Information Technology - Made Simple

Front Cover

Information Technology: Made Simple

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1. The information revolution

1.1 The new age

1.2 How the information revolution began

1.3 The impact of microchips

1.4 The information explosion

1.5 The information factory

1.6 The information processing operations

1.7 Definition of information technology

1.8 Applications of IT

1.9 Analogue and digital systems

1.10 Systems theory

1.11 Output standards

1.12 The information processing system

1.13 Sub-optimization

1.14 System boundaries

1.15 Systems analysis

Chapter 2. Computers

2.1 What is a computer?

2.2 Computer hardware

2.3 Microprocessors

2.4 How a microprocessor handles information

2.5 Binary numbers

2.6 Microprocessors and logic

2.7 The AND operator

2.8 The AND gate

2.9 The OR operator

2.10 The NOT operator

2.11 Combining logical operators

2.12 Arithmetic and logic

2.13 Logic circuits

2.14 Microprocessors and computers

2.15 The Z80 microprocessor

2.16 The 680x0 family of microprocessors

2.17 The 80x86 family of microprocessors

2.18 RISC microprocessors

2.19 The transputer

2.20 Neural networks

2.21 Digital signal processors

2.22 Processing speeds

2.23 Computer memory

2.24 Random access memory

2.25 Read only memory

2.26 The memory map

2.27 Types of computer

2.28 Computer generations

2.29 The evolution of the personal computer

2.30 The IBM PC

2.31 The clones and the add-ons

2.32 The IBM AT

2.33 The Apple Macintosh

2.34 The IBM PS/2

2.35 Portable computers

2.36 Computer buses

Chapter 3. Peripherals

3.1 Introduction

3.2 Input devices

3.3 The keyboard

3.4 The mouse

3.5 Character-recognition devices

3.6 The microphone

3.7 Video cameras and scanners

3.8 Other input devices

3.9 Storage devices

3.10 Floppy disks

3.11 Hard disks

3.12 Optical (compact) discs

3.13 Output devices – monitors

3.14 Cathode ray tubes

3.15 Flat screens

3.16 Output devices – printers

3.17 Dot matrix printers

3.18 Ink-jet printers

3.19 Daisy wheel printers

3.20 Laser printers

3.21 Plotters

3.22 Communications devices and connectivity

Chapter 4. Languages and programs

4.1 The importance of software

4.2 What is software?

4.3 How software works

4.4 Programming languages

4.5 FORTRAN

4.6 BASIC

4.7 COBOL

4.8 PROLOG

4.9 Fourth generation programming languages

4.10 Program generators

4.11 Programming

4.12 Structured programming

4.13 Flowcharts

4.14 A BASIC program

4.15 A structured program

Chapter 5. System software

5.1 What is system software?

5.2 Operating systems

5.3 How the operating system organizes the disk

5.4 Directories

5.5 Naming files

5.6 Operating system commands

5.7 Setting the current drive

5.8 Displaying the contents of a directory

5.9 Changing directories

5.10 Changing to the root directory

5.11 Renaming, copying, and deleting files

5.12 Wildcards

5.13 Making and removing directories

5.14 Operating environments

5.15 GEM

5.16 Running applications within the Mac/GEM environments

5.17 Windows

5.18 Other environments for PCs

5.19 Utilities

Chapter 6. Application software

6.1 What is an application package?

6.2 The main application areas

6.3 Features of application packages

6.4 Macro languages

6.5 Example of an application package

6.6 Office automation software

6.7 Database software

6.8 Client/server database architecture

6.9 Record-keeping concepts

6.10 Record-keeping tasks

6.11 Database applications

6.12 Spreadsheet software

6.13 Spreadsheet concepts

6.14 Moving around the worksheet

6.15 Spreadsheet tasks

6.16 Spreadsheets and databases compared

6.17 Spreadsheet applications

6.18 Word processing and desktop publishing

6.19 Word processing concepts

6.20 Word processing tasks

6.21 WP applications

6.22 Personal productivity software

6.23 Ideas organizers

6.24 Expert systems

6.25 Expert systems for business

6.26 Project planning

Chapter 7. Graphics and multimedia

7.1 Graphics

7.2 Painting software

7.3 Drawing software

7.4 Wordchart software

7.5 Graphing software

7.6 Presentation software

7.7 Desktop publishing

7.8 DTP and typesetting compared

7.9 Hypermedia programs

7.10 Computer animation programs

7.11 Multimedia applications

7.12 Interactive video

7.13 Videodisc

7.14 Compact discs

7.15 Compact disc for multimedia applications

7.16 Data compression

7.17 Virtual reality systems

Chapter 8. Computer communications

8.1 What is computer communications?

8.2 Communications concepts

8.3 Hardware and software

8.4 Communications software

8.5 Modems

8.6 Local area networks

8.7 Telecommunications

8.8 Circuit switching and packet switching

8.9 The Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)reference model

8.10 Telecommunications services

8.11 Telephone

8.12 Cellular radio

8.13 Telex

8.14 Teletex

8.15 Facsimile

8.16 Videophones and videoconferencing

8.17 On-line databases and bulletin boards

8.18 Compuserve

8.19 Electronic data interchange

Chapter 9. Data processing

9.1 What is data processing?

9.2 Plan of this chapter

9.3 Data processing operations

9.4 Advantages of computer data processing

9.5 Disadvantages of computer data processing

9.6 Coding systems

9.7 Accuracy control

9.8 Data validation methods

9.9 Data verification methods

9.10 Files

9.11 Processing methods

9.12 Accessing methods

9.13 Data processing activities

9.14 Organizing data processing

9.15 Decentralized DP, using manual methods

9.16 Centralized DP, using computers

9.17 Decentralized DP, using computers

9.18 Bureau processing

9.19 Multiprogramming

9.20 The data processing department

9.21 Systems analysis

9.22 The systems project

9.23 The feasibility study

9.24 Computerizing the subsystems

9.25 Integrating the subsystems

9.26 Security

Chapter 10. Computer-integrated manufacturing

10.1 What is computer-integrated manufacturing?

10.2 The evolution of manufacturing technology

10.3 The impact of CIM

10.4 DP and CIM

10.5 The benefits of factory automation

10.6 Creating the integrated factory

10.7 Controlling the integrated factory

10.8 Manufacturing resources planning

10.9 Computer-aided design

10.10 Computer-aided manufacture

10.11 Flexible manufacturing systems

Chapter 11. IT and society

11.1 Introduction

11.2 IT and employment

11.3 IT and employment patterns

11.4 IT and job content

11.5 IT and training

11.6 IT and the high street

11.7 IT and the home

Index

11.8 IT and the arts

11.9 IT and privacy

11.10 IT and national security