Fulafia E-Learning Hub Registration Guide
Fulafia E-Learning Hub Registration Guide
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MP-104
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Course Development Committee
Chairman
Prof. (Dr.) Naresh Dadhich
Vice-Chancellor
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota
Convener and Members
Subject Convener and Co-ordinator
Prof. P.K. Sharma
Professor of Management,
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota
Members: 6. Prof. R.K. Jain
1. Prof. P.N. Mishra Professor (Retd.),
Professor, JLN Institute of Business Management,
Institute of Management Studies, Vikram University, Ujjain
Devi Ahilya University, Indore 7. Prof. Ipshita Bansal
2. Prof. Kalpana Mathur Professor, WISDOM
Professor, Banasthali Vidhyapeeth,
Deptt. of Management Studies, Banasthali
J.N.V. University, Jodhpur 8. Prof. Karunesh Saxena
3. Prof. Nimit Chaudhary Professor,
Professor, Faculty of Management Studies,
Indian Institute of Tourism & Travel Management, Mohanlal Sukhadia University, Udaipur
Gwalior 9. Dr. Mahesh Chand Garg
4. Prof. Kamal Yadav Associate Professor,
School of Management Studies, Haryana Business School
IGNOU, New Delhi Guru Jambeshwar University of Science Technology,
5. Prof. Gitika Kapoor Hisar
Professor, R.A. Podar Institute of Management, 10. Dr. R.K. Jain
University of Rajasthan, Jaipur Asst. Professor,Deptt. of Management,
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota
Editing and Course Writing
Editor
Dr. Deepak Shrivastava
Institute of Management Studies,
Devi Ahilya University, Indore
Writers Shri Praveen Sharma (Unit No. 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
Dr. R.B. Ranga (Unit No. 1, 5) Lord Buddha Institute of Technology & Science, Kota
Deptt. of Computer Science, Dr. Shipra Arora (Unit No. 12, 15)
Govt. Engineering College, Bikaner Deptt. of IT & Management, KIIT, Bhondsi, Gurgaon
Shri N.K. Joshi (Unit No. 2) Dr. Deepak Shrivastava (Unit No. 13, 14, 18)
Deptt. of Computer Science, Institute of Management Studies,
Modi Institute of Management & Technology, Kota Devi Ahilya University, Indore
Shri Rakesh Sharma (Unit No. 3, 4) Dr. Ashutosh Gaur (Unit No. 16)
Deptt. of Computer Science, Deptt. of Computer Science,
V.M. Open University, Kota Vidhya Bhawan University, New Delhi
Prof. Rajeev Gupta (Unit No. 6) Shri Anand Sehgal (Unit No. 17)
Deptt. of Electronics, Deptt. of IT & Management,
Rajasthan Technical University, Kota KIIT, Bhondsi, Gurgaon
Academic and Administrative Management
Prof. (Dr.) Naresh Dadhich Prof. M.K. Ghadoliya Mr. Yogendra Goyal
Vice-Chancellor Director (Academic) Incharge
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Material Production and
Kota Kota Distribution Department
Course Material Production
Mr. Yogendra Goyal
Assistant Production Officer
Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, Kota
276
D
Production: May, 2011 ISBN -
All rights reserved. No. part of this book may be reproduced in any from by mimeograph or any other
means without permission in writing from the V.M. Open University, Kota
Printed and published on behalf of by Registrar V.M. Open University, Kota
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Introduction
The course aims to develop an understanding of the learners for computer literacy, application,
usage and application of Information Technology for their day to day activities.
and generations of computer will be discussed in the relevant units. Block II : Operating
Systems highlights the desk operating system, windows and unix operating systems for
operating the computers. Block III: Application Softwares will discuss important application
softwares such as MS-Office, Mail Merge and Macro, MS Excel, MS Power Point and MS
Access. These applications softwares will facilitate the learners to use computers for their
business activities. Block IV : Internet consists of two units which will develop skills to use
Reality, Video Conferencing. Artificial Intelligence, Super High ways and E-Commerce.
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MP 104
Contents
Fundamentals of Information Technology
Unit No. Name of Unit Page No.
BLOCK I : INTRODUCTION OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Unit - 1 Introduction to Computers 1-13
Unit - 2 Software and Computer Languages 14-32
Unit - 3 Generations of Computer 33-40
BLOCK IV : INTERNET
Unit - 13 Internet 203-211
Unit - 14 Internet Tools 212-224
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UNIT - 1 : INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTERS
Unit Structure
1.0 Objectives
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Evolution of Computers
1.3 Components of a Computer
1.4 Hardware V/S Software
1.5 Systems V/S Applications Software
1.6 Bits and Bytes
1.7 Input and Output Devices
1.8 RAM and ROM
1.9 Secondary Storage Devices
1.10 Summary
1.11 Key Words
1.12 Self Assessment Test
1.13 Reference Books
1.0 Objectives
After studying this unit you should be able to
1.1 Introduction
This unit aims at introducing you to today’s most commonly used electronic device – the computer.
The study of this unit will highlight the characteristics and evolution of computers. It will also help you to
understand the basic terminology associated with [Link] word ‘Computer’ literally means to
‘Compute’ or to ‘Calculate’. Stated simply, it is an electronic device which processes information based
on the instructions provided, to generate the desired output. It, therefore, requires two types of input –
raw data, and the set of instructions to process or act upon the data.
This can schematically be shown in Figure 1.1.
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Data
Process Output
Instructions
Input
Computers are versatile machines and are capable of performing any task as long as it can be
broken down into a series of logical steps. This means that their capability is, once again, limited only by
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human intelligence. As is evident, in today’s fast developing technology-world, it is almost inposible to find
an area where computers are not being used. The presence of computers can be seen in every sphere –
Railway/Air reservation, Banks, Hotels, Weather forecasting and many more.
Storage Capacity
Today’s computers can store volumes of data. Unlike human memory where unimportant information
is relegated to the back of the mind and forgotten as time progresses, a piece of information once recorded
(or stored) in the computer, can never be forgotten and can be retrieved almost instantaneously! Information
can, therefore, be retained as long as desired (using secondary storage – a type of detachable memory).
In 1671, Gottfried von Leibnitz, a German mathematician, invented a calculating machine which
was able to add and perform multiplications. He invented a special stepped gear mechanism for introducing
the addend digits, which is still being used.
The prototypes made by Pascal and Leibnitz were not used in many places. It was only about a
century later that Thomas of Colmar created the first successful mechanical calculator which could add,
subtract, multiply, and divide. A lot of improved desktop calculators by various inventors followed, such
that by 1890 a range of improvements like accumulation of partial results, storage of past results, and
printing of results were not uncommon.
1.2.1 The First Computer
A step towards automated computing was the development of punched cards which were first
successfully used by Herman Hollerith, who worked in the US Census Bureau in 1890. He along with
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James Powers developed devices that could read information that had been punched into cards, without
any human help. This resulted in reduced reading errors, increased workflow and availability of unlimited
memory (punched cards could be used as easily accessible memory of unlimited size). These advantages
were seen by various commercial companies and soon led to the development of improved punch-card
using computers by companies like International Business Machines (IBM) and Remington.
Mark I
After World War II there was a need felt for advanced calculations. By that time, many reliable
mechanical desk calculators had been developed. Howard A. Aiken of Harvard University, while working
on his doctorate in physics, in the year 1937, designed a machine that could automatically perform a
sequence of arithmetic operations. He completed this in 1944 and named it Mark I. This machine performed
a multiplication and division at an average of about four and eleven seconds respectively. The results were
printed at a rate of one result per five seconds.
ENIAC
The World War II also produced a large need for computer capacity especially for the military.
New weapons were made for which trajectory tables and other essential data were needed. In 1942,
Professors. John P. Eckert and John W. Mauchly at the Moore School of Engineering of the University
of Pennsylvania, USA, decoded to build a high speed computer to do the job. This was called the Electronic
Numeric Integrator and Calculator (ENIAC). It used 18,000 vacuum tubes, about 1,800 square feet of
floor space, and consumed about 180,000 watts of electrical power. It had punched cards I/O and its
programs were wired on boards. ENIAC is accepted as the first successful high-speed electronic digital
computer and was used from 1946 to 1955.
EDVAC
Fascinated by the success of ENIAC, John Von Neumann, a mathematician, undertook an abstract
study of computation in 1945. In this he aimed to show that a computer should be able to execute any kind
of computation by means of a proper programmed control. His ideas, referred to as ‘stored program
technique’, became essential for future generations of high-speed digital computers and were universally
accepted. The basic idea behind the stored program concept was that data as well as instructions can be
stored in the computer’s memory to enable automatic flow of operations. Between 1947 and 1950, the
More School personnel and the Ballistics Research Laboratory of the US army built a computer named
Electronic Discrete Variable Automatic Computer (EDVAC), which was based on Von Neumann’s concept
of stored program.
UNIVAC
The Universal Automatic Computer (UNIVAC), developed in 1951, was the first digital computer
to be produced and was installed in the Census Bureau. The first-generation stored-program computers
needed a lot of maintenance, reached 70% to 80% reliability of operations and were used for almost 10
years. EDVAC and UNIVAC fell into this group of computers and were the first commercially available
computers.
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1.3 Components of a Computer
The computer system essentially comprises of three important parts – input device, central processing
unit (CPU) and the output device. The CPU itself is made of three components namely, the arithmetic
logic unit (ALU), memory unit, and the control unit. In addition to these, auxiliary storage/secondary
storage devices are used to store data and instructions on a long-term basis.(Figure - 1.2)
Arithmetic
Logic Unit
Input Unit Output Unit
Control Unit
Main
Memory
Secondary
Storage
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Control
The function of the control unit is to execute the instructions of a program, one by one, in the desired
sequence. It interprets each instruction and then prompts its execution by one of the units like input,
output, ALU, storage. For example, a comparison of two numbers (a logical operation) to be performed
by the ALU may require loading the two numbers into the main memory which is a function performed by
the control unit. It will then pass on the execution of the ‘compare’ function to the ALU.
Output Unit
The processed data, stored in the memory of the computer is sent to the output unit, which then
converts it into a form that can be understood by the user. The output is usually produced in one of the two
ways – on the display device, or on paper (hard copy)
Secondary Storage
Also termed as ‘auxiliary’ or ‘backup’ storage, it is typically used as a supplement to main storage.
It is much cheaper than the main storage and stores large amount of data and instructions permanently.
Hardware devices like magnetic tapes and disks fall under this category.
Computer hardware cannot perform any manipulation or calculation without being instructed as to
what to do and how to do it. Programs (or instructions) are required to tell the computer what to do. The
generic term for computer programs is ‘software’. Software comes in two main types – system software
and application programs.
Software that can perform a specific task for the user, such as word processing, accounting, budgeting
or payroll, fall under the category of application software. Such programs run on top of an operating
system (like Windows, UNIX, Linux, Macintosh) and are used to carry out specific functions. Word
processors, spreadsheets, database management systems are all examples of general purpose application
programs. We will study system software and application software in details in coming units.
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1.6 Bits and Bytes
All information in the computer is handled using electrical components like the integrated circuits,
semiconductors, all of which can recognize only two states – presence or absence of an electrical signal.
Two symbols used to represent these two states are 0 and 1, and are known as BITS (an abbreviation for
BInary DigiTS). 0 represents the absence of a signal, 1 represents the presence of a signal. A BIT is,
therefore, the smallest unit of data in a computer and can either store a 0 or 1. Since a single bit can store
only one of the two values, there can possibly be only four unique combinations:
00 01 10 11
Bits are, therefore, combined together into larger units in order to hold greater range of values.
BYTES are typically a sequence of eight bits put together to create a single computer alphabetical
or numerical character. More often referred to in larger multiples, bytes may appear as Kilobytes (1,024
bytes), Megabytes (1,048,576 bytes), GigaBytes (1,073,741,824), TeraBytes (approx.
1,099,511,000,000 bytes), or PetaBytes (approx. 1,125,899,900,000,000 bytes).
Bytes are used to quantify the amount of data digitally stored (on disks, tapes) or transmitted (over
the internet), and are also used to measure the memory and document size.
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Alphanumeric Keypad :
It consists of keys for English alphabets, 0 to 9 numbers, and special characters like + - / * ( ) etc.
Function Keys :
There are twelve function keys labeled F1, F2, F3, … , F12. The functions assigned to these keys
differ from one software package to another. These keys are also user programmable keys.
Special-function Keys :
These keys have special functions assigned to them and can be used only for those specific purposes.
Functions of some of the important keys are defined below.
Enter :
It is similar to the ‘return’ key of the typewriter and is used to execute a command or program.
Spacebar : It is used to enter a space at the current cursor location.
Backspace :
This key is used to move the cursor one position to the left and also delete the character in that
position.
Delete :
It is used to delete the character at the cursor position.
Insert :
Insert key is used to toggle between insert and overwrite mode during data entry.
Shift :
This key is used to type capital letters when pressed along with an alphabet key. Also used to type
the special characters located on the upper-side of a key that has two characters defined on the same key.
Caps Lock :
Cap Lock is used to toggle between the capital lock feature. When ‘on’, it locks the alphanumeric
keypad for capital letters input only.
Tab :
Tab is used to move the cursor to the next tab position defined in the document. Also, it is used to
insert indentation into a document.
Ctrl :
Control key is used in conjunction with other keys to provide additional functionality on the keyboard.
Alt :
Also like the control key, Alt key is always used in combination with other keys to perform specific
tasks.
Esc :
This key is usually used to negate a command. Also used to cancel or abort executing programs.
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Numeric Keypad :
Numeric keypad is located on the right side of the keyboard and consists of keys having numbers
(0 to 9) and mathematical operators (+ - * /) defined on them. This keypad is provided to support quick
entry for numeric data.
These are arrow keys and are used to move the cursor in the direction indicated by the arrow (up,
down, left, right).
Mouse :
The mouse is a small device used to point to a particular place on the screen and select in order to
perform one or more actions. It can be used to select menu commands, size windows, start programs etc.
The most conventional kind of mouse has two buttons on top: the left one being used most frequently.
Mouse Actions
Left Click :
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functionality) but uses a light pen to move the pointer and select any object on the screen by pointing to the
object.
Users of Computer Aided Design (CAD) applications commonly use the light pens to directly draw
on screen.
Touch Screen
It allows the user to operate/make selections by simply touching the display screen. Common
examples of touch screen include information kiosks, and bank ATMs.
Monitor
Monitor is an output device that resembles the television screen and uses a Cathode Ray Tube
(CRT) to display information. The monitor is associated with a keyboard for manual input of characters
and displays the information as it is keyed in. It also displays the program or application output. Like the
television, monitors are also available in different [Link] was introduced in the 1970s and is now
applied to display terminals also. Its advantages like low energy consumption, smaller and lighter have
paved its way for usage in portable computers (laptops).
Printer
Printers are used to produce paper (commonly known as hardcopy) output. Based on the technology
used, they can be classified as Impact or Non-impact [Link] printers use the typewriting
printing mechanism wherein a hammer strikes the paper through a ribbon in order to produce output. Dot-
matrix and Character printers fall under this category.
Non-impact printers do not touch the paper while printing. They use chemical, heat or electrical
signals to etch the symbols on paper. Inkjet, Deskjet, Laser, Thermal printers fall under this category of
[Link] we talk about printers we refer to two basic qualities associated with printers: resolution,
and speed. Print resolution is measured in terms of number of dots per inch (dpi). Print speed is
measured in terms of number of characters printed in a unit of time and is represented as characters-per-
second (cps), lines-per-minute (lpm), or pages-per-minute (ppm).
Plotter
Plotters are used to print graphical output on paper. It interprets computer commands and makes
line drawings on paper using multicoloured automated pens. It is capable of producing graphs, drawings,
charts, maps etc. Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) applications like CAD (Computer Aided Design)
and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing) are typical usage areas for plotters.
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so that they can be accessed by the computer’s processor during processing. The more RAM a computer
has, the more data a computer can [Link] access memory, also called the Read/Write memory,
is the temporary memory of a computer. It is said to be ‘volatile’ since its contents are accessible only as
long as the computer power is on. The contents of RAM are cleared once the computer power is turned
off.
ROM or Read Only Memory is a special type of memory in which can only be read and contents
of memory are not lost even when the computer is switched off. It typically contains manufacturer’s
instructions. Among other things, ROM also stores an initial program called the ‘bootstrap loader’ whose
function is to start the computer software operation, once the power is turned on.
Information once stored on the ROM or PROM chip cannot be altered. However, another type of
memory called EPROM (Erasable PROM) allows a user to erase the information stored on the chip and
reprogram it with new information. EEPROM (Electrically EPROM) and UVEPROM (Ultra Violet
EPROM) are two types of EPROMs.
Floppy Disk
These are small removable disks that are plastic coated with magnetic recording material. Floppy
disks are typically 3.5² in size (diameter) and can hold 1.44 MB of data. This portable storage device is a
rewritable media and can be reused a number of times.
Floppy disks are commonly used to move files between different computers. The main disadvantage
of floppy disks is that they can be damaged easily and, therefore, are not very reliable.
Hard Disk
Hard disks are made up of rigid material and are usually a stack of metal disks sealed in a box. The
hard disk and the hard disk drive exist together as a unit and are a permanent part of the computer where
data and programs are saved. These disks have storage capacities ranging from 1GB to 80 GB and more.
Hard disks are also rewritable and are more reliable when compared with floppies.
Depending on the way they are packaged, hard disks can be classified as Disk packs or Winchester
disks. Disk packs are removable, in the sense that they can be removed and kept offline when not in use.
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They must be mounted on the disk drive before use. Winchester disks on the other hand, consist of disk
platters sealed in a contamination-free container and form a permanent component of the computer.
Compact Disk
Compact Disk (CD) is portable disk having data storage capacity between 650-700 MB. It can
hold large amount of information such as music, full-motion videos, and text etc. It contains digital information
that can be read, but cannot be edited. Separate drives exist for reading and writing [Link] it is a very
reliable storage media, it is very often used as a medium for distributing large amount of information to
large number of users. In fact today most of the software is distributed through CDs.
1.10 Summary
In this unit, you have studied the evolution of a computer from a simple device like the abacus to the
more sophisticated ones as seen today, and its characteristics (speed, accuracy, diligence, versatility, and
storage capacity) that have contributed towards making it such a popular device. The differences between
concepts like hardware/software, system/application software, bits/bytes, ROM/RAM was also explained.
Various types of input, output and secondary storage devices along with their usages, were also studied.
• RAM: Random Access memory is internal memory of computer which is volatile in nature.
• ROM: Read Only Memory is also internal memory which is non-volatile in nature.
• Floppy: Secondary storage device used to store data based on magnetic properties.
• Hard Disk: Secondary Storage used to store every thing that we do on a computer.
• CD: Compact Disk is also secondary storage device based on optical properties.
1.12 Self Assessment Test
1. Identify the characteristics of a computer that have contributed towards making it such a popular
device.
2. What unique features classify computers into different generations?
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5. State TRUE or FALSE
a. All code or data is stored and processed in computers using two symbols – 0 and 1.
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UNIT - 2: SOFTWARE AND COMPUTER LANGUAGES
Unit Structure
2.0 Objectives
2.1 Introduction of Software
2.2 Types of Software
2.3. Application Software V/S System Software
2.4 Computer Language
2.5 History of Computer Languages
2.6 Classification of Computer Languages
2.7 Complier
2.8 Linker
2.9 Interpreter
2.10 High Level Languages
2.11 Summary
2.12 Key Words
2.13 Self Assessment Test
2.14 Reference Books
2.0 Objectives
After reading this unit you should be able to understand
• Requirement of Software
• Types of Software
• Need of System software
• Need of application software
• Need for computer languages
• Classification of Computer Langugae
• Concept and need of assembler, compiler, linker, and interpreter
• Concepts of object-oriented programming languages
• Characteristics of a programming language
Software includes all the various forms and roles that digitally stored data may have and play in a
computer (or similar system), regardless of whether the data is used as code for a CPU, or other interpreter,
or whether it represents other kinds of information. The types of software include web pages developed
in languages and frameworks like HTML, PHP, Perl, JSP, [Link], XML, and desktop applications
like Open Office, Microsoft Word developed in languages like C, C++, Java, C#, or Smalltalk. Application
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software usually runs on an underlying software operating systems such as Linux or Microsoft Windows.
Software (or firmware) is also used in video games and for the configurable parts of the logic systems of
automobiles, televisions, and other consumer electronics.
At the complete level, executable code consists of machine language instructions specific to an
individual processor. A machine language consists of groups of binary values signifying processor instructions
that change the state of the computer from its preceding state. Programs are an ordered sequence of
instructions for changing the state of the computer in a particular sequence. It is usually written in high-level
programming languages that are easier and more efficient for humans to use (closer to natural language)
than machine language. High-level languages are compiled or interpreted into machine language object
code. Software may also be written in an assembly language, essentially, a mnemonic representation of a
machine language using a natural language alphabet. Assembly language must be assembled into object
code via an assembler.
• Utility software, which helps to analyze, configure, optimize and maintain the computer.
System software is usually not what a user would buy a computer for - instead, it can be seen as the
basics of a computer which come built-in or pre-installed. In contrast to system software, software that
allows users to do things like create text documents, play games, listen to music, or surf the web is called
application software.
System software helps use the operating system and computer system. It includes diagnostic tools,
compilers, servers, windowing systems, utilities, language translator, data communication programs, data
management programs and more. The purpose of system software is to insulate the applications programmer
as much as possible from the details of the particular computer complex being used, especially memory
and other hardware features, and such accessory devices as communications, printers, readers, displays,
keyboards, etc.
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Specific kinds of system software include:
· Loaders
· Linkers
· Utility software
· Desktop environment / Graphical user interface
· Shells
· BIOS
· Hypervisors
· Boot loaders
Loader
In computing, a loader is the part of an operating system that is responsible for loading programs,
one of the essential stages in the process of starting a program. Loading a program involves reading the
contents of executable file, the file containing the program text, into memory, and then carrying out other
required preparatory tasks to prepare the executable for running. Once loading is complete, the operating
system starts the program by passing control to the loaded program code.
In many operating systems the loader is permanently resident in memories, although some operating
systems that support virtual memory may allow the loader to be located in a region of memory that is
pageable. In the case of operating systems that support virtual memory, the loader may not actually copy
the contents of executable files into memory, but rather may simply declare to the virtual memory subsystem
that there is a mapping between a region of memory allocated to contain the running program’s code and
the contents of the associated executable file. (See memory-mapped file.)
Linker:-
“ld (Unix)” redirects here. For the GNU Project’s implementation, see GNU linker.
An illustration of the linking process. Object files and static libraries are assembled into a new
library or [Link] computer science, a linker or link editor is a program that takes one or more
objects generated by a compiler and combines them into a single executable program. In IBM mainframe
environments such as OS/360 this program is known as a linkage editor.
On Unix variants the term loader is often used as a synonym for linker. Because this usage blurs the
distinction between the compile-time process and the run-time process, this article will use linking for the
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former and loading for the latter. However, in some operating systems the same program handles both the
jobs of linking and loading a program.
Utility software
Utility software is a kind of system software designed to help analyze, configure, optimize and
maintain the computer. A single piece of utility software is usually called a utility or [Link] software
should be contrasted with application software, which allows users to do things like creating text documents,
playing games, listening to music or surfing the web. Rather than providing these kinds of user-oriented or
output-oriented functionality, utility software usually focuses on how the computer infrastructure (including
the computer hardware, operating system, application software and data storage) operates. Due to this
focus, utilities are often rather technical and targeted at people with an advanced level of computer
[Link] utilities are highly specialized and designed to perform only a single task or a small range
of tasks. However, there are also some utility suites that combine several features in one software. Most
major operating systems come with several pre-installed utilities.
Desktop environment
In graphical computing, a desktop environment (DE) commonly refers to a style of graphical user
interface (GUI) that is based on the desktop metaphor which can be seen on most modern personal
computers today. These graphical interfaces are designed to assist the user in easily accessing and configuring
(or modifying) the most important (or frequently accessed) specific Operating System (OS) packed features,
yet it is not meant to give access to the whole vast feature set found in an OS, reason for which the
traditional, yet less intuitive, command-line interface (CLI) is still in use when full control over the OS is
required.
A desktop environment typically consists of icons, windows, toolbars, folders, wallpapers,shortcuts
and desktop widgets. Software which provides a desktop environment might also provide drag and drop
functionality and other features which make the desktop metaphor more complete. On the whole, a
desktop environment is to be an intuitive way for the user to interact with the computer using concepts
which are similar to those used when interacting with the physical world, such as buttons and windows.
Shell
A shell is a piece of software that provides an interface for users to an operating system which
provides access to the services of a kernel. However, the term is also applied very loosely to applications
and may include any software that is “built around” a particular component, such as web browsers and
email clients that are “shells” for HTML rendering engines. The name shell originates from shells being an
outer layer of interface between the user and the innards of the operating system (the kernel).
Operating system shells generally fall into one of two categories: command-line and graphical.
Command-line shells provide a command-line interface (CLI) to the operating system, while graphical
shells provide a graphical user interface (GUI). In either category the primary purpose of the shell is to
invoke or “launch” another program; however, shells frequently have additional capabilities such as viewing
the contents of directories.
BIOS
The BIOS is boot firmware, designed to be the first code run by a PC when powered on. The initial
function of the BIOS is to identify, test, and initialize system devices such as the video display card, hard
disk, floppy disk and other hardware. The BIOS sets the machine hardware into a known state, so that
software stored on compatible media can be loaded, executed, and given control of the PC. This process
is known as booting, or booting up, which is short for bootstrapping.
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BIOS
BIOS programs are stored on a chip and are built to work with various devices that make up the
complementary chipset of the system. They provide a small library of basic input/output functions that can
be called to operate and control the peripherals such as the keyboard, text display functions and so forth.
In the IBM PC and AT, certain peripheral cards such as hard-drive controllers and video display adapters
carried their own BIOS extension ROM, which provided additional functionality. Operating systems and
executive software, designed to supersede this basic firmware functionality, will provide replacement
software interfaces to applications.
It includes a combination of the following:
• device drivers
• operating systems
• servers
• utilities
• windowing systems
2.2.2 Programming software
Programming software usually provides tools to assist a programmer in writing computer programs,
and software using different programming languages in a more convenient way. The tools include:
* compilers
* debuggers
* interpreters
* linkers
* text editors
An Integrated development environment (IDE) is a single application that attempts to manage all
these functions.
2.2.3 Application Software
Application software allows end users to accomplish one or more specific (not directly computer
development related) tasks. Typical applications include:
* industrial automation
* business software
* video games
* quantum chemistry and solid state physics software
* telecommunications (i.e., the Internet and everything that flows on it)
* databases
* educational software
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* medical software
* military software
* molecular modeling software
* image editing
* spreadsheet
* simulation software
* Word processing
* Decision making software
Application software, also known as applications or apps, is computer software designed to help
the user to perform singular or multiple related specific tasks. Examples include Enterprise software,
Accounting software, Office suites, Graphics software and media players.
Application software is contrasted with system software and middleware, which manage and integrate
a computer’s capabilities, but typically do not directly apply them in the performance of tasks that benefit
the user. A simple, if imperfect analogy in the world of hardware would be the relationship of an electric
light bulb (an application) to an electric power generation plant (a system). The power plant merely
generates electricity, not itself of any real use until harnessed to an application like the electric light that
performs a service that benefits the user.
* An application suite consists of multiple applications bundled together. They usually have related
functions, features and user interfaces, and may be able to interact with each other, e.g. open each
other’s files. Business applications often come in suites, e.g. Microsoft Office, [Link], and
iWork, which bundle together a word processor, a spreadsheet, etc.; but suites exist for other
purposes, e.g. graphics or music.
* Enterprise software addresses the needs of organization processes and data flow, often in a large
distributed environment. (Examples include Financial, Customer Relationship Management, and
Supply Chain Management). Note that Departmental Software is a sub-type of Enterprise Software
with a focus on smaller organizations or groups within a large organization. (Examples include
Travel Expense Management, and IT Helpdesk)
* Enterprise infrastructure software provides common capabilities needed to support enterprise software
systems. (Examples include Databases, Email servers, and Network and Security Management)
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* Information worker software addresses the needs of individuals to create and manage information,
often for individual projects within a department, in contrast to enterprise management. Examples
include time management, resource management, documentation tools, analytical, and collaborative.
Word processors, spreadsheets, email and blog clients, personal information system, and individual
media editors may aid in multiple information worker tasks.
* Content access software is software used primarily to access content without editing, but may
include software that allows for content editing. Such software addresses the needs of individuals
and groups to consume digital entertainment and published digital content. (Examples include Media
Players, Web Browsers, Help browsers, and Games).
* Educational software is related to content access software, but has the content and/or features
adapted for use in by educators or students. For example, it may deliver evaluations (tests), track
progress through material, or include collaborative capabilities.
* Simulation software are computer software for simulation of physical or abstract systems for either
research, training or entertainment purposes.
* Media development software addresses the needs of individuals who generate print and electronic
media for others to consume, most often in a commercial or educational setting. This includes
Graphic Art software, Desktop Publishing software, Multimedia Development software, HTML
editors, Digital Animation editors, Digital Audio and Video composition, and many others.
* Product engineering software is used in developing hardware and software products. This includes
computer aided design (CAD), computer aided engineering (CAE), computer language editing and
compiling tools, Integrated Development Environments, and Application Programmer Interfaces.
System software performs tasks like transferring data from memory to disk, or rendering text onto
a display device. Specific kinds of system software include loading programs, operating systems, device
drivers, programming tools, compilers, assemblers, linkers, and utility software.
Software libraries that perform generic functions also tend to be regarded as system software,
although the dividing line is fuzzy; while a C runtime library is generally agreed to be part of the system, an
OpenGL or database library is less obviously so.
If system software is stored on non-volatile memory such as integrated circuits, it is usually termed
firmware while an application software is a subclass of computer software that employs the capabilities of
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a computer directly and thoroughly to a task that the user wishes to perform. This should be contrasted
with system software which is involved in integrating a computer’s various capabilities, but typically does
not directly apply them in the performance of tasks that benefit the user. In this context the termapplication
refers to both the application software and its implementation.
A simple, if imperfect analogy in the world of hardware would be the relationship of an electric light
bulb (an application) to an electric power generation plant (a system). The power plant merely generates
electricity, not itself of any real use until harnessed to an application like the electric light that performs a
service that benefits the user. Typical examples of software applications are word processors, spreadsheets,
and media players.
User-written software tailors systems to meet the user’s specific needs. User-written software
include spreadsheet templates, word processor macros, scientific simulations, graphics and animation
scripts. Even email filters are a kind of user software. Users create this software themselves and often
overlook how important it is.
In some types of embedded systems, the application software and the operating system software
may be indistinguishable to the user, as in the case of software used to control a VCR, DVD player or
Microwave Oven.
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have come in two stages, the first major languages and the second major languages, which are in use
today.
In the beginning, Charles Babbage’s difference engine could only be made to execute tasks by
changing the gears, which executed the calculations. Thus, the earliest form of a computer language was
physical motion. Eventually, physical motion was replaced by electrical signals when the US Government
built the ENIAC in 1942. It followed many of the same principles of Babbage’s engine and hence, could
only be “programmed” by presetting switches and rewiring the entire system for each new “program” or
calculation. This process proved to be very tedious.
In 1945, John Von Neumann was working at the Institute for Advanced Study. He developed two
important concepts that directly affected the path of computer programming languages. The first was
known as “shared-program technique”. This technique stated that the actual computer hardware should
be simple and not need to be hand-wired for each program. Instead, complex instructions should be used
to control the simple hardware, allowing it to be reprogrammed much faster.
The second concept was also extremely important to the development of programming languages.
Von Neumann called it “conditional control transfer”. This idea gave rise to the notion of subroutines, or
small blocks of code that could be jumped to in any order, instead of a single set of chronologically
ordered steps for the computer to take. The second part of the idea stated that computer code should be
able to branch based on logical statements such as IF THEN, and looped such as with a FOR statement.
“Conditional control faster” gave rise to the idea of “libraries”, which are blocks of code that can be
reused over and over.
In 1949, a few years after Von Neumann’s work, the language Short Code appeared. It was the
first computer language for electronic devices and it required the programmer to change its statements into
0’s and 1’s by hand. Still, it was the first step towards the complex languages of today. In 1951, Grace
Hopper wrote the first compiler, A-0. A compiler is a program that turns the language’s statements into 0’s
and 1’s for the computer to understand. This lead to faster programming, as the programmer no longer
had to do the work by hand.
In 1957, the first of the major languages appeared in the form of FORTRAN. Its name stands for
FORmula TRANSlating system. The language was designed at IBM for scientific computing. The
components were very simple, and provided the programmer with low-level access to the computers
innards. Today, this language would be considered restrictive as it only included IF, DO, and GOTO
statements, but at the time, these commands were a big step forward. The basic types of data in use today
got their start in FORTRAN, these included logical variables (TRUE or FALSE), and integer, real and
double-precision numbers.
Though FORTRAN was good at handling numbers, it was not so good at handling input and
output, which mattered most to business computing. Business computing started to take off in 1959, and
because of this, COBOL was developed. It was designed from the ground up as the language for
businessmen. Its only data types were numbers and strings of text. It also allowed for these to be grouped
into arrays and records, so that data could be tracked and organized better. It is interesting to note that a
COBOL program is built in a way similar to an essay, with four or five major sections that build into an
elegant whole. COBOL statements also have a very English-like grammar, making it quite easy to learn.
All of these features were designed to make it easier for the average business to learn and adopt it.
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In 1958, John McCarthy of MIT created the LISt Processing (or LISP) language. It was designed
for Artificial Intelligence (AI) research. Because it was designed for such a highly specialized field, its
syntax has rarely been seen before or since. The most obvious difference between this language and other
languages is at the basic and only type of data is the list, denoted by a sequence of items enclosed by
parenthesis. LISP programs themselves are written as a set of lists, so that LISP has the unique ability to
modify itself, and hence grow on its own. The LISP syntax was known as “Cambridge Polish,” as it was
very different from standard Boolean logic (Wexelblat, 177):
XVy– Cambridge Polish, what was used to describe the LISP program
OR(x,y) – parenthesized prefix notation, what was used in the LISP program
x OR y – standard Boolean logic
LISP- remains in use today because its highly specialized and abstract nature.
The Algol language was created by a committee for scientific use in 1958. its major contribution is
being the root of the tree that has led to such languages as Pascal, C, C++, and Java. It was also the first
language with a formal grammar, known as Backus-Naar Form or BNF (McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of
Science and Technology, 454). Though Algol implanted some novel concepts, such as recursive calling of
functions, the next version of the language, Algol 68, became bloated and difficult to use. This lead to the
adoption of smaller and more compact languages, such as Pascal.
