CIS120 Unit 1 review questions

CHAPTER 1 REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Define what is encompassed in the term information technology.

Simply put, Information Technology (IT) is the use of computers and software to manage information. This is made up of "soft" and "hard" computer technology that we use every day to create, process/manipulate, store and retrieve information.

2. What are some of the ways that IT has become "pervasive"?

IT has become "pervasive" because it is EVERYWHERE now. IT has changed the way we live our lives because it has touched everything from simple word processing at home to world-wide data and voice services used by everyone from my 4 year old grandson to play games online to my 89 year old grandmother to video chat with her family in another state.

From paying my bills online to ordering almost anything I could possibly want with a few clicks on my phone or desktop computer, it's easy to see why the IT industry has created more millionaires and billionaires than any other industry.

3. What kinds of portable IT help employees work more efficiently and effectively? What may interfere with productivity?

As a database manager/defense contractor, my laptop is my life. Having the portability of a laptop and smart phone keeps me productively connected to the office whether I'm on an airplane using in-flight WiFi or at home connected through my personal network. The only thing that has ever really had a negative impact on my productivity is an occasional inability to connect to the internet when I travel. It's amazing how the world seems to stop when we can't get online in an instant.

One of the downsides to having this type of connectivity with work and the rest of the planet is the sheer amount of information that is available or colleagues inundating me with emails that all seem to be "top" priority. When this happens, I've found it best to tackle one issue at a time instead of trying to multi-task myself into uselessness.

4. What kinds of IT can help support teams when team members work at different locations?

I actually deal with this everyday because my company's headquarters is located in Norfolk, VA while I live and work in Jacksonville, FL. Because of the ever-improving IT options at our fingertips, we are able to stay connected and collaborate through voice or video teleconferencing quite frequently. Another example is when I need to connect to my company's internal server to transfer files from my laptop to headquarters. I am able to do so by using a RSI SecureID token along with my user name and password. These types of IT security measures allow us to collaborate any time, day or night, from any spot on the planet.

5. How have some businesses used the Internet to compete based on low cost, product/service differentiation, or both?

Low Cost: The best example to use in this case would be how Jeff Bezos started Amazon.com on the idea of selling only books online because they were cheap and he saw a world-wide demand. He turned that into selling almost anything you could possibly want and his business is worth billions today. He did this, in large part, because he was able to reach way more customers via the internet than he ever could hope to in a traditional brick-and-mortar storefront. To me, this is a prime example of how a company can use the internet to "reach" new customers through an online "presence".

Product/Service Differentiation: Using Amazon.com again, Jeff Bezos made the shopping experience different by giving the shopper ability to quickly find and purchase products while also giving the seller the ability to quickly process online purchases and make a profit. This, in turn, generated repeat customers as well as attracting new customers. Today, Amazon.com offers users in Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan and Spain the ability to shop online in their native language.

Low Cost and Product/Service differentiation: To me, this is where the rubber meets the road because any business hoping to succeed, whether online or off, must offer a better product at a lower cost than their competitors. If this happens, success is almost guaranteed. One of the many reasons Amazon.com is the juggernaut of online shopping is because they consistently offer quality products at a lower price than can be found locally at a brick-and-mortar store.

6. What kind of a business might choose to have low levels of dependence on IT?

My personal belief is that if businesses shy away from IT, they do so at their own peril because computers can be used in almost every facet of business. That said, some businesses that may not need a robust IT infrastructure could be a mechanic's shop with low overhead or a temporary staffing agency that tends to deal more in face-to-face interaction than face-to-computer interaction. But even these types of businesses could benefit from increasing their digital signature by automating current paper-based systems.

7. What three types of IT resources need to be managed well?

Figure 1.1. of the textbook states that the three types of IT resources that must be managed well are technology infrastructure, human resources and business/IT relationships.

8. What are some examples of newer IT manager roles, and why are they needed today?

Three examples I can think of are jobs like Chief Information Officer (CIO), Chief Security Officer (CSO) and Chief Technology Officer (CTO). These job titles are commonly given to senior executives that either report directly to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and they are responsible for company-wide IT resource management. These positions are becoming more and more necessary because IT plays such a critical part of just about any modern organization.

