Computers: Information Technology in Perspective, 9th edition
Authors: Larry E. Long, Nancy Long
Venue:  (2002)

From the Book:TO THE STUDENT Welcome to the computer and information technology revolution. You've taken the first step toward information technology (IT) competency, the bridge to an amazing realm of adventure and discovery. Once you have read and understood the material in this text and have acquired some hands-on experience with computers, you will be poised to play an active role in this revolution. You'll be an intelligent consumer of PCs and related products. You'll be better prepared to travel the Internet and take advantage of its wealth of resources and services. You'll become a participant when conversations at work and school turn to computers and technology. You'll be better able to relate your computing and information processing needs to those who can help you. You'll know about a wide variety of software and services that can improve your productivity at work and at home; give you much needed information; expand your intellectual and cultural horizons; amaze you, your family, and your friends; and give you endless hours of enjoyment. Achieving IT competency is the first step in a lifelong journey toward greater knowledge and interaction with more and better applications of IT. IT competency is your ticket to ride. Where you go, how fast you get there, and what you do when you arrive are up to you. LEARNING AIDS Computers is supported by a comprehensive learning assistance package that includes these helpful learning aids. THE LONG AND LONG COMPANION WEBSITE The Long and Long Companion Website (CW) at http://www.prenhall.com/long is anInternet site that is accessible from any PC with Internet access. The site, which is designed to help you make the transition between textbook learning and real-world understanding, has a variety of learning aids, including these three main components. Internet Exercises. The Long and Long Companion Website invites you to go online and explore the wonders of the Internet through a comprehensive set of Internet exercises. These entertaining exercises invite you to learn more about the topics in this book and to do some serendipitous (just-for-fun) surfing. Interactive Study Guide. The Study Guide portion of the Companion Website gives you an opportunity to sharpen your problem-solving skills and to gauge your understanding of the material in the chapter. For each chapter, the Web site has multiple-choice, true or false, matching, and essay quizzes. The built-in grading feature gives you immediate feedback in the form of a report. The report also includes a question-by-question summary with an explanation or hint, your response, and the correct response (if needed). Monthly Technology Update. The printed book alone is no longer sufficient to keep you abreast of rapidly advancing technology. The Companion Website's Monthly Technology Update section helps you bridge this technology gap. Each month the authors post a chapter-by-chapter update to the Companion Website. The monthly update includes summaries of important technological events that occurred during the previous month. EXPLORE Generation IT Labs. Twelve Internet and CD-ROM-based labs present an interactive look into the world of computer concepts. The labs cover a variety of topics, including the internet, e-commerce, hardware, networks, and buying a computer. The WEB icons in the margins throughout the book relate material in the book to applicable Companion Website exercises, Interactive Study Guide chapters, and technology updates. ONLINE DISTANCE LEARNING WITH COMPUTERS Online distance learning in conjunction with Computers, 9th ed., is available on two popular Internet-based platforms, Blackboard and WebCT This and other Prentice Hall online courses can be found at cms.prenhall.com/blackboard and cms.prenhall.com/webct. These sites let you take computer competency courses via distance learning or .allow you to enhance your classroom experience with online learning. That is, you log on to the Blackboard or WebCT Computers, 9th ed., page on the Internet to interact with instructors and classmates, go over chapter summaries, evaluate your understanding of course material, participate in online discussion groups, take quizzes and tests, gain access to class information (schedule, homework, and so on), make inquiries about your grades, and much more. Computers, 9th ed., is also available in Prentice Hall's proprietary course delivery platform called CourseCompass. CourseCompass is a dynamic, interactive online course management tool powered by Blackboard. This exciting product allows you to learn from Long and Long Computers, 9th ed., with an easy-to-use interface. With this tool you can interact with your professor and fellow students, as well as view instructor-designated lecture materials, assignments, self-quizzes, and much more. YOU, COMPUTERS, AND THE FUTURE Whether you are pursuing a career as an economist, a social worker, a politician, an attorney, a dancer, an accountant, a computer specialist, a sales manager, or virtually any other career, the knowledge you gain from this course ultimately will prove beneficial. Keep your course notes and your book; they will prove to be valuable references in other courses and in your career. Even though computers are all around us, we are seeing only the tip of the information technology iceberg. You are entering the IT era in its infancy. Each class you attend and each page you turn will present a learning experience to help you advance one step closer to an understanding of how computers and IT are making the world a better place in which to live and work. TO THE INSTRUCTOR THE PARADIGM SHIFT The rules are changing. The criteria by which we make decisions, the way we do things, and even what we do are changingdramatically. Affordable PCs with tremendous power can reach around the world via the Internet. Each increment in PC power and Internet resources adds fuel to the