Pascal was begun in 1968 by Niklaus Wirth. Its development was mainly out of necessity for a
good teaching tool. In the beginning, the language designers had no hope for it to enjoy widespread
adoption. Instead, they concentrated on developing good tools for teaching such as debugger and editing
system and support for common early microprocessor machines, which were in use in teaching institutions.
Pascal was designed in a very orderly approach; it combined many of the best features of the
languages in use at the time, COBOL, FORTRAN, and ALGOL. While doing so, many of the irregularities
and oddball statements of these languages were cleaned up, which helped it gain users. The combination
of features, input/output and solid mathematical features, made it a highly successful language. Pascal also
improved the “pointer” data type, a very powerful feature of any language that implements it. It also added
a CASE statement that allowed instructions to branch like a tree in such a manner.:
CASE expression OF
possible-expression-value-1:
statements to execute…
possible-expression-value-2:
statements to execute…
END
Pascal also helped the development of dynamic variables, which could be created while a program
was being run, through the NEW and DISPOSE commands. However, Pascal did not implement dynamic
arrays, or groups of variables, which proved to be needed and led to its downfall. Wirth later created a
successor to Pascal, Modula-2, but by the time it appeared, C was gaining popularity and users at rapid
pace.
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C was developed in 1972 by Dennis Ritchie while working at Bell Labs in New Jersey. The transition
in usage from the first major languages to the major languages of today occurred with the transition
between Pascal and C. its direct ancestors are B and BCPL, but its similarities to Pascal are quite obvious.
All of the features of Pascal, including the new ones such as the CASE statement are available in C. C uses
pointers extensively and was built to be fast and powerful at the expense of being hard to read. But
because it fixed most of the mistakes Pascal had, it won over former-Pascal users quite rapidly.
Ritchie developed C for the new Unix system being created at the same time. Because of this, C
and Unix go hand in hand. Unix gives C such advanced features as dynamic variables, multitasking,
interrupt handling, forking and strong, low- level, input-output. Because of this, C is very commonly used
to program operating systems such as Unix, Windows, the MacOS, and Linux.
In the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, a new programming method was being developed. It was
known as Object Oriented Programming, or OOP. Objects are pieces of data that can be packed and
manipulated by the programmer. Bjarne Stroustroup liked this method and developed extensions to C
known as “C With Classes.” This set of extensions developed into the full-featured language C++, which
was released in 1983.
C++ was designed to organize the raw power of C using OOP, but maintain the speed of C and be
able to run on many different types of computers. C++ is most often used in simulations, such as games.
C++ provides an elegant way to track and manipulate hundreds of instances of people in elevators, or
armies filled with different types of soldiers. It is the language of choice in today’s AP Computer Science
courses.
In the early 1990’s, interactive TV was the technology of the future. Sun Microsystems decided
that interactive TV needed the special, portable ( can run on many types of machines ), language. This
language eventually became Java. In 1994, the Java project team changed their focus to the web, which
was becoming “the cool thing” after interactive TV failed. The next year, Netscape licensed Java for use
in their internet browser, Navigator. At this point, Java became the language of the future and several
companies announced applications which would be written in Java, none of which came into use.
Though Java has very lofty goals and is a text-book example of a good language, it may be the
“language that wasn’t”. It has serious optimization problems, meaning that programs written in it run very
slowly. And Sun has hurt Java’s acceptance by engaging in political battles over it with Microsoft. But Java
may wind up as the instructional language of tomorrow as it is truly object-oriented and implements
advanced techniques such as true portability of code and garbage collection.
Visual Basic is often taught as a first programming language today as it is based on the BASIC
language developed in 1964 by John Kemeny and Thomas Kurtz. BASIC is a very limited language and
was designed for non-computer science people. Statements are chiefly run sequentially, but program
control can change based on IF.. THEN, and GOSUB statements which execute a certain block of code
and then return to the original point in the program’s flow.
Microsoft has extended BASIC in its Visual Basic (VB) product. The heart of VB is the form, or
blank window on which you draw and drop components such as menus, pictures, and slider bars. These
items are known as “widgets”. Widgets have properties ( such as its color ) and events (such as clicks and
double-clicks) and are central to building any user interface today in any language VB is most often used
today to create quick and simple interfaces to other Microsoft products such as Excel and Access without
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needing a lot of code, though it is possible to create full applications with it.
Perl has often been described as the “duet tape of the Internet,” because it is most often used as the
engine for a web interface or in scripts that modify configuration files. It has very strong text matching
functions which make it ideal for these tasks. Perl was developed by Larry Wall in 1987 because the Unix
sed and awk tools ( used for text manipulation) were no longer strong enough to support his needs.
Depending on whom you ask, Perl stands for Practical Extraction and Reporting Language or Pathologically
Eclectic Rubbish Lister.
Programming languages have been under development for years and will remain so for many years
to come. They got their start with a list of steps to wire a computer to perform a task. These steps
eventually found their way into software and began to acquire newer and better features. The first major
languages were characterized by the simple fact that they were intended for one purpose and one purpose
only, while the languages of today are differentiated by the way they are programmed in, as they can be
used for almost any purpose. And perhaps the languages of tomorrow will be more natural with the
invention of quantum and biological computers.
• Uses alphanumeric mnemonic codes instead of numeric codes for the instructions in the instruction
set e.g. using ADD instead of 1110 (binary) or 14 (decimal) for instruction to add
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Symbolic name Memory location
FRST 1000
SCND 1001
ANSR 1002
Mapping table set up by the assembler for the data items of the assembly language program
Advantages of Assembly Language Over Machine Language
• Easier to understand and use
• Easier to locate and correct errors
• Easier to modify
• No worry about addresses
• Easily relocatable
• Efficiency of machine language
Limitations of Assembly Language
• Machine dependent
• Knowledge of hardware required
Typical Uses of Assembly Language
• Mainly used today to fine-tune important parts of programs written in a high-level language to
improve the program’s execution efficiency Assembly Languages with Macro Instructions.
• Any assembly language instruction that gets translated into several machine language instructions is
called a mecro instruction. Several assembly languages support such macro instructions to speed
up the coding process
• Assemblers of such assembly languages are designed to produce multiple machine language
instructions for each macro instruction of the assembly language
2.6.3 High-Level Languages
High level language program are written in English language. Programs are easy to write. Technical
knowledge and hardware information of machine is not required. Learning of high level language is easy
due to it’s instruction in English. Language is called high because they do not depend on machine’s internal
structure, But for execution of high level language program we require a intermediate converter software
program called compiler. It converts high level language program into machine level language program.
Features of HLL :
• Machine independent
• Do not require programmers to know anything about the internal structure of computer on which high-
level language programs will be executed.
• Deal with high-level coding, enabling the programmers to write instructions using English words and
familiar mathematical symbols and expressions.
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2.7 Complier
Translator program (software) that translates a high- level language program into its equivalent
machine language program. Compiles a set of machine language instructions for every. In addition
to doing translation job, compilers also automatically detect and indicate syntax errors
Syntax errors are typically of following types:
• Illegal characters
• Illegal combination of characters
• Improper sequencing of instructions in a program
• Use of undefined variable names
Note : A compiler cannot detect logic errors in a program
2.8 Linker
For a large software, storing all the lines of program code in a single source file will be:
– Difficult to work with
– Difficult to deploy multiple programmers to concurrently work towards its development
– Any change in the source program would require the entire source program to be recompiled
Hence, a modular approach is generally adapted to develop large software where the software
consists of multiple source program files. No need to write programs for some modules as it might be
available in library offering the same functionality
Each source program file can be independently modified and compiled to create a corresponding
object program file Linker program (software) is used to properly combine all the object program files
(modules). Creates the final executable program (load module)
2.9 Interpreter
Interpreter is a high-level language translator. Takes one statement of a high-level language program,
translates it into machine language instructions. Immediately executes the resulting machine language
instructions. Compiler simply translates the entire source program into an object program and is not
involved in its execution
2.9.1 Intermediate Language Compiler & Interpreter
New type of compiler and interpreter combines the speed, ease, and control of both compiler and
interpreter. Compiler first compiles the source program to an intermediate object program. Intermediate
object program is not a machine language code but written in an intermediate languagethat is virtually
machine independent. Interpreter takes intermediate object program, converts it into machine language
program and executesit
2.9.2 Benefits of Intermediate Language Compiler & Interpreter
Intermediate object program is in compiled form and thus is not original source code, so safer and
easier to share. Intermediate object program is based on a standard Intermediate Definition Language
(IDL). Interpreter can be written for any computer architecture and operating system providing virtual
machine environment to the executing program. Newer Interpreter compiles intermediate program, in
memory, into final host machine language program and executes it. This technique is called Just-In-Time
(JIT) Compilation
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Advantages of High-Level Languages
• Machine independent.
• Easier to learn and use.
• Fewer errors during program development.
• Lower program preparation cost.
• Better documentation.
• Easier to maintain.
Limitations of High-Level Languages
• Lower execution efficiency.
• Less flexibility to control the computer’s CPU, memory and registers .
2.10 High Level Languages
2.10.1 FORTRAN
• Stands for FORmula TRANslation
• Originally developed by John Backus and his team at IBM followed by several revisions
• Standardized by ANSI as FORTRAN-77 and FORTRAN-90
• Designed for solving scientific & engineering problems
• Oriented towards solving problems of a mathematical nature
• Popular language amongst scientists and engineers
2.10.2 COBOL
2.10.5 C
• Developed in 1972 at AT&T’s Bell laboratories, USA by Dennis Ritchie and Brian Kernighan
• Standardized by ANSI and ISO as C89, C90, C99
• High-level programming languages (mainly machine independence) with the efficiency of an assembly
language
• Language of choice of programmers for portable systems software and commercial software packages
like OS, compiler, spreadsheet, word processor, and database management systems
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• Uses just-in-time compilation
• Used in embedded systems such as hand-held devices,telephones and VCRs
• Comes in two variants – Java Runtime Engine (JRE) and Java Software Development Kit (SDK)
• Some of the JAVA features are used for developing Web Application
Characteristics of Programming Language
• Simplicity
• Naturalness
• Abstraction
• Efficiency
• Structured Programming Support
• Compactness
• Locality
• Extensibility
Factors for Selecting a Language for Coding an Application
• Nature of the application
• Familiarity with the language
• Ease of learning the language
• Availability of program development tools
• Execution efficiency
• Features of a good programming language
2.11 Summary
Software in one of the eantial element of computer system. All the function of the computer are
performed by with the help of software. Software are interaction set written to pocfer desimed task usilry
tane computer language -software intangible port of computer which can not be seen as touched. Life
have variety software used in computer system software, programming software, application software
etc. system software is desighed to operts computer hardware in ortu to provide and maintaion a plteform
that rans application software. Application software in that software which in designed to perform some
activity is particular area eg Accounting software.
The language of computer is consist of 0 and 1, i.e machine level language. What ever instruction
that we give to computer it is converted into 0 and 1 to be understand and process according to instruction.
The difficulty in programming in machine level language is elminated by development of assembly language
and higher level language. The programmes Assembly and Higher level language are converted into machione
level language with the help of Assembler, Interpreter / Compiler resepectivly. Computer language has
undergone various development phases by developing specialized language for various domain like Basic,
FORTRON, Pascal, C,C++, JAVA etc.
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2.12 Key Words
• Computer Programme: Set of instruction is called computer programme.
• System Software: Computer programme that is designed to operate and maintain computer basic
operation
• Application Language: A language is language which is used to write computer programme
• Machine Level Language : A language which is understand by computer consist of 0 and 1.
• Assembly Language : A language of Symbols and Pre-define subroutine which can be used to
write computer program.
• Higher Level Language : A human understandable language like english used to write computer
programme
• Syntex : Is format of instruction to write a program in a computer language.
• Sementix : Restricted word or reserve word of a computer language.
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UNIT - 3 : GENERATIONS OF COMPUTER
Unit Structure
3.0 Objectives
3.1 Introduction
3.2 First Generation - 1940-1956: Vacuum Tubes
3.3 Second Generation - 1956-1963: Transistors
3.4 Third Generation - 1964-1971: Integrated Circuits
3.5 Fourth Generation - 1971-Present: Microprocessors
3.6 Fifth Generation - Present and Beyond: Artificial Intelligence
3.7 Summary
3.8 Key Words
3.9 Self Assessment Test
3.10 Reference Books
3.0 Objectives
After going through this unit we will be in a position to
3.1 Introduction
Computer means ‘a programmable electronic device that can state and process data. A computer
is an electrical machine that can both process and store information.
The history of computer development is often referred to in reference to the different generations of
computing devices. A generation refers to the state of improvement in the product development process.
This term is also used in the different advancements of new computer technology. With each new generation,
the circuitry has gotten smaller and more advanced than the previous generation. As a result of the
miniaturization, speed, and power, computer memory has proportionally increased.
Each generation of computers is characterized by major technological development that fundamentally
changed the way computers operate, resulting in increasingly smaller, cheaper, more powerful, more
efficient and reliable devices. Let us discus each generation and the developments that led to the current
generation of computer we use today.
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coated with magnetic iron-oxide material on which data and programs can be stored. Magnetic drums
were once used as a primary storage device but have since been implemented as auxiliary storage de-
vices.
The tracks on a magnetic drum are assigned to channels located around the circumference of the
drum, forming adjacent circular bands that wind around the drum. A single drum can have up to 200
tracks. As the drum rotates at a speed of up to 3,000 rpm, the device's read/write heads deposit magne-
tized spots on the drum during the write operation and sense these spots during a read operation. This
action is similar to that of a magnetic tape or disk drive.
They were very expensive to operate and in addition to using a great deal of electricity, generated a
lot of heat, which was often the cause of malfunctions. First generation computers relied on machine
language to perform operations, and they could only solve one problem at a time. Machine languages are
the only languages understood by computers. While easily understood by computers, machine languages
are almost impossible for humans to use because they consist entirely of numbers. Computer Programmers,
therefore, use either high level programming languages or an assembly language programming. An assembly
language contains the same instructions as a machine language, but the instructions and variables have
names instead of being just numbers.
Programs written in high level programming languages retranslated into assembly language or machine
language by a compiler. Assembly language program retranslated into machine language by a program
called an assembler (assembly language compiler).
Every CPU has its own unique machine language. Programs must be rewritten or recompiled,
therefore, to run on different types of computers. Input was based onpunch card and paper tapes, and
output was displayed on printouts. The UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are examples of first-generation
computing devices. The UNIVAC was the first commercial computer delivered to a business client, the
U.S. Census Bureau in 1951.
Acronym for Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer, the world's first operational electronic
digital computer, developed by Army Ordnance to compute World War II ballistic firing tables. The
ENIAC, weighing 30 tons, using 200 kilowatts of electric power and consisting of 18,000 vacuum
tubes,1,500 relays, and hundreds of thousands of resistors, capacitors, and inductors, was completed in
1945. In addition to ballistics, the ENIAC's field of application included weather prediction, atomic-
energy calculations, cosmic-ray studies, thermal ignition, random-number studies, wind-tunnel design,
and other scientific uses. The ENIAC soon became obsolete as the need arose for faster computing
speeds.
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The transistor was far superior to the vacuum tube,allowing computers to become smaller, faster,
cheaper,more energy-efficient and more reliable than their first-generation predecessors. Though the
transistor still generated a great deal of heat that subjected the computer to damage, it was a vast
improvement over the vacuum tube. Second-generation computers still relied on punched cards for input
and printouts for output.
Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine language to symbolic, or assembly,
languages,which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words. High-level programming languages
were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of COBOL and FORTRAN. These were
also the first computers that stored their instructions in their memory, which moved from a magnetic drum
to magnetic core technology.
The first computers of this generation were developed for the atomic energy industry.
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3.5 Fourth Generation - 1971-Present: Microprocessors
The microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits
we rebuilt onto a single silicon chip. A silicon chip that contains a CPU. In the world of personal
computers,the terms microprocessor and CPU are used interchangeably. At the heart of all personal
computers and most workstations sits a microprocessor. Microprocessors also control the logic of almost
all digital devices, from clock radios to fuel-injection systems for automobiles.
Three basic characteristics differentiate microprocessors:
Instruction Set: The set of instructions that the microprocessor can execute.
Bandwidth: The number of bits processed in a single instruction.
Clock Speed: Given in megahertz (MHz), the clock speed determines how many instructions per second
the processor can execute.
In both cases, the higher the value, the more powerful the CPU. For example, a 32-bit micropro-
cessor that runs at 50MHz is more powerful than a 16-bitmicroprocessor that runs at 25MHz.
What in the first generation filled an entire room could now fit in the palm of the hand. The Intel
4004chip, developed in 1971, located all the components of the computer - from the central processing
unit and memory to input/output controls - on a single chip.
Abbreviation of central processing unit, and pronounced as separate letters. The CPU is the brains
of the computer. Sometimes referred to simply as the processor or central processor, the CPU is where
most calculations take place. In terms of computing power,the CPU is the most important element of a
computer system. On large machines, CPUs require one or more printed circuit boards. On personal
computers and small workstations, the CPU is housed in a single chip called a microprocessor.
Two typical components of a CPU are:
The arithmetic logic unit (ALU), which performs arithmetic and logical operations. The control unit,
which extracts instructions from memory and decodes and executes them, calling on the ALU when
necessary.
In 1981 IBM introduced its first computer for the home user, and in 1984 Apple introduced the
Macintosh. Microprocessors also moved out of the realm of desktop computers and into many areas of
life as more and more everyday products began to use microprocessors.
As these small computers became more powerful, they could be linked together to form networks,
which eventually led to the development of the Internet. Fourth generation computers also saw the
development of GUI’s, the mouse and handheld devices.
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3.6.2 Games Playing: Programming computers to play games such as chess and checkers.
3.6.3 Expert Systems: Programming computers to make decisions in real-life situations (for ex-
ample, some expert systems help doctors diagnose diseases based on symptoms)
4.6.4 Natural Language: Programming computers to understand natural human languages
Neural Networks: Systems that simulate intelligence by attempting to reproduce the types of physi-
cal connections that occur in animal brains
3.6.5 Robotics: Programming computers to see and hear and react to other sensory stimuli
Currently, no computers exhibit full artificial intelligence (that is, are able to simulate human
behavior). The greatest advances have occurred in the field of games playing. The best computer
chess programs are now capable of beating humans. In May, 1997, an IBM super-computer called
Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Gary Kasparov in a chess match.
In the area of robotics, computers are now widely used in assembly plants, but they are capable
only of very limited tasks. Robots have great difficulty identifying objects based on appearance or
feel, and they still move and handle objects clumsily. Natural-language processing offers the great-
est potential rewards because it would allow people to interact with computers without needing any
specialized knowledge. You could simply walk up to a computer and talk to it. Unfortunately,
programming computers to understand natural languages has proved to be more difficult than origi-
nally thought. Some rudimentary translation systems that translate from one human language to
another are in existence, but they are not nearly as good as human translators.
There are also voice recognition systems that can convert spoken sounds into written words, but
they do not understand what they are writing; they simply take dictation. Even these systems are
quite limited — you must speak slowly and distinctly. In the early 1980s, expert systems were
believed to represent the future of artificial intelligence and of computers in general. To date, how-
ever, they have not lived up to expectations. Many expert systems help human experts in such fields
as medicine and engineering, but they are very expensive to produce and are helpful only in special
[Link], the hottest area of artificial intelligence is neural networks, which are proving
successful in a number of disciplines such as voice recognition and natural-language [Link]
are several programming languages that are known as AI languages because they are used almost
exclusively for AI applications. The two most common are LISP and Prolog.
3.6.6 Voice Recognition: The field of computer science that deals with designing computer sys-
tems that can recognize spoken words. Note that voice recognition implies only that the computer
can take dictation, not that it understands what is being said. Comprehending human languages falls
under a different field of computer science called natural language processing. A number of voice
recognition systems are available on the market. The most powerful can recognize thousands of
words. However, they generally require an extended training session during which the computer
system becomes accustomed to a particular voice and accent. Such systems are said to be speaker
dependent.
Many systems also require that the speaker speak slowly and distinctly and separate each word
with a short pause. These systems are called discrete speech systems. Recently, great strides have been
made in continuous speech systems — voice recognition systems that allow you to speak naturally. There
are now several continuous-speech systems available for personal computers.
37
Because of their limitations and high cost, voice recognition systems have traditionally been used
only in a few specialized situations. For example, such systems are useful in instances when the user is
unable to use a keyboard to enter data because his or her hands are occupied or disabled. Instead of
typing commands, the user can simply speak into a headset. Increasingly, however, as the cost decreases
and performance improves, speech recognition systems are entering the mainstream and are being used as
an alternative to keyboards.
The use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artificial intelligence a reality.
Parallel processing is the simultaneous use of more than one CPU to execute a program. Ideally, parallel
processing makes a program run faster because there are more engines (CPUs) running it. In practice, it
is often difficult to divide a program in such a way that separate CPUs can execute different portions
without interfering with each other. Most computers have just one CPU, but some models have several.
There are even computers with thousands of CPUs. With single-CPU computers, it is possible to perform
parallel processing by connecting the computers in a network. However, this type of parallel processing
requires very sophisticated software called distributed processing software. Note that parallel processing
differs from multitasking, in which a single CPU executes several programs at once.
Quantum computation and molecular and nano-technology will radically change the face of com-
puters in years to come. First proposed in the 1970s, quantum computing relies on quantum physics by
taking advantage of certain quantum physics properties of atoms or nuclei that allow them to work to-
gether as quantum bits, or qubits, to be the computer’s processor and memory. By interacting with each
other while being isolated from the external environment, qubits can perform certain calculations exponen-
tially faster than conventional computers.
Qubits do not rely on the traditional binary nature of computing. While traditional computers en-
code information into bits using binary numbers, either a 0or 1, and can only do calculations on one set of
numbers at once, quantum computers encode information as a series of quantum-mechanical states such
as spin directions of electrons or polarization orientations of a photon that might represent a 1 or a 0, might
represent a combination of the two or might represent a number expressing that the state of the qubit is
somewhere between 1 and 0, or a superposition of many different numbers at once. A quantum computer
can doan arbitrary reversible classical computation on all the numbers simultaneously, which a binary
system cannot do, and also has some ability to produce interference between various different numbers.
By doing a computation on many different numbers at once,then interfering the results to get a single
answer, a quantum computer has the potential to be much more powerful than a classical computer of the
same [Link] using only a single processing unit, a quantum computer can naturally perform myriad opera-
tions in [Link] computing is not well suited for tasks such as word processing and email, but it
is ideal for tasks such as cryptography and modeling and indexing very large databases.
Nanotechnology is a field of science whose goal is to control individual atoms and molecules to
create computer chips and other devices that are thousands of times smaller than current technologies
permit. Current manufacturing processes use lithography to imprint circuits on semiconductor materials.
While lithography has improved dramatically over the last two decades — to the point where some
manufacturing plants can produce circuits smaller than one micron(1,000 nanometers) — it still deals with
38
aggregates of millions of atoms. It is widely believed that lithography is quickly approaching its physical
limits. To continue reducing the size of semiconductors, new technologies that juggle individual atoms will
be necessary. This is the realm of nanotechnology.
Although research in this field dates back to Richard P. Feynman’s classic talk in 1959, the term
nanotechnology was first coined by K. Eric Drexler in1986 in the book Engines of [Link] the popular
press, the term nanotechnology is sometimes used to refer to any sub-micron process, including lithogra-
phy. Because of this, many scientists are beginning to use the term molecular nanotechnology when talking
about true nanotechnology at the molecular level.
The goal of fifth-generation computing is to develop devices that respond to natural language input
and are capable of learning and self-organization. Here natural language means a human language. For
example, English, French, and Chinese are natural languages. Computer languages, such as FORTRAN
and C,are not. Probably the single most challenging problem in computer science is to develop computers
that can understand natural languages. So far, the complete solution to this problem has proved elusive,
although great deal of progress has been made. Fourth-generation languages are the programming lan-
guages closest to natural languages.
3.7 Summary
Generation of computers is characterized by major technological development that fundamentally
changed the way computers operate, resulting in increasingly smaller, cheaper, more powerful and more
efficient and reliable devices. The first computers used vacuum tubes for circuitry and magnetic drums for
memory, and were often enormous, taking up entire [Link] UNIVAC and ENIAC computers are
examples of first-generation computing devices. Transistors replaced vacuum tubes and ushered in the
second generation computer. Transistor is a device composed of semiconductor material that amplifies a
signal or opens or closes a circuit. Second-generation computers moved from cryptic binary machine
language to symbolic, or assembly, languages,which allowed programmers to specify instructions in words.
High-level programming languages were also being developed at this time, such as early versions of
COBOL and FORTRAN. In third generation Transistors were miniaturized and placed on silicon chips,
called semiconductors, which drastically increased the speed and efficiency of [Link]
microprocessor brought the fourth generation of computers, as thousands of integrated circuits we rebuilt
onto a single silicon chip. A silicon chip that contains a CPU. In the world of personal computers,the terms
microprocessor and CPU are used interchangeably.
39
3.9 Self Assessment Test
1. What is meant by generation in computer technology? How many computer generations are
there till now? Explain.
2. What characteristics made the transistors better than the vacuum tube?
3. What is the difference between first generation and second generation computers? Explain.
4. What are the five generation of computer and how are they classified? Discuss.
5. What is Artificial Intelligence? Discuss.
6. What is Robotics? Explain.
7. What do you mean by expert system?
8. What did the microprocessor allow the computers to do? What was the
microprocessor’s original purpose? Describe.
9. What is Nanotechnology? Explain.
40
UNIT - 4 : DOS OPERATING SYSTEM
Unit Structure
4.0 Objectives
4.1 Introduction
4.2 Versions of MS-DOS
4.3 Physical Structure of Disk
4.4 DOS Files System
4.5 File Allocation Table (FAT)
4.6 Booting Process
4.7 The Command Prompt
4.8 Typing a Command
4.9 Drive Name
4.10 File
4.11 Directory
4.12 Files and File Name
4.13 DOS Commands
4.14 File Management Commands
4.15 General Commands
4.16 Disk Management Commands
4.17 DOS Utility Commands
4.18 Using Copycon to Build a File
4.19 Summary
4.20 Self Assessment Test
4.21 Reference Books
4.0 Objectives
After going through this unit, you will be able to :
• Describe DOS Operating System, Histroy and Version of DOS.
• Describe Booting Sequence, DOS System File,File,Directories etc.
• Describe Structure of Disk, FAT, internal and external DOS commands.
• Describe File management [Link] utility commands, etc.
4.1 Introduction
DOS is a collection of programs that permits a computer to supervise its own operations automatically.
DOS was invented by MicroSoft Company. That is why it is also known as MS-DOS. There are many
operating systems (OS) for the PC but MS DOS was one of the most popular OS. Nowadays, it has
become part of Windows OS.
MS-DOS performs the following tasks :
1. Makes the computer easy to use with the help of this. A user can access peripheral devices such as
printers, diskette drives, and fixed disk drives etc. with the computer.
2. Makes it easy for you to use application and create and manages files on your computer.
41
3. Controls the way the computer uses its resources like the memory, printer, disk and
CPU etc.
4. Controls the movement of information on the computer
5. Provide protection to program and data from being accidentally changed.
6. Works as interface between user and hard disk.
42
The capacity of the disk is measured in BYTES (8 bits). The data is transferred from and to the
disks in blocks. Block is a section of disk data and is normally equal to a sector (512 bytes). A track is
divided into 10-100 sectors and these sectors should be either fixed or variable length sectors. Two
adjacent sectors are separated by intra-track gaps. This helps in reducing the precision requirements of
sectors. To identify the sector position normally there may be a starting point on a track or a starting and
end point of each sector.
45
The `Bad command or file name' message appears when you type something that MS-DOS does
not recognize. Because nul is not a valid MS-DOS command, MS-DOS displays the `Bad command or
file name' message. Note that you can also get this error if you try to run a program in DOS that doesn't
exist or that DOS can't find.
Now, type the following command at the command prompt: ver
The following message (or something similiar) appears on the screen:
Windows 98 [Version 4.10.1998]
The ver command displays the operating system version you are running.
Continue to the next section, where you will use the dir command to view the contents of a directory.
4.9 Drive Name
Drive name :- A drive is a device used for storing data for the further use and a computer can have
more than one drive also for the ease of the user drive names or device name are given to a device or a
drive. Drives are named by an alphabet example A drive , C drive etc
DESCRIPTION
A: First removable disk drive
B: Second removable disk drive
C: First fixed disk drive (hard disk)
D: Second fixed disk drive (hard disk)
D: to Z: Additional disk drive
4.10 File
Information is stored on a disk as a collection of character . Each complete collection of related
characters is called a file. A disk can have many file that contain either instruction for the computer (program
file) or data stored by the user (data file). A program file is loaded the internal memory of the computer
whenever the user asks the DOS to load it . ana at time of booting. Once the program is loaded, the
instructions are executed one by one by processor. A disk can contain both file and data files.
4.11 Directory
The directory is a table of contents of all the file and directory a disk . It contain the name of files
their size , and the dates they were last modified .In windows a directory is referred as Folder . Adirectory
can contain a number of subfolders and file .
4.12 Files and File Name
DOS a name is given to file for identification. Watch file name unique so that files don't get configured
and indentified easily. The name of a file actually has tow parts separated by a separator (.) called the file
name proper and the file name extension.
The file name must be at least one character and it can be as long as eight characters, but no longer.
Alphabets digits and some special characters. &<+, %, (,), _, -, @, # (- are allowed in the file name. The
extension of the file name is a short appendage added on after the file [Link] extension consist three
characters at mart, and is optional.
46
4.13 DOS Commands
All the DOS COMMANDS fall into two categories.
1. Internal DOS Commands
2. External DOS Commands
4.13.1 Internal DOS Commands
Internal DOS COMMANDS are those commands, which stay in the computer's memory as loaded
at the time of booting. Until you switch it off or until you load DOS again. Because they are loaded in
memory, you do not need not any other file to use these command.
4.13.2 External DOS Commands
These command are not loaded on computer at the time of booting.
4.13.3 Wildcard Characters
A wildcard character is a keyboard character such as an asterisk (*) or a question mark (?) that you
can use to represent one or more real characters when you are searching for files or folders. Wildcard
characters are often used in place of one or more characters when you don't know what the real character
is or you don't want to type the entire name.
Asterisk (*) : You can use the asterisk as a substitute for one or more characters. If you're looking for a file
that you know starts with gloss but you can't remember the rest of the file name, type the following:
gloss* : The Find dialog box will locate all files of any file type that begin with gloss including [Link],
[Link], and [Link]. To narrow the search to a specific type of file, type:
gloss*.doc : In this case, the Find dialog box will find all files that begin with gloss but have the file
extension .doc, such as [Link] and [Link].
Question Mark (?) : You can use the question mark as a substitute for a single character in a name. For
example, if you typed gloss?.doc, the Find dialog box would locate the file [Link] or [Link] but
not [Link].
DIRECTORY COMMANDS
DIR Command -
If you wish to see the contents of an directory, or disk you may use the following commands It
displays a list any of all the files and subdirectories in a directory. The drive, path, switches and wildcards
can be used.
Syntax: DIR (<drive> (i<path name>) (<file name>) (/P) (/W)
DIR filename options : The options are preceded by a slash (/) which is also called a switch.
/P - Pauses at the end of the screen and waits for a key to be pressed.
/S - Displays files in a specified directory and all subdirectories.
/A - Displays all the files with set attributes like hidden files etc.
C:\>DIR/P
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MD Command -
Syntax: MKDIR <DRIVE NAME< \ <NEW SUB-DIR NAME>
Syntax: MD <DRIVE NAME< \ <NEW SUB-DIR NAME>
The command is used to create directory Creating a directory is helpful if you want to organize
related files into groups to make them easy to find.
To create a directory, you will use the md command. The md command stands for `make directory'.
- To create and change to a directory named FRUIT
1. Type md fruitat the command prompt.
You have now created a directory named FRUIT. You won't see the new FRUIT directory until you
carry out the dir command in the next step.
2. To confirm that you successfully created the FRUIT directory, type the following at the command
prompt: dir or dir /p
Look through the directory list. A new entry somewhere in the list should look similar to the following:
FRUIT <DIR> 09-07-00 11:59a fruit (Time and date may valu as per time & date computer)
3. To change to the new FRUIT directory, type the following at the command prompt:
cd fruit
The command prompt should now look like the following : C:\FRUIT>
You will now create a directory within the FRUIT directory, named GRAPES.
- To create and work with a directory named GRAPES
1. Type the following at the command prompt: md grapes
You will not see the new GRAPES directory until you carry out the dir command in the next step.
2. To confirm that you successfully created the GRAPES directory, type the following at the command
prompt:
dir
Note there are three entries in the FRUIT directory. One is the GRAPES directory that you just
created. There are two other entries--one looks like a single period (.) and the other looks like a double
period (..). These directory entries are important to MS-DOS they are system file. They appear in every
directory and contain information relative to the directory structure.
The GRAPES directory is a subdirectory of the FRUIT directory. A subdirectory is a directory
within another directory. Subdirectories are useful if you want to provide further subcategories in the
organization of your files and data.
3. To change to the GRAPES directory, type the following at the command prompt: cd grapes
The command prompt should now look like the following:
48
C:\FRUIT\GRAPES>
4. To switch back to the FRUIT directory, type the following: cd ..
The command prompt should now look like the following: C:\FRUIT>
When the cd command is followed by two periods (..), MS-DOS moves up one level in the directory
structure. In this case, you moved up one level from the GRAPES directory to the FRUIT directory.
This command gives a clue as to the meaning of the .. entry in a directory listing. The .. directory is
a special name for the parent directory of the current default directory. That is why when you type cd ..
you change directories to the parent directory. The single period (.) directory refers to the current directory.
Try typing cd . and see what happens. The command cd . changed the current directory to the current
directory!
CD Command
Displays the name of the current directory or changes the current folder.
Syntax: chdir [/d] [drive:][path] [..]
-or-
Syntax: cd [/d] [drive:][path] [..]
Parameters
none
Used without parameters, chdir displays the names of the current drive and folder. Used with only
a drive letter (for example, cd C:), chdir displays the current directory on the specified drive.
[/d]
Changes the current drive in addition to changing the current directory for a drive. With command
extensions enabled, the current directory name is converted to use the same case as the actual directory
names on the disk. So, for example, cd C:\Temp sets the current directory to C:\Temp if that is its name on
the disk.
[drive:][path]
Specifies the drive (if other than the current drive) and directory to which you want to change.
[..]
Specifies that you want to change to the parent folder. (Root directory)
Either of the following commands changes your current directory to the directory named Reports:
chdir \reports : cd \reports
Suppose you have a directory named Specials containing a directory named Sponsors. To change
your current directory to \Specials\Sponsors, type the following command: cd \specials\sponsors
Or, if your current directory is \Specials, you can use the following command to change to the
\Specials\Sponsors directory: cd sponsors
49
To change from a directory back to its parent directory, type the following command: cd ..