9. For what reasons might an IT manager have a reporting relationship with a CIO as well as with a senior business manager?

While I have never been a fan of any manager having to report to more than one boss, the text states "this dual reporting relationship helps ensure that the IS department’s resources are well aligned with the business; it is one approach to establishing and maintaining a strong business/IT relationship." Given the fact that most businesses simply cannot run efficiently without a strong IT presence, I can make an exception in these types of cases.

CHAPTER 2 REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Distinguish between microcomputers, midrange systems, mainframes, and supercomputers. Give approximate speeds (millions of floating point operations per second, or MFLOPS) and costs.

The two main characteristics that distinguish between these four types of computers are what they do and how much they cost.

Microcomputers: used for personal computing, small business applications and web based applications. These can come in varying forms and sizes from a Palm Pilot to an iPad to a laptop to a desktop computer. These devices run in a range of 500 to 5,000 MFLOPS and cost anywhere from $200 to $4,000.

Midrange systems: used for larger computing requirements such as those found in an automated office using a Local Area Network (LAN) consisting of client/server applications. These systems can perform as web servers or file servers because they offer more computing "power" than a stand-alone system. They cost from $4,000 to $1,000,000 and run a MFLOPS range between 2,500 and 250,000.

Mainframes: for obvious reasons, mainframes can perform the widest range of applications while serving as the backbone of large-scale businesses where thousands of users log in every day. Mainframes are extremely versatile because of the wide range of applications that can be ran on them. Just as midrange systems are more powerful than microcomputers, mainframes are significantly more power than either of those because they run between 2,500 to 1,000,000 MFLOPS and cost between $500,000 to $20,000,000.

Supercomputers: given the vast amount of data that NASA processes on a daily basis, it is safe to assume they run supercomputers that are capable of handling numerically intensive scientific calculations. These computing giants cost in the millions (from 1 to 100) and operate in the 250,000 to over 3,000,000,000 MFLOPS range.

2. List the six building blocks that make up digital computers, and describe the flows of data that occur among these blocks.

Input, output, memory, arithmetic/logical unit, control unit, and files. The data flow begins with input going to memory, from memory to the control unit, from memory to/from files and the arithmetic/logical unit, and finally from memory to output. As stated in the text, "all data flows are to and from memory".

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of using direct access files versus using sequential access files? Why do organizations bother to use sequential access files today?

The two basic ways to organize computer files are sequential access and direct access. With sequential access files, all of the records that make up the files are stored in sequence according to the file’s control key. An example of this would be an Access database where there are no addresses within the database file so in order to find a particular record, the software must start at the beginning of a table and "read" each record from the beginning of the table until it finds the one being searched for. While this is a very thorough way of searching, it can become time consuming if I am dealing with a large database because it takes time to search one record at a time.

Alternatively, a direct access file is a file from which it is possible for the computer to obtain a record immediately, regardless of where the record is located inside the file. This makes searching for something MUCH faster and is one of the biggest reasons online search utilities like Google are so popular. The biggest difference between the two is SPEED.

4. Explain in your own words the importance of the stored-program concept. Include the role of the control unit in your explanation.

The stored-program concept is the most important idea in all of computing because without it, a computer would be nothing more than a box full of circuits and do-dads. The commands that make the computer do what it was designed to do is called the control unit and it is a precise list of operations (i.e., program or commands) to be performed. These commands are executed very quickly without the user having to give each command separately.

An example of this would be when you open a program on your computer. The list of commands contained in the executable file is accessed by the control unit and executed exactly as designed/programmed and executes the first command, then the second, then the third and so on until the program is opened and ready for the user's commands.

5. What is a blade server and why have blade servers become important in the last few years?

A blade server is a cost-efficient, slim and less power-consuming server than traditional rack mounted servers. They are essentially a single circuit board populated with processors, memory and network connections that are usually found on multiple boards. Multiple blade servers can be mounted on a single server chassis since they are only about 1 1/2" wide and about 15" tall. Since they use laptop technology, blades are usually thin and require less power and cooling than traditional rack mounted servers. Traditionally, blade servers were exclusively used in data centers and large enterprise environments, but small businesses have begun looking at blades for the same reasons big businesses have since the early 2000's.

