Ict Notes Chapter 5, 10
Ict Notes Chapter 5, 10
Operating systems
1.4
Define and describe operating systems which contain a Command Line Interface
(CLI)
Requires the user to type in instructions to choose options from menus, open
software and so on.
The user has to learn a number of commands to carry out basic operations. I.e. I.e.
>CopyA:NOTES.TXTC.1
Define and describe operating systems which contain a Graphical User Interface
(GUI)
Allows user to interact with a computer/ any electrical devices using pictures and
icons.
Instead of typing in a number of commands it could be replaced by a single icon
which would automatically execute the same commands.
GUI is a type of user interface which uses lots of graphics such as Windows,
Icons, Menus, and Pointing devices (WIMP). They can be used along side with
certain hardware for example the mouse controls the pointing device which is used
to control and select icons, menus, windows, etc.
Describe the differences, including the benefits and drawbacks, between operating
systems which contain a CLI and those which contain a GUI
Interface
Advantages
Disadvantages
Command
Line
interface
(CLI)
Graphical
user
interface
(GUI)
Types of computer
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Describe the characteristics of a laptop computer and what it is used for, both as a
standalone and networked computer
It is a type of computer where the monitor, keyboard, processor and so on are all
together in one single unit.
Main features
- Lightweight (Portable)
- Low power consumption (Long battery life)
- Processor does not generate too much heat
They
are used for similar tasks and purposes such as multimedia, school work,
Easier to steal
Describe the characteristics of a tablet computer and what it is used for, including its
ability to use wireless technology or 3G/4G technology
It is a new internet-enabled portable computer that works in a similar way to
smartphones.
Use of touchscreen instead of a mouse and keyboard to input commands
Internet access is usually through Wi-Fi or 3G/4G/5G (mobile phone)connectivity.
Some of the latest tablets has been designed as a hybrid between tablet and
smartphones, also known as phablet. They have slots for SIM cards which allows
to make phone calls or to access 3G and 4G technology.
3G- A mobile communications standard that allows cell phones, computers, and
other portable electronic devices to access the Internet wirelessly.
Tablets can be used for:Multimedia (Music, Movies, video games, etc)
Internet access (web browsing, emailing, Skype)
Using application software (Word processing, spreadsheet, etc)
Graphic designers to directly draw onto the tablets screen by using
ccca stylus pen
Run a wide range of custom apps such as E-Book reader
Typical
features
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Disadvantages of smartphones
Easy to lose
Describe how emerging technologies are having an impact on everyday life (e.g.
artificial intelligence, biometrics, vision enhancement, robotics, quantum
cryptography, computer-assisted translation, 3D and holographic imaging, virtual
reality)
Artificial intelligence (AI) biometrics ! Known problem with biometric
technology is that many fingerprint identification is falsely rejecting a persons
fingerprint. Artificial intelligence overcomes this problem using dynamic
profiling- The systems learns from the different alignment therefore it will be able
to match the fingerprints to those stored on the database.
Facial-recognition systems have the same problem; computers are unable to
recognize a face if the person has grown facial hair, aged or wears glasses. They are
confused by such soft biometric changes. New systems use AI which allows the
system to pick out these soft biometric changes and cross-reference these attributes
with corresponding images stored on the database.
Impact on everyday life
Better airport security
Increase building security It ensure that only authorized people can enter
Reduce car theft
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Safer transport
Increase in
personal safety
Improve medical
care
converts light into electrons. It then pass through another tube where they are
amplified to produce several times more the original number of electrons. A screen
at the end of the tube is coated in phosphor dots that glow when elections collide,
this results in a considerable clearer image that the original.
Robotics !Robots are used to perform a wide range of physical task. They are
mostly used in manufactured industry and are either automated (controlled by a
computer chip) or manually controlled by a human.
There are different types of robots:
- Carrier robots that is used by the military to carry heavy loads over
dangerous terrain
- Manufacturing robots that is used in industries to preform repetitive task
such as welding
- Domestic robots used in homes to perform cleaning tasks such as vacuum
- Exploration robots used to visit and send images from the depth of the sea
or mars.
Typical tasks of robots
Dangerous jobs
E.g. disposing of bombs, spray painting or
cleaning up nuclear waste.
Repetitive manufacturing jobs
E.g. production lines, packing and welding etc.