computing and information technology (IT) phenomena, accelerating the pace of change. We are now members of an interconnected society wherein we can shop at online Wal-Mart Supercenters, research our family tree, take virtual tours of thousands of sites from the Louvre Museum in Paris to the pyramids of Egypt, obtain college degrees without attending classes, and work at home as if we were at the office, all from a linked PC. This paradigm shift is causing radical changes in all facets of society, including the way we teach and learn. We are entering a new era of education in which technology plays an increasingly significant role. This is especially true of introductory information technology courses in which the integration of technology is a natural extension of the learning process. After all, the best place to learn about computers is at the computer. THE INTRODUCTORY IT COURSE The introductory IT course has its teaching challenges. To be effective, we must continually change our lecture style and even the vehicle by which we convey content and interact with students. Throughout the term we are continually changing hats. Sometimes we are historians. Much of the time we are scientists presenting technical material. On occasion we are sociologists commenting on ethical and social issues as they relate to technology. In the same course we now toggle between lecture, lab, and, for some, distance learning via the Internet. If that's not enough, we teach an ever-increasing amount of material to students with a wide range of career objectives and technical abilities. Prentice Hall and we have done everything we can to help you meet this challenge. Opportunity, challenge, and competition are forcing all of us to become IT competent. Computers, 9th ed., its mixed-media components, and its ancillary materials provide a launch pad toward these objectives. The target course for this text and its teaching/learning system: Provides overview coverage of computing/IT concepts and applications for introductory courses. Computers, 9th ed., comes in two versions so that you can get the best fit for your course's educational objectives. Accommodates students from a broad spectrum of disciplines and interests. May or may not include a laboratory component. Prentice Hall offers an extensive array of optional learning resources for hands-on laboratories. OBJECTIVES FOR THE NINTH EDITION OF COMPUTERS We had these primary objectives as we began writing this ninth edition of Computers. Present the right content for IT competency. The ninth edition presents that body of knowledge that students need to become active participants in this exciting new era of technological innovation and application. We cover only that material which is appropriate for general IT competency. We avoid dated concepts and we are very careful not to present topics at depths inconsistent with introductory learning. We feel that students at this stage of their IT competency journey need a breadth of understanding that is applicable today and in the future. Also, we present only that information that will have an impact the student's ability to cope with the IT revolution, avoiding superfluous information that might dampen a student's interest in learning more about information technology. Streamline the presentation of material. We have streamlined the presentation eliminating those box items that may be interesting, but are not critical to chapter concepts or IT competency. Though students enjoy a colorful and illustrative presentation, in reality they focus on testable content, mainly the running text. Organize text to enable in-sequence presentation of material. No two instructors teach an introductory IT concepts course in the same way. What we have attempted to do is reflect the priorities and organizational wishes of the substantial majority of professors. For example, to better support those courses with lab components, which usually begin within the first week or two, we have included a "Getting Started" section up front and a software overview in the second chapter. Present IT ethics in more depth. IT Ethics has emerged as one of the most important IT concepts and often is a required topic for many college degree programs. A chapter is devoted to IT ethics. Each chapter has several IT Ethics and Issues boxes, with scores of follow-up discussion questions designed to spur lively in-class discussions. Also, numerous engaging discussion questions are placed at the end of each chapter in support of each section in the chapter. Motivate the student to learn. The text and all supplements are written in a style that remains pedagogically sound while communicating the energy and excitement of IT to the student. We used every writing tool and pedagogical technique in our arsenal to entice the student to turn the page and learn more. We want the information in this book to be absorbed, retained, and enjoyed. Make content relevant to the student. Throughout the book we make learning about IT a very personal experience by relating terms or concepts to their personal and professional lives. Students make the effort to learn when they can see why it's important to them. Each chapter begins with "Why This Chapter Is Important to You" and each major section begins with "Why This Section Is Important to You:" These explanations relate the material to the student's life experiences, thus personalizing his or her IT learning experience. Cover the Internet in a way that reflects its true impact on society. The Internet is having a profound impact on everything we do. We feel that it is important that students grasp its applications, its potential, its limitations, and how they can use the Internet to their benefit. The Internet is mentioned or discussed hundreds of times throughout the book and two chapters, including a new "Exploring the Cyberworld" chapter, are devoted to the Internet. POPULAR FEATURES IN THE NINTH EDITION One reason that Computers has remained the choice of thousands of your