6. Four categories of computer systems were considered in this chapter: microcomputers, midrange systems, mainframes, and supercomputers. Provide the name of at least one prominent vendor in each of these categories (and you can use IBM only once!).

Microcomputers: Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard
Midrange systems: Sun Microsystems, Fujitsu
Mainframes: Unisys, Hitachi
Supercomputers: IBM, Sun Microsystems

7. Briefly describe the four generations of computer programming languages, concentrating on the major differences among the generations. How does object-oriented programming fit into these generations? How does HTML fit into these generations?

First generation (1GL): a machine-level programming language used to program first-generation computers where programming instructions were entered through the front panel switches of the computer system directly to the central processing unit (CPU). The instructions in 1GL are made of binary numbers, represented by 1s and 0s, that make human understanding of the language very difficult and were written for a specific computer to understand.

Second generation (2GL): a way to categorize assembly languages. The term was actually coined to provide a distinction from higher level third-generation programming languages like COBOL and first-generation programming languages like 1s and 0s. Second-generation programming languages can be read and written by a programmer but must be converted or "assembled" in a machine readable form. Instead of being specific to a particular machine, this language is specific to a particular processor family and environment.

Third generation (3GL): a refinement of a 2GL language, 3GL is considered a "high level language" that makes programming easier by bringing logical structure to software. This generation of language improves over 2GL by having the computer, not the programmer, take care of non-essential details. Introduced in the late 1950s, Fortran, ALGOL, and COBOL are early examples of this sort of language. Instead of being specific to a particular processor family and environment, 3GL is compatible across computer models.

Fourth generation (4GL): sometimes called "productivity" and "nonprocedural" languages because they are much easier to write, read, understand and less error-prone to use than previous generations because they are designed to reduce programming efforts. The usability improvements obtained by some 4GL languages allow for better problem than 3GL languages because 4GL is oriented more toward problem solving and systems engineering.

Object-oriented (O-O): are programming languages like Java and C++ are similar to 3GLs and 4GLs because they are a basically a combination of both. O-O languages embed procedures (aka " methods") into objects and then integrate those objects into a program. With O-O languages, programmers define not only the data type of a data structure, but also the types of operations (aka "functions") that can be applied to the data structure. By doing this, the data structure becomes an object that includes both functions and data making object-oriented programs easier to modify in the future.

HTML: Hypertext Markup Language isn't so much a "programming" language like 3GL or 4GL but more of a "coding" language that is used to create internet web pages by interpreting and composing text, images and other items into visual or audible web pages. This language is made up of special codes like " " inserted in the text of a web page to indicate headings (), bold-faced text (), italics () and so forth where images or photographs are to be positioned along with links to other web pages.

8. List at least five categories of personal productivity software packages. Then concentrate on one of these categories, and describe a representative product in that category with which you are somewhat familiar. Provide both strong points and weak points of the particular product.

Personal productivity software are applications we use every day that consist of word processing, spreadsheets, presentation graphics, electronic mail, desktop publishing, microcomputer-based database management systems, web browsers, statistical products, and other similar easy-to-use and extremely useful products.

The Microsoft Office suite contains almost every program a home user or small business could need to be productive. Some of the applications contained in this suite include:

PowerPoint: a presentation program used to display information in the form of a slide show. It is a text editor that allows text to be inserted and formatted, allows graphic images to be inserted and manipulated and a slide-show system to display content. I have found this program to be very useful in my professional life because it is used extensively in meetings and briefings (I even had a patch on my uniform jacket that read "PowerPoint Ranger" when I was on active duty).

Excel: a spreadsheet program that features calculations, graphing tools, pivot tables, and a macro programming language called Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). This software package can become very complicated depending on what the user is attempting to accomplish because organizing data manipulations like arithmetic operations can be tedious and error prone. However, once the user gets the hang of setting up parameters and calculations this program can be very useful.

Access: a relational database management program that I use on a daily basis. While not as advanced as Oracle, Microsoft Access is relatively easy to use for a beginner because it contains multiple pre-formatted database designs that can be used as a starting point and built upon over time. The only drawbacks I've found with Access have to do with database size (it doesn't like huge files) and complexity (some queries can take a long time to run if not properly coded).

