The operating system, or OS, is the heart and soul of a computer. An OS is the first program that is installed on a computer and enables the computer’s hardware to communicate with the software
The Benefits of Computers in Society
Consider what was required to write using a typewriter against writing the same document using a computer. There is clearly no comparison to the benefits that computers provide. Computers have improved efficiency, communications and creativity in offices, classrooms and a multitude of work settings around the world.
Offices have benefited from the computer’s powerful tools and can produce professional documents up to book size in a fraction of the time that was needed 20 years ago and do it all right in the office. Documents can be printed in color, with graphics and tables, copied and put together in an almost seamless operation from one computer. When prepared, the documents can be emailed or faxed anywhere in the world – from the same computer.
Computers are revolutionizing education by bringing the world into the classroom. With smart technology and a large screen a teacher can present any subject in creative new ways that visually stimulate learning through a laptop computer. Students can literally be connected to the world and curriculum can be designed to make it happen. From a lesson on geography with interactive maps and photos to studying complex mathematics and science, computers are helping teachers do a better job of educating students.
In almost any work setting, computers can improve productivity, make jobs more efficient and teach employees a new aspect of their job. Almost any work environment or operation can be automated to integrate all of the functions performed in a building – from beginning to finished product.
Computers in Education – Reinventing the Classroom
Computers are on the forefront of reinventing how students are taught from kindergarten through 12th grade and on into college. The advances in computer technology are exciting and hold great promise for helping to improve how students are taught and learn.
The initial intent for using computers in education was to give as many students as possible access to a computer. Many school systems invested heavily in purchasing computers (laptop and esk models) for students to use. This “one-to-onw” approach to integrating computers into classroom curriculum. As of 2006, 25 percent of school districts nationwide and school systems in nine states had invested in this individual computers with mixed results. The most positive result was a marked inprovement in test scores. In most cases it was determined that computers are best utilized by students in a supervised environment.
Other studies have drawn supporting conclusions. Students gain invaluable word processing skills and are often able to use computers to complete reports by the age of 8. Students also recognize the need to collaborate on projects and other assignments at an earlier age. The use of computers has led to the emergence of student leaders who are willing and able to help slower learning students. As important as any conclusion is the fact that young minds have a built in natural form of discovery that is enhanced by computers and that they benefit from the trial and error learning that comes with exploring on the computer.
The latest innovation in education is the computer integrated classroom LCD projector. Teachers can design curriculum and lessons to incorporate use of the Internet to immediately answer questions and present visual lessons that are more interesting. More complex subjects like math and sciences can be taught using animation to break down steps and make processes easier to understand.
The Rise of Tablet Computers
The inception of the iPhone and the touch screen technology is portrayed changed the way we look at mobile devices forever. People were, and still are, captivated by the touch-screen technology that various Apple products exhibit. As the iPhone quickly grew in popularity, Apple released a new, and seemingly larger version of the iPhone; only it could not be utilized as a phone. This product was known as the iPad, and helped revolutionize the way in which people view mobile computers such as laptops and other types of mobile personal computers.
The iPad runs the widely acclaimed Apple iOS that exhibits extremely simple navigation and a user friendly graphical interface. As the iPad began moving more into the mainstream, other mobile phone companies began releasing their own version of touch screen phones. While in fact these phones were nowhere near the technology and prestige of the iPhone, it was becoming prevalent the technology was growing, and moving from just one sector to many. In conjunction with these newly released phones, the Android operating system was released to run on the competing smartphones of the Apple iOS mobile devices. The Android operating system helped pave the way for higher end smartphones and eventually competing tablet computers.
Currently, there are a few different brands of tablet computers, the main one still being iPad, with competitors based around Android. These tablet computers are drastically becoming the wave of the future in terms of how mobile computers are utilized. Apple is in the works of producing the iPad 2, while other manufacturers are still releasing their initial tablet; consumers are going to be faced with a barrage of choices. Perhaps even these innovative touchscreen computers will eventually replace laptops?
