML (Extensible Markup Language) p. 243
XHTML (Extensible Hypertext Markup Language) p. 244
The Wireless Web p. 246
Client-Side Web Programming Languages p. 246
Server-Side Web Programming Languages p. 247
Summary and Key Terms p. 249
Review of Terminology p. 251
Review of Concepts p. 252
Hands-On Projects p. 254
Ethics, Security, and Privacy: What's Right, What's Wrong, and How Do I Protect Myself? p. 258
Ethics p. 260
Ethics in the Use of Computers p. 260
Threats in Cyberspace p. 263
Computers as Weapons p. 263
Computers as Targets p. 267
The Perpetrators p. 270
Privacy Matters p. 272
Invasion of Privacy by Other People p. 272
Information on Your Buying Habits and Preferences p. 273
Government Records p. 278
How to Protect Yourself p. 279
Security before You Enter Cyberspace p. 279
Security in Cyberspace Transactions p. 280
Summary and Key Terms p. 281
Review of Terminology p. 283
Review of Concepts p. 284
Hands-On Projects p. 286
Databases and Data Warehouses: How Do You Organize Large Amounts of Information? p. 290
Data, Information, and Their Structures p. 292
Data versus Information p. 292
Logical Structures p. 293
Relational Databases p. 294
Relational Database Concepts p. 294
Relationships in Relational Databases p. 295
Database Management Systems p. 299
Data Definition Subsystem p. 299
Data Manipulation Subsystem p. 300
Other DBMS Subsystems p. 302
Databases in Electronic Commerce p. 304
Web Databases p. 305
Security and Privacy p. 308
Data Warehouses and Business Intelligence p. 309
Data Warehouse Features p. 309
Data-Mining Tools p. 310
Data Marts p. 312
Summary and Key Terms p. 313
Review of Terminology p. 315
Review of Concepts p. 316
Hands-On Projects p. 318
Emerging Technologies: Can You See Them Coming? p. 322
Computers and Their Interfaces p. 325
Automatic Speech Recognition p. 325
3-D Technologies p. 327
Biometrics p. 328
Wearable Computers p. 330
CPUs and Storage Devices p. 331
Thought-Control User Interfaces p. 332
The Changing Internet p. 333
E-Cash p. 333
Renting Software from Application Service Providers p. 335
Personalization p. 337
Your Internet-Enabled Home p. 340
Pushing the Envelope p. 341
CAVEs p. 341
Membrane-Based and Nanotechnologies p. 342
Biochips p. 344
Implant Chips p. 344
Summary and Key Terms p. 346
Review of Terminology p. 349
Review of Concepts p. 350
Hands-On Projects p. 352
Systems Development: Why Is Packaged Software Sometimes Not Enough? p. 356
Why Organizations Develop Systems p. 358
Developing Systems to Become More Efficient p. 358
Developing Systems to Level the Competitive Playing Field p. 359
Developing Systems to Achieve an Advantage through Innovation p. 359
The Traditional Systems Development Life Cycle p. 360
Systems Investigation p. 362
Systems Analysis p. 364
Systems Design p. 366
Systems Construction p. 367
Systems Implementation p. 368
Systems Support p. 370
End User Development and Prototyping p. 372
Prototyping p. 372
The End User Development Process p. 374
End User Development Advantages and Disadvantages p. 374
Outsourcing p. 375
The Outsourcing Process p. 376
Summary and Key Terms p. 379
Review of Terminology p. 381
Review of Concepts p. 382
Hands-On Projects p. 384
Computer Programming: How Can You Create Your Own Software? p. 388
A Programmer's View of Investigation, Analysis, and Design p. 390
Systems Investigation p. 390
Systems Analysis p. 391
Systems Design p. 394
Writing Computer Software p. 396
Coding p. 396
Control Structures p. 397
Testing, Implementing, and Maintaining Software p. 401
Testing Software p. 401
Software Development Environment p. 402
Implementing Software p. 404
Maintaining Software p. 404
Programming Languages p. 405
Programming Language Generations p. 405
Programming Language Characteristics p. 407
Programming Frameworks p. 409
Object-Oriented Programming p. 409
Java Platform Technologies p. 411
Microsoft.NET p. 412
Summary and Key Terms p. 413
Review of Terminology p. 415
Review of Concepts p. 416
Hands-On Projects p. 418
Organizational Information Systems: Why Are Computers the Heavy Artillery in Business? p. 422
Organizations, Technology, and Information p. 425
The Nature and Structure of Organizations p. 425
Decentralized Computing and Shared Information p. 426
Information Characteristics p. 427
Tracking Everything in Business p. 429
Transaction Processing Systems p. 430
Customer-Integrated Systems p. 431
What Managers Need to Know p. 432
Management Information Systems p. 432
Executive Information Systems p. 434
Support for Organizational Logistics p. 436
Intranets and Extranets p. 436
Supporting Teams with Groupware p. 438
Spreading Out Nationally and Around the Globe p. 441
Telecommuting p. 441
Transnational Firms p. 443
Summary and Key Terms p. 445
Review of Terminology p. 447
Review of Concepts p. 448
Hands-On Projects p. 450
Computer Brainpower: How Can You Use Your Computer to Help You Think? p. 454
Decision Support Software p. 457
Decision Making with Personal Productivity Software p. 457
Decision Support Systems p. 459
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) p. 462
Artificial Intelligence p. 464
Artificial Intelligence Systems in Business p. 464
Expert Systems p. 465
Neural Networks p. 466
Genetic Algorithms p. 467
Fuzzy Logic p. 468
Intelligent Agents, Or Bots p. 469
Buyer Agents p. 470
User Agents p. 471
Monitoring-and-Surveillance Agents p. 472
Data-Mining Agents p. 472
Summary and Key Terms p. 473
Review of Terminology p. 475
Review of Concepts p. 476
Hands-On Projects p. 478
End-of-Book
Life-Long Learning Modules p. 483
LLL/a Enhanced Web Development: How Do You Make Your Web Site Sizzle? p. 484
LLL/b Care and Feeding of Your Computer: Why Do Things Go Wrong? p. 486
LLL/c Careers in Information Technology: What's Your Dream Job? p. 488
LLL/d New Technologies Impacting Your Life: What's Happening in Your World Today? p. 490
LLL/e Computers in Your Life Tomorrow: Do You Have a Crystal Ball? p. 492
The History of Computing p. 495
I-Witness: An Up-Close Look at Building a Web Site p. 503
Making the Grade Answers p. 518
Glossary p. 522
Credits p. 538
Index p. 543