MODULE ONE
What is IT?
IT is essentially the use of digital technology like computers on the
Internet
to store and process data into useful information.
The IT industry refers to the entire scope of all the jobs and
resources that are related to computing technologies within society.
By getting into IT you'll help serve those in your communities,
organizations, and
maybe even inspire a new generation of IT pioneers.
What does an IT support specialist do?
But in general in IT support specialist make sure that an organization's
technological equipment is running smoothly.
This includes managing, installing, maintaining, troubleshooting and
configuring office and computing equipment.
It's projected that IT jobs in the US alone will grow 12% in the next
decade.
Abacus to analytical engine
The first major step forward was the invention of the mechanical
calculator in the 17th century by Blaise Pascal. This device uses a series of
gears and levers to perform calculations for the user automatically. While
it was limited to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division for
pretty small numbers. It paved the way for more complex machines. The
fundamental operations of the mechanical calculator would later apply to
the textile industry. Before we had streamline manufacturing looms were
used to weave yarn into a fabric. If you want to design patterns on your
fabric. That took an incredible amount of manual work. In the 1800s, a
man by the name of Joseph Jacquard invented a programmable
loom. These looms took a sequence of cards with holes in them. When the
loom encountered a hole, it would hook to thread underneath it.
Pioneers in Computing and IT
Ada Lovelace- Her mother educated her to excel in maths. She published
a set of notes which contained the first computer algorithm for the
Analytical Engine in 1843.
Alan Turing- he developed the concept of the Turing machine. Turing
proved that there were some yes/no mathematical questions that could
never be solved computationally which defined computation and its
limitations. Turing developed the Turing-Welchman Bombe which was used
to decipher Nazi codes and intercept Nazi messages.
Margaret Hamilton- While working in the meteorology
department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, she
developed software for predicting weather. With her experience
writing software, she wanted to ensure that this skill would get
its due respect and coined the term “software engineering.”
Admiral Grace hopper- she worked on the programming team
for the Mark I computer. After the war and her time at Harvard,
she began working on more powerful computers and
recommended that a programming language be developed that
used English words rather than symbols. This concept would
eventually become FLOW-MATIC the first programming
language to use English words which also necessitated the
invention of the first compiler (a program that translates source
code into machine code). Notably, she is also credited with first
using the term “computer bug” after a real bug (a moth) flew
into a computer she was working on
Computer Language
A computer simply compares ones and zeros,
but millions or billions of times per second. The communication
that a computer uses is
referred to as binary system,
also known as base-2 numeral system.
This means that it only talks in ones and zeros.
Character encoding
The oldest character encoding standard used is ASCII.
It represents the English alphabet,
digits, and punctuation marks.
The first character in the ASCII to
binary table, a lowercase a,
maps to 01100001 in binary.
This is done for all the characters
you can find in the English alphabet,
as well as numbers and some special symbols.
The great thing with ASCII was that we only needed to use
127 values out of our possible 256.
Binary
Remember that the loom use cards with holes in them.
When the loom would reach a hole,
it would hook to thread underneath,
meaning that the loom was on.
If there wasn't a hole,
it would not hook the thread, so it was off.
This is a foundational binary concept.
Abstraction
We use the concept of abstraction to take
a relatively complex system and simplify it for our use.
Use abstraction everyday in
the real-world and you may not even know it.
Glossary
Abstraction: To take a relatively complex system and simplify
it for our use
Algorithm: A series of steps that solves specific problems
ASCII: The oldest character encoding standard used is ASCII. It
represents the English alphabet, digits, and punctuation marks
Binary system: The communication that a computer uses is
referred to as binary system, also known as base-2 numeral
system
Byte: A group of 8 bits
Character encoding: Is used to assign our binary values to
characters so that we as humans can read them
Computer: A device that stores and processes data by
performing calculations
Cryptography: The overarching discipline that covers the
practice of coding and hiding messages from third parties
Decimal form- base 10 system: In the decimal system, there
are 10 possible numbers you can use ranging from zero to nine
Digital divide: The growing skills gap between people with
and without digital literacy skills
Information technology: The use of digital technology, like
computers and the internet, to store and process data into
useful information
Linux OS: Linux is one of the largest open source operating
systems used heavily in business infrastructure and in the
consumer space
Logic gates: Allow transistors to do more complex tasks, like
decide where to send electrical signals depending on logical
conditions
Open source: This means the developers will let other
developers share, modify, and distribute their software for free
PDA (Personal Digital Assistant): Allows computing to go
mobile
Punch cards: A sequence of cards with holes in them to
automatically perform calculations instead of manually entering
them by hand
RGB model: RGB or red, green, and blue model is the basic
model of representing colors
UTF-8: The most prevalent encoding standard used today