Why The Internet Has Become so Important to Businesses
The Internet is a viable pass-time for millions of people on a daily basis. Whether they are jumping online via their favorite mobile device to look up a quick bit of information regarding a conversation they are having with someone, or they are building their own online business; the Internet has become a staple in our culture and modern society. Over the past few decades, the number of computers within households has grown drastically, and the number of people connected to the Internet has grown even more. Additionally, with the inception of wireless capabilities and Internet ready mobile devices, more people are jumping online than ever before.
This is extremely important to businesses who are looking to expand and survive the future. In a sense, the Internet is the future, and more people are becoming prone to doing their shopping via the computer through online retailers then jumping into their cars and rolling down to the nearest brick and mortar facility. As a result of this fact, more businesses are moving areas of their company into the online world, or completely making the transition from the physical world to online in order to take advantage of this untapped source of potential endless profits.
The Internet poses a virtually unlimited amount of digital real-estate in which businesses can claim based off various keywords in which they want customers to find them through. Additionally, it is easier to portray entire inventories online than in physical stores in which a customer might have to be referred to a different store for a particular item. Consumers like the fact they can simply pop online, navigate easily through a retail site and find the product they want for purchase. This generalized concept has drastically become more prevalent over the past five years, and is continuing to be so.
The Potential Problem of The Growing Number of Residential Computers
As with most pieces of technology, from the inception of a specific product, the amount of people utilizing that product only grows. This fact remains true with cell phones, and of course computers. A couple decades ago, it was rare to find a residential household that had a computer let alone access to the Internet. However, twenty years later, vast amounts of people own computers and connect to the Internet on a daily basis. Each day, thousands of people who have never accessed a computer take the plunge for the first time, whether at work or with a newly purchased private computer. This is by no means a bad thing, as it will allow online businesses to continue booming for decades to come with the projected consistent growth. However, with these potential economic opportunities comes an equal amount of cyber crime.
The single most prevalent problem with a growing number of residential computers is the large consumer base who connects to the internet unaware of the potential dangers that exist in the online world. These problems are far different than the threats that exist in the real world, and are difficult to detect, specifically for novice users. As a result of this, cyber crime is drastically increasing, with new viruses being released on a daily basis to infect unsuspecting computers utilizing underhanded yet innovative tactics. These viruses and scams lead to new widespread crime epidemics, particularly identity theft.
Identity theft is a growing problem, with an increase in cases annually. These cases result typically from email phishing scams that pose as a viable entity in order to obtain the information of an unsuspecting individual. Additionally, there are viruses that are floating around that while infecting a computer, can transmit specific user information, credentials, and private information to the developer of the virus. All of these problems persist due lack of first time user education as well as new tactics that are employed by malicious entities looking to make money through theft of identity and or spamming advertisements.
Why You Should Wait To Buy The Newest Operating System
It happens every time a new operating system comes out for Windows. A new operating system is a big deal for both the business world and the consumer world. The new and improved system is better but the old one is still going strong. It can be difficult on deciding whether to wait or grab the latest and greatest when it first comes out. But waiting for a few weeks or months can be beneficial to you. It can save you money and give you an insight into any potential problems. If your serious, it can also give you time to learn about the new setups before you make any purchase.
It also entails a lot of work and some unforeseen problems with capability. So when a new operating system hits the shelves, it is hard to gauge exactly how much work is involved with transferring over your data. Furthermore, a few weeks will give you the time to figure out how to smoothly transition. This is because shortly afterward, eager testers will be posting guides and information on how well the transition worked for them. A few weeks will help work out any capability errors since the company will be focused on fixing problems as soon as they appear.
Another advantage to waiting a few weeks is that the high prices that usually accompany a new system will drop a bit. By this time, you can usually catch a sale. Floor salesmen are also more knowledgeable about the product and its operations. So, you can capture real information and not something read on a little tag. However, you still might need tech support.
Finally, waiting a few weeks will help you determine if you really need the new system upgrade. Many businesses are very slow to upgrade their systems. As a result, the old operating system is the workable one and a new one becomes more of a play toy than a work computer.