colleagues through eight editions is because we try very hard to include the features you need to teach successful courses. Getting Started. Unique to introductory IT books, this very visual Getting Started section at the beginning of the book helps to jumpstart the student's personal computing experience. The section introduces the essential information students need to get them up and runninghardware basics, GUI/operating system concepts, networking logon procedures, and a little on using word processing, e-mail, and Internet browser software. Conversational writing style. The book "talks" to the student in a manner that is more consistent with their everyday conversation. Engaging design. The ninth edition has a "reader-friendly" face that is more engaging to today's students. Applications-oriented. The continuing theme throughout the text is applications. Hundreds of IT applications are presented, from online universities to telemedicine to robotics. Readability. All elements (photos, figures, sidebars, and so on) are integrated with the textual material to complement and reinforce learning. Currency-plus. About six Internet years pass in one real-time yearthe elapsed time between the eighth and ninth editions. For almost two decades, your peers have told us that we consistently publish the most up-to-date IT concepts textbook. We take great pride in your confidence in us and are committed to presenting a current and forward-looking picture of IT innovations and issues. If it's current and it's within the IT-competency body of knowledge, it's in this book. It has the latest on the Internet, including the digital jukebox, dynamic imaging, B2B, B2C, e-commerce, instant messaging, e-publishing, e-signature, and emerging IT ethical concerns. Software is right out of the box. The latest hardware is here, too: DVD-RAM, FMD-ROM, HiFD disk, Intel Pentium 4 processor, Compaq's iPAQ, and more. And, of course, the numbers for communications, disks, RAM, processors, printers, the Internet, and so on are extrapolated from trends to reflect 2002-2003. Flexibility. The text and its mixed-media teaching/learning system are organized to permit maximum flexibility in course design and in the selection, assignment, and presentation of material. Colorful IT Illustrated modules. IT Illustrated modules combine dynamic photos with in-depth discussions of topics that are of interest to students, such as how chips are made, the history of computers, how to buy a PC, careers, and robotics. Mixed-media margin icons. The WEB and Computers EXPLORE Generation IT Labs icons in the margin point students to interactive multimedia learning resources on the Internet and the Computers EXPLORE Generation IT Labs CD-ROM. The WEB icons invite students to check out the Monthly Technology Update, do applicable Internet exercises, and use the online review exercises to assess their grasp of the material. The Computers EXPLORE Generation IT Labs icons identify applicable laboratory exercises that let students interactively explore IT concepts. Many colorful photo images. Almost 200 photo images give the student a better feel for state-of-the-art hardware and the role of IT in our information society. Chapter pedagogy. Chapter organization and pedagogy are consistent throughout the text. Learning Objectives and Why This Chapter Is Important to You preface each chapter. The Learning Objectives are framed within the context of what "you will have learned." The Why This Chapter Is Important to You relates material directly to the student. In the body of the chapter, all major headings are numbered (1.1, 1.2, and so on) to facilitate selective assignment and to provide an easy cross-reference to all related material in the supplements. Important terms and phrases are highlighted in boldface type. Words and phrases to be emphasized appear in italics. Informative boxed features (Emerging IT and IT Ethics and Issues), photos, and Memory Bits (outlines of key points) are positioned strategically to complement the running text. Each chapter concludes with a Summary and Key Terms and Discussion and Problem Solving. A Section Self-Check gives students an opportunity to assess their understanding at the end of each section (Self-Check answers follow Chapter 13). Margin icons direct students to applicable Long and Long Companion Website exercises and activities and the PHitLabs CD-ROM-based lab activities. Transition friendly. Computers, 9th ed., was written to enable a smooth, seamless transition for those colleges moving from previous editions of Computers. A MIXED - MEDIA LEARNING TOOL This textbook is one component of a mixed-media learning system. Although it can be used as a standalone resource, its effectiveness is enhanced when used in conjunction with the Long and Long Companion Website CW at www.prenhall.com/long, the distance learning componentsBlackboard and WebCT, the Computers, 9th ed., Computers Explore IT Labs (CD-ROM-based courseware), Image Library (multimedia lecture aid), the Prentice Hall Test Manager, and other media-based ancillaries. The mixed-media orientation of Computers gives students a power boost up the learning curve and instructors an innovative vehicle for delivery of course content. The margin icons throughout the book direct students to applicable mixed-media learning tools. We've designed the Computers, 9th ed., mixed-media resources to give you maximum flexibility in course design and instruction. Use these resources to offer IT competency education in whatever formats meet your student and curriculum needs. We are proud that Computers has emerged as the standard for IT concepts courses offered completely online via distance learning. Throughout all aspects of this mixed-media approach to learning, we play to the student's sense of exhilaration by projecting the excitement of the age of information. We have attempted to include something on every printed page, every Internet page, and every CD-ROM-based laboratory that will tickle students' senses and