To display the name of the current directory, you can use chdir or cd without a parameter. For
example, if your current directory is \Public\Jones on the disk in drive B, type chdir to see the following
response: B:\Public\Jones
If you are working on drive D and you want to copy all files in the \Public\Jones and \Public\Lewis
directories on drive C to the root directory on drive D, type the following commands:
chdir c:\public\jones
copy c:*.* d:\
chdir c:\public\lewis
copy c:*.* d:\
If, instead, you want to copy all files in the \Public\Jones and \Public\Lewis directories to your
current location on drive D, type the following commands:
chdir c:\public\jones
copy c:*.* d:
chdir c:\public\lewis
copy c:*.* d:
Notes : -
1. Using spaces in paths with chdir
With command extensions enabled ,you can use the chdir command to change to a directory name that
contains a space or spaces without surrounding the name with quotation marks. For example:
cd \winnt\profiles\username\programs\start menu
is the same as:
cd "\winnt\profiles\username\programs\start menu"
which is what you must type when extensions are disabled.
2. Changing the root directory
The root directory is the top of the directory hierarchy for a drive. To return to the root directory, type
the following command: cd\
3. Using the current directory from a different drive
If you are working in the \Public\Jones directory on drive C and you change to drive D, you can
copy files to and from the \Public\Jones directory by specifying only the drive letter C.
4. Changing the directory on another drive
You can change the current directory on another drive by specifying the drive name on the command
line when you use chdir.
RD Command -
Syntax: RD DIR <drive name> \<sub-dir-name>
If you no longer use a particular directory, you have want to delete it to simplify your directory structure.
50
Deleting a directory is also useful if you type the wrong name at thrtimes of creating a directory and you
want to delete the incorrect directory before creating a new one.
To delete a directory, use the rd command. The rd command stands for `remove directory'.
Example : To delete the kamal directory. Type the following at the command prompt: rd kamal
2. To confirm that you have successfully deleted the Kamal directory, type the following at the
command prompt: dir
The Kamal directory should no longer appear in the directory list.
Note that you cannot delete a directory if you cantoral are in it, or if thedrecpey contains any files.
Before you delete a directory, you must make the directory that is one level higher the current directory
(by typing cd ..), and mak it sure that diractory does not contecin any file/
TREE Command -
Syntax: TREE [drive:][path] [/f] [/a]
Tree Command graphically displays the directory structure of a drive or Path in a hierarchical form.
Parameters drive:
Specifies the drive that contains the disk for which you want to display the directory structure. path
Specifies the directory for which you want to display the directory structure. /f
Displays the names of the files in each directory. /a
Specifies that tree is to use text characters instead of graphic characters to show the lines linking
subdirectories.
To display the names of all the subdirectories on the disk in your current drive, type: tree \
To display, one screen at a time, the files in all the directories on drive C, type: tree c:\ /f | more
To print the same list that the previous example displayed, type: tree c:\ /f prn
Notes:
The structure displayed by tree depends upon the parameters you specify on the command line. If
you do not specify a drive or path, tree displays the tree structure beginning with the current directory of
the current drive.
PATH Command
FORMAT: PATH {<drive :>} {<path name>} : {<drive:} {<path name>}:
This command set a command search path. If tells DOS which directories should be searched for
external commands after searching the current directory.. the command path\user\notice tells DOS to
search the directory \USER\NOTICE
For on external command after searching the current directory. You can specify several path names
separated by : DOS Searches the path names in the order specified in the PATH command.
e.g. PATH\USER\DASDIR:\USER\COBDIR:\USER\DBDIR.
To pull up command, you can specify PATH. This cause only the specified directory / directions to
be searched for on external command.
51
The following command specifies that DOS is to search three directories to find external commands.
The three paths for these directories are C:\User\Taxes, B:\User\Invest, and B:\Bin:
path c:\user\taxes;b:\user\invest;b:\bin
You will be sent directly into your NES directory within your GAME directory.
4.14 File Management Commands
COPY COMMAND -
COPY Command is used to make copies of disk files. The path that contains the file you want to
copy, is called the source diskette. The diskette that will contain the copy of the file when you are done is
called the target . There may be path for different uses of copy commands. : This command copies files
between disk drives and/or devices, either keeping the same file name or changing it. COPY can concatenate
two or more files into another file or append one or more files to another file.
Making duplicates on other disks: Syntax: Copy A: <File name> B:<File Name>
This command consists of three parts. First part is the command COPY, Second part is the name of
the file which is to be copied and the third part is a parameter B: Which simple Says" COPY to Drive B"
If different file name is not specified at B: ;file will be copied with the same name
as is at a :
Make duplicates on the same disk.
Syntax: COPY A: <File Name> <File Name>
Using the above command a file will by copied with different name on the same diskette.
XCOPY COMMAND
x-copy command copies files and directories, including subdirectories. A DOS COPY command is
used extremely to copy file form one disk or directory to another. DOS provides a second file-copy
command, called X-COPY which allows you to-
Selectively copy files based on the files creation and modification date.
Selectively copy files based on the files archive attribute flag.
FORMAT: xcopy source [destination] [/w] [/p] [/c] [/v] [/q] [/f] [/l] [/d[:date]] [/u] [/i] [/s [/e]] [/t] [/k] [/
r] [/h] [/a|/m] [/n] [/exclude:filename] [/y | /-y] [/z]
Parameters :-
source
Specifies the location and names of the files you want to copy. This parameter must include either a
drive or a path.
destination
Specifies the destination of the files you want to copy. This parameter can include a drive letter and
colon, a directory name, a file name, or a combination. : /w
Displays the following message and waits for your response before starting to copy files:
Press any key to begin copying file(s) : /p
Prompts you to confirm whether you want to create each destination file. : /c
52
Ignores errors. : /v
Verifies each file as it is written to the destination file to make sure that the destination files are
identical to the source files. This switch is ignored because the functionality is inherent to the Windows
2000 operating system. The switch is accepted only for compatibility with previous versions of MS-DOS.
: /q
Suppresses display of xcopy messages. : /f
Displays source and destination file names while copying. : /l
Does not copy files, only displays (lists) files that would be copied. : /d[:date]
Copies only source files changed on or after the specified date. If the date value is missing, xcopy
copies all source files that are newer than the time of existing destination files. This option allows you to
update only files that have changed. If you specify a date, use a hyphen (-) as the separator rather than a
forward slash (/) so that the date is not interpreted as another parameter.
/u : Copies (updates) only files from source that exist on destination.
/i : If source is a directory or contains wildcards, and destination does not exist, xcopy assumes
destination specifies a directory name and creates a new directory then copies all specified files into the
new directory. By default, xcopy will prompt you to specify whether destination is a file or directory.
/s : Copies directories and subdirectories, unless they are empty. If you omit this switch, xcopy works
within a single directory.
/e : Copies all subdirectories, even if they are empty. Used with the /s and /t switches.
/t : Copies only subdirectory structure (tree), not files. To copy empty directories, you must include the
/e switch.
/k : Copies files and retains the read-only attribute on destination files if present on the source files. By
default, the read-only attribute is removed.
/r : Copies over read-only files.
/h : Copies files with the hidden and system file attributes. The xcopy command does not copy hidden
or system files by default.
/a : Copies only source files that have their archive file attributes set. This switch does not modify the
archive file attribute of the source file. For information about how to set the archive file attribute, see the
attrib command.
/m : Copies source files that have their archive file attributes set. Unlike the /a switch, the /m switch turns
off archive file attributes in the files specified in source. For information about how to set the archive file
attribute, click attrib in the Related Topics list[JG1].
/n : Copies using NTFS short file or directory names. This switch is required when copying files or
directories from an NTFS volume to a FAT volume or when the FAT file system naming convention (8.3)
is required on the destination volume. The destination file system may be FAT or NTFS.
/exclude:filename : Excludes the files listed in the specified file from the copy operation. The exclusion file
can have a list of exclusion patterns (one per line, no wildcard characters are supported). If any exclusion
pattern in the file matches any part of the path of a subject file, that file is not copied.
53
/y : Suppresses prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
The /y switch may be preset in the COPYCMD environment variable. This may be overridden with
/-y on the command line. The default is to prompt on overwrites unless the copy command is being
executed from within a batch script.
To append files, specify a single file for destination, but multiple files for source (using wildcards or
file1+file2+file3 format).
/-y : Causes prompting to confirm you want to overwrite an existing destination file.
/z : Copies over a network in restartable mode. If the connection is lost during the copy phase (for
example, if the server going offline severs the connection), it will resume after the connection has been re-
established. Using this command switch also displays the percentage of the copy operation completed for
each file.
Creation of Batch File
You can create a batch program to perform xcopy operations and use the batch if command to
process the exit code in case an error occurs. For example, the following batch program uses replaceable
parameters for the xcopy source and destination parameters:
@echo off
rem [Link] transfers all files in all subdirectories of
rem the source drive or directory (%1) to the destination
rem drive or directory (%2)
xcopy %1 %2 /s /e
if errorlevel 4 goto lowmemory
if errorlevel 2 goto abort
if errorlevel 0 goto exit
:lowmemory
echo Insufficient memory to copy files or
echo invalid drive or command-line syntax.
goto exit
:abort
echo You pressed CTRL+C to end the copy operation.
goto exit
:exit
To use this batch program to copy all files in the C:\Prgmcode directory and its subdirectories to
drive B, type: copyit c:\prgmcode b:
The command interpreter substitutes C:\Prgmcode for %1 and B: for %2, then uses xcopy with the
/e and /s switches. If xcopy encounters an error, the batch program reads the exit code and goes to the
label indicated in the appropriate IF ERRORLEVEL statement. DOS displays the appropriate message
and exits from the batch program.
DEL Command -
Syntax: DEL <drive:> <file name>
54
This command is used to remove specified files permanently from the disk. The file name can also
be specified with the wild cards:
del [drive:][path] filename [ ...] [/p] [/f] [/s] [/q] [/a[:attributes]]
erase [drive:][path] filename [ ...] [/p] [/f] [/s] [/q] [/a[:attributes]]
Parameters :
[drive:][path] filename : Specifies the location and name of the file or set of files you want to delete.
Multiple file names can be used. File names can be separated by spaces, commas, or semicolons.
/p : Prompts you for confirmation before deleting the specified file.
/f : Forces deletion of read-only files.
/s : Delete specified files from the current directory and all subdirectories. Displays the names of the files
as they are being deleted.
/q : Quiet mode; does not prompt for delete confirmation.
/a : Deletes files based on specified attributes.
attributes : Can be any of the following file attributes:
Attribute Description
r Read-only
a Archive
s System
h Hidden
- Prefix meaning "not"
RENAME COMMAND -
Syntax: rename [drive:][path] filename1 filename2
Syntax: ren [drive:][path] filename1 filename2
This command is used to Change the name of a file or a set of files. You can rename all files matching
the specified file name. You cannot use the rename command to rename files across drives or to move files
to a different directory location.
Parameters :
[drive:][path] filename1 : Specifies the location and name of the file or set of files you want to rename.
filename2 : Specifies the new name for the file. If you use wildcards (* and ?), filename2 specifies the new
names for the files. You cannot specify a new drive or path when renaming files.
Notes -
1. Using wildcards with rename : You can use wildcards (* and ?) in either file name parameter. If
you use wildcards in filename2, the characters represented by the wildcards will be identical to the
corresponding characters in filename1.
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2. Rename will not work if filename2 already exists
If, for filename2, you specify a file name that already exists, rename displays the following message:
Duplicate file name or file not found
ATTRIB COMMAND -
Syntax: [drive:] [path] ATTRIB [+A] [-A] [+R] [-R] file spec.
This command is an external command is used to changed the attribute of a file that is, you can use
ATTRIB to make a file "read only" which prevents the file from being written over (or changed), also you
can set the archive but, which is set tone when a file is cratad or changed.
Syntax: [drive:] [path] ATTRIB [+A] [-A] [+R] [-R] file spec.
ATTRIB uses +R to set and remove the read only attributes. The +A and - A options let you set and
clear the archive attribute of a file.
First you can use ATTRIB to determine the attribute status of a file by typing ATTRIB the file name,
and pressing return.
BACKUP COMMAND -
FORMAT: [drive:] [Path] BACK UP SOURCE: [Files pec] Target: [A] {/M] [/S] [/F] [/
D:mm_dd_yy] [/T hh: mm: ss] [/L: Log file]
The BACK UP Command is used with fixed disk systems. BACK UP is an external command to
copy files automatically from a fixed disk to floppy disk. BACK UP let you copy selected files ,all files in
a specified directory path, or every file on the disk. It also allow you copy only those files that have been
changed or saved after a specifies date.
It the files being copied exceed the capacity of the target floppy disk. BACK UP prompts you
change disks and then to continue the process. Files can be divided between floppy disks. The backup
command automatically tags each back up disk in the sequence used. Later, you can used the RESTORE
Command to copy the files back to the fixed disk. Having each disk numbered helps you restore the fixed
disk in the right order.
e.g. BACK UP C: \ PATH A:This command copies all files in the specified directory path to the disk in
drive A. There is a number of parameters available with the BACK UP Command.
CLS COMMAND : The CLS commands stand for clear the screen. It wipes the screen of every thing
on it and finishes up by displaying the DOS prompt in the top left car nor.
Syntax: CLS
SYS COMMAND
Syntax: C:\>sys a: This command is used to make a boot disk. It copies [Link], [Link], and
[Link] to your disk. With older versions of DOS the diskette needed to be completely
empty before you used the SYS command. That was because the system files ([Link] and [Link]
with Microsoft's DOS; [Link] and [Link] for IBM's DOS) had to be the first 2 files
on the disk. Since DOS 5 that isn't necessary anymore. You can also make a boot disk by using the "/S"
option with
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where a: is the drive you are "sys'ing"
One VERY important note, for SYS to work it must know where to find the system files. By default
it looks on the current drive you are on (If you're on the C: drive, it looks to C:\ for the system files.) If the
drive you are currently in does not have the system files, SYS may give you "Invalid function" or "Can not
find system files". If your current drive doesn't have these files, you can tell SYS where to find them like so:
C:\>sys c:\ a: where "c:\" is the location of your system files, and "a:" is the drive you are wanting to make
a boot disk in
4.15 General Commands
TYPE COMMAND
Syntax:Type <drive :><path> <file name>
Displays the contents of a text file. Use the type command to view a text file without modifying it.
type [drive:][path] filename
Parameter :
[drive:][path] filename
Specifies the location and name of the file or files that you want to view. Separate multiple file names
with spaces.
TIME COMMAND-
TIME commands permits you to enter or change the time known to the system. When ever you
create or add to a file, the time is recorded in the directory. This command displays the current system time
and asks the user to enter the new time if is to be modified.
Syntax A :> Time
Example à A:.> Time
Current time [Link].16a
Enter new time :
This command asks the user to enter new time and changes the system time if the user does not enters the
new time the time does not changes
A:>Time
Current time [Link].16a
Enter new time :
FORMAT: DATE
The PROMPT command within any parameters cause returned to the normal DOS PROMPT
DIRECTORY ENTRIES
The number of entries that the root directory of a disk can contain depends on the type of disk. The
root directory of a single sided 160/180KB diskette can hole 84 entries. Which the root directory of a
double sided 320/360KB and 720 KB diskette can hold 112 entries. The root directory of a height
capacity. 1.2 MB diskette can hold 224 entries. There can be 512 entries in the root directory of a fixed
disk.
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Unlike the root directory, sub directory subdirectories can contain any no. of entries limited only by
the amount of available space on the disk.
The correct directory is the one you are currently working in or the one you were working in one a
different drive DOS Remembers which directory was current on each of your drives, even though you
may not be presently averring any of those drives. When DOS starts the root directory is the current
directory.
Examples
The following example sets the command prompt to display the current drive and path followed by
the greater-than symbol (>): prompt $p$g
The following command displays a two-line prompt in which the current time appears on the first
line and the current date appears on the second line: prompt time is: $t$_date is: $d
4.16 Disk Management Commands
FORMAT COMMAND
Syntax: FORMAT(<drive:>) (/S) (IV) (14)
Format actually does two important things with a diskette: it puts identification mark on the disk for
storage/retrieval that make it possible for DOS to work with the diskette and it checks for any defects in
the diskette. It also prepares the disk to accept DOS files by initializing the root directory file allocation
table.
The DOS FORMAT command prepares a disk for use. It divides a disk into two areas.
(i) System area DOS stores information which is of use to itself
(ii) User area Stores programs or data files
System area consists of the boot area (which is the first sector on the disk), the file allocation table
and the root directory.
Syntax : FORMAT drive :[/V[:label]][/Q][/V][/S] Where ,
drive :specifies the drive containing the disk you want to format. This command can be used with various
switches to perform different functions.
Switches : This command can be used within varison switches perform different function. But these dat
floppier are not popular and preformated disks available in the market.
CHKDSK COMMAMD -
Syntax: chkdsk [drive:][[path] filename] [/f] [/v] [/r] [/l[:size]] [/x]
Creates and displays a status report for a disk, based on the file system used. Chkdsk also lists and
corrects errors on the disk. If chkdsk cannot lock the drive it will offer to check it the next time the
computer restarts.
DISKCOPY COMMAND -
FORMAT: DiskCopy <source drive:> <destination drives:>
Copies the contents of the floppy disk in the source drive to a formatted or unformatted floppy disk
in the destination drive. One essntial cadition for this command is thod you have so use two same copacity
disk and you can creat copy of the disk.
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Parameters
drive1 : Specifies the drive containing the source disk.
drive2 : Specifies the drive containing the destination disk.
/v : Verifies that the information is copied correctly. Use of this switch slows the copying process.
For information about copying one or more files, click copy in the Related Topics list.
For information about copying directories and subdirectories, click xcopy in the Related Topics list.
LABEL COMMAND -
SyntaxLABEL <DRIVE:> (Volume Label)
This command allows you to create, change or delete a volume label on disk.
Volume tables are used to identify disk. They can be up to 11 characters. To change the existing volume
label, type the new volume label and press enter.
Notes -
1. Label command messages
If you do not specify a label when you use the label command, DOS displays a message in the
following format:
Volume in drive A is xxxxxxxxxxx
Volume Serial Number is xxxx-xxxx
Volume label (11 characters, ENTER for none)?
The "Volume Serial Number" part of the message is not displayed if the disk has no serial number.
You can type the volume label you want or press ENTER to delete the current label. If a disk has a label
and you press ENTER for none, DOS prompts you with the following message:
Delete current volume label (Y/N)?
Press Y to delete the label; press N to keep the label.
2. Limitations on volume label names
A volume label can contain as many as 32 characters for NTFS volumes and as many as 11 characters for
FAT volumes and can include spaces but no tabs.
FAT volume labels cannot contain any of the following characters:
*?/\|.,;:+=[]<>"
This limitation does not apply to NTFS volumes.
DOS displays FAT volume labels in uppercase letters. If you enter a volume label in lowercase letters, the
label command converts the letters to uppercase. NTFS volume labels retain and display the case used
when the label was created.
Example
To label a disk in drive A that contains sales information for July, you might type the following:
label a:sales-july
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VOL COMMAND -
FORMAT: VOL <drive>
Displays the disk volume label and serial number, if they exist. A serial number is displayed for a disk
formatted with MS-DOS version 4.0 or later.
Parameter :
drive: Specifies the drive that contains the disk for which you want to display the volume label and serial
number.
4.17 DOS Utility Commands
MOVE COMMAND -
Syntax: MOVE <SOURCE FILENAME > <TARGET FILENAME>
This command moves one or more files to another directory. It is also used for renaming a directory.
the Manement of file does not keep copy of the file at source i.e. of original file is moned to dertiration.
It will move the source file under a new name, i.e., target file name
C:\>MOVE ABC XYZ <RETURN>
Moves ABC to XYZ in the root directory itself. After execution of this command the screen will look like:
C:\MOVE ABC XYZ <RETURN>
ABC => XYZ
OR
MOVE PATH\SOURCEFILENAME(s) PATH
It will move the source file from its original path to the new directory under a new name, if a new
name is mentioned.
Example
To move all files with the .xls extension from the \Data directory to the \Second_Q\Reports directory,
type
move \data\*.xls \second_q\reports\
DELTREE COMMANDS
This command was unveiled upon the arrival of DOS 5. Unlike it's counter part RD it can remove
directories even when they still have files and subdirectories in them. Some consider this a very dangerous
command, I just say make backups :-) It accepts a sole switch, "/Y". Normally DELTREE will ask you for
conformation before it does its magic. The "/Y" switch prevents this.
4.18 Using Copycon to Build a File
Syntax : COPY CON <FILE NAME>
Copycon command is used to create a file in the current directory.
Example: C:\copy con myfile
Note : to save the file myfile use ^z
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4.19 Summary
The head of disk is a small coil and reads or writes on the position of the disk rotating below it,
therefore, the data is stored in concentric set of rings. These are called tracks. The width of a track is equal
to the width of the [Link] have three system file (1) [Link] (2) [Link] (3)
[Link]. In MS Dos The user configuration files are [Link] and [Link]. The
reader is assumed to be familiar with these files. The file allocation table is a table of entries describing how
each cluster is allocated on the disk. Each cluster on disk has a entry. The FAT is simply a table of
numbers. The entry in FAT indicates whether the corresponding cluster is in use or not. It holds a pointer
to the next [Link] the computer is switched on the operating system gets loaded. The process
of loading DOS is called as booting DOS. Once started up, the computer performs its self-test i.e.
power-on hardware diagnostics. The directory is a table of contents for a disk . It contain the name of files
their size , and the dates they were last modified .In windows a directory is referred as Folder . Adirectory
can contain a number of subfolders and file .
4.20 Self Assessment Test
1. What are the internal and External commands in MS-DOS? Discuss.
2. What do you understand by the term “Booting the System” ? Explain.
3. what is [Link] file in MS-DOS?
4. What is the use of [Link] file ?
5. What are the wild card characters in MS-DOS?
6. Write the command to print a file in MS-DOS?
7. How will you rename a DOS file?
8. Describe in detail the usage of COPY command. Give the example of combining two or more
files into another file using COPY command.
9. Describe with example the purpose and usage of DELTREE command?
10. Describe the DIR command. What are the switches used with DIR command?
11. Describe the purpose of FDISK command.
12. What is the use of LABEL command?
13. What is FAT?
14. What is the use of PATH command?
15. What is the use of FORMAT command?
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UNIT – 5 : WINDOWS
Unit Structure
5.0 Objectives
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Advantages of Windows
5.3 Components of Windows
5.4 Types of Windows
5.5 Summary
5.6 Key Words
5.7 Self Assessment Test
5.8 Reference Books
5.0 Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to understand:
• Need of Windows
• Advantages of Windows
• Components facilities of Windows
• Types of Windows Operating System
5.1 Introduction
Computer can perform given task correctly with high speed on the basis of pre-defined instructions
called computer programs. The collection of programs is called operating system, Windows is one of the
most popular operating system among the computer user. Windows operating system is easy to understand
and user friendly. The feature of windows operating system makes learning of computers easy for non
technical persons. New user can start working with computers directly without knowing about the
technology.
The Graphical User Interface of the windows help user to perform various tasks easily. Prior to this
the Operating Systems consist of character user interface (CUI) in which the user has to remember all the
commands and syntex to execute any instruction. In GUI task are performed with the help of icon (Pictrial
Representation of Task) and background in instruction and syntex associated with that icon automatically
taken by the computer.
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2. Multi-User :
In Multiuser operating system more than one user can perform their task simelteneously. You can
create various user with different type of permission to perfrom various task, use of software, access of
disks, drives and other resources.
3. Multi-Tasking :
We can perform multiple task on windows at the same time. For example we can listen to the music
while typing some text in word document or can plan some game. We work in multiple windows when we
surf internet and download some material from the internet.
4. Userfriendly Environment :
In windows when some drivers or fonts are installed. This facility is universally available in all the
application software of windows. We need not require to install or configure various devices separately.
5. Easy to Understand :
The GUI based systems help us to understand various processes with the help of wizards and allow
us to perform complex task.
6. Search :
The dedicated search option available in windows help us to locate required file or folder. If name
of the file is not known search command can be executed for type of file or date or on the basis of some
of the content of the file. this results in very good tool for users.
Files and Directory of other operating system are termed as files and folders and the limitation of
number of character in file name and directory name is removed in windows. Some special characters can
also be use while nameing the file and folders. The pictorical representation of folders help user for proper
recording of files and folders.
Some advance version of windows provide us a facility of plug and play. As the name reflect you
can directly use any device with installation of drivers. A common part is used for variety of devices. For
example : USB Printer, Pen Dirve, External Harddisk, Mouse, Keyboard, Scanner etc.
10. Audio Video Features :
New version of windows has given facility to create audio / video clips. A simple window user can
create audio / video application using this facility.
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5.3 Components of Windows
Windows has got various components which are applicable to all varsions. the facility / command
available in windows is universally applicable in all the application software which are compiatible with
windows. It means basic structure, basic command, layout, title, buttons etc remains same throughout the
windows. Let us discuss some of the popular component.
1. Desktop
The first screen which we get after completion of the booting process is called Desktop. This
desktop act as a access point to avail all the software installed in the computer. We can customize desktop
as per out requirement in terms of colour, Picture, Layout and also create shortcut to the program which
we use frequently. The desktop may contain many items like My Computer, Network Neighbourhood,
My Documents, Recycle Bin as standard along with the shortcut or file created by the user.
We can set the properties of the desktop by clicking right mouse button. This menu allows us to
change background image called wall paper. We can also change property of display area, colour scheme,
task bar orientation etc.
Figure - 1
2. Task Bar
The lower bar of the desktop is called task bar. It containts start button on the left side of the screen.
This button is used to start an application or programs. The other programs which are currently running in
windows can also be shown on this task bar in the form of icon. The right hand side of the task bar
contents are other icon likes Date and Time, Sound, Speaker, Netwrok connection etc. You can set
property of the task bar by pointing on task bar and clicking right mouse button. The start button opens a
menu containing directories and subdirectories of softwares available in the computer.
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3. My Computer
My computers is a facility to know about all the devices, drives and their properties, drivers, computer
name etc. By selecting a particular drive details of the files folders avaliable on that drive can be displayed.
The various properties of the disks and softwares can be seen from my computers.
4. Recycle Bin
Its a folder which hold a copy of all the documents, files, folders, software which you have deleted.
In case if you have deleted a folder accidently you can restore that folder from recycle bin. To clear the
deleted file permenently you have cammand delete all the files from recycle bin also.
5. Control Panel
Control Panel is one of the most important utility of windows. It allow a user to change various
parameters and setting of the software, hardwares, applications etc. It contains a large number of utility
programs to control various activities of computers. By selecting a particular utility program user can
change setting for hardware like, printer, mouse, keyboard etc. and software like screen saver, fonts etc.
All the setting of control of various utilities are grouped in control panel.
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7. Run
A direct command line is available to user to run a command from the desktop. The user has to
remeber syntex and symentix of the command and know the path of the file and folder before using this
facility. But this facility is generally utilised by technical people and netwrok administrator.
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used until 4 December 2006. Windows XP screenshot-showing the Sample Picture folder, Sample Music
folder and control panel with the blue Luna scheme and Bliss desktop.
6. Windows Vista:
Windows Vista was released on November 30,2006 to business customers, consumer versions
following on January 30,2007. Windows Vista intended to have enhanced security by introducing a new
restricted user mode called User Account Control, replacing the "administrator by default" philosophy of
Windows XP. One Major difference between Vista and earlier versions of Windows, Windows 95 and
later, is that the original start button was replaced with just the Windows icon. Vista also features new
graphics features, the Windows Aero GUI, new applications such as Windows Calendar, Windows DVD
Maker and some new games including Chess, Mahjong and Purble Place, Internet Explorer 7, Windows
Media Player 11 and a large number of underlying architectural changes.
7. Windows 2007 :
Windows 7 is the current major release after Windows Vista and was planned for a three-year
development timeframe. It was previously known by the code names Avina and Vienna. Some features of
Windows 7 are faster booting, Device Stage, Windows PowerShell, less obtrusive User Account Control,
Multi-touch and improved window management. Features included with Windows Vista and not in
Windows 7 include the sidebar (although gadgets remain) and several programs that were removed in
favor of downloading their Windows Live counterparts.
5.5 Summary
Windows is one of the most popular operating system among the computer user. Windows operating
system is easy to understand and user friendly. The feature of windows operating system makes learning
of computers easy for non technical persons. Windows offer many advantages & features to its user like
GUI, Multi User, Multi Tasking, Efficient Search and file folder management option, plug & play feature
with user friendly multimedia management facilities etc.
• Minimize : It is one of the buttons on the upper right corner of the window. When pressed window
get minimized in task bar.
• Restore / Maximize : It is one of the button on the upper right corner of the window. When
pressed window gets restore or maximize.
• Close : It is one of the button on the upper right corner of the window. When pressed window get
closed i.e. application is closed.
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5.6 Self Assessment Test
1. What do you understand by Windows.
2. Define the Advantages of Windows and Compare with DOS.
3. Describe Contorl Panel, My Computer, My Documents.
4. Explain multiuser and multi tasking.
5. Explain the features of Windows 95
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UNIT - 6 : UNIX OPERATING SYSTEM
Unit Structure
6.0 Objectives
6.1. Introduction
6.2 Basic Commands
6.3 Summary
6.4 Self Assessment Questions
6.5 Reference Books
6.0 Objectives
After going through you will be able to :
• Describe multiuser operating system
• Explain structure of Unix OS.
• Describe development of Unix OS.
• Understand file structure of Unix
• Understand same command of Unix
In a single user system, resources such as the processor, the printer, hard disc, etc. are kept idling
most of the time, since all these resources are at the disposal of a single user. There are many multi-user
operating systems in use at that time, normally coded in assembly language, and implemented for specific
hardware. To overcome this situation, and to have easy portability of the operating system UNIX was
developed.
UNIX was created in the 1970s by AT&T’s Bell Laboratories and has gone through design evolutions
by both universities and companies. After more than 30 years of use, the UNIX operating system is still
regarded as one of the most powerful, versatile, and flexible operating systems in the computer world. Its
popularity hinges on its simplicity, open standards design, its ability to run on a wide variety of machines,
and its portability.
The bottom line is that UNIX was and is a reliable, secure, multi-user operating system that continues
to dominate the enterprise Web- and application-hosting landscape. Many large organizations funded
UNIX development platforms, and they remain loyal to the platform to this day. This loyalty is to some
extent the result of cost and support. Many experts agree that UNIX is the operating system of choice for
Web hosting, with the only real alternative being Linux, which IBM and others now are strongly backing.
6.1 Introduction
UNIX is an operating system which was first developed in the 1960s and has been under constant
development ever since. By operating system, we mean the suite of programs which make the computer
work. It is a stable, multi-user, multi-tasking system for servers, desktops and laptops.
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UNIX systems also have a graphical user interface (GUI) similar to Microsoft Windows which
provides an easy to use environment. However, knowledge of UNIX is required for operations which
aren’t covered by a graphical program, or when there is no windows interface available, for example, in a
telnet session. The UNIX operating system is made up of three parts; the kernel, the shell and the programs.
Kernel
The kernel of UNIX is the hub of the operating system. It allocates time and memory to programs
and handles the filestore and communications in response to system calls. As an illustration of the way that
the shell and the kernel work together, suppose a user types rm myfile (which has the effect of removing
the file myfile). The shell searches the file store for the file containing the program rm, and then requests
the kernel, through system calls, to execute the program rm on myfile. When the process rm myfile has
finished running, the shell then returns the UNIX prompt % to the user, indicating that it is waiting for
further commands.
Shell
The shell acts as an interface between the user and the kernel. When a user logs in, the login
program checks the username and password, and then starts another program called the shell. The shell is
a command line interpreter (CLI). It interprets the commands the user types in and arranges for themto be
carried out. The commands are themselves programs. When they terminate, the shell gives the user another
prompt (% on our systems). The adept user can customize his/her own shell, and users can use different
shells on the same machine. Staff and students in the school have the tcsh shell by default. The tcsh shell
has certain features to help the user inputting commands.
Filename Completion - By typing part of the name of a command, filename or directory and pressing
the [Tab] key, the tcsh shell will complete the rest of the name automatically. If the shell finds more than
one name beginning with those letters you have typed, it will beep, prompting you to type a few more
letters before pressing the tab key again. The shell keeps a list of the commands you have typed in. If you
need to repeat a command, use the cursor keys to scroll up and down the list or type history for a list of
previous commands.
6.1.1 History of UNIX
UNIX has a modest beginning at AT & T laboratories in a 1969. That was when AT & T withdrew
its team from MULTICS project and some of them began work on development of computing environment
to pursue programming research. Ken Thompson & Dennis Ritchie then designed and built a small multi
tasking system supporting two users. This new system had an elegant file system , a command interpreter
and a set of utilities. Many people who later took part in early development of Unix system participated in
the MULTICS work at Bell Laboratories. A primitive version of MULTICS system was running on GE
645 computer by 1969.
A member of team Brain Kernighan presumably having MULTICS in mind suggested the name
UNICS then jokingly referred to as uniplexed information and computing system for this operating system.
In 1970, UNICS finally become name by which it’s known today – UNIX. Even Dennis Ritchie was not
on ordinary man. He had research on another christened MULTICS for its unique multi-user capabilities.
This was one of the earliest interactive multi-user OS. The name UNIX was at dig at MULTICS and latter
exerted strong influence on its conceptions and design. UNIX code was written in assembly language.
The Unix was written in C language with all due respect to English alphabets. Unix became popularly
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regarded as an OS of programmers, by programmers & for programmers. Unix had finally arrived in big
way and with it began a golden chapter in computer chronics. By present estimates, over a million people
use the UNIX OS and it is available on more than 100 diverse hardware platforms from the supercomputers
to its ubiquitous micros.
Directory Structure: All the files are grouped together in the directory structure. The file-system is
arranged in a hierarchical structure, like an inverted tree. The top of the hierarchy is traditionally called
root (written as a slash /)
• It is a multi-user machine in which more than one user can use the machine at a time supported via
terminals (serial or network connection).
• Multi-tasking in which more than one program can be run at a time Hierarchical directory structure
to support the organization and maintenance of files.
• Portability through which only the kernel ( <10%) written in assembler tools for program development
• A wide range of support tools (debuggers, compilers).
• The UNIX system consists of numerous constituents that are usually packaged together which
include the growth environment, documents, libraries, portable, modifiable source-code for all of
these constituents, along with kernel of an operating system as UNIX was a self-contained software
system.
• This was regarded as one of the main reasons it appeared as a significant teaching and learning
device and has had such a broad influence.
• The unique V7 UNIX distribution contains copies of all of the compiled binaries including all of the
source code and documentation occupied less than 10MB that arrived on a single 9-track magtape.
• In two volumes the printed documentation, typeset from the on-line sources contained.