Keeping Your Operating System Patched
The amount of people who are coming under computer ownership is growing at an increasing rate. A few decades ago, virtually nobody owned a computer or had access to the internet — today, thousands of people connect to the internet on a daily basis and explore the world wide web for the first time. Much of this surfing, while mobile devices are beginning to take a chunk of the access, are still done via a personal computer at home or at the office. In order for a computer to run, it needs to employ the services of an operating system. The operating system as the name states, operates the computer and provides the user with a navigable user interface in which they can perform specific tasks or activities. These operating systems may seem someone simplistic to the user who is surfing the internet via the computer in which the OS is running, however, behind the scenes, these intricate programs are doing thousands of different things at once.
As with anything that is intricate and complicated in its overall function, the operating system needs occasional patches to ensure it runs to the required standards and specifications. These patches are implemented via regular updates by the developer of the operating system. The importance of these updates is vital to the efficiency and security of the machine that the operating system is running on. If the system is not updated accordingly, the minor bugs the patch is fixing could turn into large scale problems overtime. Additionally, many released updates also include security patches that keep the security of the operating system updated to combat the latest threats. Clearly, a system whose user neglected to update the operating system over the course of multiple released patches is much more susceptible to attacks and potential problems over a system that has been adequately updated.
Patching an operating system is simple and painless. Most operating systems send out a notification when an update is available, and even the option to automatically download and install new updates via a checked option.
The Benefits of a Graphics Based User Interface in an Operating System
As our culture pushes further into becoming a technologically based modern society, more people will become owners of computers and get connected to the internet. Over the past decade alone, the amount of people who own a computer has grown drastically, and each year the numbers rise on a seemingly exponential basis. However, despite the rapid growth, more households are without computers and internet access than households that are. As a result of this, there are still large amounts of growth to be had, which also means there will be many more people who are unfamiliar with the computer and how to navigate around one. One of the most important aspects of general computer navigation is the operating system; the system that runs the computer and provides a means of navigating and accessing specific aspects within the computer.
Operating systems are generally the first impression that people have with their new system, particularly those who are not familiar with the computer and the various specifications that make one computer model more powerful over other models. Popular operating systems such as the Microsoft Windows operating systems are popular for many very important reasons, one of which is the fact they utilize graphical based user interfaces. A graphics based user interfaces uses graphics to designate specific areas of the computer that people can access. When a new computer is started, the buyer is faced with a desk top full of engaging graphics that are straight forward in their navigation and uses. This concept is extremely important for people who are unfamiliar with computers and need a bit of visual aid in their navigation.
The graphical based user interface on operating systems is by far the most popular. The friendly user interface and navigation makes it easy for people of all levels of computer intelligence to have an equally rewarding experience while operating on the machine. Operating systems are ever-changing, becoming more user friendly and efficient in the overall user experience; as such, it has never been a better time to begin learning about the computer.
What Makes Windows 7 So Great
What makes Windows 7 so great is what the programmers did and what they didn’t do when developing this system. The first thing they did was actually listen to the consumers who bought the Windows Vista. They learned what was wrong with Windows Vista, why consumers preferred Windows XP, and what consumers wanted in a new operating system. By listening instead of developing, they created a new version of Windows that easily adapted to but sleeker and with some new and improved features.
From Windows Vista, the developers learned a lot. The Windows Vista was a type of failure. It worked but the customers just didn’t like it. The developers learned some important lessons from Windows Vista so it wasn’t a complete failure. Some of the lessons they learned were very valuable from a marketing perspective. They learned that an overloaded system ran slowly. They learned that many of the features they thought were great just didn’t work for the average user. They learned that consumers preferred speed above everything else. In a core, they learned simple was better.
But the influence of Windows 7 didn’t just come from Windows Vista, people actually liked Windows XP. The developers took much of worked for Windows XP and transported it to the Windows 7 platform. They did sleek up some of the features such as the automatic detection of drivers for plug and play. They did make some things simpler but updated much of the design and graphics. They also compressed the operating system of Windows 7 so that it took up less space.
What makes Windows 7 so great is that the developers actually listened to the consumers. They found out what they wanted and what they didn’t want. They discovered it was all about the speed vice the features. Hopefully, these past lessons will be passed on to future Windows operating systems.
