Digital Planet:
Tomorrow’s Technology
and You
George Beekman • Ben Beekman
Tenth Edition
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Digital Planet:
Tomorrow’s Technology and You
Chapter 1
Exploring Our Digital Planet
Copyright © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
Living in a Non-digital World
• Computers are
everywhere.
• Our lives are directly
affected when they do
not operate.
• Computers have
infiltrated our lives so
we do not know how to
function without them.
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Computers in Perspective (cont.)
Computer hardware
• Early computers used vacuum
tubes.
• Tubes were replaced by
transistors.
• By mid-1960s, more powerful
machines were based on
integrated circuits—small
silicon chips containing A vacuum tube, a transistor,
and an integrated circuit.
hundreds of transistors.
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Computers in Perspective (cont.)
Benefits of integrated circuits
• Reliability: Less prone to failure
• Size: Single chips could replace entire boards
• Speed: Electricity had shorter distances to travel
• Efficiency: Small chips used less electrical power and
created less heat
• Cost: Mass production techniques made it easy to
manufacture inexpensive chips
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Embedded Systems
Embedded system: A microprocessor used as a
component of a larger system
More than 90% of microprocessors are hidden inside
common household and electronic devices:
• Thermostats, traffic lights, cars
• Wristwatches, toys, game machines
• TVs, camcorders, ovens
Anything powered by electricity—battery or house
current—is candidate for microprocessor implant
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Personal Computers
Personal computer: Designed to be used by one person
at a time
• Tool for enhancing productivity, creativity,
communication
Desktop computer has several components:
• Tower (containing microprocessor and other
components)
• Monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers
Some house all components in monitor casing
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Workstations
Workstation: A high-end desktop computer with
massive computing power.
• Used for computationally intensive interactive
applications
• Large-scale scientific data analysis
Line separating workstations and desktop computers
becoming less distinct.
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Portable Computers
• Laptop computers—
sometimes called notebook
computers—designed for
portability
• Netbooks are extra-small,
extra-light, no-frills
computers
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Handheld Devices
• Personal digital assistants
(PDAs)
• Smart phones combine the
functions of a phone, camera,
PDA, game machine, and
music/video player.
• Tablet computers bridge the
gap between smart phone and
notebook/netbook PC. Smart phone
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Servers
Server: A computer that provides other computers
connected to a network with access to data,
programs, and other resources
Any desktop computer can be used as a server but
some are specifically designed for this purpose.
Servers have faster processors, more memory, or
faster network connections.
Often clustered together in groups to increase
processing power
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Mainframes
Mainframes: Room-sized computers with price tags
to match
Before microcomputers, most information processing
was done on mainframe computers.
Today mainframe computers are used by large
organizations, such as airlines and banks.
Mainframe computers can communicate with several
users simultaneously through timesharing.
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Supercomputers
• Typical supercomputer
is constructed out of
thousands of
microprocessors.
• Power users with
special requirements
need access to fastest,
most powerful
computers.
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Computer Connections:
The Internet Revolution
Internet: Work began on experimental network in
the in late 1960s as it evolved it became known as
the Internet.
In 1990s, software became more usable.
The Internet was transformed from text-only to
include pictures, animation, sounds, and video.
The World Wide Web (WWW) became accessible to
millions who connect through a Web browser.
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Computer Connections:
The Internet Revolution (cont.)
Growth of the Internet
• Widespread email and Web use
• Few million users in 1990s—about two billion users
today
• Internet’s population reflects population at large
• More than half are now female
• Areas with no Internet access are harder to find
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Computer Connections:
The Internet Revolution (cont.)
Web 2.0 sites are built around contributions from
Web users
• My Space
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Google Maps
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Into the Information Age
10,000 years ago, people learned to domesticate
animals and grow their own food.
Agricultural age: Lasted until about 200 years ago
Industrial age: Advances in machine technology
ushered in this age
Information age: A convergence of computer and
network technology—where most people earn their
living working with words, numbers, and ideas
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