inspire them to learn more. Eventually anxieties and fears fade away as students recognize the dawning of a new era in their life, an era bursting with opportunity. A COMPUTERS EDITION FOR EVERY COURSE Computers comes in two editions. The Brief Edition. Ten core chapters, plus a Getting Started section at the beginning the book, introduce students to the world of information technology: concepts relating to interaction with computers; fundamental hardware, software, and communications concepts; going online (the Internet and its applications); and IT ethics and issues. The last chapter is intended to enrich the student's personal computing experience. The brief book includes four IT Illustrated segments: computer history, the making of integrated circuits, a PC buyer's guide, and one on careers. This Brief Edition can support a complete course in information technology, but if you want more, there's the Full Edition. The Full Edition. The Full Edition has three additional chapters. A two-chapter sequence introduces students to the various types of information systems (MIS, DSS, expert systems, intelligent agents, and so on) and includes an overview of the latest approaches to system development. The last chapter lets the student travel the information superhighway, making frequent stops to learn about current and future applications. A vivid IT Illustrated on robots and robotics is included with the full book. The Right PHit program offers a complete solution for introductory computer courses, from concepts to applications. Components of the Prentice Hall Application Series can be bound with the ninth edition of Computers via Prentice Hall's Right PHit program. Office 2000 and Office 2002 titles are available in this custom binding program and comprise part of the most extensive array of hands-on laboratory materials offered by any textbook publisher. These hands-on manuals can be bound together with Computers, 9th ed., or, if you prefer, bound separately and shrink-wrapped as a package so students can carry them to the lab one at a time. Your Prentice Hall representative will be happy to work with you to identify that combination of student support materials and packaging that best meets the needs of your lab environment. THE COMPUTERS TEACHING/LEARNING SYSTEM Computers, 9th ed., continues the Long and Long tradition of having the most comprehensive, innovative, and effective support package on the market. The teaching/learning system includes the following components. LONG AND LONG COMPANION WEBSITE The Long and Long Companion Website (CW), also called the INTERNET BRIDGE, at http://www.prenhall.com/long is designed to help students studying Long and Long resource make the transition between textbook learning and real-world understanding. To use this resource, the student connects to the Internet, navigates to the Companion Website, and clicks on the Computers, 9th ed., image. The site offers a variety of activities and services, including these main components: INTERNET EXERCISES The Internet exercises encourage students to more fully explore IT competency topics while familiarizing themselves with the Internet. The student selects a specific chapter to begin an online adventure that will take him or her around and into the exciting world of computing. The student's journey will include many stops that can increase his or her understanding and appreciation of the technologies that change and embellish our lives. Each chapter has from one to seven topics (for example, Printers, Telecommuting, Multimedia, Artificial Intelligence), at least one of which is Serendipitous Surfing (for example, movies, sports, or popular culture). Each topic has from three to seven Internet Exercises. For each exercise, the student (1) reads the exercise; (2) searches for, then navigates to the applicable Internet site(s); (3) notes the sources) titles) and URL(s); (4) finds the requested information; and (5) returns to the topic page and enters the requested information in the response box. When all Internet exercises are completed for a given topic, the student clicks the "Submit for Grade" button to e-mail the responses to his or her instructor/grader. COMPANION WEBSITE REVIEW EXERCISES The Internet-based Companion Website Review Exercises, essentially an interactive study guide, help the student learn and retain concepts presented in the text. After navigating to the applicable chapter, the student can view the chapter Learning Objectives then choose from four skills quizzes: multiple choice, true or false, matching, or essay. These quizzes are designed to give students the opportunity to sharpen their problem-solving skills and assess their grasp of concepts. Multiple Choice. When taking the multiple-choice quiz the student simply clicks the radio button for the correct response for each question. After answering all of the questions, the student submits the answers for automatic grading. A summary report is returned to the student within seconds. The summary report includes the percentage correct, the number of incorrect answers, and the number of unanswered questions. The report also includes a question-by-question summary with an explanation, the student's response, and the correct response with section reference (if needed). True or False. The true/false interface and summary report is like that of a multiple-choice quiz. Essay Questions. The essay exam includes a text response box for each question into which the student inserts the answer. Matching. The student matches a term with an applicable description by selecting a response from a drop-down box. Most questions have hints or they provide a reference to the applicable section in the text. After completing a quiz, the student has the option of routing the answers to his or her e-mail address and/or to that of the instructor. The summary report is sent for multiple-choice, true/false, and matching quizzes, and the questions and answers are sent for the essay exams. Monthly Technology Update