Outlook: an electronic mail program that has become the industry standard. Although it is most often used exclusively for email, it also contains a calendar, task manager, contact manager, note taking and a journal. This program can be used as a stand-alone application or it can be used in concert with other Microsoft applications like Exchange Server and SharePoint Server for multiple users in an organization. Mailboxes and calendars can also be shared between users to increase employee collaboration.

Word: a word processing program I am typing on right now. This package is used to do a plethora of word processing tasks like creating, editing, formatting, printing, etc… relatively easy for most people. Personally, I find this software easy to use for common tasks but I tend to get frustrated from time to time because the 2007 version I now use was completely redesigned from the 2003 version so correcting formatting errors becomes much more time consuming than earlier versions.

9. List the six major categories of support software.

Operating System: the most important type of support software because without it, the computer is basically a big paperweight.

Utility Programs: programs like WinZIP that are used to zip (compact) and unzip large files for easier transport, or programs like Disk Defragmenter and Disk Cleanup that are used for systems maintenance. Antivirus programs are also a type of utility program.

Database Management Systems: software used to create, manage and protect organizational data.

Language Translators: a utility that translates the machine's language program into useable code that is then loaded into memory and carried out by the control unit.

CASE Tools: computer-aided software engineering is a collection of software tools that help automate all phases of the software development life cycle.

Communications Interface Software: software like Microsoft Windows Server or File Transfer Protocol (FTP) that allows computers to communicate with each other.

10. What are the primary advantages of a fourth generation language over a third generation language? What are the primary disadvantages?

Advantages: A 4GL program needs fewer instructions than a 3GL program so 4GLs are easier on the programmer by being less error prone since they are easier to read/write/understand than 3GLs. This also means that 4GLs can be written with less time (aka "money") invested than 3GLs.

Disadvantages: 4GLs are better for the programmer in terms of time invested while 3GLs are better for the computer for the same reason. Although 4GLs are considered "better" than 3GLs in many respects, they are not a replacement for 3GLs, but more like a compliment to them. Since 4GLs have to translate their commands into much longer machine languages before they can be ran, you end up with more commands in a 4GL created program than you do with a 3GL created program so it naturally takes the machine longer to run those commands.

11. What are the primary characteristics of an object-oriented language? How does an object-oriented language differ from a third generation language or a fourth generation language?

Primary Characteristics: Object-oriented languages are similar to procedural 3GL languages because methods are embedded in objects, much like they are in the 3GL languages. Object-oriented languages are also similar to nonprocedural 4GL languages because " objects" (hence the name) are built into the application.

Differences: Unlike 3GL and 4GL languages, object-oriented languages require a graphical user interface (GUI) and also require more computing power. Coding from a program written in object-oriented language can be reused later in the same program or in an entirely different program without having to start from scratch so they offer better maintainability, consistency and productivity.

12. For what does the CASE acronym stand? In general, what is the purpose of CASE tools? What types of individuals are most likely to use CASE tools?

Computer-Aided Software Engineering (CASE) is basically a computer program that is used to create other computer programs. Technically, it is the use of a computer-assisted method to organize and control the development of software, especially on large, complex projects involving many software components and people. Using CASE allows designers, code writers, testers, planners, and managers to share a common view of where a project stands at each stage of development (i.e., keeping everyone on the same sheet of music).

13. List at least three independent software houses (not associated with a computer vendor) that are major players in the software component of the information systems industry. List any software products that you regularly use and indicate the firm that developed each product.

Three of the biggest software houses that do not sell computers that come to mind are Microsoft, Adobe and Photoshop. I have made a pretty good living since retiring from the Navy by using Microsoft Access (primarily), Excel, Word, and Outlook as well as Adobe Professional to publish documents I've created with the former listed products.

14. Provide the full names for the following acronyms or abbreviations used in this chapter.

OCR: optical character recognition
CPU: central processing unit
MFLOPS: millions of floating point operations per second
UPC: Universal Product Code
DASD: direct access storage device
DVD: digital video disk
DBMS: database management system
JCL: job control language
HTML: Hypertext Markup Language
OOP: object-oriented programming
4 GL: fourth generation language
CASE: computer-aided software engineering