Father of modern digital computers

Father of modern digital computers
The earliest device that qualifies as a digital computer is the “abacus” also known as “soroban”.

The device permits the users to represent numbers by the position of beads on a rack. The first mechanical adding machine was invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642.

Charles Babbage, nineteenth century Professor at Cambridge University, is considered to be the father of modern digital computers.

During his period, mathematical and statistical tables were prepared by a group of clerks. Even the utmost care and precaution could not eliminate human errors.

Babbage had to spend several hours checking these tables.

Soon he became dissatisfied and exasperated with this type of monotonous job.

The result was that he started thinking to build a machine which could compute tables guaranteed to be effort-free.

In this process, Babbage designed a “Difference Engine” in the year 1822 which could produce reliable tables.

In 1842, Babbage came out with his new idea of Analytical Engine that was intend to be completely automatic.

It was to be capable of performing the basic arithmetic functions for any mathematical problem and it was to do so at an average speed of 60 additions per minute.

Unfortunately, he was unable to produce a working model of this machine mainly because the precision engineering required to manufacturer the machine was not available during that period.

However, his effort established a number of principles which have been shown to be fundamental to the design of any computer.
Father of modern digital computers

Utility Programs

Utility Programs
The utility programs are used to provide end users with a tool box to fine tune hardware components or modify system software functions.

The utility programs for large computer systems are designed for professional system programmers to either modify or repair the system software.

However the utility programs for microcomputers are very often used by end users.

They are use friendly and designed for end users, change the monitor’s background pattern, or install computer hardware.

Some vendors provide utility programs that can enhance the performance of the computer, such virtual memory and virus protection.

Some of the principal utility programs are as follows:

Data recovery
A data recovery utility is used to “undelete” a file or information that has been accidentally deleted. With this function, users are able to undo the last delete operation that has taken place.

Screen saver
A screen saver prevents a monitor’s display screen from being etched by an unchanging image.

Backup
The backup utility allows users to make a backup (duplicate) copy of the information on the hard disk.

Data compression
Data compression removes redundant elements, gaps, and unnecessary data from a computer’s storage space, so less space is required to store or transmit data.

Virus protection
A virus consists of hidden programming instructions that are buried within an application or system program. They can reproduce themselves and cause damage to computer programs.
Utility Programs

Business Value of Extranet

Business Value of Extranet
As business continue to use open Internet technologies (extranets) to improve communication with customers and partners, they can gain many competitive advantages along the way – in product development, cost savings, marketing, distribution and leveraging their partnerships.

Extranets are network links that use Internet technologies to interconnect the intranet of a business with the intranets of its customers, suppliers or other business partners.

Companies can establish direct private network links between themselves, or create private secure Internet links between them called virtual private network.

Or company can use the unsecured Internet as the extranet link between its extranet and consumers and others, but rely on encryption of sensitive data and its own fire wall system to provide adequate security.

Thus extranets enable customer, suppliers, consultants, subcontractors, business prospects, and others to access selected intranets websites and other company database.

The business value of extranets is derived from several factors.

First, the Web browser technology of extranets makes customer and supplier access of intranet resources a lot easier and faster than previous business methods.

Second, extranets enable a company to offer new kinds of interactive Web-enabled services to their business partners. Thus extranets are another way that a business can build and strengthen strategic relationship with its customers and suppliers.

Also, extranets can enable and improve collaboration by a business with its costumers and other business partners.

Extranet facilitate an online, interactive product development, marketing, and customer focused process that can bring better designed products to market faster.
Business Value of Extranet

The Characteristics of Computers

The Characteristics of Computers

• Speed
  A computer is a very fast device. It can perform in a few seconds the amount of work that a human being can do in an entire year – if he work day and night and is nothing else. To put in a different manner, a computer does it in one minute what take a man entire lifetime.
  
  The units of speed are microseconds, nanoseconds and even the picoseconds. A powerful computer is capable of performing about 3 to 4 million simple arithmetic operations per second.
  


• Accuracy
  Accuracy of a computer is consistently high and the degree of accuracy of a particular computer depends upon its design. But for a particular computer, each and every calculation is performed.
  


• Versality
  Versality is one of the most wonderful things about computer. One moment, it is preparing the results of particular examination, the next moment it is busy preparing electricity bills, and in between it may be helping an office secretary to trace an important letter in seconds.
  
  All that is required to change its talent is to slip in a new program into it. Briefly, a computer is capable of performing almost any task provided that the task can be reduced to a series of logical steps.
  


• Power of Remembering
  A computer can store and recall any amount of information because of its secondary storage capability.
  
  Every piece of information can be retain as long as desired by the user and can be recalled as and when required.
  
  Even after several years, the information recalled will be as accurate as on the day when it was fed to the computer.
  


• No I.Q
  A computer is a magical device. It can only perform tasks that a human being can. The difference is that it performs these tasks with unthinkable speed and accuracy.
  
  It posses no intelligence of its own, Its I.Q is zero at least till today. It has to be told what to do and in what sequence. Hence, only the user can determine what tasks a computer will perform.
  
  Computer cannot take its own decision in this regard.
  


• Common Data Used
  One item can be involved in several different procedures or accessed, update and inspected by a number of different users.
  
  This can hinder the work of those who need access to data. As the time is changing, more and more facilities are being added to the computers they can perform but in practical life many tasks are limited to these basic operations.
  


• Diligence
  The computer is a machine. It does not tire. Nor does it loses concentration even after working continuously for a long time This characteristics is especially useful for those jobs where same tasks is done again and again.
  


• Storage
  The computers have a lot of a storage device s which can store a tremendous amount of data.
  

The Characteristics of Computers