• Kernel is the source code in system composed of numerous sub-components like:
1. dev: device drivers for control of hardware and some pseudo-hardware
2. conf: configuration and machine-dependent parts, along with boot code
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3. h: header files, defining key structures within the system and important system-specific invariables
4. sys: operating system “kernel”, process scheduling, handling memory management, system calls
5. Development Environment contains early versions of UNIX contained a growth environment
sufficient to reconstruct the complete system from source code:
6. as: machine-language assembler for the machine
7. cc: C language compiler
8. ld: linker, for combining object files
9. lib: object-code for effectively automating the build process
10. include: header files for software development, defining standard interfaces and system invariants
11. Other languages: V7 Unix contained a Fortran-77 compiler, a programmable arbitrary-precision
calculator (bc, dc), and the awk “scripting” language.
12. Commands: Unix makes little distinction between commands (user-level programs) for system
operation and preservation (e.g. cron), commands of general usefulness (e.g. grep), and more
common function applications such as the text formatting and typesetting package.
13. Other tools: an object-code archive manager (ar), symbol-table lister (nm), compiler-
development tools (e.g. lex & yacc), and debugging tools.
14. sh: The “shell” programmable command-line interpreter, the primary user interface on Unix
before window systems appeared, and even afterward (within a “command window”). Utilities:
the central device kit of the UNIX command set, including cp, ls, grep, find and many others.
6.1.3 The UNIX Operating System
Multi-User Operating Systems: A multi-user operating system allows more than one user to
share the same computer system at the same time. It does this by time-slicing the computer processor at
regular intervals between the various users.
We start off by giving the first user (which we will call Sophia) the processor hardware, and run
Sophia’s program for 1/5th of a second. When the time is up, we intervene, save Sophia’s program state
(program code and data) and then start running the second users program (for 1/5th of a second). This
process continues till we eventually get back to user Sophia. To continue running Sophia’s program, we
restore the programs code and data and then run for 1/5th of a second. This switching between user
programs is done by part of the kernel. To switch from one program to another requires,
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Fig.: 2 Kernel space and User Programs organization in Memory
As you can see in the above diagram, the kernel space is kept separate from user programs.
In UNIX systems, each user is presented with a shell. This is a program which displays the users
prompt, handles user input and displays output on the terminal. The shell program provides a mechanism
for customizing each user’s setup requirements, and storing this information for re-use (in a file called
.profile). When the UNIX system starts up, it also starts a system process which monitors the state of
each terminal input line. Whenever a user logs in and their password is validated the UNIX system associates
the shell program with that terminal.
Multi-Tasking Operating Systems
Multi-tasking operating systems permit the use of more than one program to run at once. It does
this in the same way as a multi-user system, by rapidly switching the processor between the various
programs. OS/2 and Windows 95 are examples of multi-tasking single-user operating system. UNIX is
an example of a multi-tasking multi-user operating system. A multi-user system is also a multi-tasking
system. This means that a user can run more than one program at once, using key selection to switch
between them. Multi-tasking systems support foreground and background tasks. A foreground task is
one that the user interacts directly with using the keyboard and screen. A background task is one that runs
in the background (it does not have access to the keyboard). Background tasks are usually used for
printing or backups.
The role of the operating system is to keep track of all the programs, allocating resources like disks,
and memory and printer queues as required.
6.1.4 UNIX Structure
Various parts and portion of UNIX is arranged around the hardware. The core of UNIX is the
kernel, which schedules jobs and manages data storage, and it is very closely interfaced with hardware.
The hardware functions according to the machine instructions released ultimately by the kernel, based on
the shell’s interpretation of user commands. Surrounding the shell are parts of software of the shell relating
to:
1. Execution of commands for piping and filtering actions.
2. Tools for carrying out foreground and background processing.
3. Utilities for configuring the hardware.
4. I/O redirection and command execution utilities.
5. Filename substitution.
The shell forms an interface between the user and the kernel. Outside the shell are the different user-
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specific utilities of UNIX, numbering around 300, which enhance its capability. Above this, are the user
programs and application packages, which can facilitate data entry, data modification, query, report
generation, etc. The shell is a program that collects and interprets the user commands, invokes the concerned
program file from memory and directs the kernel to execute them. Externally, the UNIX operating system
is made up of two parts. One part is large set of system programs, each one corresponding to a command,
and another part of the shell, which interprets, manages and coordinates the execution of these programs.
The user sees the shell command as one peculating down the UNIX system, and the kernel, looking up to
the user through the shell for the next set of process. separate shell process is apportioned to each user.
The separate shell once created provides an environment within which the user operates. The shell
environment consists of the following to ensure proper interaction between the user and the system:-The
name of the user, and a working directory (a directory allotted to the user by the OS. A list of system
directories to be searched to locate the commands given by the user. The file access permission modes. A
group of user’s identification (user id) and group identification number (group id).
The KERNEL is the heart of UNIX Operating System. Technically speaking the UNIX KERNEL
is the Operating System. It provides the full time software connection to the hardware. It is a part of
UNIX Operating System, which deals mainly with:
1. Process scheduling
2. Inter process communication
3. Paging
4. Device drivers
ls (list) : When you first login, your current working directory is your home directory. Your home directory
has the same name as your user-name, for example, ee91ab, and it is where your personal files and
subdirectories are saved.
To find out what is in your home directory, type : % ls
The ls command (lowercase L and lowercase S) lists the contents of your current working directory.
There may be no files visible in your home directory, in which case, the UNIX prompt will be
returned. Alternatively, there may already be some files inserted by the System Administrator when your
account was created. ls does not, in fact, cause all the files in your home directory to be listed, but only
those ones whose name does not begin with a dot (.) Files beginning with a dot (.) are known as hidden
files and usually contain important program configuration information. They are hidden because you should
not change them unless you are very familiar with UNIX!!!
To list all files in your home directory including those whose names begin with a dot, type
% ls -a
As you can see, ls -a lists files that are normally hidden.
Is an example of a command which can take options: -a is an example of an option. The options
change the behavior of the command. There are online manual pages that tell you which option a particular
command can take, and how each option modifies the behavior of the command.
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2. Making Directories
4. Directories
5. Pathnames
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to find out the absolute pathname of your home-directory, type cd to get back to your home-directory and
then type : % pwd
The full pathname will look something like this –
/home/its/ug1/ee51vn : which means that ee51vn (your home directory) is in the sub-directory ug1 (the
group directory), which in turn is located in its sub-directory, which is in the home sub-directory, which is
in the top-level root directory called “/ “ .
Command Meaning
ls list files and directories
ls -a list all files and directories
mkdir make a directory
cd directory change to named directory
cd change to home-directory
cd ~ change to home-directory
cd .. change to parent directory
pwd display the path of the current directory
Table 1.1 Description of same Unix Command
6 Copying Files
cp (copy)
cp file1 file2 is the command which makes a copy of file1 in the current working directory and calls it
file2
What we are going to do now, is to take a file stored in an open access area of the file system, and
use the cp command to copy it to your unixstuff directory.
First, cd to your unixstuff directory. : % cd ~/unixstuff
Then at the UNIX prompt, type : % cp /vol/examples/tutorial/[Link] .
Note: Don’t forget the dot . at the end. Remember, in UNIX, the dot means the current directory.
The above command means copy the file [Link] to the current directory, keeping the name the same.
(Note: The directory /vol/examples/tutorial/ is an area to which everyone in the school has read and
copy access. If you are from outside the University, you can grab a copy of the file here. Use ‘File/Save
As..’ from the menu bar to save it into your unixstuff directory.)
Exercise 2 : Create a backup of your [Link] file by copying it to a file called [Link]
7 Moving Files
mv (move)
mv file1 file2 moves (or renames) file1 to file2
To move a file from one place to another, use the mv command. This has the effect of moving rather
than copying the file, so you end up with only one file rather than two.
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It can also be used to rename a file, by moving the file to the same directory, but giving it a different name.
We are now going to move the file [Link] to your backup directory.
First, change directories to your unixstuff directory (can you remember how?). Then, inside the
unixstuff directory, type
% mv [Link] backups/.
Type ls and ls backups to see if it has worked.
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Then type
% head -5 [Link]
What difference did the -5 do to the head command?
tail
The tail command writes the last ten lines of a file to the screen.
Clear the screen and type
% tail [Link]
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To find out how many lines the file has, type : % wc -l [Link]
Command Meaning
cp file1 file2 copy file1 and call it file2
mv file1 file2 move or rename file1 to file2
rm file remove a file
rmdir directory remove a directory
cat file display a file
less file display a file a page at a time
head file display the first few lines of a file
tail file display the last few lines of a file
grep ‘keyword’ file search a file for keywords
wc file count number of lines/words/
characters in file
11 Redirection
Most processes initiated by UNIX commands write to the standard output (that is, they write to the
terminal screen), and many take their input from the standard input (that is, they read it from the keyboard).
There is also the standard error, where processes write their error messages, by default, to the terminal
screen.
We have already seen one use of the cat command to write the contents of a file to the screen.
Now type cat without specifing a file to read : % cat
Then type a few words on the keyboard and press the [Return] key.
Finally hold the [Ctrl] key down and press [d] (written as ^D for short) to end the input.
What has happened?
If you run the cat command without specifing a file to read, it reads the standard input (the keyboard),
and on receiving the ‘end of file’ (^D), copies it to the standard output (the screen).
In UNIX, we can redirect both the input and the output of commands.
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Exercise 4 :
Using the above method, create another file called list2 containing the following fruit: orange, plum,
mango, grapefruit. Read the contents of list2
Appending to a file
The form >> appends standard output to a file. So to add more items to the file list1, type
% cat >> list1
Then type in the names of more fruit : peach or grape or orange
^D (Control D to stop)
To read the contents of the file, type
% cat list1
You should now have two files. One contains six fruit, the other contains four fruit.
We will now use the cat command to join (concatenate) list1 and list2 into a new file called biglist.
Type
% cat list1 list2 > biglist
What this is doing is reading the contents of list1 and list2 in turn, then outputing the text to the file
biglist
To read the contents of the new file, type
% cat biglist
14 Pipes
To see who is on the system with you, type :% who
One method to get a sorted list of names is to type : % who > [Link]
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% sort < [Link]
This is a bit slow and you have to remember to remove the temporary file called names when you
have finished. What you really want to do is connect the output of the who command directly to the input
of the sort command. This is exactly what pipes do. The symbol for a pipe is the vertical bar |
For example, typing : % who | sort
will give the same result as above, but quicker and cleaner.
To find out how many users are logged on, type : % who | wc -l
Exercise 5:
Using pipes, display all lines of list1 and list2 containing the letter ‘p’, and sort the result.
Answer available here
Command Meaning
command > file redirect
standard output to a file
command >> file append standard output to a file
command < file redirect standard input from a file
command1 | command2 pipe the output of command1 to the input of command2
cat file1 file2 > file0 concatenate file1 and file2 to file0
sort sort data
who list users currently logged in
Description of same Unix Command
15 Wildcards
The * wildcard
The character * is called a wildcard and will match against none or more character(s) in a file (or
directory) name. For example, in your unixstuff directory, type : % ls list*
This will list all files in the current directory starting with list....
Try typing : % ls *list
This will list all files in the current directory ending with ....list
The ? wildcard
The character ? will match exactly one character.
So ?ouse will match files like house and mouse, but not grouse.
16 Filename Conventions
We should note here that a directory is merely a special type of file. So the rules and conventions for
naming files apply also to directories. In naming files, characters with special meanings such as / * & %
, should be avoided. Also, avoid using spaces within names. The safest way to name a file is to use only
alphanumeric characters, that is, letters and numbers, together with _ (underscore) and . (dot).
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Good filenames Bad filenames
[Link] project
my_big_program.c my big program.c
fred_dave.doc fred & [Link]
File names conventionally start with a lower-case letter, and may end with a dot followed by a
group of letters indicating the contents of the file. For example, all files consisting of C code may be named
with the ending .c, for example, prog1.c. Then in order to list all files containing C code in your home
directory, you need only type ls *.c in that directory.
17 Getting Help
On-line Manuals
There are on-line manuals which gives information about most commands. The manual pages tell
you which options a particular command can take, and how each option modifies the behaviour of the
command. Type man command to read the manual page for a particular command.
For example, to find out more about the wc (word count) command, type
% man wc
Alternatively
% whatis wc
gives a one-line description of the command, but omits any information about options etc.
Apropos
When you are not sure of the exact name of a command,
% apropos keyword
will give you the commands with keyword in their manual page header. For example, try typing
% apropos copy
Command Meaning
* match any number of characters
? match one character
man command read the online manual page for a command
whatis command brief description of a command
apropos keyword match commands with keyword in their man pages
18 Miscellonous Commands
Manual command : This is help command, and will explains you about online manual pages you can also
use man in conjunction with any command to learn more about that command for example. Man ls will
explain about the ls command and how you can use it. Man -k pattern command will search for the pattern
in given command.
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Banner command: Banner prints characters in a sort of ascii art poster, for example to print wait in big
letters. I will type banner wait at unix command line or in my script. This is how it will look.
# # ## # #####
# # # # # #
# # # # # #
# ## # ###### # #
## ## # # # #
# # # # # #
Cal command : Cal command will print the calander on current month by default. If you want to print
calander of August of 1965. That’s eightht month of 1965. Cal 8 1965 will print following results.
August 1965
S M Tu W Th F S
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
8 9 10 11 12 13 14
15 16 17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26 27 28
29 30 31
Clear command : clear command clears the screen and puts cursor at beginning of first line.
Calendar command : Calendar command reads your calendar file and displays only lines with Current
day.
For example in your calendar file if you have this
12/20 Test new software.
1/15 Test newly developed 3270 product.
1/20 Install memory on HP 9000 machine.
On dec 20th the first line will be displayed. you can use this command with your crontab file or in
your login files.
Nohup command: Nohup command if added in front of any command will continue running the command
or process even if you shut down your terminal or close your session to machine. For exmaple, if I want
to run a job that takes lot of time and must be run From Terminal and is called
update_entries_tonight.
nohup update_entries_tonight will run the job even if terminal is shut down in middle of this job.
Tty command: Tty command will display your terminal. Syntax is tty options
Options
· -l will print the synchronous line number.
· -s will return only the codes: 0 (a terminal), 1 (not a terminal), 2 (invalid options) (good for scripts)
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File Management commands.
Pwd command: Pwd command will print your home directory on screen, pwd means print working
directory.
/u0/ssb/sandeep
is output for the command when I use pwd in /u0/ssb/sandeep directory.
Ls command: Ls command is most widely used command and it displays the contents of directory.
options
· ls will list all the files in your home directory, this command has many options.
· ls -l will list all the file names, permissions, group, etc in long format.
· ls -a will list all the files including hidden files that start with . .
· ls -lt will list all files names based on the time of creation, newer files bring first.
· ls -Fxwill list files and directory names will be followed by slash.
· ls -Rwill lists all the files and files in the all the directories, recursively.
· ls -R | more will list all the files and files in all the directories, one page at a time.
Mkdir command: Mkdir sandeep will create new directory, i.e. here sandeep directory is created.
Cd command: Cd sandeep will change directory from current directory to sandeep directory.
Use pwd to check your current directory and ls to see if sandeep directory is there or not.
You can then use cd sandeep to change the directory to this new directory.
Cat command: Cat [Link] cat command displays the contents of a file here [Link] on screen (or standard
out).
Head command: Head filename by default will display the first 10 lines of a file.
If you want first 50 lines you can use head -50 filename or for 37 lines head -37 filename and so forth.
Tail command: Tail filename by default will display the last 10 lines of a file.
If you want last 50 lines then you can use tail -50 filename.
More command: More command will display a page at a time and then wait for input which is spacebar.
For example if you have a file which is 500 lines and you want to read it all. So you can use
more filename
Wc command: Wc command counts the characters, words or lines in a file depending upon the option.
Options
· wc -l filename will print total number of lines in a file.
· wc -w filename will print total number of words in a file.
· wc -c filename will print total number of characters in a file.
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File command: File command displays about the contents of a given file, whether it is a text (Ascii) or
binary file. To use it type file filename. For example I have [Link] which has ascii characters about calander
of current month and I have [Link] file which is a binariy file in microsoft word. I will get file
[Link] [Link]: data file [Link]: ascii text
Cp command: Cp command copies a file. If I want to copy a file named oldfile in a current directory to
a file named newfile in a current directory.
cp oldfile newfile
If I want to copy oldfile to other directory for example /tmp then cp oldfile /tmp/newfile. Useful
options available with cp are -p and -r . -p options preserves the modification time and permissions, -r
recursively copy a directory and its files, duplicating the tree structure.
Rcp command: Rcp command will copy files between two unix systems and works just like cp command
(-p and –i options too).
For example you are on a unix system that is called Cheetah and want to copy a file which is in
current directory to a system that is called lion in /usr/john/ directory then you can use
Rcp command rcp Filename lion:/usr/john
You will also need permissions between the two machines. For more infor type man rcp at command
line.
Mv command: Mv command is used to move a file from one directory to another directory or to rename
a file.
Some examples:
· mv oldfile newfile will rename oldfile to newfile.
· mv -i oldfile newfile for confirmation prompt.
· mv -f oldfile newfile will force the rename even if target file exists.
· mv * /usr/bajwa/ will move all the files in current directory to /usr/bajwa directory.
Ln command: Lnstead of copying you can also make links to existing files using ln command.
If you want to create a link to a file called coolfile in /usr/local/bin directory then you can enter this
command.
ln mycoolfile /usr/local/bin/coolfile
Some examples:
· ln -s fileone filetwo will create a symbolic link and can exist across machines.
· ln -n option will not overwrite existing files.
· ln -f will force the link to occur.
Rm command: To delete files use rm command.
Options:
· rm oldfile will delete file named oldfile.
· rm -f option will remove write-protected files without prompting.
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· rm -r option will delete the entire directory as well as all the subdirectories, very dangerous
command.
Rmdir command: Rmdir command will remove directory or directories if a directory is empty.
Options:
· rm -r directory_name will remove all files even if directory is not empty.
· rmdir sandeep is how you use it to remove sandeep directory.
· rmdir -p will remove directories and any parent directories that are empty.
· rmdir -s will suppress standard error messages caused by -p.
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files are [Link] following command prints a message ‘no changes’ if files are same cmp -s
fileone file1 && echo ‘no changes’.
Dircmp Command: Dircmp command compares two directories. If i have two directories in my home
directory named dirone and dirtwo and each has 5-10 files in it.
./[Link] ./[Link]
./[Link] ./[Link]
./[Link] ./[Link]
./[Link] ./[Link]
./[Link]
Grep Command: Grep command is the most useful search command. You can use it to find processes
running on system, to find a pattern in a file, etc. It can be used to search one or more files to match an
expression.
It can also be used in conjunction with other commands as in this following example, output of ps command
is passed to grep command, here it means search all processes in system and find the pattern sleep.
ps -ef | grep sleep will display all the sleep processes running in the system as follows.
ops 12964 25853 0 [Link] ttyAE/AAES 0:00 sleep 60
dxi 12974 15640 0 [Link] ttyAH/AAHP 0:00 sleep 60
ops 12941 25688 0 [Link] ttyAE/AAEt 0:00 sleep 60
ops 12847 25812 0 [Link] ttyAH/AAH6 0:00 sleep 60
ops 12894 25834 0 [Link] ttyAE/AAEX 0:00 sleep 60
dxi 13067 27253 2 [Link] ttyAE/ABEY 0:00 sleep 1
ops 13046 25761 0 [Link] ttyAE/AAE0 0:00 sleep 60
dxi 12956 13078 0 [Link] ttyAG/AAG+ 0:00 sleep 60
ops 12965 25737 0 [Link] ttyAE/AAEp 0:00 sleep 60
ops 12989 25778 0 [Link] ttyAH/AAHv 0:00 sleep 60
ssb 13069 26758 2 [Link] ttyAH/AAHs 0:00 grep sleep
pjk 27049 3353 0 [Link] ? 0:00 sleep 3600
Options:
· -b option will precede each line with its block number.
· -c option will only print the count of matched lines.
· -i ignores uppercase and lowercase distinctions.
· -l lists filenames but not matched lines.
other associated commands with grep are egrep and fgrep. egrep typically runs faster. for more
information type man egrep or man fgrep in your system.
Command: Find command is a extremely useful command. you can search for any file anywhere using
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this command provided that file and directory you are searching has read write attributes set to you ,your,
group or all. Find descends directory tree beginning at each pathname and finds the files that meet the
specified conditions. Here are some examples.
Some Examples:
find $HOME -print will lists all files in your home directory.
find /work -name chapter1 -print will list all files named chapter1 in /work directory.
find / -type d -name ‘man*’ -print will list all manpage directories.
find / -size 0 -ok rm {} \; will remove all empty files on system.
conditions of find
· -atime +n |-n| n will find files that were last accessed more than n or less than -n days or n days.
· -ctime +n or -n will find that were changed +n -n or n days ago.
· -depth descend the directory structure, working on actual files first and then directories. You can use it
with cpio command.
· -exec commad {} \; run the Unix command on each file matched by find. Very useful condition.
· -print print or list to standard output (screen).
· -name pattern find the pattern.
· -perm nnnfind files whole permission flags match octal number nnn.
· -size n find files that contain n blocks.
· -type c Find file whole type is c. C could be b or block, c Character special file, d directory, p fifo or
named pipe, l symbolic link, or f plain file.
20 Text processing
cut,paste, sort, uniq,awk,sed,vi.
Cut command: Cut command selects a list of columns or fields from one or more files.
Option -c is for columns and -f for fields. It is entered as cut options [files] for example if a file named
testfile contains
this is firstline
this is secondline
this is thirdline
Examples: cut -c1,4 testfile will print this to standard output (screen)
ts
ts
ts
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It is printing columns 1 and 4 of this file which contains t and s (part of this).
Options:
· -c list cut the column positions identified in list.
· -f list will cut the fields identified in list.
· -s could be used with -f to suppress lines without delimiters.
Paste Command: Paste command merges the lines of one or more files into vertical columns separated
by a tab.
For example if a file named testfile contains
This is firstline and a file named testfile2 contains
This is testfile2 then running this command paste testfile testfile2 > outputfile will put his into outputfile this
is firstline this is testfile2
it contains contents of both files in columns.
who | paste - - will list users in two columns.
Options:
· -d’char’ separate columns with char instead of a tab.
· -s merge subsequent lines from one file.
Sort command: Sort command sort the lines of a file or files, in alphabetical order. for example if you have
a file named testfile with these contents
zzz
aaa
1234
yuer
wer
qww
wwe
Then running sort testfile will give us output of
1234
aaa
qww
wer
wwe
yuer
zzz
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Options:
· -b ignores leading spaces and tabs.
· -c checks whether files are already sorted.
· -d ignores punctuation.
· -i ignores non-printing characters.
· -n sorts in arithmetic order.
· -ofile put output in a file.
· +m[-m] skips n fields before sorting, and sort upto field position m.
· -r reverse the order of sort.
· -u identical lines in input file apear only one time in output.
6.3 Summary
Unix is reliable, seculy maltiuar operating system that dominate networks and web [Link]
OS consist of 1. kernel-sechedular task manager data./file occon and stores enfarces seceniby mechanism
performs all hardware accan. 2. Shell: potsents all uses with a prompt interpret command type by user
execates user commander supperta a ceston environment for each user.
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17. Write a command to kill the last background job?
18. How to switch to a super user status to gain privileges?
19. What does the command ?$ls | wc ?l > file1? do?
20. Which of the following commands is not a filter man , (b) cat , (c) pg , (d) head
21. How to terminate a process which is running and the specialty on command kill 0?
22. How is the command ?$cat file2 ? different from ?$cat >file2 and >> redirection operators ?
23. What is the use of ?grep? command?
24. What is the use of the command “ls -x chapter[1-5]”
25. What is a pipe and give an example?
26. Write a command to display a file?s contents in various formats?
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UNIT - 7 : MICROSOFT WORD
Unit Structure
7.0 Objectives
7.1 Introduction
7.2 Word Processor Features
7.3 Starting Microsoft Word
7.4 Elements of MS-Word Window
7.5 Creating a Document
7.6 Saving the Document
7.7 Formatting Document
7.8 Formatting Text
7.9 Formatting Paragraph
7.10 Tables
7.11 Inserting Picture
7.12 Printing a File
7.13 Key Words
7.14 Self Assessment Test
7.15 Reference Books
7.0 Objectives
After reading this unit you will be able to understand.
• Word processor and its feature.
• Creation and formatting of a document
• Formatting of the text and paragraph
• Create tables and insert picture
7.1 Introduction
Word processor is a software package that is used to create professional documents like letters,
reports, files etc. Micro-soft word 2000 is a word processor which provides various kinds of word
processing facilities. It is a popular component of Micorsoft Office [Link] the term suggests, word
processing simply process words like textual information, you can use it to print letters, reports, booklets
and other documents in a suitable format. In word processing package you can check the spelling in the
documents, you can get help to select appropriate words in a sentence.
You can create modify letters or documents or print copies just by pressing a few keys from the key
board. Moreover, you can add page number or change margins. In addition a word processor can be
used to send the same letter to several different addresses using the mail - merge facility or using electronic
mail facility on the internet.
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1. Adjustable page size and margins.
2. The selected text can be printed in boldface, italic, or underlined.
3. The font and size of letters of the selected text can changed.
4. You can adjust line and character spacing.
5. It provides facility to define header and footer.
6. It provides facilities to create foot notes and end notes.
7. You can move selected text to another location within the document or another document.
8. You can check spelling and grammar in your document.
9. Marging text, graphics, picture etc.
10. User friendly interface.
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The most important elements are.-
The title bar is present at the top of the window. The title bar has the name of document at the left
side and right side has the Minimize, Restore / Maximize and Close buttons.
7.4.2 Menu Bar
The menu bar is located just below the title bar. It contains all commands used in word. The list of
commands in which one character is underline. This character when Prrssed with ALT command menu in
a window get opened. The menu includes.
1. File : This menu has all the file related commands such as new, save, save as, open, close, print etc.
2. Edit :This menu has all commands related to editing of documents like cut, copy, paste, clear etc.
3. View :This menu has all commands related to controlling the view of the documents like zoom-in,
zoom-out, print layout, toolbars, ruler, header and footer, full screen etc.
4. Insert: It has commands such as insert objects, picture, symbols, page numbers, footnotes etc.
5. Format :It has all the commands related to the formatting of document like font, paragraph, bullets
and numbering, change case, etc.
6. Tools :This menu has all commands related to the word processing tools like spelling and grammar
checker, mail merge, macro, etc.
7. Table :It has all commands related to table operation like inserting ,deleting, modifying table etc.
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8. Window : This menu has all the commands related to working in the window.
9. Help :è This menu has all commands related to getting help for MS-word 2000.
7.4.3 Toolbar
The Toolbar allows users to access the frequently used procedures and commands for that pur-
pose. The Toolbar has buttons to represent commands and procedures. Toolbar can be used directly by
a pointing device like mouse. The toolbar is presented in the form of the Standard and Formatting toolbar
below the menu bar of the MS-window. The components (command buttons) of Standard and Format-
ting toolbar are different according to the diagrams.
The word Standard toolbar consists of group of buttons labeled with icons. It is present just below
the menu bar. The buttons of Standard toolbar are shortcuts to frequently used commands like, New,
Open ,Save, Print, Cut, Copy, Paste, Undo, Redo, Print Preview, Spelling check etc.
The Formatting toolbar contains commands in the form of buttons to help you for quickly select
formatting features like Font face, Font Style, Font Size, Bold, Italic, Underline, Align left margin,
Align center, Align right margin, Justify Align, Bullets and Numbering, font color etc. Any can be selected
from the toolbar only by mouse button click.
7.4.4 Rulers
The word Ruler allows Tab stops to be set. The Rulers helps you to control the margins, the paragraph
indentation and the tab setting for a document. Rulers are two types.
1. Horizontal Ruler - which presents, always at the top of the document window.
2. Vertical Ruler - which displays only in page layout view or print preview.
To set Tabs, follow these steps.
1. Select the paragraphs in which you want to set tab stops.
2. Click the tab character at the far left of the horizontal ruler until it changes to the type of tab you want.
3. Click on the horizontal ruler where you want to set a tab stop.
Or
4. You also set precise measurements for tabs using Format menu then Tab option.
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1. Select tab leader character to set a left-justify tab stop.
2. Select tab leader character to set a center tab stop.
1. Before typing the first line press the enter key two times to insert some blank lines.
2. Now type the first line of document after completing first line press enter key to go in next ( second )line.
3. After pressing the enter key you will observe that cursor blinking now shifts to the next line.
4. For typing the capital letters you have to follow these steps.
(A) Press the “ Caps Lock ” key of keyboard once, this sets the Caps Lock ON.
(B) Now you can type capital letters.
(C) Again press the Caps Lock key once. This will sets the Caps Lock mode OFF.
(D) Now you can type normal letters.
5. You just use the space bar key once to create a space between two words such as “ LETTER and OF”.
6. Press Enter key for leaving blank lines between paragraphs. For example if you need to leave two
blank line then press Enter key two times.
7. If you have entered a wrong letter, or pressed the enter key by mistake than press the back space key
from the keyboard to delete the incorrect letter.
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.
3. Now type the document name , inside the box beside the File name option .
4. In the save As box, the rectangular box beside the Save as in option displays the folder name My
Doc, where you will save your document. It has various sub - folders where you can save your
file.
5. To save document in Local Disk [C:] just click at down arrow scroll button present in the box beside
the save in option . Select the Local Disk [C:] option from the pull - down menu.
6. Immediately the Local Disk [C:] gets displayed, in the box beside the Save in option.
7. Now click the Save button. Now the Save As box disappears and you return to your document. The
title bar will display the name of your document at left side.
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7.7.1 Opening the Existing Document
To open an existing document you do this :
1. Click at Open button of toolbar option. Immediately the Open box gets displayed.
2. If document is saved in Local Disk [ C:] then click at the down arrow scroll button present beside the
Look in option .
3. Select the Local Disk [ C:] from the pull-down menu option and click.
4. The contents of Local Disk [ C:] gets appears on screen, now click the required document from the
contents list
5. Finally click over the Open button. Then the Open box will disappears and document get displayed on
screen.
7.7.2 Create a New Documents
To creating a new documents you follow these steps :
1. Click on New document button on Standard toolbar.
2. Or click on File menu bar and select New option.
3. Then new document will appear to formatting a documents.
7.7.3 Page Margins
For setting the left, right, top, bottom margin you need to follow these steps .
1. Click at the File option of menu bar, and select the Page-Setup option from pull- down menu.
2. Immediately a Page Setup box appears on the screen, which has a number of option.
3. There is a rectangular box beside each of the Top , Bottom. Left and Right option. The number
represents measure in inches. For increasing/decreasing (changing) number you just click the up /down
arrow scroll button present in the rectangular box.
4. Keep on clicking the arrow until you reach the required no.
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5. After setting up the Left, Right, Top and Button margin. You can see the preview of formatted document
by using the Preview option given in the Option box.
1. Click at the File option of menu bar, and select the Page-Setup option from pull-down menu.
2. Page Setup box appears on the screen and choose the Paper Size tab option.
4. Change the orientation from Portrait and Landscape by clicking on radio button option.
Headers are text that are normally printed at the top of the page. You can add a header at the top
of page, by doing this.
1 Click on View option of menu bar and select the Header and Footer option from the pull - down menu
option and click.
2. Immediately a dotted line box appears on the screen in which the cursor is blinking where you can enter
the header text and click enter.
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The footer is the text that appears at the bottom of every page of document, for this you do the
following steps-
3. Move the mouse pointer over the switch Between Header and footer button and click it.
4. Instantly another dotted box appears at the bottom of the page.
5. You can enter the text where the cursor is blinking.
6. Now click on the Close button present on the Header and Footer box.
7.7.6 Page Number
To Insert page numbers using menu command, you do this
1. Select the insertion point in the section for which you want to insert Page Number.
2. Click the Insert option of the menu bar and select the page number option from the pull down menu,
immediately a Page Number dialog box appears.
3. In the Position drop down list select the location of the page number.
5. Click Format button to customize the page number.
6. Then click OK button.
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1. Font, Font Style and Font Size changes.
2. Underline options and Color applications.
3. Applying font Effects like Italic, Bold etc.
4. Changing Character Spacing.
7.8.1 Formatting Text using Font Option
To change the font of an existing text do this :
1. Select the text, by mouse.
2. Click the Format menu option and choose Font from the pull-down menu a font dialog box appears.
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select the font from available font list.
6. You can change the Font Style and Font Size from the regarding option box.
7. You can also made changes in Font color from the color list and underline a text by Underline style list
box, as required.
8. The Effect box provides a various font effects like Superscript, Subscript, Shadow, Strike through,
Hidden, Outline etc. You may select any effect style from the option list.
7.8.2 Character Spacing Option
To customize character spacing option do this :
1. In the above diagram. The Font dialog box, Click the Character Spacing Tab.
2. A property sheet appears which has different options like. Spacing ( Normal, Expended, Condensed),
by, position. Select any this as you required.
3. Then click on OK button.
You can apply the formatting tools like BOLD, ITALIC, UNDERLINE and FONT SIZE on the selected
text string or paragraph or whole document.
For this you do the following steps:
1. Just select the required text string (a Line, Paragraph or Page) by using the mouse pointer drag
over text keep pressed the left button.
2. The text will get highlighted then move the mouse pointer on the Formatting toolbar.
3. Then click on the required Formatting tools buttons like Bold (for Bold the text), Italic (for italic the
text), Underline (for underlining the text) or Font size box (for changing the text font size).
4. Immediately the selected text will get formatted.
7.8.4 Change Case
MS-word provides facilities to change to capital letter of any text by using the change case com-
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mand to use this command follow these steps :
1. Select the text box by mouse.
2. Click the Format menu and select the Change Case option form the full-down list
3 Immediately a dialog box appears on screen.
4. The change case dialog box offered many options like Sentence case, lower case, UPPER CASE, Title
Case and tOGGLE cASE.
5. To select an option click the radio button. The option is selected when a dot appears in the radio
button.
6. Then click on OK button
7.8.5 Spelling And Grammar
Word will automatically check for spelling and grammar errors as you type unless you turn this
feature off. The spelling errors are noted in the document with a red underline.
To use the spelling and grammar checker follow these steps :
1. Click on Tools option of menu bar and select the Spelling and Grammar option from pull-down menu.
2. The dialog box appear on screen, which will notify you of the first mistake in the document and
misspelled words will be highlighted in red.
3. If the word is spelled correctly click the Ignore button or Ignore All button if the word appears more
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than once in the document.
4. If the word is incorrectly spelled then select one of the suggested spelling from the suggestions box and
click the Change or Change All button.
5. If the word is correctly spelled, you just click the add button to add the word to the dictionary.
7.8.6 AutoCorrect:
Word automatically corrects many commonly misspelled words and punctuation marks with the
AutoCorrect feature. To view the list of words that are automatically corrected.