Exploring extreme environments E.g. inside volcanoes, planets or the depths of
the ocean.
Moving heavy objects
E.g. Installing large engines, moving pallets of
items etc.
Impact on everyday life
Increase in personal time
Loss of jobs
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10.1
Describe the constraints that affect the use of email, including: the laws within a
country, acceptable language, copyright, local guidelines set by an employer, the
need for security, netiquette and password protection
Constraint are the rules and guides that prevent to some extend the exchange of
unacceptable messages through emails.
The term opt-out refers to several methods by which individuals can avoid
receiving unsolicited product or service information.
Laws within a country ! Many countries has laws against the misuse of emails;
the rules that companies and individuals are required to abide to is:- Senders of emails are required to obtain opt-in permission before emails are sent
- Company or individual must have a clear way for recipients opt-out
- Companies must provide subscribers with a very clear way to unsubscribe from
their listing
- Companies and organisation must take their privacy policy very clear to
subscribers
- Many countries don't allow companies to harvest email addresses
- Emails must not be sent out if it false or a misleading subject line
- A valid postal address must accompany emails from companies
Acceptable language! Language used by people when writing emails must lie
within an acceptable code of practice. Unacceptable content used in emails, text
messages and online forums are:- Obscene images
- Language that is regarded as abusive, profane, inflammatory, coercive,
defamatory or blasphemous
- Racist, exploitative, violent messages
- Use of illegal materials in messages
In many countries there are stiff penalties for going outside boundaries.
Copyrights ! Its very important to realize that emails are subject to copyright
law. The ease of forwarding emails and attachments does not make it always legal.
Therefore, always check if the sender clearly indicates the confidentiality of the
email or its subject to copyright law. This is particularly true if the senders email
address is part of the companys name, I.e. A.N.U.User@Company_name.com.
Normally emails and attachments contains a copyright statement.
Local guidelines set by an employer ! Employers are expected to follow a certain
code of conduct when using their email facilities. For example:- Send large files
- Send confidential emails
- Convey disagreements/ arguments
- Send offensive materials
Failure to follow the rules could end in the dismiss of the employer
Security and password protection ! Always consider the security of your email.
Some methods in increasing security are:- Using strong password that contains letters, numbers & symbols
- Changing passwords on regular basis
- Using spam filters to remove suspicious emails.
- Running anti-virus and anti-spam software at all times on your computer to
protect your emails from malicious attacks.
Emails are said to be vulnerable to both passive and active attacks.
- Passive attacks include the release of email materials to other users without your
consent.
- Active attacks include the modification of your message or even denial of service
(clogs up your computer- Overloading of your system by sending tons of emails),
it also involves viruses and phishing attacks.
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Netiquette !Is shorthand for internet etiquette, which refers to the need to respect
other users views and display common courtesy when posting views in an online
discussion groups or when sending emails. Netiquette consists some rules from
which few are listed below:- Dont be abusive
- Dont send spam
- Be clear with your messages
- Remember that posts are public and can be read by any one.
- Always check your spelling and grammar.
- Respect peoples privacy and dont publish information that might embarrass
somebody.
- Forgive peoples mistakes dont be compelled to respond to errors.
- Dont use capital letters to highlight comments this is seeing as shouting.
- Dont plagiarise [take a work and pass it as your own]
- Dont use too many emoticons, as they may annoy your readers.
Define the term spam
It is an unsolicited email that is sent without being asked for.
Spam can be dangerous as it may contain viruses or be part of a phishing scam.
Spammers gets your email from a range of sources. This is called harvesting
email addresses. The sources includes social networking site, chat rooms, mailing
lists and so on.
Main reasons why spam are distributed are:- To attempt gaining personal data through phishing
- To advertise low quality products
- To spread viruses
Explain why spam needs to be prevented
- Uses peoples time
- Annoys people
- Uses valuable bandwidth on the internet, slowing it down
- Can contain viruses of be part of a phishing scam
- Clog up users inboxes
Describe the methods which can be used to help prevent spam
Use spam filters; this is included in most emails accounts and can be used
automatically to separate junk email from legitimate emails.
Dont post your email address in public website like chat rooms or social
networking site as spammers can simply read and add you to their distribution list.