Each month we compile a summary of important changes and happenings in the world of computing and IT. These summaries, which are keyed to chapters, are intended to help keep the student's learning experience current with a rampaging technology. Syllabus Manager The Syllabus Manager component of the INTERNET BRIDGE is a free utility for instructors and students who use our book/Web site products. Faculty can easily build and maintain one or more syllabi on the Web. The course syllabus is readily available to students from any PC with Internet access. Instructors Resource Page on the INTERNET BRIDGE The INTERNET BRIDGE includes a continuously updated, password-protected Instructor's Resource page that is available to all instructors who adopt the Long and Long package. The instructor's resource page contains a variety of downloadable resources, including supplementary images, the IRM, crossword puzzles, PowerPoint Slides, a buyer's guide worksheet, supplementary PC exercises, PDF format transparencies, applicable material contributed by colleagues, and other helpful teaching/learning aids. Also, a PDF version of the "robotics" IT Illustrated feature only in the Computers, Full Edition, is made available online to students with the Brief Edition. DISTANCE LEARNING VIA THE INTERNET WITH LONG AND LONG ONLINE RESOURCES For several years, professors from around the world have relied on Long and Long online teaching/learning resources to create and administer online courses for thousands of students, some taking courses entirely online while others go both, online and to class. WebCT and Blackboard This edition is made available in the WebCT and Blackboard, two popular Web course development and management tools. These two Web-course tools have enabled professors to create a Web-based educational environment for millions of students at over 3,000 colleges throughout the world. The Internet sites supporting distance learning for Long and Long resources can be accessed at cms.prenhall.com/webct and cms.prenhall.com/blackboard. These online course tools, along with embedded Long and Long content, offer you and your colleagues all the advantages of a custom-built program, but without the hassle. If you are considering offering all or part of your course via distance learning, then WebCT or Blackboard can help you create and implement a high-quality online course or course component with relative ease. If you already offer an online course, then these tools can assist you in formalizing your course. These Web-course tools give you the flexibility to integrate your custom material with the continuously updated Computers, 9th ed., content. Computers, 9th ed., content is packaged within these course-authoring tools so you can customize the content to meet the most demanding curriculum requirements. Whether you are off and running or this is your first online course, these ready-to-go online course resources can save you countless hours of preparation and course administration time. WebCT and Blackboard include these and many other features in each of their learning modules: an introduction, objectives, summaries of key concepts, online activities that use the Internet, offline activities that integrate the text with Web content, self-check exercises, online quizzes (auto-scored and recorded), test item database and test preparation tools (auto-scored and recorded), e-mail accounts for students and instructors, and a bulletin board primed with interesting discussion topics. A wizard program guides you through the initial stages of course development, including the creation of a password-protected course home page. One feature automatically grades online tests and records scores in your electronic grade book. Another lets you monitor individual and overall student progress. You can even determine how often and for how long each and every student visits an online course page. The WebCT and Blackboard shells also let you integrate files without using HTML. CourseCompass If you want to teach a distance-learning style course, but do not use WebCT or Blackboard, Computers, 9th ed., is also available in Prentice Hall's proprietary course delivery platform called CourseCompass. CourseCompass is a dynamic, interactive online course management tool powered by Blackboard. This exciting product allows you to teach with Long and Long Computers, 9th ed., content in an easy-to-use customizable format. CourseCompass provides flexible tools and rich content resources that enable you to easily and efficiently customize online course materials to suit your needs. It includes Online Assessment whereby you can easily select or customize questions and answers to create quizzes and tests that can be administered online. In addition, CourseCompass is hassle free. We handle the hosting, the technical support, and the training so you can focus on your course by creating the best teaching and learning environment for both you and your students. EXPLORE GENERATION IT LABS Experience the more challenging topics in Computer Concepts anywhere and at any time with Prentice Hall's EXPLORE Generation IT Labs. These labs present an interactive look into the world of computer concepts. Building a Web Page Internet and WWW E-Commerce Introduction to Computer Programming Application Software Operating Systems Multimedia Building a Network Buying a Computer Hardware Folders and Files Binary Representation The 12 labs are delivered both on the Web and on CD-ROM, allowing you to access them in the classroom, the dorm, at home, or anywhere you have access to a computer and/or the Internet. Each labs takes only about 20 minutes to complete, and the quiz section at the end of each labs allows you to self-test your knowledge. You can e-mail, print, or save your results to floppy disk. These experiential concepts labs are available for purchase through your bookstore and can help make your computer concepts course even more fun and interactive. THE INSTRUCTOR'S ONE-STOP CD-ROM RESOURCE A va...