To use the AutoCorrect feature follow these steps :
1. Click on Tools option of menu bar and AutoCorrect option from pull-down menu.
2. The following dialog box appear on screen.
3. You can select many options including the accidental capitalization of the first two letters of a word,
capitalization of the first word of the sentence, capitalization of the names of day etc., can be automati
cally corrected from the page.
4. If there are words you often misspell, enter the wrong and correct spellings in the Replace and With
fields.
5. Then click on OK button.
7.8.7 Bullets and Numbering
To create a bulleted or numbered (Auto) list use the list features provided in MS-word.
Using Formatting Toolbar :
1. Click the Bulleted List button or Number List button on the formatting toolbar.
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2. Type the first entry and press Enter. This will create a new bullet or number on the next line.
3. If you want to start a new line without adding another bullet or number, hold down the Shift key while
pressing Enter.
The bullet image and numbering format can be changed by using the Bullets and Numbering dialog
box.
1. Highlight the entire list to change all the bullets or numbers.
2. Click the Format menu bar option.
3. Select the Bullets and Numbering option from sub menu, a dialog box appears.
4. Select the Bulleted list style from the choices given in above dialog box.
5. Or select Numbered list style by click on Numbered tab or click the picture button to choose different
Icons.
5. Click on OK button .
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Center alignment : Center text between left and right margins on the center line.
Justify :Aligns the text at both the margins by increasing the spacing between the words.
7.9.3 Indents
The indents are the white (blank) space added to the margins and then decreasing the text area for
paragraph. The first line of each paragraph can be indented differently from other lines in the paragraph .
Once you changes the indent, each new paragraph will maintain the same indent action after pressing the
enter key. To change the Indent using Formatting Toolbar just click the Increase and Decrease indent
buttons present on the Formatting Toolbar.
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1. First of all select the paragraph which you want to format.
2. Click the Format menu option and select the Paragraph option from the pull - down menu and click.
3. A dialog box appear on screen then click the Indents and Spacing tab, for adding white space to the
margin and line spaces between the line.
4. It has a list of different option like Alignment option, Paragraph Indent option, Line Spacing and Space
Before/After option.
5. Perform the change as you required and then click on OK button.
7.10 Tables
A table is a two dimensional matrix, consisting of rows and columns. MS word enables you to
create tables in a document. You should use tables to create documents such as forms, financial reports,
catalogs and biodata etc. You type in the areas called cells formatted by intersection of rows and columns.
The table cells can contain text, numbers etc. Tables are used to display data and there are various ways
to build them in MS - word.
7.10.1 Insert a Table.
There are two ways to create a table in word document .
• Using Insert Table button of Standard Toolbar.
• Using Table menu
Using the Insert Table Feature :
1. Click the Insert Table button on the standard Toolbar.
2. Drag the mouse along the grid, highlight the number of Rows and Columns.
3. You can also Insert a Table by clicking at the Table option of menu bar.
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4. Select the Insert option, then Table from the sub menu list.
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Or
3. Select an entire row and right click with the mouse. Select the Insert Rows from the shortcut menu
appears.
To Insert Columns
1. Click the Table option of menu bar. And select the Insert option of submenu list
2. Then click the Columns to the left or Columns to the Right.
Or
3. Select the Columns right click with mouse and select Insert columns option.
7.10.3 Deleting Rows and Columns
You can delete rows or columns in a table using following steps:
1. In the same way Select an entire row or Column and right click with the mouse.
2. Select the Delete Row or Delete Column option from the popup menu appear as show in above
diagram..
3. Row or column will be deleted.
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4. The Clip Art, From File, WordArt option will be display. You can select any to insert object.
Adding image using Clip Art
1. Select Clip Art option. Immediately a dialog box appear.
2. To find an image, click in the white box following Search for clips or Click one of the category icons.
3. Click once on the image you want to add to the document and the following popup menu will appear.
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2. Click the down arrow button on the right of the Look in: window to find the image on your computer.
3. Highlight the file name from the list and click the Insert button.
3. Then click Print option from pull-down menu, immediately a Print dialog box appear on screen
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4. Print dialog box have many options like printer, page range, print what, copies, zoom etc.
5. You may choose any option as required then click on OK button.
Or
6. Move your mouse-pointer over the Print button present on the Standard tool bar.
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UNIT - 8 : MAIL MERGE AND MACROS
Unit Structure
8.0 Objectives
8.1 Introduction
8.2 Creating a Mail Merge
8.3 Macros
8.4 Creating a Macro
8.5 Assign a Macro to the Keyboard
8.6 Deleting Macros
8.7 Summary
8.8 Key Words
8.9 Self Assessment Test
8.10 Reference Books
8.0 Objective
After reading this unit you will be able to understand :
• Understand the concept of mail merge
• Create a main document
• Create a data source
• Link the main document with the data source
• Merge print a document
• Also understanding the concept of macro
• Create a MS word Macro
• Assign a macro to keyboard
• Delete a macro
8.1 Introduction
Mail Merge is a very useful and powerful addition to the primary feature of word processing the
Mail merge can be used to print personalised form letters (Having the addressee’s name and address on
the letter), envelopes, mailing labels etc. Form letters are those letters that have the same contents. These
letters are sent to several persons.
For example Business letters describing the launch of a product, call letters for interviews, notices for a
meeting, invitation to a part etc. these are form letters. In these case letters the text is the same and only the
addressee’s name address and few other details differ.
In the days of type writers what you did was something like this you typed the main body of the
letter on your type writer, leaving out space for the name and address of the recipients. And photostat the
letter get many these copies. Then you picked up each of these copies and either manually wrote the
recipients name and address. One by one on each copy for letter. This takes much more time and efforts.
Fortunately Mail Merge overcome both of these problem. By providing a facility to create a data-
base of your contacts and automatically merge the main body of letter and this database in such a manner
that many personalized letters would be generated. Each of these letters would be addressed individually
to different people.
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The file that contains the letter is called the main document and the file containing the database
(names, addresses, and other informations) is called the data source. The mail merge feature combine
these two files at the time of printing. Since it merges two files and produces a document that is usually
mailed, it is called Mail Merge.
4. After that another dialogue box appears, that is the “Mail Merge Helper” dialogue box.
If you have a menu appears, instead of the dialogue box, then you should get the image below :-
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5. There is only two buttons working when the Mail Merge Helper dialogue box appears - Create and
cancel. So click on the Create buttons to see the drop down list
6. Click on Form Letters option by mouse left button. Then another dialogue box appears.
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This dialogue box is asking you that where you want your Mail Merge document to appear. Do you
want to it in the same document that you have open (Active Window) or a New document (New Main
Document) you need to click on Active Window button. It will return you to the Helper dialog box.
7. After that you need to set up Data Source “This means, an address book for us. This address book will
be used to create Mail Merge document by the word. So click on the Get Data button, a drop down
list will display. From the drop down list click “Create Data Source”.
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When you click create Data Source you will get the following popping up.
8. This is a complicated dialogue box. But just concentrate on the “Remove Field Name” button, and
the list in the “Field names in header row” list box. At this stage you have to decide about what all
information you wish to store in the data file. Typically this file contains the names, address details,
contact number etc. of people that you wish to send letters to. You may also add any other specific
field that you may require like the customer identification no. etc. Word would automatically create
a data file with whatever fields you finally select from here.
To add or Remove Field Name you have to follow these two steps :
(i) To add field Name type the desired field name and click on Add Field Name button.
(ii) To Remove Field Name that you don’t want, just select and high light the field name then
click the Remove Field Name button.
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9. Keep clicking the one you don’t want then clicking the Remove Field Name button until you end up
with the image below.
10. When the dialogue box look like the one above, click the OK button. You get the following dialogue
box of data source file name to save.
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12. To “Edit Data Source” you Just Click on “Edit Data Source” button of the above message box.
13. After that the following data box will be appear on the screen. You can now start filling out your
address.
14. When you have filled out one address click the “Add New” button as in the image below.
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When Add New button is clicked all the text boxes are blanked out, now you can enter your
next data.
15. Now Enter your addresses, and then click the OK button when you have enough.
16. If your dialogue boxes all close down, and you are taken back to your word document. Click
the Mail Merge Helper icon in the toolbar.
18. Click on each in turn until your document looks like the one below -
19 When your document is merged, all those fields will be replaced by real addresses. The real
addresses will come from the Data Source that you set up.
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20. To create the Mail Merge, just click the Merge button on the toolbar.
21. When you get the dialogue box on your screen. Click the Merge button again.
Now you will get your Merged letter, you need to only print the letter out. Save your original Mail
Merge document, with the fields in it. This is the master document. If you don’t save it then all your
addresses will be lost.
8.3 Macros
Now that you have done a fair bit of work in MS-Word, lets now move on to do something more
advanced. If you like to do things the right way, better write down all the steps involved in it. This process
of writing down many commands together in a logical and sequential manner is called programming in
computer terminology. A program is a series of instructions written in a computer language to execute a
specific tasks or [Link] Microsoft Word you can create your programs which automate any tasks in-
volving several step together at a press of a button or just clicking. These programs are called Macros.
A Macro is a small software program. So a Macro is a series of word commands which have been
grouped together as a single command. A group of sequential executing steps can be automated by
creating a macro for it. As it performed all the task stored in it in a predefined sequence when ever to
runtime macros. A Macro can save your considerable time and effort by automating your repetitive task.
There two stages in using Macros ;
1. Create Macros and
2. Running Macros.
You can Assign a Macro as follows -
- An option in any menu, or
- As an icon in a toolbar, or
- To a button, or
- To a shortcut key (like function key)
or
- To a key combination.
You can create a Macro in two ways-
* Record as series of steps/action using the keyboard or mouse, or
* Type a Macro directly into a Macro editing window using Visual Basic programming language.
Needless to say that the first option is easier and the second is more powerful and flexible.
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8.4 Creating Macro
You have seen that a Macro is a (program) shortcut for a task that we do a lot, Now you will learn
how to create your own Macros. We are creating a “Macro” for changing some highlighted text to an
Arial, 16 point Bold font. The Simple Macro we are going to create will do the following steps
1. Open a new Word document.
2. Type in a few words of text.
3. Highlight the text that your want to change or Format.
4. Click on Tools from menu bar.
5. Then select and click on Macro from the drop down list.
6. A sub menu will appears.
7. Then click on Record New Macro.
After click on Record New Macro you will get the Macro dialogue on your screen. Which looks
like the one below image.
In the above image you can see that there are four areas to the Record Macro dialogue box-
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* Macro Name
* Assign Macro to
* Store Macro in, and
* Description.
8. The First thing that you have to do is to give a name to your Macro. Here at this moment it is called
“Macro 1”. That is not a very descriptive name for what we want our macro to do. We will call our
Macro FontChanger. Here you have notice that we have not put a space between the two words,
this is because Macro don’t like having spaces between words. You have to put the name of your
Macro as all one word.
So just go ahead and type your Macro name as the “FontChanger” instead of Macro.
9. In the next section “Assign macro to” you need to give the choice of either Toolbar or keyboard.
Right now just ignore this section, we will see latter how to assign our Macro to a toolbar and to the
key board.
10. The Next section is “Store Macro in”. At this moment it reads All Document ([Link]). The
[Link] is the basic templet for all Microsoft word document. In other words the Macro we
create will be available to any new word document. You can change this so that the Macro is
created in only the document you are working on. Click the black down arrow to see the title of the
document you have open.
11. The Final section is “Description” this is just a record of when the macro was created and who it.
Now you can change this to anything you like.
12. When you have given your Macro names, just click the OK button. Your dialogue box will look like
this -
13. After click the OK button, your are returned to your word document. Now you will find a strange
toolbar floating over your page. And the mouse pointer will be different. Your page will look like this
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14. The little floating toolbars says stop because your Macro is already being recorded. The process
has started. You don’t have to worry about this, and hurry it along. Take your time and think about
what you are going to do.
15. The floating toolbar has only two buttons. The square one is to stop button and two lines and the
circle is the pause button. You can see that mouse pointer has changed with a little cassette tape on
the end
of it. This indicates that you are recording a Macro.
16. We highlighted the text before recording for our Macro, so we don’t need to move the cursor.
Whatever we do from now on will become part of our Macro. So you follow these steps
• Click on Format from the menu bar
• From the drop down menu, click on Font.
• The Font dialogue box appears.
• Select Arial as your font
• Select Bold
• Select size 16
• Click the OK button on the Font dialogue box
• You are returned to your page.
17. Now Click the Stop button on your floating Macro Recorder. The Macro will stop recording and
the process is finished. You have recorded the Macro. If nothing went wrong. You will now have a
Macro. You can now use your new Macro, do the following steps.
• Type in some new text and highlight it.
• Click on Tools from the menu bar
• From the drop down menu click on Macro
• From the sub menu that appears click on Macros
• The Macros dialogue box appears.
• Select the Macro that you want, then click the Run button at the top right of the dialogue box.
When the Run button is clicked the dialogue box will disappear and the highlighted text will
change to Arial, Bold, 16 points.
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8.5 Assign a Macro to the Keyboard
Assign your Word Macro to a key on your keyboard. We will create a Macro, that will insert a text
box onto the page for us. It will do this when we press certain keys on the keyboard.
To create a new Macro and then assign it to the keyboard, you do the following steps -
1. Position your cursor at the start of a new blank line.
2. Then click on Tools from the menu bar.
3. Click on macro form the drop down menu.
4. Then select Record New Macro from the sub menu .
5. The Record Macro dialogue box appears.
6. Type the new Macro Name, called it “InsertTextBox.”
7. Now to assign the Macro to the keyboard, click the keyboard icon as shown in the image below -
8. After clicking the keyboard icon a new dialogue box will appear like this one below -
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9. Now Press new shortcut key, right at the bottom and perform following task :
• Click your cursor inside the text box
• Press the F2 one key on your keyboard
• Your text box will say this understands it.
As you can see, it says currently assigned to : Move Text - It is just telling you that the key F2
already has a shortcut assigned to it. So we can’t use F2 for our Macro. So just do following steps -
• Click inside the text box again, and delete F2 by hitting backspace key on keyboard.
• Hold down the Ctrl key on your [Link] 1 above the QWERTY Keys, but the
number 1 on the right hand side of your keyboard.)
• Now your “Press new shortcut key” text box will look like this one below :
10. Now you can see that it now says currently assignment to : Unsigned.
(If you don’t get unsigned, Then try a different number) That means no other shortcut is using these
key combination.
11. Now we can go ahead and use them for our Macro. For that just click on “Assign” button of
the following image appearing below -
2. A menu appears
sending information to many person’s simultaneously. we can create a Macro which is a shortcut for
a task that you do a lot. A Macro can create to perform a lot of task that are sequence in a series of
steps.A Macro may be assign to an option in menu, or As an icon in a tool bar or a shortcut key of a
keyboard Macros make out task easier by just clicking of mouse or keyboard.
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8.8 Key Words
• Current Document : The current, or active document is the document you see on the Word
screen.
• Data Source: A data source contains the information from which a merged document is created.
The data source is merged with a main document, which specifies the kind of output required.
• Database: A database is a collection of organized information.
• Database Field : A field is a specific category of information in a database. Some examples of
possible fields are Name, Telephone Number, and Address.
• Field : A field is an area in your document where a specific type of data is entered or calculated.
• Macros: Macros are recordings of commands that automate commonly performed or compli-
cated procedures, speeding up your work.
• Mail Merge: Mail Merge refers to the process of combining a data source, and a main document
to produce a unique output.
3. How can you create a data Source give steps? and explain.
8. How can you delete your Macro from the toolbar ? Explain.
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UNIT - 9 : MICROSOFT EXCEL
Unit Structure
9.0 Objectives
9.1 Introduction
9.2 Spreadsheet Concepts
9.3 Starting With Excel
9.4 Workbook and Worksheets
9.5 Worksheet as a Database
9.6 Closing the Worksheet
9.7 Opening An Existing Worksheet
9.8 Formulas and Functions
9.9 Formatting Features of MS-Excel
9.10 Graphics and Charts
9.11 Summary
9.12 Key Words
9.13 Self Assessment Test
9.14 Reference Books
9.0 Objectives
After reading this unit you should be able to understand :
• Spreadsheet and Concepts
• Mathematical calculation using formula.
• Preparation of graphs and charts.
9.1 Introduction
Microsoft Excel is one of the most versatile and popular spreadsheet programs. Excel serves as an
electronic pad for accountants. The spreadsheet has many similarities with an accounting document called
ledger. In a ledger you can insert new sheet or remove unwanted sheets, Excel works on the concept of
workbooks which has worksheets which can be added or removed as and when required. However,
before we start in depth study of Excel, let us first understand what a spreadsheet is all about.
Spreadsheet is a simple worksheet consisting of rows and columns The intersections of rowr and
column is called cell every cell can be definedclunith an unique cell addren and what ever data we enter are
stared in these [Link] example the report cards of a student or the ledger that we create for maintaining
bank account can be termed as a spreadsheet .
The Excel provides following additional features:
* Excel has a grid of columns and rows into which you can enter numeral, text etc.
* Excel can perform mathematical or logical operations and show the results .
* We may customize the appearance of the sheet very similar to the flexibility of a word processor
which makes our data easy to read and understand.
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9.2 Spreadsheet Concepts
9.2.1 What Is An Electronic Spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet application accepts data values and relationships between the data values in a tabu-
lar format consisting of rows and columns. It also allows users to perform calculation or on these values.
Electronic spreadsheet is a software package which shows us in a gird form. Just like squre note book
which all have used in our childhood.
9.2.2 Spread Sheet Terminology
Before working with spreadsheet we have to undertand some spreadsheet terminologies. Some
important terms are as follows:
Workbook
A workbook is a collection of many worksheets. In a single workbook , you can store information
in an organized manner. By default a workbook has three worksheets within it and it can contain a maxi-
mum of 255 worksheets.
Worksheets
A worksheet is also called a spreadsheet. It is made up of rows and columns . Worksheet refer to
the actual document you create by using the spreadsheet program. MS-Excel is a popular spreadsheet
program , where you design worksheet using this program .
Row
A row is a horizontal block of cells that runs through the entire worksheet . The rows are numbered
from top to bottom at the left edge of the worksheet starting from 1. The maximum number of rows in a
worksheet is 65536 .
Columns
A column is a vertical block of cells , that runs through the entire worksheet . A worksheet may
contains up to 256 columns . Labeled A through 4 The first column is A , the second is B and so on up to
Z , then next columns comes AA, AB, AC ..... through 4 the last columns of the worksheet , 4 is the 256
th
column .
Cells
A cell is the intersection of a row and a column . The movement of curser indicates current active
cell. For example , the cell A1 is the intersection of column A and row1, and cell E6 is intersection of
column E and row 6. The cell becomes active when you select it by clicking mouse button or moving
arrow keys to it using the keyboard. All the value formula/operation that you use in any specific application
referred cell address The source of operation that you want to apply on certain cells.
Formula
A formula always begins with equal (=) or (+) sign. It is an order of values , cell references , names,
operations and function in a cell that results in a new values .
Function
A Function is predefined set of formula that perform complex calculation by using a specific values
in a particular order to give a result . These are readymade formula available with excel. For example
accounting formula, statistical functions etc.
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9.3 Starting With Excel
Starting Excel
To open Excel follow these instraction.
1. Click the Start button on the task bar , select Programs and then click microsoft Excel .
2. MS- Excel windows open.
MS- Excel 2000 Interface
An Excel may have multiple documents or worksheets open simultaneously . The elements of the
Excel application window and open Excel workbook in detail most of the feasture and facility are comman
as described in word/ window.
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1. Select the sheet you want to copy.
2. To copy worksheet within a workbook press and hold down Ctrl key and drag the sheet tab to its
new location.
3. If you want to move the sheet within the original workbook, drag the sheet tab to the location where
you want to move the worksheet.
To copy between workbooks, do this
1. Open both workbooks
2. Click the Window menu and select Arrange work book in dialog box, and select the desired
arrangement.
3. To Copy : Press and hold down Ctrl key and drag the sheet tab from one workbook onto the tabs in
the other workbook.
4. To Move : Drag the sheet tab onto the tabs at the bottom of the other workbook.
5. A black triangle shows above the receiving tabs, to show the location for the copy’s insertion.
6. Release the mouse button.
9.4.4 Renaming a Sheet:
The worksheets name in a workbook by default are sheet1, sheet2, etc. You can also name the
sheet as required -
To Rename a sheet, do this
1. Select the sheet.
2. Double click the left mouse button at the sheet tab. Then click the Format menu, highlight sheet and
choose Rename the selected sheet tab or click the right mouse button, then select Rename.
3. Type the new name and press Enter key.
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Numerals
A numeral contains all the decimal digits from 0 to 9 , on which we can perform mathematical or
statistical operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplications. Numeric calculations is the most com-
mon thing that is done with spreadsheet in Excel. A numeral may be displayed using common scientific
notation or built in numeric formats. Date and time are special formatting numbers. When a formatted
number does not fit in a cell, number signs ( ### ) like hash are displayed.
Logical values
The logical values are like TRUE or FALSE into cells. These values are used in writing conditional
formulas.
Error values
An error value is a different type of data. For example if a formula used to divide a number by zero, then
the result is the # DIV / 0 Error value.
9.5.2 Entering Data In Worksheet
You can enter any type of data or information in the worksheet.
For entering data in Excel there are basically 3 steps:
1. Activate the cell in which you want to enter data.
2. Type the data .
3. Finalize the data entry by pressing Enter key, Tab or any one of the arrow key
To enter data in cell, do this
1. Select the cell in which you want to enter data.
2. Type your data. Two buttons appear in the formula bar: the Entry button and the Cancel button.
3. Click the Entry button to indicate that you have complete the data entry. You can also press Enter
key or Tab key or any arrow key.
4. If you done a mistake before finalizing your data entry, you can delete the character by pressing the
backspace key to the left of the insertion point. To erase every thing just click the Cancel button.
5. Repeat the above steps to complete the data entry.
To enter text in a cell, do this
1. Select the cell, type the text entry and enter the text by click the enter box in the formula bar or by
pressing the Enter key.
2. To enter number as text, type an apostrophe (‘) at the beginning of the number like ‘45000.
You can format a range of number as text by using the text numeric format by the following steps
1. Select the range of cells containing the numbers, and click the right button of mouse.
2. Click the Format menu and select cells, or press Ctrl + l and click the number tab and select the text
from the category list.
3. And click OK button.
To enter a number in cell, do the following steps:
1. Select the cell, type the number and then press Enter key or click the Enter box.
2. You can enter integers such as 135; decimal fractions such as 135. 437; integer fractions such as one
and half or scientific notion such as 1.3536E+2.
9.5.3 Database Records, Fields And Field Name
The following list in a worksheet is called a database. A worksheet can have more than one data-
base.
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Name Locality City PIN
A database can be entered in any worksheet area. While entering a database the following rules
must be remembered.
1. The first row must contain the fieldnames.
2. Fieldnames may be entered in upper or lower case or mix of the two.
3. Each fieldname must be unique and should identify the type of stored information in fields.
4. The rows below fieldnames contain the records.
5. Do not leave any blank row.
6. The relevant information most be entered in the fields.
7. Do not type a space before entering a number in the database.
8. Do not type an extra space after typing text entries in the database.
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9.6 Closing The Worksheet
To close the worksheet and quit MS-Excel, You just do this
1. Click the File menu and select the Close option from the pull-down menu.
2. As you click the Close option the message box appears on the screen, which asks whether you wish to
save the changes made to the sheet or not.
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4. Then choose the Local Disk [C:] from the pull - down menu, immediately a list of folders and files
displayed inside the box.
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tion executes immediately as the formula is typed in the cell and formula is visible in the formula bar. In the
diagram we calculate the Sub Total and Total by using formula that multiplies the quantity and price of each
textbook and adds the sub total for each book.
All formulas using numbers start with an equal to (=) sign or plus (+) sign. If you do not use an equal
to (=) or plus (+) sign, MS-Excel treats it as text. The five operators used in a formula are : plus (+), minus
(-), division(/) , multiplication (*), and exponential (^). For example if you wish to add the content of cell
address A20, to the cell address C13, then type the following formula.
= A20 + C13
Relative, Absolute and Mixed Referencing
The calling cells by just their column and row labels ( such as “A1” ) is called “Relative Referenc-
ing” when a formula has relative reference and it is copied from one cell to another , the Excel will change
the cell addresses relative to the row and column they are moved to. For example, if a simple addition
formula in cell C1”= (A1+B1 )” is copied to cell C2, then the formula would change to “= (A2+B2)” to
replace new row.
To prevent this change, cells must be called by “Absolute Referencing” and this is accomplished
by placing dollar sign($) within the cell address in the formula .Then the previous formula in cell C1 will be
read as “= ($A $1 +$B $1)”. If the value of cell C2 should be the sum of cells A1 and B1. Both column
and row of both cells are absolute and will not change when copied.
The “Mixed Referencing” can also be used where only the row or column fixed. For example, in
the formula “ = ( $A1 + $B2 ) “, the row of cell A1 is fixed and the column of cell B2 is fixed.
Ranges
For carrying out calculation through functions, you have to make use of ranges. A range is a se-
quence of cell addresses. It is specified in the following format :
first cell address : last cell address
It can also be written as -
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first cell address ....last cell address
However we work with the format
first cell address : last cell address
There are following types of cell ranges.
Row Range (A1:C1) - It includes the cell address of row 1, such as A1, B1 and C1.
Column Range (E1:E5) - It includes the cell address of column E, such as E1, E2, E3, E4, E5.
Block Range (A3:C5) - It includes the cell address of columns A to C and rows 3 to5.
9.8.2 Functions
Functions can be more efficient way of performing mathematical operations then formulas,A func-
tion is typed in the following formula :
= Function name( range of cell address )
For example , if you want to add the values of cell D1 through D10, you would type the formula.
= ( D1+D2+D3+D4+D6+D7+D8+D9+D10 ).
A shorter way would be to use the SUM function and simply type
= SUM(D1:D10)
The Common Excel Functions
Excel -2000 offers overs 200 functions to help you to perform any calculations on numerical data in
the worksheet. There are various types of functions in MS-excel .Some most useful functions are as
follows.
SUM, AVERAGE, MAX, MIN,.....
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The SUM Function
The SUM Function allow you to calculate automatically the sum of the values in a range of cell
addresses. The general syntax of the function is :
SUM(starting cell address : ending cell address)
Let us see how this function will apply :
1. Move the mouse pointer to the cell address where you want to calculate the sum, such as (F2).
2. Type the function = SUM (C2:E2).
3. And press the Enter Key ,immediately the contents of the cell addresses C2,D2, and E2 get added
and the result is displayed in the cell address (F2).
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For example you can calculate the average marks of Maths subject in cell address D8, by using the
formula.
=(D2+D3+D4+D5+D6+D7)/6
But it is very lengthy method as you need to type this formula at each cell address separately. Excel -2000
provides another single method to calculate average of data.
Use the following steps to learn this method :
1. First move the mouse pointer over the cell address where you wish to display average-say the cell
address D8, and click there.
2. Now click at the Paste Function button (fx) present on Standard Toolbar.
9. Finally click on the OK button. You will get the average mark in D8 cell address, and function =
AVERAGE(D2 : D7) will displayed on Formula bar.
The MAX Function
The MAX function is very useful function. It displays the largest value of cell range in the active cell
. The general syntax is :
= MAX(starting cell address : ending cell address)
Suppose you want to put the highest marks scored in Maths at the cell address D9. For that you do this
1. Click at the cell address D9, so that it will get active.
2. Now type = MAX(D2 : D7) and then press the Enter Key.
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3. Immediately you will get the highest value in cell address D9.
Note : You can also do the same by using the Past Function method as shown for AVERAGE Function.
The MIN Function
The MIN Function is used to return the minimum value from a range of cell addresses. The general
format is :
= MIN(starting cell address : ending cell address)
Let us now calculate the minimum marks obtained in Maths subject, in cell address D10 by using following
steps :
1. Click at D10 cell address.
2. Now type the function =MIN (D2 :D7)
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Or Just Right- click the mouse button on highlighted cell and choose the Format cells option from the
drop-down list.
5. Immediately the Formate Cells box appears on the screen. Now you can perform various formatting
operation which are present on the Format Cells box. These are -
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Number Tab
By selecting the Number Tab you can choose any type of data (Number) format from the Category
list box. Just select the General Category if the cell contains text and number, or other numerical Category
like Currency, Accounting, Date, Time, Percentage, Fraction etc., and click OK button to apply.
Alignment Tab
These option allow you to change the position and alignment of the data with in the cell. It has
various options like Text alignment (horizontal, vertical), Orientation and Text control(wrap text, shrink to
fit, merge cells) etc.
Font Tab
This option has a variety of operation that can be apply to cell value. By using this tab you can
change the Font Face, Font size, Font style and Font color (effects) selecting particular list box.
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9.9.2 Moving and Copying Cell Contents
Moving Cells(Cut)
To cut the cell contents or to move the data of a cell from one place to another, you just do this-
1. Select or highlight the cell by click the mouse left button on cell.
2. Click on Edit option of menu bar.
3. Then select the Cut option from pull down list.
Or Just highlight the required cell or cells by the left -mouse button, and click on the Cut button present
on the Standard Toolbar.
Copying Cell Or Cells
To copy the cell contents, Just follow these steps-
1. Select or highlight the required cell or cells.
2. Click on Edit option of menu bar.
3. Click the Copy option from the drop-down list.
Or Firstly highlight the required cell/cells and click on the Copy button on the Standard Toolbar.
Pasting The Cutted and Copied Cells
The selected cell contents that have been copied or cutted down by the previous operation can be
pasted at another location. For pasting the cutted or copied cell contents follow these steps-
1. Select the particular location by mouse where you want to past the cell value.
2. Click the Edit option of menu bar.
3. Then select and click the Paste option from pull down menu.
Or Select the particular location and click on the Paste button present on the Standard Toolbar.
9.9.3 Page Formatting
To format a document page. You can perform following operation.
Page Setup Option
Page Setup is the part of page formatting. To setup a page you just do this-
1. Click the File option from menu bar.
2. Select and click the Page Setup option from the drop down list.
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3. Immediately a Page Setup box appears on the screen.
4. This box has a number of Operation Tabs such as Page, Margins, Header and Footer and Sheet.
5. You can select any Tab to perform regarding operation. Lets do one-by one.
Page Option
If the page Tab is by default selected, then the box will look like the above one.
Then Select the Orientation option which is at the top of window. It is of two types - Landscape and
Portrait. You can select any one as you need. The size of the worksheet on the page can also be formatted
under Scalling which has Adjust to and Fit to Text box option. To force a worksheet to print only one page
wide so that all the columns appears on the same page select Fit to 1 page(s) wide.
Margins Option
When you click the Margin Tab of Page Setup box the box will look like this.
The Margin Tab has various option to format page margins like top, bottom, left and right, for
setting up the page location from each side and Header, footer fields to indicate how far from the edge of
the page this text should appear. Check the boxes for centering horizontally.
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Header/Footer Option
When you click at the Header/Footer Tab of Page Setup box the box will look like this.
Print
To print the page or document after completing formatting and other task you, do this.
1. Click the File menu bar option.
2. Select and click the Print option from pull down list.
Or Click the Print button present on the Standard Toolbar.
Or Press the Ctrl + P keys from the key [Link] print dialog box appear.
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To add a clipart image to the worksheet follow these steps-
1. Click at the Insert option of the menu bar.
2. Select and click the Picture option from pull down menu.
3. And the click the ClipArt option. Immediately you get a ClipArt box on the screen.
4. To find an image, click in the white box following search for [Link] the box words and type
image name you want to use
Autoshapes
MS-Excel-2000 provides the Autoshapes Toolbar which allow you to draw a number of geomatrical
shapes, arrows, flow charts, stars and many more on the worksheet.
To activate the Autoshapes toolbar,do this :
1. Click the Insert option of menu bar.
2. Select the Picture option and then click the Autoshapes from the sub menu.
3. Then click the button on the Toolbar to view the option for drawing the shape.
9.10.2 Charts
The MS-Excel-2000 provides the chart facilities to you. That allow you to present the worksheet data in
a visual format using a variety of graph types. Here you can learn that how to create simple charts from the
data.
Chart Wizard
Chart Wizard allow you to create a chart by displaying a series of dialogue boxes. To use the Chart
Wizard for designing a chart you do this :
1. Click the Chart Wizard button on the Standard toolbar.
2. The Chart Wizard dialog box appears on the screen.
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3. Select the Chart type from Chart type list box.
4. And Click the required chart subtype from the Chart subtype option, and click Next.
5. Immediately the Chart Wizard look like the below one.
6. Select the Data Range Tab and select the required option of Row/Column from the Series in and
click Next.
7. Now you get the chart option box. Enter the name of the chart and titles for X- and Y-axis. There are
other option tabs like Axe, Grid lines, Data labels and Data table. Press the Next to move the next
set of options.
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8. The Chart Location window appears. Click at As a New sheet option of place chart, if you wish to
place the chart on a new or blank work sheet or select As object in option if the chart should be
embedded in an existing sheet and select the Work Sheet from drop down menu.
9.11 Summary
The MS-Excel 2000 is a powerful data processing package. It is developed by Microsoft Corpo-
ration to overcome all the drawback of the paper sheet work. It include automatic and instant recalcula-
tion of all functions, several built-in functions for performing calculations, presentation of data or results in
the form of graphs and a lot of different formulas. A formula always begin with equal (=) sign. In some
cases Excel automatically prefixes equal (=) sign to the formula. This helps you in performing “what if
“analysis on the worksheet data. Excel has Standard and Formatting Toolbar which provider a lot of in-
built buttons of functions those can be used just by clicking of left - mouse button like New, Open, Save,
Print, Cut, Copy ,Past etc. Formula bar provides various functions regarding formulas.
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9.12 Key Words
• Absolute Address: An absolute address in a formula refers to a specific cell location or range. It
always points to the location of a specific cell, even if you copy it. Absolute addresses are created
by adding a $ sign in front of each character in the cell address. For example, $C$8 always refers
to cell C8.
• Borders: Borders are line effects that you can place around cells or cell ranges to improve the
appearance or effectiveness of your worksheets.
• Cell Address: A cell address is the location of a cell on a worksheet and is defined by the column
letter and the row number. For example, cell A1 is where column A and row 1 intersect.
• Cell References: A cell reference, or cell address, identifies a particular cell, such as cell B5. Cell
references are used in formulas to indicate where a value is stored.
• Charts: Charts are graphic presentations of data from a worksheet.
• Data Range: The data range is the area of the worksheet that you want to chart. It includes any
numeric data that you want to chart and can include the titles for the data.
• Database: A database is a collection of information that a user can manage and analyze. Any
range of cells can be considered to be a database, but information kept in list form works best if you
want to use Excels database tools.
• Field: A field is a cell in a database that contains information. In Excel, fields appear in columns.
For example, fields in a Customer database might include Name, Address, and Zip Code.