Intranet
International network
Covers topics of global or general
interest
More difficult to block websites
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Disadvantages
Define and understand the terms: HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HyperText
Transfer Protocol secure variant (HTTPS), Uniform Resource Locator (URL),
hyperlink, Internet Service Provider (ISP), File Transfer Protocol (FTP)
HyperText Transfer Protocol (Http and HTTPS)! Set of rules that must be
obeyed when transferring data across the internet. When accessing a website the
http:// is displayed at the beginning of the address telling the web browser that http
rules are to be obeyed for communication.
- When some form of security (like SSL or TLS) certification and encryption is
used the protocol is changed to https where the S here refers to secure.
- Because of encryption, Https is slower than http, so it is usually only adopted
when sensitive or private data is transferred across the internet.
Web browsers & Uniform Resource Locator (URL)! Web browser use URL to
access websites and retrieve files through the web browsers the sites are
represented by set of four numbers. I.e. http://109.108.158.1. However it is not
user-friendly so instead alphanumeric set is used, I.e. http://
www.hoddereducation.co.uk/igcse_ICT
File Transfer Protocol (FTP)!Is a protocol used when transferring data from one
computer to another through the internet.
Internet Service Provider (ISP)! Is a company that provides users with the access
to the internet for a monthly fee.
Describe the structure of a web address
protocol://website address/path/filename
Where:
Protocol is usually http or https
website address:
- Domaine host (WWW)
- Domaine name (name of website)
- Domain type (.com, .org, .co, .net, .gov)
- Sometimes a country code is given (.uk, .us, .de, .cy)
Path, which is a web page
Filename is the item on the web page
Hyperlink! It can either be a word or phrase that is often blue and underlined
which jumps to a new document whenever you click on it. It allows user to jump
from one page to the other.
Explain what a web browser is used for
Web browser is a software that allows a user to display a web page on their
computer screen. They interpret/ translate the HTML (Hypertext markup
language) from website into videos, images or sound.
Explain what a search engine is used for
A search engine is a software program or script available through the Internet that
searches documents and files for keywords and returns the results of any files
containing those keywords.
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Define the term blog and describe the use of a blog as a means of communication
Blogs (web logs): are personal journals where a writer will type in their personal
views on some topics. I.e. Review on a movie release
Features
- Updated on a regular basis by the author.
- Usually organized in reverse chronological order. [Most recent to oldest]
- Public anyone can read them.
- Entries normally come from a single author.
- Cannot be altered by users.
Microblogs: are similar to blogs but are used on social networks to allow users
make short and frequent posts (such as tweets)
B-Blogs (Business blogs): is used by business to promote themselves on the
internet.
Define the term wiki and describe the use of a wiki as a means of communication
Wikis are web applications or websites that allow users to create and edit web
pages using any web browser. A wiki will support hyperlinks and uses a simple
syntax to create pages. Wikis are sometimes described as web pages with edit
button.
Features
- Anyone can edit, delete or modify the contents.
- Many authors can be involved in a wiki
- It is possible to organize the pages as the user wishes.
- Shows track of all entries
- Can easily be edited using a web browser
- Allows large documents to be seen by many people.
Define the term social networking and describe the use of social networking
websites as a means of communication.
A social networking website is an online platform that allows users to create a
public profile and interact with other users on the website. It focus on building
online communities of users who share the same interests and activities. They
enable people to share photos, videos, music, hobbies and so on.
Features
- Each member is provided with free web space
- Each member can built their own profiles
- Content upload is possible
- Its possible to write on others walls
- Emailing is possible
- Members have control on who can access their data
Disadvantages
Pages on the internet can have multimedia Huge risk of plagiarism and research
elements that makes learning more
skills are lost search engines do
interesting and easier to understand
everything
Explain why the internet is so popular giving reasons such as the amount of
information available and the speed of accessing information
The internet is popular due to
- Being easy to use
- The facility of finding any information on a certain topic
- Buying books is more costing than having usually free information on the internet
Explain why an internet search to find relevant information is not always fast
When using search engines, there is always the danger of information overload.
Millions of Sites can have matching data and therefore, if the user cannot narrow
their search criteria, it can take a long time to find exactly what they are looking
for.
Explain why it is not always easy to find reliable information on the internet
Anybody can create a website and publish information that could be inaccurate
and biased on one way of thinking. Its also possible that the search engines
suggested an outdated site which no longer is relevant or correct.
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