My first reading assignment

Reading Assignment #2

Computer Hardware: Thought it was a good “getting to know you” reading from Wikipedia. Although going in I thought I had pretty good understanding of a computer there were certain things about the article that helped open my eyes a little more.

--My understanding was limited to Hardware & software and nothing more. Then I find out that there is something stored in the R-O-M called “firmware.”

--I was surprised to find out that although many people have home-computers in reality they compose only a small minority of the computer hardware in use. That CD players, automobiles, & microwave ovens have computer hardware embedded into the system and is not seen by most people.

--Something I noticed in the removable media devices is that the “A” drive is now classified as obsolete. That the CD, DVD & even Blu-Ray drives are seen as more common media devices, and I remember when the CD-Rom drive was considered a big deal. That playing a music CD on the computer was something special now it is just another part of the computer.

--Reading through the “internal & external bus controller” sections I noticed one thing. Out of the 16 bullet items listed 7 of the items are either being phased out, outdated, or for older machines. This made me reflect on something I heard during the lecture. The students were asked how they would describe integrated technology. After reading this article the term I would use is “fluid,” because technology is constantly changing all around us constantly. For example, I bought a computer in 2001 & another one in 2007 from the same company. The differences are the newer one is faster, can do more programs, and the biggest difference is no “A” drive on the newer one. These changes happened only 6 years apart. Who knows what the next computer I own will do that my newer one can’t.

Moore’s Law: I must confess ignorance before reading this article I had no clue who Gordon Moore was or what his law was, but after reading this I have to wonder why more people do not know of this man or his law.

--I was amazed to discover that Moore was a co-founder of Intel and that he foresaw the day when “The number of transistors the industry would be able to place on a chip would double every year.” Of course in 1975 he then revised his law saying that it would be every two years as opposed to every year.

--In spite of all of the advances that we have made in technology like all things man-made the transistor has its drawbacks. One quote, among many, that stood out to me was, “The cost to make each transistor decreases, but the chance the chip will not work due to defects increases.” Even in the world of transistors money/costs is a factor. For example the cost to “tape-out” a 90nm chip is at least one million dollars. The cost of one 90nm chip costs more than many of my friends and family make in a year. The cost for 65nm chip exceeds three-million dollars a year. Very interesting that many times we do not think of the financial aspect of what technological advances cost.

--Moore’s law is not only in-effect today, as seen in NAND Flash Memory, but that many in the technology field predict that Moore’s Law will continue in effect for the foreseeable future. However Moore knows that his law cannot last forever.

--Looking at the Computer History Museum I was shocked to see what a computer chip looked like in the 1950’s with just one transistor in it. I bring this up because it is believed that by 2015 the processors will contain 15 billion transistors. That is billion with a “B” not just 15 million.

--While the hardware improves the software doesn’t always keep up with the changing times. Another quote, Wirth’s Law to be exact, that stood out for me was, “Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster.” While the number of transistors increases it should be noted that doesn’t mean more processor speed.

--The video, while brief, gave me a good overview of what I read. That the bottom line is more Moore’s Law is about constant doubling.

--That technology trends in the last 4 decades has taken us from computers that were as big as a room to the I-Pod nano.

Computer History Museum: Again I confess ignorance I had no idea that this place even existed nor had ever heard of most of the people who were in there or their accomplishments. I thought most of the computer technology today started and ended with Bill Gates and Microsoft. I was surprised to find out that Mr. Gates and Microsoft are hardly even mentioned.

--I liked the fact that when I looked at the Silicon Engine I was able to see Moore’s Law once again being discussed and utilized. That in the 1950s there was one transistor, but by the 2000’s there were 592,000,000 transistors on a chip.

--That the internet timeline actually began in 1962 not in 1992 when it was more widely known and used

--Seeing computers that were bigger than any of my suitcases. I had always heard about room sized computers but never really saw any of them. I was just amazed that any of them worked at all and for something so big that at times it seemed like they did so little.

-- Reading about how Charles Babbage’s difference engine machine was re-built from the original drawings in the 1800s. That it had 8,000 moving parts weighed 5 tons and was 11 feet long just floored me. I used to work in a warehouse and many of our machines were not that big.


Muddy Question: One thing that stood out to me in the lectures was when it was mentioned that most people think books when they hear libraries. That what we want them to think is information first. I agree with this statement and I have heard this several times at the library I work at.

My question is this: How can we do this when at times it seems as though libraries have a difficult time dealing with ever changing technology due to a limited budget, limited resources, qualified people not being availible or people's unwillingness to embrace new technology?

Blogs where I have posted:

https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=6709282551702346326&postID=485981395426362657
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=7821109072135779287&postID=4962163656489671707
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=8747228788318880740&postID=8407104800590130460
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4527425204800506090&postID=9179574221183744791
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=4619180577856147392&postID=925690530959679777

(Responded to these on Saturday as a courtesy to those who responded to my blog)
http://stephaniec-lisblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/comments-ive-made-so-far.html
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5671000685629389967&postID=2808884919242478778