• Formula Bar: The formula bar is located under the toolbars at the top of the working screen. It
contains the edit line for working with formulas, and provides information regarding cell addresses.
• Functions: A function is a preset formula. Functions consist of the function name and its argu-
ments. The function name tells Excel what calculation you want it to perform.
• If Function: An If function performs a logical test on an argument, then performs an action based
on whether the logical test is true or false.
• Page Orientation: Most printers will allow you to print your document so that the information can
be read in one of two orientations, or ways of viewing the page. Portrait page orientation is long.
Landscape page orientation is wide.
• Page Setup: Page Setup is the process of getting your worksheet projects ready to appear on the
printed page.
• Range Address: A range address identifies a range by the cells located at diagonally opposed
corners. For example, F3:G59 identifies a range that starts in cell F3 at the upper left and extends
through cell G59.
• Relative Addresses : A relative address is a standard cell reference that appears like this:
A1,E15,M42. A relative address changes if you copy a formula that contains it to a new location on
the worksheet. Think of it like saying “in two weeks” - the date will always be different (or relative)
depending on the current date.
• Spreadsheet: Spreadsheet is the generic term for applications, such as Excel, that you can use to
enter, analyze, and calculate data. It performs mathematical calculations and projections based on
data entered. Common spreadsheet uses include analysis, charting, and budgeting.
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• Workbook : A workbook is the Excel file that stores your information. Each workbook may
contain numerous worksheets.
• Worksheet : A worksheet is an electronic spreadsheet that lets you enter, analyze, and calculate
data. Within a workbook, worksheets can share information, and calculations pertaining to several
worksheets can be performed at one time. The default number of worksheets in a new workbook
is three.
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UNIT - 10 : ADVANCED FEATURES OF EXCEL
Unit Structure
10.0 Objectives
10.1 Automating “What-if” Analysis
10.2 Scenarios
10.3 Goal Seek
10.4 Data Table
10.5. Pivot Table
10.6 Summary
10.7 Key Words
10.8 Self Assessnment Test
10.9 Reference Books
10.0 Objectives
10.2 Scenarios
Scenarios is a situation in which you by changing some of the variable you can calculate extereme
values of the [Link] can create and save different groups of values on a worksheet and then switch
to any of these new scenario to view different results. So a scenario allows you to change variable infor-
mation cells that affect the final total of formula in minutes and prepare scenario report instantly.
For example you are the Training Manager working from the Corporate Office, and you want to
prepare a report that comparing how much a Customer Training Workshop would cost from two ven-
dors. You already had prepared a report with the original vendor for the training and conduct the work-
shop training. So you need to add this new data and compare it to the one that you had already created.
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These two vendors have different cost per student and total number of students in the workshops.
These are the pieces of data that will vary.
To create a scenario do the following steps:
1. First of all open a new Excel worksheet and prepare a sheet for original vendors as show in
below image.
2. Click at Tools option of menu bar and select the scenario option from drop-down list.
3. Immediately a window “Scenario Manager” appears. Then, click the Add button to create the first.
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4. A pop-up window Add scenario will appear, and here you first enter the original information to
create a scenario vendor. enter the name of the vendor, Scenario Name under Changing Cells
select the cells where the information will vary and finally under Comments enter the name of the
vendor again. Next check the prevant changes box and click OK.
5. Now, another pop up window will appear called Scenario Values, here you enter the values for
the cells that will change. This is a scenario for original information. In the next steps you will
repeat steps 5 and 6 and create an additional scenario for the remaining vendor.
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6. After creating scenario for remaining vendor when you goto Tools -> Scenario and open the
Scenario Manager, you see both scenario listed by Vendor Name, Now to quickly print a report
that shows all two scenarios with the final totals click on Summary.
7. Next a pop up window Scenario Summary will appear on the screen. Now select the summary
report and under result cells, select the cell or cells that you want to see in the summary report.
We will select cell B4 ‘Total Cost’ since we want to compare the Totals of the vendors, and click
OK.
8. The summary report will look like the image below. Now you can print the report.
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10.3 Goal Seek
Goal Seeking is a method of determining requirement of resources in achieving the target aching
targat if then relationshpin required.
The Goal Seeking is used to force a particular result in a calculation by changing one of the alculation’s
components. For example if you know the percentage growth you are looking for, you can use Goal
Seeking to determine the change that would be necessary to produce that result.
To seek a goal follow these steps-
1. Click the tool menu bar option.
2. Then select the Goal Seek from the drop-down list immediately a dialog box appears.
3. In the dialog box specify the cell whose value you want to set ( this should be a cell whose value
is usually calculated through a formula) the value you want that cell to have, and the cell whose
value can vary to make the result come out to the value you want.
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4. Then click OK.
5. If a solution is possible the Goal Seek Status dialog box will tell you, and the variable of cell you
specified will change.
The various other interest rates are entered in the range B6:B11. We want to calculate and show the
monthly instalment to repay the loan at these interest rates in the range C6:D11. After you have entered the
worksheet data, perform the following steps :
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1. Select the range B5:D11. This range includes the formulas, the input values to be used in calculation
(B6:B11) and the range to hold the result (C6:D11).
2. Use the Data option of Menu bar and select the Table option from the drop-down list.
3. Immediately the Excel displays the Table dialog box on the screen. Type B2 in the Column Input
Cell. Since the input values B6:B11 are arranged in the column mode so we have to use the Column
Input Cell.
4. By specifying B2 as the Column Input Cell, we are asking excel to substitute cell B2 in the formula
with the input values and calculates results for all input values.
5. Click OK or press Enter and excel fill the range C6:D11 with results
6. Format the range C6:D11 in the currency format with two decimal places and your worksheet
displays the monthly installment required to pay off the loan at different interest rates as shown in the
diagram.
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3. A dialog box Wizard steps 2 of 3 appears on screen. Select the range or if the data is in different
worksheet. Then click on the Browser button to select the range and click Next.
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4. Then the Wizard step 3 of 3 dialog box appears, select the option where you want to put the
Pivot Table and choose the Option button to specify the desired setting for the new Pivot Table.
5. Now click the Layout button. A layout dialog box appears, which allows you to define which
field will be displayed in the table. On the right side there are different field names. You have to
drag these field names to different positions. After selecting the place of the field, click OK
button.
6. And then click on Finish button of Pivot Table and Pivot Chart Wizard dialog box.
10.6 Summary
The MS-Excel 2000 is a powerful data processing package. It includes creation and updation of
database. It provides various analysis tools like Goal seek , Data Table, Scenarios and Pivot Tables. A
formula always begin with equal (=) sign. In some cases Excel automatically prefixes equal (=) sign to the
formula. This helps you in performing “what if “analysis on the worksheet data. Formula bar provides
various functions regarding formulas.
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10.7 Key Words
• Goal Seek : Goal Seek adjusts the value of a specific cell until a formula that includes that cell
reaches the result you want.
• PivotTable : PivotTables are interactive worksheet tables that allow you to summarize data with
great flexibility. Their row and column headings can be adjusted to get different looks at original
data.
• PivotTable Wizard: The PivotTable Wizard is a series of dialog boxes that guides you step-by-
step through the process of creating a PivotTable.
• Record: A record is a series of fields in a database that pertains to one item in the list, such as a
customer or an order. In Excel, records appear in rows.
• Selecting: Selecting is highlighting an object or data in order to perform a command or operation
• Syntax: The syntax of the function refers to the order of the functions arguments. In some func-
tions, the order of the arguments determines how Excel solves the function.
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UNIT - 11 : MS - POWER POINT
Unit Structure
11.0 Objective
11.1 Introduction
11.2 Starting Power Point
11.3 Creating Presentation
11.4 Anatomy of Power Point
11.5 Presentations through Auto Content Wizard
11.6 Presentations through Design Templates
11.7 Blank Presentation
11.8 Saving the Presentation
11.9 Working With Slides
11.10 Working With Text
11.11 Working With Graphics
11.12 Slide Transitions and Animations
11.13 Printing the Slides
11.14 Summary
11.15 Key Words
11.16 Self Assessment Test
11.17 Reference Books
11.0 Objectives
After reading this Unit you should be able to
• Create presentation Understand various views of slide.
• Understand design templates.
• Work picture and Graphics
11.1 Introduction
Microsoft PowerPoint is the presentation graphics application software of the Microsoft Office
2000, that is used to create professional quality presentations. Powerpoint is currently the most common
software used for making visual aide for presentations .It is fairly user-friendly and graphics based.
Powerpoint provides you the basic tools for making a successful powerpoint slide show presentations.
Powerpoint helps you to structure the ideas and information that you want to convey to your audience. It
allows you to create effective presentation by typing the text and inserting image , sounds and animations
etc. It also allows you to add charts, tables and pictures for making the presentation look alive. Powerpoint
provid you built-in professional designs called auto layouts and presentation templates.
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3. Click on Microsoft Powerpoint as show in following figure.
4. The dialog box will be appear and gives us three options for creating a presentation.
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2 Design Template :-
Design Template will be used to select a predefined look. Choose any one of the various presenta-
tions available with the software of the starting point and then proceed to construct your own presentation.
3 Blank Presentation :-
Powerpoint 2000 provides you facilities to create your own presentation. Selecting this option
powerpoint start a blank presentation without any design or sample text.
Whichever way you choose to work you will be working on the structure of powerpoint window.
The components of a powerpoint screen are same at that of other MS office application like word. excel
etc. The similar buttons and bars are title bar, menu bar, toolbar.
Slide Views
Microsoft Powerpoint comes with different views to help you while you are creating a presentation
.The powerpoint gives you five screen layout for constructing your presentation in addition to the Slide
Show. You can select the page views by clicking the buttons at the left bottom of the page.
Normal View Outline View Slide View Slide Sorter View Slide Show View
1. Normal View: This screen is split into three sections showing the presentation outline on the left, the
slide in the main window, and notes at the bottom.
2. Outline View: The presentation outline is displayed on the majority of the screen with small
windows for the slide and notes. This view is recommended for editing text.
3. Slide View: The slide view displays each slide on the screen and is helpful for adding images,
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formatting text, and adding background styles.
4. Slide Sorter View: A small image of each slide is displayed in Slide Sorter view. Slides can easily
be ordered and sorted from this screen.
5. Slide Show View: This view of powerpoint shows the progress of the presentation form slide to slide
just like a real slide show. When click on slide show all menus, toolbars, status bar, scroll bars and
windows task bar are removed from the screen.
6. Click on a category that matches your type of presentations. In the right side of the dialog box a list
appears to select the category of presentations and click on the Next button.
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7. Click on the type of output you want to use for your presentation. Then click on Next button to
proceed further
8. Type a title for your presentation this title will appear on the first slide of your presentation.
9. Type the footer text in the footer text box. This text will appear at the bottom of each slide in your
presentation.
10. Click on Next button.
11. Click on the Finish button. To end the auto content wizard session.
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12. A presentation is created for you. The left side provides a sample text for each slide which you can
replace according to your requirement .
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7. Select any one layout for the slide and click on OK button. The slide appears in the normal view.
The process of creating first slide of the presentation using design templets is finished. You can now
add as many slides as required for the presentation.
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6. Finally Click on the OK button.
Powerpoint creates a blank presentation for you work with show in following figure.
2. Click on Save or Save As option the following dialog box appears, asking you to specify the file name
and location at which the file may be saved.
If you have already saved your file, the Save As box will not be displayed. But you will be saved.
The file is saved under my document folder by default.
4. Select any one of the layout as you required and then press OK button.
2 Changing Slide Layouts
To change the layout of the slide the following steps are given below.
1. Click on Format menu and choose Slide Layout option from drop-down menu.
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2. Slide Layout window open to change any one of the layout. Different layouts are :
- Title Slide - Bullets List
- Graphics - Video Clips
- Organizational Charts
3. And click on Apply button to change the Layout of slide.
3 Re-Ordering Slides
To Re-Order a slide in slide sorter view simply click on the slide you want to move and drag it to the
new location. In Normal or Outline view , click the slide icon beside the number of the slide want to move
and drag the icon to a new location.
4 Hide Slides
If you do not want a slide to appear during the slide show, but do not want to delete the slide as it
may be used later , the slide can be hidden by the following steps?
1. Click on Slide Show option of menu bar.
2. Choose the Hide Slide option from the drop down list.
The slide will be hidden. To add the slide back to the slide show, then click on slide show menu bar
and choose the hide slide option again.
5 Delete a Slide
If you do not want a slide to appear during the slide show. Then you can delete any slide using
following steps-
1. Select the slide you want to delete.
2. Click on Edit menu and Choose Delete Slide option
3. Delete multiple slide, switch to slide sorter view and press Ctrl key while you click on slide, click on
Delete Slide.
6 Create A Custom Slide Show
Microsoft Powerpoint has another feature to create a custom slide show. The custom slide show
feature allows you to select the slides you want to display in the slide show if not all the slides should be
used. This feature also allows you to save different subsets of slides in a presentation to create different
versions of the show from the same set of slide.
1. Click on Slide Show menu of menu bar.
2. Choose Custom Shows option from the menu bar
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3. Click on the New button in the custom shows window
4. Type the Slide Name of slide show in the defined Custom Show window.
5. Add slide to the custom show and clicking the Add >> button. Those slides will then appear in the
Slides in custom show window.
6. You can remove slides from the custom show, click on remove button.
7. To reorder slides in the custom show, selected slide that should be moved and click on Up and
Down arrows to change its order in the show.
8. Click OK button when finished.
9. Then click the Show button on the Custom Show window to preview the custom slide show and
click Close to exit.
10. You can edit a custom slide show window using Edit option in above (custom show) and you also
delete a show using remove button.
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11.10 Working With Text
The way the slides look will determine the success of our presentation. It is therefore important that
the text and the objects on the slides are arranged well for the best visual impact. The adding text to the
slide contents are presented in short and compact language. Powerpoint slide always contains text of
some kind, just like a title text and add text in bulleted list. The entering and editing text in powerpoint is
also similar to entering and editing text in MS-word and MS-excel.
1 Adding Text Box
The amount of text you can enter depends upon the slide layout. If the slide layout includes text in
the text boxes, simply click on the text box to add text. To add a text box to the slide just follow these
steps :
1. Click on Insert menu of menu bar.
2. Choose the Text Box option from drop-down menu.
3. Draw the text box with the mouse.
2 Editing Text On A Slide
Editing the text by simply click on the text box. An insert point appears, indicating that the text is ready for
editing in text box. You can change the text.
Copy Text: You can copy the text that appears in one place to another place.
* Select the text you want to copy.
* Click Edit menu bar and select the Copy option or click on the Copy command button on the
standard toolbar or press Ctrl + C shortcut key together.
* Move the text where you want to paste.
* Click on the Paste command button on the standard tool bar or press Ctrl + V shortcut key together
Cut/Move Text: You can cut the text that is deleted from the original location and paste to a new place.
* Select the text you want to cut.
* Click Edit menu bar and select the Cut option or click on the Cut command button on the standard
toolbar or press Ctrl + X shortcut key together.
* Move the text where you want to paste.
* Click on the Paste command button on the standard tool bar or press Ctrl + V shortcut key together
If you change in text accidentally , you can undo your text by clicking on Undo button on the standard tool
bar or press Ctrl + Z shortcut key together or Click on Edit menu bar then choose the Undo clear option.
Formatting Text
Formatting text means applying characteristics and effects to the text. The formatted text or styled
text or rich text as opposed to plain text, has styling information such as colors, style (bold, italic, under-
line), size and other special features of MS- powerpoint. Select the text that will be formatted by highlight-
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ing the text either on the outline or on the slide.
1. Click on Format menu of menu bar.
2. Choose the Font from drop down list or right-click on the highlighted selected text.
3. And select Font from the popup shortcut menu. The Font dialog box appears as under.
4. You can select Font, Font Style, Size of font, Effects, and Color from the Font dialog box.
5. Select any font option you want to use then click on OK button. Or you can use the font command
buttons of Formatting toolbar.
4 Spelling Check
Correct the spelling in the presentation by using the following steps:
1. Click on Tools option of menu bar.
2. Choose the Spelling from the drop down list or by pressing the F7 key on the keyboard or click on
Spelling command button on standard toolbar .
3. The Spell checker will prompt you to make corrections of the first word that is spelled wrong.
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4. If the word is spelt correctly, click Ignore or Ignore All if the same word appears several times
during the presentation. If this word will appear in many presentations (such as your name), click Add
to add the word to the dictionary and you won't be prompted by a misspelling again.
5. If the word is spelt wrong, highlight one of the Suggestions or type your own revision in the
Change to box. Click Change to correct this occurrence of the word or Change All to correct all
occurrences of the word in the presentation.
6. Click Close to abort the spelling check early.
7. When the spell checker has read through the entire presentation, you will be prompted by a
window telling you that the spelling check is complete.
8. Then Click OK button.
5 Changing Text Color
The color schemes are always used to suit the atmosphere. So the color depends where the pre-
sentation is going to be. Depending upon that the color of the powerpoint presentations are selected as
under.
1. Select the text you want to change color.
2. Click on Font Color button on drawing toolbar.
3 To change color click on More Fill Colors options and use color tab to mix your own color.
4. Then click on OK button.
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4. And then click the ClipArt option. Immediately a ClipArt box appear. Inserting clip ort peocen is
same as that of word.
2 Insert Word- Art
Word- Art is predefined text that bends and twists and is dramatically colored and shadowed
shapes. To insert WordArt to a slide, follow these steps:
1. Click on Insert option of menu bar.
2. Select the Picture from drop down list.
3. Choose WordArt option or click on WordArt button on the Drawing Toolbar.
4. The WordArt Gallery dialog box appear.
7. Type desired text in the text box and use desired Font, Size from drop-down button if required.
8. Click on OK button to return to the slide.
3 Editing The Graphics
You can edit image. At first activate the image you wish to edit by clicking on it once with the mouse.
Several handles will appear around the graphic. Click and drag these handles to resize the image. The
handles on the corners will resize the image, while the handles on the straight lines will stretch the image.
More picture effects can be changed using the Picture toolbar.
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4 AutoShapes
MS-Powerpoint AutoShapes are the shapes given to you by the software are much more better
looking than the usual ones drawn by you , make the best use of them to highlight the text or the matter
anything in your powerpoint. The AutoShapes provides the following categories of tools.
* Lines * Block Arrows
* Connectors * Stars and Banners
* Basic Shapes * Actions Buttons
1. Click the AutoShapes buttons on the Drawing toolbar
2. Select any Categories of the shapes from the pop-up menu appear.
3. If select the lines .the line pop-up menu show six line options.
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3. Select the button you want to add to the slide. When you add the button, the action setting dialog
box appears
4. Select the Hyperlink to:... and choose any option from drop-down list.
5. The Run Program option to open a different application from within the presentation.
6. Play Sound option to select sound type.
7. Then click on OK button.
6 Slide Color Scheme
The colors of slide and predesigned slide templates can be changed and a color scheme can be
added to blank slide presentations. To change the color schemes and background of the slides
presentation follow these steps:
1. Choose the Slide Color Scheme option from the Format menu.
2. The Color Scheme dialog box will appear.
3. In the Color Scheme dialog box, the Standard tab allows you to choose a predetermined Color
Scheme by clicking on the desired choice. The Custom tab allows you to selectively change the
colors of the applied Design’s features.
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4. Click one of the present color scheme thumbnail images in the Color schemes box.
5. Click the Preview button to see how the scheme will appear on the slide.
To make changes to the color scheme, click the Custom tab on the dialog box.
5. Change the colors of the slide by selecting the color and clicking the Change color button.
6. Select the Custom tab to view more color choices and click OK button to finished.
7. Click Apply to All to apply the color scheme to all the slides in the presentation or Apply to add the
scheme only to the current slide.
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5. From the Effect section option, select a transition from the drop-down menu
6. Notice the Preview after the transition is selected. Select a Speed for the transition as well.
7. Under Advance option, “On mouse click” for the slide transition by clicking the mouse or “Auto
-matically after” for setting time in seconds if the transition should occur automatically .
8. Select a Sound option if necessary.
9. Click Apply To All if the transition effects should be added to every slide or Apply if the effects
should be added only to the current slide.
10. Now Click on the Slide Show button to run the slide show.
11.12.2 Slide Animations
You can add animation to the slide to display. This helps in presenting a slide with special effects.
To apply Slide Animation follow these steps
1. Select the text box or graphic, which you want to add the animation effect.
2. Select the Slide Show menu bar option. A drop-down menu appear.
3. Choose the Present Animation option and click on different animation.
To more options follow these steps
1. Select the object you want to animate.
2. Click on Slide Show menu bar then choose Custom Animation option.
3. The Custom Animation Dialog box appears as in following figure.
4. Select the object that will be animated from the Check to animate slide objects list option.
5. Then click on Effects tab for select the animation type and direction from the drop-down menus and
select a sound if you wish.
6. Select an After animation effect if the text should change colors, Hide After the Animation effect,
Don’t Dim (erases all After Animation effects) etc.
7. In the Introduce text section, The drop-down menu provides options for displaying the characters.
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Select “All at once” for the text to appear immediately, “By Word” for the text to appear one word at a
time, or “By Letter” for a typewriter effect that displays one letter at a time.
8. Select Order & Timing tab to alter the order that the objects appear on the slide. Select the object in the
Animation order box and click on the Up and Down arrows to move the object.
9. The Start animation option, choose “On mouse click” to activate the animation by clicking the mouse
or “Automatically” for the animation to execute after a set number of seconds.
10. Click the Preview button to preview the animation on the slide and click OK button to finished.
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7. Finally Click on OK button to print the slides. Or
8. Move your mouse-pointer over the Print button present on the Standard tool bar.
11.14 Summary
Microsoft PowerPoint 2000 is an easy to use presentation application for creating impressive pre-
sentation and handouts. This unit provides an Introduction to the essential features of Microsoft Powerpoint
2000 including creating, editing and saving slide show and adding text and graphics. You can create quick
and well designed presentation using the wizard for many purposes. You also can create effective presen-
tation using various predesign templates. The Powerpoint presentation software has a number of special
effects, animations, slide transitions, features etc.
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____________________________________________________________________________
UNIT - 12 : MS - ACCESS
Unit structure
12.0 Objectives
12.1 Creating Database Using Wizard
12.2 Form Designing
12.3 Report Generation
12.4 Summary
12.5 Key Words
12.6 Self Assessment Test
12.7 Reference Books
12.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, we should be able to understand how
• To create an Access 2000 Database
• To create forms
• To enter and update data using forms
• To generate a report
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3. Choose here the type of database required. We have chosen here the Inventory control
4. Click Ok to get next dialog box, which asks us to name the database and the place where we
want to save it.
5. Once we give the file name and the place where we want to save it, Database Wizard will
take over and give us the first of many dialog boxes we have to make our own selections and make
the database.
6. In the above dialog box, as shown above, the Wizard has shown the various information the data-
base is going to store in the Inventory [Link] no information is to be filled here, click next.
7. The next dialog box shows us the various types of inventory tables which we can create, select one
to see the different fields attach to it.
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9. The next dialog box asks us the type of screen display we want for our database. Select one of
the many and press Next.
10. In the next dialog box, we are asked for the type of output printouts we want for our reports. Select
one and press Next.
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11. Click the next dialog box asks us to fill the name of the database which we would like to put on the
top of our database. Press Next to move further.
12. The next dialog box says that the wizard's work is over and we are to just press Finish to create the
database. If we want to start working on it straightway, say Yes to start the database.
13. At this stage Access will start the process of creating the database for us with all the information we
have provided so far. This process takes little time, where Access will keep on showing us the
various processes it is going through but none of that matters to us and we are not supposed to
interrupt it too.
14. In between Access will ask us for the information as shown below to fill up the details of the
company for which this Inventory Contriol database is being created.
15. Fill up the information according to the information that we want to fill and close the dialog box.
16. Next we would be given a dialog box which is the main box of your database. Access calls it Main
Switchboard. It is called so because it is from here we will switch to various information mentioned
here.
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17. We will now go through the various options here one by one.
18. The first option Enter/View Products will give us the dialog box given above which allow us to see
the product information and allows us add and change the same.
19. Next in line is Enter/ View Other Information.
20. This gives rise to another set of options. Select one of them to see the information regarding that.
Selection of Suppliers information will lead to the following fdialog box to fill up.
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21. Next is the option of Previewing Reports.
22. This also has the various options. Selecting one of them, for example preview the Product
Summary.
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23. Now your database is ready,start working on it and enjoy the process of filling it up with
the data available with us.
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4. Click [Link] the first page of the Form Wizard, select a table or query and then double -click
each field we want to include or
Click the >> button to include all the fields.
9. in the last PAGE OF THE Form Wizard, enter a name for the form and then choose whether to
open the form showing the table's data or open the form in Design view so that we can modify the
form's design. I have given here the name as products.
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10. Click Finish. The form is automatically saved.
12.2.1 CREATING A FORM
We can create a form for every table in our database, and we can create forms that allow us to
add data to more than one table or query at a time. Each time , we make changes to the design of a
table, we can create a new form to reflect the changes or modify the form design.
1. Click the Forms tab in the Database window.
2. Click the New button on the Database window toolbar.
3. In the New Form dialog box, choose a method from the list.
4. If we choose one of the AutoForms, select a table or query from the Pull-down list.
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5. Click Ok. The AutoForms Wizard creates a form in the default style, using all fields defined in the
table.
6. The design View option in the New Form dialog box displays a blank form in design view, with
the Forms toolbar box available for adding controls.
12.2.2 SAVING THE FORM
1. To save the form, click the Save button on the Access toolbar or press Ctrl + S or choose Save
from the File menu.
2. In the Save as dialog box, name the new form.
3. Click Ok.
4. To save a form as a report or a form with another name,select the form on the Forms tab and
then choose Save as from the File menu.
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12.2.3 OPENING THE FORM IN DESIGN VIEW
To modify a form , we must open it in Design view or if it is already open , switch to Design view.
1. On the Forms tab of the database window, choose a form and click the Design button
Or
If we are currently using the form to enter or edit data, click the View button on the Access
toolbar and choose Design View from the drop-down menu
Or
From the View menu, choose Design view.
13.2.4 ENTERING DATA IN A FORM
A form provides blank fields and other ontrols that allow us to add data to a table easily.
1. Click the Forms in the Database window.
2. Double-lick the form that you want to add data to Or
select a form and click Open on the Database window toolbar. This form, if it is columnar or
justified, displays the first record. If the form is tabular in format, it shows all records.
3. Click the New Record button on the Accesstoolbar.
4. Enter data in the first blank field on the form and press Tab.
5. Continue entering data and pressing Tab to move to the next field.
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Press Tab after the last field to move to the start of a new record.
7. To move to the previous field on a form, press shift + Tab
8. To jump to a field, click the field.
9. we do not need to save each record. The completed record is saved automatically when we
move to the next record.
10. If we want to see the records added by us in a tabulaqr mannar, close this window and go to the
Table panel and select Products to see all the records shown below.
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2. Click the Label button on the toolbox.
3. Click the form at the location for the new label.
4. Type the label next.
5. Use the move and siaze handles to position the label.
6. Save the changes to the form design.
12.2.7 FORMATTING LABELS
We can give a label any appearance we want by changing its formatting.
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5. Selecet here the fields which we want to put in the report and press Next to get the next pages as
shown below.
6. Select here the grouping levels and press Next to go to the next page shown below.
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7. Select here the grouping and summary options and press Next to get the following page.
8. Select here the layout for printing and click Next to get the following page.
9. Select here the style we would like for our printing and press Next to get the last page of the
Wizard as shown below.
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10. Press Finish. The preview of the report is shown on the screen as shown below.
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3. Click the Page buttons of the print preview window to move from page to page of the report
4. To close the report, click the Close button on the Access toolbar.
12.3.3 PRINT A REPORT
1. With the report open in Print Preview, click the Print button on the Access toolbar Or
Press Ctrl + P Or From the File menu, choose print.
2. we can also print a report by selecting the report on the reports tab and clicking the Print button
or choosing Print from the File menu.
12.4 Summary
Database is a collection of information e.g. local telephone book and card catalog in local library. In
access, we first need to create a database file. That file holds everything we create for that database not
only all the dat but also the customize forms, reports etc. if we have two or more businesses, we might
want to create two or more separate databases, one for each business.
The heart of each database is its tables. A table is like a spreadsheet. The data is arranged in
columns and rows. Access stores each database in its own [Link] is a [Link] record is a collection
of information about one thing, for e.g. an employee each type of detail is kept in each its own column' a
field for e.g. employee no. is one field.
All the data we enter into our data base ends up in a table for storage, we can enter inf. Directly into
a table but it is a little awkward to do so, most people find it easier to create a special on screen form in
which to enter the data. A form resembles a fill-in-the-blanks sheet that we would complete by hand such
as a job application. Although forms are designed to be used on screen, reports are designed to be
printed. Reports are specially formatted collection of data organized according to our specifications. For
e.g. we might want to create a report of all employees' sales performance.
Although we create database, forms, reports in separate steps, they are all related. Table are the
central focus of all activities. All the other objects do something to or within the table data. Reports
summarized and organized the table data. Form helps enter information into the table.
12.5 Key Words
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12.6 Self Assessment Test
1. Describe a step-by-step procedure to create a database.
2. Describe a step-by-step procedure to design a form.
3. Describe a step-by-step procedure for report generation.
4. Create a database for college having four tables as under :
a) Student Information
b) Faculty Information
c) Library Information
d) Administration Information
5. Design Forms on the above tables.
6. Generate a report on the above database and perform sorting and grouping operations on
records.
- MS Office Bible
- Teach yourself MS Access in 24 hours.
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UNIT – 13 : INTERNET
Unit Structure
13.0 Objectives
13.1 Introduction
13.2 Internet V/S Web
13.3 Protocols
13.4 Hardware and Software Requirements
13.5 Types of Internet Connection
13.6 Wireless Internet Connections
13.7 Advantages of Internet
13.8 Disadvantages of Internet
13.9 Key Words
13.10 Self Assessment Test
13.11 Reference Books
13.0 Objectives
After studying this unit you should be able to understand:
• Concept of Internet and Services
• Understanding of working of Internet and www.
• Identify key technological concepts.
• Understand limitations of Internet
13.1 Introduction
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet
Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of
millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks of local to global scope that are
linked by a broad array of electronic and optical networking technologies. In other words, a network of
networks, or Internet, is a group of two or more networks that are; Physically interconnected, capable of
communicating and sharing data with each other and able to act together as a single network.
Classification of Networks
Local Area Network (LAN) Limited to a building/ 5-10 Kilometer
Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) Limited to a Metro/ 50-100 Kilometer
Wide Area Network (WAN) Limited to a Resign/Geography/ 500-1000 KM
International Network (Internet) Connecting all the networks/ beyond
The Internet carries a vast array of information resources and services, most notably the
inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support
electronic mail.
Most traditional communications media, such as telephone and television services, are reshaped or
redefined using the technologies of the Internet, giving rise to services such as Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) and Internet Protocol Television IPTV. Newspaper publishing has been reshaped into Web sites,
blogging, and web feeds. The Internet has enabled or accelerated the creation of new forms of human
interactions through instant messaging, Internet forums, and social networking sites.
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The origins of the Internet can be traced in the decade of the 1960s when the United States funded
research projects of its military agencies to build robust, fault-tolerant and distributed computer networks.
This research and a period of civilian funding of a new U.S. backbone by the National Science Foundation
spawned worldwide participation in the development of new networking technologies and led to the
commercialization of an international network in the mid 1990s, and resulted in the popularization.
Internet Growth Trends
1977: 111 hosts on Internet
1981: 213 hosts
1983: 562 hosts
1984: 1,000 hosts
1986: 5,000 hosts
1987: 10,000 hosts
1989: 100,000 hosts
1992: 1,000,000 hosts
2001: 150 – 175 million hosts
2002: over 200 million hosts
By 2012 about 80% of the planet will be on the Internet
It has no centralized governance in either technological implementation or policies for access and
usage; each constituent of internet network sets its own standards. Only the overreaching definitions of the
two principal name spaces in the Internet, the Internet Protocol address space and the Domain Name
System, are directed by a maintainer organization, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and
Numbers (ICANN). The technical underpinning and standardization of the core protocols (IPv4 and
IPv6) is an activity of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), a non-profit organization of loosely
affiliated international participants that anyone may associate with by contributing technical expertise.
Figure: Structure of Internet (MAE: Metropolitan Area Exchanges, NAP: Network Access Point)
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13.3 Protocols
Protocols are set of rules and regulation followed by two or more communication entities for the
purpose of communication. Internet is based on TCP/IP Protocol. The complex communications
infrastructure of the Internet consists of its hardware components and a system of software layers that
control various aspects of the architecture. While the hardware can often be used to support other software
systems, it is the design and the rigorous standardization process of the software architecture that characterizes
the Internet and provides the foundation for its scalability and success. The responsibility for the architectural
design of the Internet software systems has been delegated to the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF).
The IETF conducts standard-setting work groups, open to any individual, about the various aspects of
Internet architecture. Resulting discussions and final standards are published in a series of publications;
each called a Request for Comments (RFC), freely available on the IETF web site.
The principal methods of networking that enable the Internet are contained in specially designated
RFCs that constitute the Internet Standards. Other less rigorous documents are simply informative,
experimental, or historical, or document the best current practices (BCP) when implementing Internet
technologies.
The Internet Standards describe a framework known as the Internet Protocol Suite. This is a model
architecture that divides methods into a layered system of protocols (RFC 1122, RFC 1123). The layers
correspond to the environment or scope in which their services operate. At the top is the Application
Layer, the space for the application-specific networking methods used in software applications, e.g., a
web browser program. Below this top layer, the Transport Layer connects applications on different hosts
via the network (e.g., client–server model) with appropriate data exchange methods. Underlying these
layers are the core networking technologies, consisting of two layers. The Internet Layer enables computers
to identify and locate each other via Internet Protocol (IP) addresses, and allows them to connect to one-
another via intermediate (transit) networks. Lastly, at the bottom of the architecture, is a software layer,
the Link Layer, that provides connectivity between hosts on the same local network link, such as a local
area network (LAN) or a dial-up connection. The model, also known as TCP/IP, is designed to be
independent of the underlying hardware which the model therefore does not concern itself with in any
detail. Other models have been developed, such as the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, but
they are not compatible in the details of description, nor implementation, but many similarities exist and the
TCP/IP protocols are usually included in the discussion of OSI networking.
The most prominent component of the Internet model is the Internet Protocol (IP) which provides
addressing systems (IP addresses) for computers on the Internet. IP enables internetworking and essentially
establishes the Internet itself. IP Version 4 (IPv4) is the initial version used on the first generation of the
today’s Internet and is still in dominant use. It was designed to address up to ~4.3 billion (109) Internet
hosts. However, the explosive growth of the Internet has led to IPv4 address exhaustion which is estimated
to enter its final stage in approximately 2011. A new protocol version, IPv6, was developed in the mid
1990s which provides vastly larger addressing capabilities and more efficient routing of Internet traffic.
IPv6 is currently in commercial deployment phase around the world and Internet address registries (RIRs)
have begun to urge all resource managers to plan rapid adoption and conversion.
IPv6 is not interoperable with IPv4. It essentially establishes a “parallel” version of the Internet not
directly accessible with IPv4 software. This means software upgrades or translator facilities are necessary
for every networking device that needs to communicate on the IPv6 Internet. Most modern computer
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operating systems are already converted to operate with both versions of the Internet Protocol. Network
infrastructures, however, are still lagging in this development. Aside from the complex physical connections
that make up its infrastructure, the Internet is facilitated by bi- or multi-lateral commercial contracts (e.g.,
peering agreements), and by technical specifications or protocols that describe how to exchange data
over the network. Indeed, the Internet is defined by its interconnections and routing policies.
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Analog (up to 56k)
It is also called dial-up access, it is both economical and slow. Using a modem connected to your PC,
users connect to the Internet when the computer dials a phone number (which is provided by your ISP)
and connects to the network. Dial-up is an analog connection because data is sent over an analog, public
telephone network. The modem converts received analog data to digital and vise versa. Because dial-up
access uses normal telephone lines the quality of the connection is not always good and data rates are
limited. Typical Dial-up connection speeds range from 2400 bps to 56 Kbps.
ISDN
Integrated services digital network (ISDN) is an international communications standard for sending
voice, video, and data over digital telephone lines or normal telephone wires. Typical ISDN speeds range
from 64 Kbps to 128 Kbps.
B-ISDN
Broadband ISDN (Intenerated Services digital Network) is similar in function to ISDN but it
transfers data over fiber optic telephone lines, not normal telephone wires. SONET is the physical transport
backbone of B-ISDN. Broadband ISDN has not been widely implemented.
DSL
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) is also called an always on connection because it uses existing 2-wire
copper telephone line connected to the premise and will not tie up your phone as a dial-up connection
does. There is no need to dial-in to your ISP as DSL is always on. The two main categories of DSL for
home subscribers are called ADSL and SDSL.
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is the most commonly deployed types of DSL in
North America. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) supports data rates of from 1.5 to 9 Mbps
when receiving data (known as the downstream rate) and from 16 to 640 Kbps when sending data
(known as the upstream rate). ADSL requires a special ADSL modem.
ADSL+2
ADSL+2A is an extension to ADSL broadband technology that provides subscribers with significantly
faster download speeds when compared to traditional ADSL connections. ADSL+2 works in the same
fashion as ADSL a special filter is installed on a subscriber’s telephone line to split existing copper telephone
lines (POTS) between regular telephone (voice) and ADSL+2. ADSL+2, this service is commonly offered
in highly-populated metropolitan areas and subscribers must be in close geographical locations to the
provider’s central office to receive ADSL2+ service.
SDSL
Symmetric Digital Subscriber Line (SDSL) is more common in Europe. It is a technology that
allows more data to be sent over existing copper telephone lines (POTS). SDSL supports data rates up to
3 Mbps. SDSL works by sending digital pulses in the high-frequency area of telephone wires and can not
operate simultaneously with voice connections over the same wires. SDSL requires a special SDSL modem.
SDSL is called symmetric because it supports the same data rates for upstream and downstream traffic.
VDSL
Very High DSL (VDSL) is a DSL technology that offers fast data rates over relatively short distances
— the shorter the distance, the faster the connection [Link] types of DSL technologies are collectively
referred to as xDSL. xDSL connection speeds range from 128 Kbps to 8 Mbps.
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Cable
Through the use of a cable modem you can have a broadband Internet connection that is designed
to operate over cable TV lines. Cable Internet works by using TV channel space for data transmission,
with certain channels used for downstream transmission, and other channels for upstream transmission.
Because the coaxial cable used by cable TV provides much greater bandwidth than telephone lines, a
cable modem can be used to achieve extremely fast [Link] speeds range from 512 Kbps to 20
Mbps.
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distances signals must travel from the earth up to the satellite and back again, IoS is slightly slower than
high-speed terrestrial connections over copper or fiber optic cables.
Typical Internet over Satellite connection speeds (standard IP services) average around 492 up to
512 Kbps.
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· Visit a website of your choice and explain various features and services available on this website.
· What do you mean by protocols.
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UNIT – 14 : INTERNET TOOLS
Unit Structure
14.0 Objectives
14.1 Modems
14.2 World Wide Web
14.3 E-mails
14.4 Chat
14.5 Browsers
14.6 Search Engines
14.7 Intranet
14.8 Extranet
14.9 Summary
14.10 Key Words
14.11 Self Assessment Test
14.12 Reference Books
14.0 Objectives
After studying this unit you should be able to understand:
• Need and Importance of MODEMS.
• Understand of working of WWW.
• Identify key concept of e-mail and chat.
• Requirement and Working of Browsers.
• Working and Importance of Search Engines.
• Concept of Intranet.
• Use and Benefit of Intranet.
• Concept of Extranet.
• Use and Benefit of Extranet.
14.1 Modems
A modem (modulator-demodulator) is a device that modulates an analog carrier signal to encode
digital information, and also demodulates such a carrier signal to decode the transmitted information. The
goal is to produce a signal that can be transmitted easily and decoded to reproduce the original digital
data. Modems can be used over any means of transmitting analog signals, from driven diodes to radio.
The most familiar example is a voice band modem that turns the digital data of a personal computer
into analog audio signals that can be transmitted over a telephone line, and once received on the other
side, a modem converts the analog data back into digital.
Modems are generally classified by the amount of data they can send in a given time, normally
measured in bits per second (bit/s, or bps). They can also be classified by Baud, the number of times the
modem changes its signal state per second. For example, the ITU V.21 standard used audio frequency-
shift keying, aka tones, to carry 300 bit/s using 300 baud, whereas the original ITU V.22 standard allowed
1,200 bit/s with 600 baud using phase-shift keying.
Faster modems are used by Internet users every day, notably cable modems and ADSL modems.
In telecommunications, wide-band radio modems transmit repeating frames of data at very high data rates
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over microwave radio links. Narrow-band radio modem is used for low data rate up to 19.2k mainly for
private radio networks. Some microwave modems transmit more than a hundred million bits per second.
Optical modems transmit data over optical fibers. Most intercontinental data links now use optical modems
transmitting over undersea optical fibers. Optical modems routinely have data rates in excess of a billion
(1x109) bits per second. One kilobit per second (kbit/s, kb/s, or kbps) as used in this article means 1,000
bits per second and not 1,024 bits per second. For example, a 56k modem can transfer data at up to
56,000 bit/s (7 kB/s) over the phone line.
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Domain Name System (DNS) subdomain names, as in [Link]. The use of such subdomain
names is not required by any technical or policy standard; indeed, the first ever web server was called
[Link], and many web sites exist without a www subdomain prefix, or with some other prefix
such as “www2”, “secure”, etc. These subdomain prefixes have no consequence; they are simply chosen
names. Many web servers are set up such that both the domains refer to the same site, others require one
form or the other, or they may map to different web sites.
When a single word is typed into the address bar and the return key is pressed, some web browsers
automatically try adding “www.” to the beginning of it and possibly “.com”, “.org” and “.net” at the end.
For example, typing ‘apple<enter>’ may resolve to [Link] and ‘openoffice<enter>’ to
[Link] This feature was beginning to be included in early versions of Mozilla Firefox
(when it still had the working title ‘Firebird’) in early 2003. It is reported that Microsoft was granted a US
patent for the same idea in 2008, but only with regard to mobile devices.
The ‘[Link] or ‘[Link] part of web addresses does have meaning. These refer to Hypertext
Transfer Protocol and to HTTP Secure and so define the communication protocol that will be used to
request and receive the page, image or other resource. The HTTP network protocol is fundamental to the
way the World Wide Web works, and the encryption involved in HTTPS adds an essential layer if confidential
information such as passwords or bank details are to be exchanged over the public internet. Web browsers
often prepend this ‘scheme’ part to URLs too, if it is omitted. Despite this, Berners-Lee himself has
admitted that the two forward slashes (//) were in fact initially unnecessary.
In overview, RFC 2396 defines web URLs to have the following form:
<scheme>://<authority><path>?<query>#<fragment>
1. Internet Addressing
Each computer on the Internet has a numerical address, called an IP address. Which is unique in
nature used to identify computer or other resources on Internet. For example, the numerical address of the
Devi Ahilya University, Indore web server is [Link]. Because the numbers are hard to remember,
popular servers on the Internet have names associated with their numbers. For example, the name associated
with the Devi Ahilya University web server is [Link].
There are several parts to an internet name:
2. Top Level Domain (TLD)
This is the last part of the name. It can be .com for commercial companys purpose, .org for non
profit organizations, .net for network infrastructure providers, .edu for educational institutions, .mil for
military, .gov for government, or a code for a country, for example, .us for United States or .jp for Japan
or .in for India.
3. Domain Name
This is the middle part of the name and often the most important. It is specific to the company /
organization. Example: google, yahoo, dauniv.
4. Host Name
This is the name of the server within the company, usually named after the service provided. Example:
www, ftp, news, mail.
5. Method / Scheme
This is the method used for the communication. It is usually a few letters followed by a colon and
two forward slashes. Example: http:// for web connections, ftp:// for ftp connections.
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14.3 E-mails
Electronic mail, most commonly abbreviated email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital
messages. E-mail systems are based on a store-and-forward model in which e-mail server computer
systems accept, forward, deliver and store messages on behalf of users, who only need to connect to the
e-mail infrastructure, typically an e-mail server, with a network-enabled device for the duration of message
submission or retrieval. Originally, e-mail was always transmitted directly from one user’s device to another’s;
nowadays this is rarely the case.
An electronic mail message consists of two components, the message header, and the message
body, which is the email’s content. The message header contains control information, including, minimally,
an originator’s email address and one or more recipient addresses. Usually additional information is added,
such as a subject header field.
The foundation for today’s global Internet e-mail service was created in the early ARPANET and
standards for encoding of messages were proposed as early as 1973 (RFC 561). An e-mail sent in the
early 1970s looked very similar to one sent on the Internet today. Conversion from the ARPANET to the
Internet in the early 1980s produced the core of the current service.
Network-based e-mail was initially exchanged on the ARPANET in extensions to the File Transfer
Protocol (FTP), but is today carried by the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), first published as
Internet standard 10 (RFC 821) in 1982. In the process of transporting e-mail messages between systems,
SMTP communicates delivery parameters using a message envelope separately from the message (header
and body) itself.
Most modern graphic e-mail clients allow the use of either plain text or HTML for the message
body at the option of the user. HTML e-mail messages often include an automatically-generated plain text
copy as well, for compatibility reasons.
Advantages of HTML include the ability to include in-line links and images, set apart previous
messages in block quotes, wrap naturally on any display, use emphasis such as underlines and italics, and
change font styles. Disadvantages include the increased size of the email, privacy concerns about web
bugs, abuse of HTML email as a vector for phishing attacks and the spread of malicious software.
Mailing lists commonly insist that all posts to be made in plain-text for all the above reasons, but also
because they have a significant number of readers using text-based e-mail clients such as Mutt. Some
Microsoft e-mail clients allow rich formatting using RTF, but unless the recipient is guaranteed to have a
compatible e-mail client this should be avoided.
In order to ensure that HTML sent in an email is rendered properly by the recipient’s client software,
an additional header must be specified when sending: “Content-type: text/html”. Most email programs
send this header automatically.
14.4 Chat
Chatting is to communicate with others on the Internet. It is analogues to face-to-face conversation
or telephone conversation. The only difference is that on Internet conversation is done via typing the text.
This is usually done in a chat room while typing. Chatting can be done on a one to one basis or in a group.
On the Internet, chatting is talking to other people who are using the Internet at the same time.
Usually, this “talking” is the exchange of typed-in messages requiring one site as the repository for the
messages (or “chat site”) and a group of users who take part from anywhere on the Internet. In some
cases, a private chat can be arranged between two parties who meet initially in a group chat. Chats can be
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ongoing or scheduled for a particular time and duration. Most chats are focused on a particular topic of
interest and some involve guest experts or famous people who “talk” to anyone joining the chat. Voice and
video chat is another option, but you must have microphone, web cam, sound card, headphone, a fast
modem and voice chat software compatible with that of the other participants. Internet Relay Chat (IRC)
is a system for chatting that involves a set of rules and conventions and client/server software.
Internet chatting involves real-time instant text messaging between two or more users in chat rooms.
They are many different types of Internet chats all with different purposes. Internet chatting has its advantages
and disadvantages; therefore it is important to understand them so that you do not fall victim to predators
who would seek to harm you. Some of the important rules for safe chatting:
Internet chat rooms allow you to communicate with different kinds of people from all over the
world. They allow you to meet different kinds of people who share similar interests, goals, hobbies and
desires. Internet chats can also be a great learning center ( e.g. chatting forums) where people can ask
questions and receive answers on products and services, computer troubleshooting and more.
Singles chat rooms are probably the most common chats on the internet. They managed and run by
dating websites. Video/Webcam chats are also common forms of chatting because they allow you to view
your contact as you chat. While video chatting is the most interactive form of chatting but they are also the
most dangerous. Other Internet chats include business chat rooms, which allow speedy exchange of trade
stock tips, and business related information.
Internet chats not only allow you to send and receive instant messages, they also allow you to share
pictures, and files. Some Internet chat rooms include emoticons which are smiley faces used to describe
what your present emotion. Some Internet chats include sound effects which range from serious to silly
and allow you to. Other chat rooms allow you to change color combinations to create a theme or background
that works for you as you are chatting.
Now a days it is a serious matter of concern regarding identity, theft and fraud, it is important to
protect personal information at all costs. If you have youngsters who are using chat rooms, monitor the
conversations and the people they communicates with. There are many Internet predators, pedophiles
and sex offenders who send explicit information and pictures to underage children. Always read the rules
and regulations before using chat rooms.
Because an Internet chat website claims that their chat rooms are secure but it does not mean that
people cannot be exploited. While many Internet chat websites may have a set of governing rules, but
rules can still be broken. Because a chat room is labeled “Children’s chat room” does not mean everyone
is a child. Any online predator can create a screen name and log into a children’s chat room; therefore it is
important to still monitor chat rooms and conversations.
14.5 Browsers
Browsers or Web browser is a software application that allows for the browsing of the World Wide
Web or Internet. It acts as an intermediate application between user and the Internet. It can be defined a
web browser as a computer program, used for accessing sites or information on a network (as the World
Wide Web). This is a simple, and accurate description. Web browsers have many different styles, each
with their own nuances. However, a person who utilizes a web browser, can view web pages on the
Internet. What ever you view during your net surfing session is result of web browser.
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The browser application retrieves or fetches code, usually written in Hyper Text Markup Language
(HTML) and/or another language, from a web server, interprets this code, and renders (displays) it as a
web page on users screen. Web Browser work on the principle of action and reaction. User’s interaction
is needed to tell the browser what web site or specific web page he or she would like to view. One way
this is done is via the browser’s address bar.
The web address, or URL (Uniform Resource Locator), that you type into the browser’s address
bar tells the browser where to obtain a page/s. For example, let’s say that you typed the following URL
into the browser’s address bar: [Link]
In this case, you’re attempting to reach the admission section of Devi Ahilya university website. The
browser looks at this particular URL in two main sections. The first is the protocol, which in the address
shown is “[Link] HTTP, which stands for Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, is the standard protocol used to
request and transmit files on the Internet, mostly web pages and their respective components. Since the
browser now knows that the protocol is HTTP, it knows how to interpret everything located to the right of
the forward slashes. It now looks at “[Link]”, which tells the browser the location of the web server
it needs to retrieve the page or pages from.
14.5.1 Components of the Web browser
[Link] Status bar: This is the box at the bottom of your browser window. The status bar displays
all sorts of information, depending on what you’re doing at the time, but mostly it’s for showing load speed
and the URL of whatever address your mouse is hovering over.
[Link] Address bar: This is the box at the top of your browser window that displays the entire
URL, or Web site address.
[Link] Title bar: The title bar is at the very top of your browser window; in both Firefox and
Internet Explorer it is the blue bar at the top of the window. You’ll see the title of the Web page there.
[Link] Toolbar Icons: The toolbar and its icons are at the top of your browser window right
underneath the Title Bar. This is where you’ll see the Back button, the Home button, the Refresh button,
etc.
[Link] Display Window: The Display Window is just a fancy term for your browser workspace;
it’s the frame through which you see any website.
[Link] Scroll Bars: If you’ve ever been to a website that you had to “scroll down” to read
something, then you’ve used the scroll bars. They’re just navigational/directional aids.
Everything that is produced for the WWW must take various Web browsers into consideration,
and marketing is no exception. Different browsers can have radically different capabilities and limitations.
Some sites try to support almost all existing browsers, while others try to support only the newest and
most popular browsers. Some of the Popular Web Browsers are:
1. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer: Most Internet users are using Internet Explorer because it’s easy
to use and the most Web sites are written with Internet Explorer in mind, meaning that they are
compatible.
2. Mozilla’s Firefox: Firefox is rapidly gaining ground because of its tabbed browsing, superior
security features, and fast load.
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3. Opera: Opera is another popular browser that’s easy to use; however, it can have some compatibility
issues with certain websites.
4. Mac Safari: Specifically for Mac users, Safari is an excellent choice for a Web browser, with fast
load and good compatibility with most websites out there.
14.7 Intranet
An intranet is a private computer network that uses Internet Protocol technologies (TCP\IP) to
securely share any part of an organization’s information or network operating system within that organization.
The term is used in contrast to Internet, a network between organizations, and instead refers to a network
within an organization. Sometimes the term refers only to the organization’s internal website, but may be a
more extensive part of the organization’s information technology infrastructure. It may host multiple private
websites and constitute an important component and focal point of internal communication and collaboration.
An intranet is built from the same concepts and technologies used for the Internet, such as client–
server computing and the Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP). Any of the well known Internet protocols may
be found in an intranet, such as HTTP (web services), SMTP (e-mail), and FTP (file transfer). Internet
technologies are often deployed to provide modern interfaces to legacy information systems hosting
corporate data.
Intranets may provide a gateway to the Internet by means of a network gateway with a firewall,
shielding the intranet from unauthorized external access. The gateway often also implements user
authentication, encryption of messages, and often virtual private network (VPN) connectivity for off-site
employees to access company information, computing resources and internal communication. Intranets
can also help users to locate and view information faster and use applications relevant to their roles and
responsibilities.
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Intranets can serve as powerful tools for communication within an organization, vertically and
horizontally. From a communications standpoint, intranets are useful to communicate strategic initiatives
that have a global reach throughout the organization. The type of information that can easily be conveyed
is the purpose of the initiative and what the initiative is aiming to achieve, who is driving the initiative, results
achieved to date, and who to speak to for more information. By providing this information on the intranet,
staff has the opportunity to keep up-to-date with the strategic focus of the organization. Some examples
of communication would be chat, email, and or blogs. A great real world example of where an intranet
helped a company communicate is when Nestle had a number of food processing plants in Scandinavia.
Their central support system had to deal with a number of queries every day (McGovern, Gerry). When
Nestle decided to invest in an intranet, they quickly realized the savings. McGovern says the savings from
the reduction in query calls was substantially greater than the investment in the intranet.
Web publishing allows cumbersome corporate knowledge to be maintained and easily accessed
throughout the company using hypermedia and Web technologies. Examples include: employee manuals,
benefits documents, company policies, business standards, newsfeeds, and even training, can be accessed
using common Internet standards (Acrobat files, Flash files, CGI applications). Because each business
unit can update the online copy of a document, the most recent version is always available to employees
using the intranet.
Users can view information and data via web-browser rather than maintaining physical documents
such as procedure manuals, internal phone list and requisition forms. This can potentially save the business
money on printing, duplicating documents, and the environment as well as document maintenance overhead.
“PeopleSoft, a large software company, has derived significant cost savings by shifting HR processes to
the intranet”. Gerry McGovern goes on to say the manual cost of enrolling in benefits was found to be
USD109.48 per enrollment.
Promote common corporate culture: Every user is viewing the same information within the Intranet.
With information easily accessible by all authorized users, teamwork is enabled. Being able to specifically
address your “viewer” is a great advantage. Since Intranets are user specific (requiring database/network
authentication prior to access), you know exactly who you are interfacing with. So, you can personalize
your Intranet based on role (job title, department) or individual (“Congratulations Jane, on your 3rd year
with our company!”). The intranet can also be linked to a company’s management information system,
for example a time keeping system.
14.8 Extranet
An extranet is a private network that uses Internet protocols, network connectivity. An extranet can
be viewed as part of a company’s intranet that is extended to users outside the company, usually via the
Internet. It has also been described as a “state of mind” in which the Internet is perceived as a way to do
business with a selected set of other companies (business-to-business, B2B), in isolation from all other
Internet users. In contrast, business-to-consumer (B2C) models involve known servers of one or more
companies, communicating with previously unknown consumer users.
An extranet can be understood as an intranet mapped onto the public Internet or some other
transmission system not accessible to the general public, but managed by more than one company’s
administrator(s). For example, military networks of different security levels may map onto a common
military radio transmission system that never connects to the Internet. Any private network mapped onto
a public one is a virtual private network (VPN), often using special security protocols.
14.8.1 Uses & Benefits
• Exchange large volumes of data using Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).
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• Share product catalogs exclusively with trade partners.
• Collaborate with other companies on joint development efforts.
• Jointly develop and use training programs with other companies.
• Provide or access services provided by one company to a group of other companies, such as an online
banking application managed by one company on behalf of affiliated banks.
• Share news of common interest exclusively.
14.9 Summary
Intranet and extranet are subset of Internet when you are deling with network organization where
internal uses are allow to access some of the resources in the organization is called intranet i.e. internal
internet of the organization. An extranet is private network that uses internet technology. An extranet can
be viewed as a part of companies intranet that is extended to external user to that company. These
technologies are very popular in B2B and B2C application. Modems are divises which allow us to send
and receieve digital data on Telephone line its consist of to process modulation(MODE) and Demodulation
(DEM). World Wide Web is a system of interlinked Hypertext documents accessed via Internet. its a
service available on Internet. The Most use application on Internet based on a protocols to enable messages
containing text graphics images sound and video clips to transferred from one Internet user to another.
face to face electronics conversation by exchaning typed text is called chat. Browser is a software
application which act an interface between Internet, its services and user. its a graphical user interface
results in popularty of internet services among the masses. Search engine are software application which
allow us to locate information of our choice on Internet.
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• B2B : Business to Business Transation occures by Interaction of two business entities
• B2C : Business to Consumer transation occures when business are interacted by end user that is
consumer.
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UNIT - 15 : INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY : AN OVERVIEW
Unit Structure
15.0 Objectives
15.1 Introduction
15.2 Components of Information Technology
15.3 Information Technology Evoluation
15.4 Role of Information Technology
15.5 Impact of IT in Business
15.6 Future of IT in Business
15.7 Summary
15.8 Key Words
15.9 Self Assessment Test
15.10 Reference Books
15.0 Objectives
After reading this unit, you will be able to understand
• The basics of Information Technology(IT)
• The meaning of IT and its components
• How IT fits into the present scenario
• The role of IT in various areas
• The relationship between IT and Internet
• Impact and Future of IT in business
15.1 Introduction
The world is changing at a fast speed. These changes can be seen in every aspect of life. The impact
of technology can be felt in various areas market, home, office, business activities etc. Information can be
easily collected, stored process & transfer using technology. Information is essential for the development
of good management practices. It plays a very important role in drawing a conclusion. The merging of
information with Technology leads to new branch known as Information technology. It involves collection,
storage data retrieval, transfer, process and dissemination of information by a computers and other related
technology. This is possible through the use of hardware, software and supporting infrastructure to manage
and deliver information.
The Information Technology (IT) refers to creation, gathering, processing, storage, delivery of
information, the processes & devices that make all this possible. These processes & devices act like a tool
that make our life more efficient. Use of computer in day to day activity booking of Railway tickets,
interactive voice response system of telephone company and railway enquiry. Smart cards which include
driving license and registration card etc are some of the example of information technology.
Information Technology can do at least three things :
• It can process raw data into useful information
• It can recycle processed information and use it as data in another processing step.
• It can package information in a new form so it’s easier to understand
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Data can originate from the internal operations of the firm and also from external entities such as
suppliers or customers. Data is also taken from external sources as a secondary data in the form of
database & services. For example, organizations purchase a great deal of marketing and competitive
information from private consultancy services and Brokerage firms who provide a variety of research
information on different companies.
An information system usually processes these data in some way and presents the results to users.
With the easy availability of personal computers. Users often process the output of a formal system
themselves in an ad hoc manner. Human interpretation of information is extremely important in understanding
how an organization reacts to the output of a system.
Information Technology however, extends far beyond the computational capabilities of computers.
Today computers are used extensively for communications as well as for their traditional roles of data
storage and computation. Many computers are connected together various kinds of communications lines
to form networks. There are more than 43 million host computers. For example, on the Internet, and over
100 million computers around the world access it, an estimated 70 million of which are in the U.S.
Information technology can be defined as a hybrid technological application developed using varity
of technologies including computer, microprocessor, storage media, data retrieval methods, communication
technology some decision making etc. The IT field is dynamic in nature as it keeps as developing new
application by merging these mentioned technologies with other technology.
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Software : It is a set of instructions in the form of a program which controls the sequence of
operations. For example, software used in mobile phones allow users to perform various functions like
sending messages, recording a person’s voice and taking photographs
Data: It is an unprocessed collection of raw facts, concepts or instructions in a manner suitable
for communication, interpretation and processing by humans
Telecommunication System :The technology which allow us to transfer data from one geography
to another. This include telephone networks, mobile network, satellite communication etc.
People: People play an important role in information technology. They perform various functions
with the help of hardware and software to produce the desired output using information technology.
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(BPR) with information technology has result in evaluation of new domain called Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP). In ERP we try to reduce operational cost with the proper utilization of all the resources
like human, machine, material, method, money, information etc of an enterprise. Through ERP we try to
integrate all vendors manufacturing unit, warehouses, marketing office, distributors retailers etc to minimize
cost associated with complete production chain.
The invention of www and Web browser has enhanced popularity of the internet in the society. The
level of integration is further enhanced by using internet commercially by developing business application
under the name of e-commerce and e-business. These days are user on net can have personalized service
sitting at home. Use of IT has given businesses various opportunity performing transaction using plastic
money, electronic fund transfer, ITZ cards, new business model are also evolved.
15.3.1 COMMONLY USED IT ARCHITECTURE in AN ORGANIZATION
An organization’s IT architecture includes :
Computers often of different sizes from different manufacturers
Operating systems frequently more than one.
Database management programs
Packages applications software
Networks ranging from those within a department to an international, private network to the
Internet
Languages for developing applications
Beyond the technology, architecture also includes considerations of the way Organization processes
information, particularly at the location processing take place. The IT application can be characterized by
following factor:
Volume of processing. The volume of information processed may determine the kind of
architecture needed.
Database. The amount of data storage available on each class of computer is increasing but in
general more data still can be stored on large computers.
Interface. What kind of user interface is generally associated with a given option
Number of Users. How many users can the architecture support?
Discretion. How much processing and ad hoc analysis can the user do on his or her own?
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15.4 Role of Information Technology
Information Technology plays a vital role in today’s global economy. People are doing research in
computing, networking and many other areas for exploring the existing methodologies. Education pattern
is going to be changed with advent of new interactive online learning methodologiesmedia, education,
mobile computing, public sector etc. are major areas affected by information technology.
15.4.1 Information Technology in Media
Two powerful forces have emerged to change the media with the advancement of information
technology. First is the use of computers as a means of processing and analyzing information. The second
is to accelerate capacity of the technology to enhance communication. Examples of information technology
used in media are radio, television, VCR, video cameras and computers. Media can be classified in two
categories
Print Media
Electronic Medias
Print Media: Most widely used media is print media. The most common example of media is
paper (e.g. newspaper and books).The reason being popular is that it can be read by anyone, anytime
without any special knowledge except the language. For example, an event happening in the remotest area
of the world can be easily covered by satellite links. The information provided by these links can be
converted into a readable form enabling people around the world to know about happenings.
Electronic Media: In spite of Internet popularity, radio and television still represent the mode
through which people receive information about national and international events. The improvement in
technology has enhanced the prospect in this area. Instantly one can view any news that is happening
anywhere around the world.
15.4.2 Information Technology in Public Sector
The Indian information technology (IT) industry has played a key role in putting India on the global
map. growth next year. India’s IT growth in the world is primarily dominated by IT software and services
such as Custom Application Development and Maintenance (CADM), System Integration, IT Consulting,
Application Management, Software testing, and Web services. At present, there are 60 million Internet
users in the country. According to the Manufacturer’s Association of IT (MAIT), the number of active
Internet entities rose to 8.6 million by March 2009 from 7.2 million units in March 2008.
There is a great deal of activity in outsourcing of information services. In countries where public
sector is still developing and is under the control of government, there is a great requirement to automate
services such as booking of railway tickets and payment of electricity bill.
IT sector has become a boon for public sector companies by helping them to increase their
output and efficiency. IT has enabled the companies to have a greater quality control so that they are
able to meet the standards. This has been possible as IT has been able to
Promote and ensure cost-effective and efficient IT solutions
Promote Transparency
Minimize duplication
Minimize sharing of resources
15.4.3 Information Technology in Health
Information Technology (IT) in human health care involves the widespread use of digitized products,
online databases, and network infrastructures as the means of communication between hospitals, physicians,
providers, patients and suppliers. Always evolving and advancing, health IT will play a critical role in
decisions regarding the future of personal health management and health care reform.
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IT includes many types of administrative and clinical roles within health care today. IT provides
administrative applications for electronic billing, Integrated Delivery Systems (IDS), medical claim
submission and patient scheduling. Clinically, IT provides physicians with computerized provider order
entry (CPOE), accessibility to online treatment and drug databases and networks for e-scribing medications.
IT advancements in the electronic storage of health care data include Recognition and Imaging Software,
the Personalized Health Record (PHR), the Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and the Personal Digital
Assistant (PDA).
IT in human health care provides an interactive network where medical facilities, physicians, and
providers can communicate, collaborate, develop partnerships, exchange ideas and ultimately increase
the quality of health care worldwide. In addition, health IT advancements now offer patients online access
to e-health tools, personalized health record software and other methods for self-managing healthcare.
Electronic billing, electronic claim submission, and digital imaging equipment are IT applications that
provide hospitals and physicians with a quick and consistent return on the investment. The long-term no
financial benefits to using IT administratively and in clinical practice include improved patient safety and
quality of care, physician accessible medical information at patient point of care, improved administrative
accuracy and clinical efficiency, increased interaction between patient and provider, increased morale
among employees and enhanced hospital public relations.
15.4.4 Information Technology in Defense Services
Now a days, military operations are restricted their access to information. Mostly military operators
use voice over radio or formatted text message in crisis. To improve military readiness and response,
flexible, dependable and timely access to information is needed. The main research are in this field are
input language understanding, language generation and eyes-free interaction.
New capabilities of information technology allow military personnel to communicate with computers
for creating, accessing and managing information. Information technology helps to gain relevant information
in an organized manner that is easily usable by military personnel equipped with information devices. For
example, piolet-less warplanes have been developed.
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15.4.6 Information Technology in Manufacturing
Corporate are developing a manufacturing society to provide manufactures, researchers and
distributors with structured methods and practices for implementing technologies in manufacturing
environments. Initial implementation of this collaborator enhances research in robotics are welding, which
requires support and use of diverse data format such as audio, video and image annotations.
Simulation systems have been developed using information technology which enable manufacturer
to prepare prototypes plan layout, optimize usage of raw material and assess factors prior to invest in
plant redesigns. Industries are investigating ways to commercial modeling and simulation software systems
with programmable human modeling capabilities to harness manufacturing resources. Natural language
interfaces are developed by researchers which can help simulate human tasks in a manufacturing operations
environment.
In this evergreen changing world, publishing houses, e-book stores and universities have started to
use information written in printed books on the computer screen through the use of technology. E-text
plays an important role in education and research. Websites like wikipedia, Net Library and Bibliomania
offer full text of [Link] files can be downloaded from these websites and can be read on the
screen.
Digital revolution is gaining pace when it comes to books. like e-text,e-books also evolved. These
are special kinds of files, which can be viewed using specific software and offers more functionality for
researchers. Some of the software’s like Adobe E-book Reader, Microsoft Reader and MobiPocket etc.
are available which allows user to build their own library, read book on the screen comfortably. E-books
can be installed on a library computer and allows fast access and search to every user. Special E-book
devices permit users to carry an entire library with the comfort and size of a single book,
World has been changed constantly due to emerging technologies. These technologies have affected
the way of learning and the way processes carried out. The present education system is facing substantial
pressure to prepare the students to learn, work and live in digital age. Technology is becoming a powerful
tool for problem-solving and communication.
E-Learning
What do we mean by E-Learning? E-learning is nothing but learning through computer technology.
It is fast becoming an extremely versatile solution of providing learning with the tools necessary for need of
students in order to provide good and standardization education. Students can interact with e-learning
software and enjoy colorful presentation, answer quiz questions while learning through personal involvement.
In recent years, schools, colleges, universities and industries have started to utilize web as a platform
for distance E-Learning. There are various tools like WebEx, HP virtual classrooms, Web CT; Enspire
any many others which allows students to understand, learn and interact effectively as the class experience
is available online. Students can log in from home or any computer centre enjoy interactive presentation,
watch a video broadcast of the teacher over network, live discussions, quizzes and voice/video interaction.
Students as well as teachers both gain benefits by utilizing E-Learning tools. It includes
Computer based Training(CBT)
Web based training(WBT)
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Computer based training is a training where a computer program provides motivation and feedback
in place of live instructor. Delivering modes are
Internet
LAN
CD-ROM
Web based training is the training which delivers educational content through a web browser over
the public Internet or a private Intranet. It provides links to other learning resources such as discussion
groups-mail, bulletin boards. It includes an instructor who can instruct course guideline, manage discussion
etc.
New technology Virtual Classrooms involves a student with software that reacts and interacts,
unlike a book. In this way, students can get immediate feedback on their actions whether it is a quiz
answer or a request for information. With the help of virtual learning, students can
Listen to pre-recorded audio comments to enhance knowledge
Use appropriate resources to access and apply knowledge
Search the database for different students’ views
Communicate with teachers and other students about subject related matter through E-mail and
discussion groups
Virtual classrooms are beneficial to students who are unable to attend the centralized classrooms
due to distant location on universities.
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network devices that are used for providing Internet Access to the businesses to work and communicate
expeditiously. There are even devices which enable manufacturing tools and equipments to work accurately
in the industrial sector.
In the last few years, rapid development in information technology particularly in communications,
electronic service networks and multimedia have opened up new opportunities for corporate. All these
are contributing towards new and effective ways of processing business transaction, integrating business
processes, transferring payments and delivering services electronically. E-Commerce refers to the electronic
means to conduct commerce between business communication and transactions over Internet.
E-Commerce websites are critical to industry for increasing e-Commerce sales, improving worked
productivity, lowering costs and user grievances. The e-business approach consolidates a company’s
position by opening up new business opportunities and improving financial status. It has affected business
in the following ways
Competitiveness
E-businessoffers a reliable and cost effective means of doing business. The Customers can be
provided support round the clock i.e. 24 hours a day. With advancement in IT sector, corporates are
spreading business around the world thus increasing their presence and entering new markets.
Security
With growth of information technology in business, there is more insecurity of the data and programs.
Due to this, every organization has some security programs to avoid the illegal access of the company’s
areconfidentiality, integrity and availability which allow access to only authorized persons in an organization.
information by unauthorized persons. The three fundamentals attributes of a security program
Marketing
Corporate engaged in e-business can take help of their respective websites create brand awareness
of their products thus creating new avenues of promotion of their products.
Cost Benefits
The extensive availability of Internet based information means that companies have a wider choice
of suppliers which leads to a more competitive pricing. Due to presence of Internet, role of the middleman
becomes less important as companies can sell their product or services directly to the customers.
Running Businesses with Information Technology
Small scale businesses need to buy software packages that would cater to their specific management,
operational, and functional needs. For this purpose, they need to approach firms and IT manufacturers
who deal in such software applications. Other IT services include Internet marketing and email marketing,
web hosting and promotions, and maintaining client networks. Larger businesses on the other hand have
their own operational and functional employees who develop software applications and work on several
IT needs of the businesses. They usually purchase ERP software’s to coordinate different processes and
functions into a single application, which is actually more convenient.
Manufacturing businesses may make use of servers and databases to store their vast data regarding
inventory, B2B, B2C, FMCG (in the retail business sector), etc. Automobile manufacturers use computers
to guide manufacturing and designing tools to function in a precise manner, ruling out the possibilities of any
human error. Businesses all around the globe have to take the aid of information technology in some way
or the other to keep themselves in sync with the market and the world. There are several departments in
business organizations such as HR and recruitment, finance and payroll, administration, and security. All
these departments utilize IT to carry out their respective operations in a productive manner and efficient
manner.
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The information technology role in business sector certainly is of a great importance, which enables
businesses too effectively and successfully plan, manage, execute strategies which lead to profit. Moreover,
the impact of information technology on business is on the rise, as several advancements are focused on to
be implemented in various business processes.
It is a highly important aspect today. Having the ability to transfer data, stored data and keep it safe
is crucial in many ways and corporations would find it difficult to keep information stored securely.
Computers allow users to communicate with many people at once or in far away places. Computers play
a vital role in the ongoing support of information technology in the future. They allow users now to do
many things such as writing much faster than a traditional typewriter or pen and paper would do. They also
make it very possible to keep track of people, conduct business globally much easier than before and
organize and store multiple files. They also make education possible from remote locations and provide
communication that far outreaches what a traditional telephone could ever do. Of course the human brain
is far more advanced than a typical home computer. Our brain allows us to keep track of things as well
and to remember faces and names, find entertainment and enjoy the simpler things. The future of IT may
very well involve using computers to enhance the human brain. Common computers are expected to
possess the same or nearly same capabilities as the human brain in future.
Today’s information technology amplifies brain power.” We no longer need to rely on human memory
or on human eyes for scanning or human brains for organizing and computing information and data.”
.Delong and Cohen suggest.
Business clearly sees the internet as a way to enhance productivity and competitiveness. The thrust
of the original Industrial revolution was separation- to break work up into its component parts so as to
permit mass production. The effect of computer networks in the Digital Revolution however is unification-
to erase boundaries between company departments, suppliers and customers. Indeed the parts of a
company can now as easily be scattered around the globe. Thus designs for a new product can be tested
and exchanged with factories in remote location. If information is flowing faster then goods can be sent to
market faster and inventories reduced.
Some area of business that are undergoing rapid change are :
sales and marketing
retailing
banking
manufacturing and stock trading
green IT.
Sales and Marketing
In old days ,a salesperson can earn a good living if he/she can talk and read a price list but now sale
representatives not only need to be better educated and more knowledgeable about their customer’s
business but also be comfortable with company technology. For example, sales staff having laptop containing
software that configures customized windows and calculates the prices on the spot. This process once
handled by company technical people. It’ll take only a week. A number of companies are also taking
advantage of information technology in marketing. The Internet and the WWW also becomes popular
marketing tool.
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Retailing Becomes E-Tailing
What can be sold on Internet? Is there any limitation? But what about groceries? The challenges for
Internet food ventures are daunting. Even designing a website shopping menu can be difficult because the
profusion of groceries make them hard to categorize pointing out how to deliver item? Even filling orders
can be an expensive task, since most online grocers employ clerks to wheel carts through a warehouse
and fill individual order.
Banking
The world of cyber cash has come to banking, not only smart cards but internet banking, electronic
bill paying, electronic deposit and online insurance shopping.
Manufacturing
Computers have been used in manufacturing for some time perhaps in pictures where robot welding
on car assembly line. But computers and the Internet are players in other ways. Business-to-business
automation save space and funds since company does not have to pay for a part until it arrives.
Businesses are turning themselves into global concerns. Information Technology is an important tool
in making this transformation and in designing the international organization. As tariffs fall, you can expect
to see firms rapidly moving operations to different parts of the world to take advantages of special
competencies and disparities in wage rates. Even a one-person company can have worldwide sales through
the Internet. One researcher who studied international business suggests that information technologyis the
glue that can hold an international organization together and help coordinate its operations. All of our IT
design variables that focus on communications such as electronic links, electronic customer-supplier
relationships and virtual components are available to help manage and coordinate the global firm.
15.7 Summary
The rapid evolution of digital technologies is creating not only new opportunities for the society but
also challenges. Government and corporations are reorganizing their work culture to enhance productivity,
improve quality and control cost. Entire industries have been reconstructed to better align themselves with
the realities of digital [Link] Technology (IT) refers to creation, gathering, processing, storage &
delivery of information & the processes & devices that make all this possible. Hardware, Software, data
and people constitutes components of Information Technology. It has a very important role in today’s
global economy. People are doing research in computing, networking and many other areas for exploring
the existing methodologies. Education pattern is going to be changed with advent of new interactive online
learning methodologies. Health, defense services, manufacturing, media, education, mobile computing,
public sector etc. are major areas affected by information technology. Internet is the fastest growing
information system for distributing wide variety of things such as products and services along with their
links to other files over Internet. Due to this, it is known as Distributed System. The information residing on
different computers can be easily linked together using hyperlinks. A hyperlink is a method of organizing
information on the system by linking documents from one document to another. It provides a wide variety
of services accessible by users. These services includes E-mail, transfer, Newsgroup, Multimedia displays,
Shopping opportunities, Access to latest news.
E-Commerce websites are critical to industry for increasing e-Commerce sales, improving worked
productivity, lowering costs and user grievances. The e-business approach consolidates a company’s
position by opening up new business opportunities and improving financial [Link] scale businesses
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need to buy software packages that would cater to their specific management, operational, and functional
needs. For this purpose, they need to approach firms and IT manufacturers who deal in such software
applications. Other IT services include Internet marketing and email marketing, web hosting and promotions,
and maintaining client networks.
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3. Describe Architectures of Information Technology.
4. Write short note on
a) IT in public sector
b) Electronic learning
c) Print Media
e) Virtual Classroom
5. Explain in your own words impact and future of IT in business.
6. How does globalization affect Information Technology? Explain
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UNIT – 16 : FOURTH GENERATION LANGUAGE &
VIRTUAL REALITY
Unit Structure
16.0 Objective
16.1 Introduction
16.2 Types of 4GL
16.3 Virtual Reality
16.4 Time Line
16.5 Future and Impact
16.6 Summary
16.7 Key Words
16.8 Self Assessment Test
16.9 Reference Books
16.0 Objectives
After studying this unit you should be able to understand:
• Concept of Fourth Generation Language
• Understanding of 4GL programming concept
• Types of 4GL
• Virtual Reality, TimeLine and Future
16.1 Introduction
A fourth-generation programming language (4GL) is a programming language or programming
environment designed with a specific purpose in mind, such as the development of commercial business
software. In the history of computer science, the 4GL followed the 3GL in an upward trend toward higher
abstraction and statement power. The 4GL was followed by efforts to define and use a 5GL. Often
abbreviated 4GL, fourth-generation languages are programming languages closer to human languages
than typical high-level programming languages. It is a nonprocedural language as compare to procedural
3GL. It means you have to just define the result or outcome of the program which you want to have rest
of the coding will be generated by 4GL environment itself. Most 4GLs are used to access databases.
Fourth generation language - (4GL) An “application specific” language, one with built-in knowledge
of an application domain, in the way that SQL has built-in knowledge of the relational database [Link]
term was invented by Jim Martin to refer to non-procedural high level languages built around database
systems.
The natural-language, block-structured mode of the third-generation programming languages
improved the process of software development. However, 3GL development methods can be slow and
error-prone. It became clear that some applications could be developed more rapidly by adding a higher-
level programming language and methodology which would generate the equivalent of very complicated
3GL instructions with fewer errors. In some senses, software engineering arose to handle 3GL development.
4GL and 5GL projects are more oriented toward problem solving and systems engineering.
Fourth-generation languages attempt to make communicating with computers as much like the
processes of thinking and talking to other people as possible. The problem is that the computer still only
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understands zeros and ones, so a compiler and interpreter must still convert the source code into the
machine code that the computer can understand. Fourth-generation languages typically consist of English-
like words and phrases. When they are implemented on microcomputers, some of these languages include
graphic devices such as icons and onscreen push buttons for use during programming and when running
the resulting application.
4GLs are closer to human language than other high-level languages and are accessible to people
without formal training as programmers. They allow multiple common operations to be performed with a
single programmer-entered command. They are intended to be easier for users than machine languages
(first-generation), assembly languages (second-generation), and older high-level languages (third-generation).
All 4GLs are designed to reduce programming effort, the time it takes to develop software, and the
cost of software development. The dependency of the user of the software on software developer and
software analyst has been removed by 4GL. If a user himself can define his requirement precisely he can
create background coding of the program. They are not always successful in this task, sometimes resulting
in inelegant and unmaintainable code. However, given the right problem, the use of an appropriate 4GL
can be spectacularly successful as was seen with MARK-IV and MAPPER (Santa Fe real-time tracking
of their freight cars – the productivity gains were estimated to be 8 times over COBOL). The usability
improvements obtained by some 4GLs (and their environment) allowed better exploration for heuristic
solutions than did the 3GL.
A quantitative definition of 4GL has been set by Capers Jones, as part of his work on function point
analysis. Jones defines the various generations of programming languages in terms of developer productivity,
measured in function points per staff-month. A 4GL is defined as a language that supports 12–20 FP/SM.
This correlates with about 16–27 lines of code per function point implemented in a 4GL.
Fourth-generation languages have often been compared to domain-specific programming languages
(DSLs). Some researchers state that 4GLs are a subset of DSLs. Given the persistence of assembly
language even now[when?] in advanced development environments (MS Studio), one[who?] expects
that a system ought to be a mixture of all the generations, with only very limited use of the first.
16.1.1 History
Though used earlier in papers and discussions, the term 4GL was first used formally by James
Martin in his 1982 book Applications Development Without Programmers to refer to non-procedural,
high-level specification languages. In some primitive way, IBM’s RPG (1960) could be described as the
first 4GL followed closely by others, such as the Informatics MARK-IV (1967) product and Sperry’s
MAPPER (1969 internal use, 1979 release).
The motivations for the ‘4GL’ inception and continued interest are several. The term can apply to a
large set of software products. It can also apply to an approach that looks for greater semantic properties
and implementation power. Just as the 3GL offered greater power to the programmer, so too did the 4GL
open up the development environment to a wider population.
In a sense, the 4GL is an example of ‘black box’ processing, each generation (in the sense of the
page) is further from the machine. It is this latter nature that is directly associated with 4GL having errors
that are harder, in many cases, to debug. In terms of applications, a 4GL could be business oriented or it
could deal with some technical domain. Being further from the machine implies being closer to domain.
The early input scheme for the 4GL supported entry of data within the 72-character limit (8 bytes
used for sequencing) of the punched card where a card’s tag would identify the type or function. With
judicious use of a few cards, the 4GL deck could offer a wide variety of processing and reporting capability
whereas the equivalent functionality coded in a 3GL could subsume, perhaps, a whole box or more of
cards.
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The 72-character metaphor continued for a while as hardware progressed to larger memory and
terminal interfaces. Even with its limitations, this approach supported highly sophisticated [Link]
interfaces improved and allowed longer statement lengths and grammar-driven input handling, greater
power ensued. An example of this is described on the Nomad page. Another example of Nomad’s power
is illustrated by Nicholas Rawlings in his comments for the Computer History Museum about NCSS (see
citation below). He reports that James Martin asked Rawlings for a Nomad solution to a standard problem
Martin called the Engineer’s Problem: “give 6% raises to engineers whose job ratings had an average of 7
or better.” Martin provided a “dozen pages of COBOL, and then just a page or two of Mark IV, from
Informatics.” Rawlings offered the following single statement, performing a set-at-a-time operation.
The development of the 4GL was influenced by several factors, with the hardware and operating
system constraints having a large weight. When the 4GL was first introduced, a disparate mix of hardware
and operating systems mandated custom application development support that was specific to the system
in order to ensure sales. One example is the MAPPER system developed by Sperry. Though it has roots
back to the beginning, the system has proven successful in many applications and has been ported to
modern platforms. The latest variant is embedded in the BIS offering of Unisys. MARK-IV is now known
as VISION: BUILDER and is offered by Computer Associates.
Later 4GL types are tied to a database system and are far different from the earlier types in their use
of techniques and resources that have resulted from the general improvement of computing with time. An
interesting twist to the 4GL scene is realization that graphical interfaces and the related reasoning done by
the user form a ‘language’ that is poorly understood.
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Developer Suite 4GL products could be integrated to produce database definitions and the forms and
reports programs.
Query language and report writers are also fourth-generation languages. Any computer language
with English-like commands that does not require traditional input-process-output logic falls into this
category. Many fourth-generation language functions are also built into graphical interfaces and activated
by clicking and dragging. The commands are embedded into menus and buttons that are selected in an
appropriate [Link] process of software development had been much improved with modern block
structured third-generation programming languages but it was still frustrating, slow, and error prone to
program computers. This led to the first “programming crisis”, in which the amount of work that might be
assigned to programmers greatly exceeded the amount of programmer time available to do it. Meanwhile,
a lot of experience was gathered in certain areas, and it became clear that certain applications could be
generalized by adding limited programming languages to them.
All 4GLs are designed to reduce:
* programming effort.
* the time it takes to develop software.
* the cost of software development.
They are not always successful in this task and sometimes result in inelegant and unmaintainable
code. However, given the right problem the use of an appropriate 4GL can be spectacularly successful.
A number of different types of 4GLs exist:
Report generators take a description of the data format and the report to generate and from that
they either generate the required report directly or they generate a program to generate the report. Similarly
forms generators manage online interactions with the application system users or generate programs to do
so.
The more ambitious 4GLs (sometimes termed fourth generation environments) attempt to automatically
generate whole systems from the outputs of CASE tools, specifications of screens and reports, and
possibly also the specification of some additional processing logic. Some 4GLs have integrated tools
which allow for the easy specification of all the required information. Examples include:
James Martin’s own Information Engineering systems development methodology was automated to
allow the input of the results of system analysis and design in the form of Data Flow Diagrams, Entity
Relationship Diagrams, Entity Life History Diagrams etc from which hundreds of thousands of lines of
COBOL would be generated overnight. More recently Oracle Corporation’s Oracle Designer and Oracle
Developer 4GL products could be integrated to produce database definitions and the forms and reports
programs.
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medical and gaming applications. Virtual reality can be define as creating virtual situation with the help of
control environment by controlling five senses of human being. the best example of virtual reality is the
movie Matrix.
Users can interact with a virtual environment or a virtual artifact (VA) either through the use of
standard input devices such as a keyboard and mouse, or through multimodal devices such as a wired
glove, the Polhemus, and omnidirectional treadmills. The simulated environment can be similar to the real
world—for example, in simulations for pilot or combat training—or it can differ significantly from reality,
such as in VR games. In practice, it is currently very difficult to create a high-fidelity virtual reality experience,
due largely to technical limitations on processing power, image resolution, and communication bandwidth;
however, the technology’s proponents hope that such limitations will be overcome as processor, imaging,
and data communication technologies become more powerful and cost-effective over time.
Virtual reality is often used to describe a wide variety of applications commonly associated with
immersive, highly visual, 3D environments. The development of CAD software, graphics hardware
acceleration, head mounted displays, database gloves, and miniaturization have helped popularize the
notion. In the book The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality by Michael R. Heim, seven different concepts of
virtual reality are identified: simulation, interaction, artificiality, immersion, telepresence, full-body immersion,
and network communication.
The term “artificial reality”, coined by Myron Krueger, has been in use since the 1970s; however,
the origin of the term “virtual reality” can be traced back to the French playwright, poet, actor, and
director Antonin Artaud. In his seminal book The Theatre and Its Double (1938), Artaud described
theatre as “la réalite virtuelle”, a virtual reality “in which characters, objects, and images take on the
phantasmagoric force of alchemy’s visionary internal dramas”. It has been used in The Judas Mandala, a
1982 science-fiction novel by Damien Broderick, where the context of use is somewhat different from
that defined above. The earliest use cited by the Oxford English Dictionary is in a 1987 article titled
“Virtual reality”, but the article is not about VR technology. The concept of virtual reality was popularized
in mass media by movies such as Brainstorm and The Lawnmower Man. The VR research boom of the
1990s was accompanied by the non-fiction book Virtual Reality (1991) by Howard Rheingold. The book
served to demystify the subject, making it more accessible to less technical researchers and enthusiasts,
with an impact similar to that which his book The Virtual Community had on virtual community research
lines closely related to VR. Multimedia: from Wagner to Virtual Reality, edited by Randall Packer and
Ken Jordan and first published in 2001, explores the term and its history from an avant-garde perspective.
Philosophical implications of the concept of VR are systematically discussed in the book Get Real: A
Philosophical Adventure in Virtual Reality (1998) by Philip Zhai, wherein the idea of VR is pushed to its
logical extreme and ultimate possibility.[citation needed] According to Zhai, virtual reality could be made
to have an ontological status equal to that of actual reality. Digital Sensations: Space, Identity and
Embodiment in Virtual Reality (1999), written by Ken Hillis, offers a more critical and theoretical academic
assessment of the complex set of cultural and political desires and practices culminating in the development
of the technology.
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could be very widespread, but for moment, major industries are the sole buyers that have the opportunity
to utilize this resource.
16.5.1 Impact
There has been an increase in interest in the potential social impact of new technologies, such as
virtual reality. Mychilo S. Cline, in his book Power, Madness, and Immortality: The Future of Virtual
Reality, argues that virtual reality will lead to a number of important changes in human life and activity. He
argues that:
Virtual reality will be integrated into daily life and activity, and will be used in various human
[Link] will be developed to influence human behavior, interpersonal communication, and
[Link] we spend more and more time in virtual space, there will be a gradual “migration to virtual
space”, resulting in important changes in economics, worldview, and culture.
The design of virtual environments may be used to extend basic human rights into virtual space, to
promote human freedom and well-being, and to promote social stability as we move from one stage in
socio-political development to the next. Virtual reality can also be used to induce body transfer illusions.
16.6 Summary
4GL is one of the important development in software industry were procedural dependancy of the
languages is replaced by non-procedural language. The programming dependency of user on programmers
can be removed by Fourth General Language fourth generation language is one of effective and efficient
language which save programming efferts time and other resources.
Virtual reality is one of the technical outcome of the information technology in which five sensory
organce are being control to create an environment which is not real. This domain is very useful to different
segment of society training of solider, training of piolets, training of doctors etc the only limitation of virtual
reality is cost of the technological infrastructure requirement and complexity of programming language.
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5 Give various application area in which virtual reality can be used.
6 What type of future development and application that you feel virtual reality can have to improve
quality of life for human beings.
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UNIT - 17 : VIDEO CONFERENCING AND ARTIFICIAL
INTELLIGENCE
Unit Structure
17.0 Objectives
17.1 Videoconferencing
17.2 Core Technology
17.3 Video Conferencing Softwares
17.4 Impact of VideoConferencing
17.5 Barriers in the Growth of Video Conferencing
17.6 Artificial Intelligence
17.7 Characteristics Intelligennce System
17.8 Applications ofArtificial Intelligence
17.9 Branches of Artificial Intelligence
17.10 Information Superhighway
17.11 Internet as Information Superhighway
17.12 Information Superhighway as an Amalgam
17.13 Advantages of Information Superhighway
17.14 Summary
17.15 Key Words
17.16 Self Assessment Test
17.17 Reference Books
17.0 Objectives
After studying this unit, you should be able to understand:
• The concept of video conferencing and the technology.
• Effect of videoconferencing to society
• Factors hindering the growth of video conferencing
• Artificial Intelligence (AI) concept and applications
• Characteristics of Intelligent System
• The concept of Information Superhighway
• Advantages of Information Superhighway
Videoconferencing can be explained as face to face discussion between two geographical locations
in which involved party can see and hear each other. Video conferencing also called as video teleconference
is basically a set of interactive telecommunication technologies which allows two or more people residing
at different locations to interact simultaneously with audio and video transmission.
It can also be called as visual collaboration as it allows people residing at different locations to
collaborate with each other and allows sharing of documents and even computer applications.
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Video conferencing is designed to serve a conference rather than individuals. It was first deployed
commercially in 1970 by AT & T. It failed due to poor picture quality and lack of efficient video compression
technique. In 1980 digital telephony came in to existence, such as ISDN which allowed a minimum bit rate
for compressed audio and video transmission.
It was only in 1990 that video conference systems were available to general public at affordable
cost. In 1990 IP (Internet protocol) based video conferencing became possible, during that time more
efficient video compression technologies were developed which led to PC and desktop based video
conferencing.
In 2000 video teleconference (VTC) finally arrived for the general public by providing free services,
online telecommunication programs which were possible with an internet [Link] conferencing
provides a facility to schools, colleges and other educational institutions to connect with speakers and
experts from different areas and indulge in different professional activities, project collaboration and
community events
Placing a video call is like placing a telephone call, after you connect you see the other person on a
TV screen. A video conference between two or more participants at different sites can be conducted
using computer networks to transmit audio and video data.
A point-to-point video conferencing system works like a video telephone. Each participant has a
video camera, microphone and speakers at his premises. As the two participants speak to one another,
their voices and images are carried over the network and delivered to other person on the network.
Multipoint videoconferencing allows three or more participants to communicate in a virtual conference
room and it provides an environment as if they are sitting next to each other.
The technology behind video teleconference (VTC) system is digital compression of audio and
video streams in real time. This functionality is provided with the help of codec also called as coder/
decoder. It can provide compression rates of up to 1:500. The resulting digital stream of 1s and 0s is
subdivided into labeled packets, which are then transmitted through a digital network which can be ISDN
or IP.
The components of video teleconference (VTC) are:
1. Video input: can be provided with the help of video camera or webcam.
2. Video output: can be viewed on a computer monitor, television or projector.
3. Audio input: can be provided with the help of microphones, CD/DVD player and cassette player.
4. Audio output : can be provided with the help of loudspeakers
5. Data transfer: can be done by analog or digital telephone network, LAN or Internet, ISDN,
ADSL.
6. Software: The two most popular videoconferencing software being used over the Internet are
CU-SeeMe and Microsoft NetMeeting
There are two types of VTC systems:
1. Dedicated systems:
They have all the components that are required to do VTC packaged into a single piece of equipment.
It is usually a console with a high quality remote controlled video camera. These cameras can be
controlled from a distance and can be moved in various directions like left, right, up, down and
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zoom. These cameras are called as PTZ cameras. The console contains all electrical interfaces, the
control computer and the software or hardware based codec, omni directional microphones.
Dedicated VTC can be further divided into following:
(a) Large group VTC: These are non- portable, large, expensive and are used for large rooms and
auditoriums.
(b) Small group VTC: These can be portable or non-portable, smaller, less expensive and are
basically used for small meeting rooms.
(c) Individual VTC: These are portable devices, meant for single users, have fixed cameras, microphone
and loudspeakers integrated in to the console.
2. Desktop systems: These are the add-ones to normal PCs, transferring them in to VTC devices.
They are usually the hardware boards. A wide range of different cameras and microphones can be
used with the board. This board contains the necessary codec and transmission interfaces.H.323 is
the widely used standard for desktop systems.
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17.3.3 Protocols Video Conferencing:
The following two transport protocols are for the general transmission of data over IP:
• Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)
• User Datagram Protocol (UDP)
Protocols that are specific to video solutions over IP are relatively new, and still evolving.
The following two main sets of call control protocol are in use by the Internet at the time of publication:
• H.323
• Session Initiation Protocol (SIP)
TCP:
1. TCP and UDP are transport protocols that are used to transmit data over IP connections.
2. The TCP protocol is configured to deliver data from end to end in a reliable manner.
3. It is connection oriented and provides flow control and retransmission of lost packets.
UDP:
1. The UDP protocol is connectionless, and does not guarantee reliability, flow control or detection of
lost packets.
2. It is designed for faster delivery.
Typical corporate application i.e. Email, Web browsing, FTP etc uses TCP.
UDP is more suited to Streaming IP because if packets are lost, they are ignored and packet
transmission continues. This may cause a slight loss of quality in the transmission, but the transmission is
not interrupted.
If the same packets were lost over a TCP connection, TCP would stop delivery of further packets
until the lost packets are successfully been retransmitted. This would cause an unacceptable break in the
flow of the application. Therefore, UDP thus gives streaming applications greater control over the data
flow than TCP.
These characteristics mean that majority of the audio video applications use a combination of TCP
and UDP where needed. Typically, call set-up and data flow control is carried out using TCP. The audio
and video data is sent using UDP.
H.323:
1. The H.323 protocol is defined by the ITU-T (International Telecommunications Union).
2 It describes how real-time multimedia communications can be exchanged on packet-based networks.
3. In addition to fully-interactive media communications such as video conferencing, H.323 also has
provisions for other forms of communication, such as multi-media streaming.
4. During a point to point H.323 call, an initial TCP connection is made (using default port 1720). Data
is exchanged over this connection to determine which port will be used for the actual multi-media
connection. Once this port has been decided, an H.245 connection is made, to the new port.
The H.245 protocol handles all of the call parameter negotiations, such as which codec’s to use.
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5. H.245 also has commands that make UDP connections. Once the audio and video codec’s and
parameters have been negotiated, the H.245 session starts the underlying data stream.
The data stream consists of an RTCP (Real-Time Transport Connection Protocol) connection (UDP),
and the actual data stream which uses the RTP (Real Time Protocol).
The H.323 protocol covers all aspects of telephony and conferencing, including capability exchange,
conference control, basic signaling, Quos, registration, service discovery, gateways etc.
SIP:
1 SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) is defined by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)
2 It is designed to be modular, allowing the protocol to be extended to cover specific applications.
3. SIP is defined as being responsible for basic call signaling, user location, and registration .two SIP
users require a SIP server in order for them to communicate.
SIP clients send a series of messages (defined in the Session Description Protocol) to the server in
order to set-up a call with another user. The client must first register with the server, then invite the other
user to join a call. The SDP message will detail what is to be included in the call; audio, video, Codec’s
etc. Once the call recipient has accepted the call by responding to messages from the SIP server, the
actual data Connect is set-up directly between the two SIP users.
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Videoconferencing can benefit people involved in education in following ways:
· Faculty members can keep in touch with students while away.
· Guest lecturer can be brought into a class from another institution
· Researchers can collaborates and share data with colleagues on a regular basis without loss of time
· Researcher can answer questions related to student queries from remote places.
· Student interviews can be conducted with an employer in another city
2. Effect on medicine and health sector :
Videoconferencing is extremely useful technology for telemedicine and telenursing applications. This
can help in diagonsis, consulting, transmission of medical images in real time. Patients can contact nurses
and physicians in time of emergency. Physicians and other professionals can discuss cases across large
distances. Rural areas can use this technology for diagnostic purposes, thus saving lives and making more
efficient use of health care money. Special peripherals such as microscopes fitted with digital cameras,
imaging devices, etc., can be used in conjunction with VTC equipment to transmit data about a patient.
3. Effect on Business:
Videoconferencing helps individuals in faraway places to have meetings on short notice. Time and
money that used to be spent in traveling can be used to have short meetings. Low-cost face-to-face
business meetings without leaving the desk can be conducted especially for businesses with wide-spread
offices. The technology is also used for telecommuting, in which employees work from home.
Videoconferencing is now being introduced to online networking websites, in order to help businesses
form profitable relationships quickly and efficiently without leaving their place of work. This has been
leveraged by banks to connect busy banking professionals with customer in various locations using video
banking technology.
Employees do not use the videoconference equipment because they are afraid that how they will
appear to be wasting time or looking for the easiest way if they use videoconferencing to enhance customer
and supplier relationships. This anxiety can be avoided if managers use the technology in front of their
employees.
Attendees of business and medical videoconferences must work harder to interpret information
delivered during a conference than they would if they attended face-to-face. They recommend that those
coordinating videoconferences make adjustments to procedures and equipment
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3. Low bandwidth and quality of service: In some countries it is difficult or expensive to get a high
quality connection that is fast enough for good-quality video conferencing.. As Internet speeds
increase higher quality and high definition video conferencing will become more readily available.
4 Expensive systems - a well designed system requires a specially designed room and can cost
hundreds of thousands of dollars to fit out the room with codec’s, integration equipment and furniture.
5 Self conscious & Lack of eye contact: Participants being self-conscious about being on camera,
especially new users and older generations.
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researchers hope that a sufficiently powerful natural language processing system would be able to acquire
knowledge on its own, by reading the existing text available over the internet. Some straightforward
applications of natural language processing include information retrieval (or text mining) and machine
translation.
6. Motion and manipulation:
The field of robotics is closely related to AI. Intelligence is required for robots to be able to handle
such tasks as object manipulation and navigation, with sub-problems of localization (knowing where you
are), mapping (learning what is around you) and motion planning
7. Perception:
Machine perception is the ability to use input from sensors (such as cameras, microphones, sonar
and others more exotic) to deduce aspects of the world. Computer vision is the ability to analyze visual
input. A few selected subproblems are speech recognition, facial recognition and object recognition.[
8. Emotional and social skills:
Emotion and social skills play two roles for an intelligent agent. First, it must be able to predict the
actions of others, by understanding their motives and emotional states. (This involves elements of game
theory, decision theory, as well as the ability to model human emotions and the perceptual skills to detect
emotions.) Also, for good human-computer interaction, an intelligent machine also needs to display emotions.
At the very least it must appear polite and sensitive to the humans it interacts with. At best, it should have
normal emotions itself.
9. Creativity:
A sub-field of AI addresses creativity both theoretically (from a philosophical and psychological
perspective) and practically (via specific implementations of systems that generate outputs that can be
considered creative). A related area of computational research isArtificial Intuition and Artificial Imagination.
10. General intelligence:
Most researchers hope that their work will eventually be incorporated into a machine with general
intelligence (known as strong AI), combining all the skills above and exceeding human abilities at most or
all of them. Many of the problems above are considered AI-complete: to solve one problem, you must
solve them all. For example, even a straightforward, specific task like machine translation requires that the
machine follow the author’s argument (reason), know what is being talked about (knowledge), and faithfully
reproduce the author’s intention (social intelligence). Machine translation, therefore, is believed to be AI-
complete: it may require strong AI to be done as well as humans can do it
You can buy machines that can play master level chess for a few hundred dollars. There is some AI
in them, but they play well against people —looking at hundreds of thousands of positions.
Speech recognition:
In the 1990s, computer speech recognition reached a practical level for limited purposes. Thus
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United Airlines has replaced its keyboard tree for flight information by a system using speech recognition
of flight numbers and city names. It is quite convenient. On the other hand, while it is possible to instruct
some computers using speech, most users have gone back to the keyboard and the mouse as still more
convenient.
Understanding natural language:
Just getting a sequence of words into a computer is not enough. Parsing sentences is not enough
either. The computer has to be provided with an understanding of the domain the text is about, and this is
presently possible only for very limited domains.
Computer vision:
The world is composed of three-dimensional objects, but the inputs to the human eye and computers’
TV cameras are two dimensional. Some useful programs can work solely in two dimensions, but full
computer vision requires partial three-dimensional information that is not just a set of two-dimensional
views. At present there are only limited ways of representing three-dimensional information directly, and
they are not as good as what humans evidently use.
Expert systems:
A “knowledge engineer” interviews experts in a certain domain and tries to embody their knowledge
in a computer program for carrying out some task. How well this works depends on whether the intellectual
mechanisms required for the task are within the present state of AI. When this turned out not to be so,
there were many disappointing results. One of the first expert systems was MYCIN in 1974, which
diagnosed bacterial infections of the blood and suggested treatments. It did better than medical students
or practicing doctors.
Heuristic classification:
One of the most feasible kinds of expert system given the present knowledge of AI is to put some
information in one of a fixed set of categories using several sources of information.
An example is advising whether to accept a proposed credit card purchase. Information is available
about the owner of the credit card, his record of payment and also about the item he is buying and about
the establishment from which he is buying it (e.g., about whether there have been previous credit card
frauds at this establishment).
What a program knows about the world in general the facts of the specific situation in which it must
act, and its goals are all represented by sentences of some mathematical logical language. The program
decides what to do by inferring that certain actions are appropriate for achieving its goals.
2. Search:
AI programs often examine large numbers of possibilities, e.g. moves in a chess game or inferences
by a theorem proving program. Discoveries are continually made about how to do this more efficiently in
various domains.
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3. Pattern recognition:
When a program makes observations of some kind, it is often programmed to compare what it sees
with a pattern. For example, a vision program may try to match a pattern of eyes and a nose in a scene in
order to find a face. More complex patterns, e.g. in a natural language text, in a chess position, or in the
history of some event are also studied. These more complex patterns require quite different methods than
do the simple patterns that have been studied the most.
4. Representation:
Facts about the world have to be represented in some way. Usually languages of mathematical logic
are used.
5. Inference:
From some facts, others can be inferred. Mathematical logical deduction is adequate for some
purposes, but new methods of non-monotonic inference have been added to logic since the 1970s. The
simplest kind of non-monotonic reasoning is default reasoning in which a conclusion is to be inferred by
default, but the conclusion can be withdrawn if there is evidence to the contrary.
For example, when we hear of a bird, we man infer that it can fly, but this conclusion can be
reversed when we hear that it is a penguin. It is the possibility that a conclusion may have to be withdrawn
that constitutes the non-monotonic character of the reasoning. Ordinary logical reasoning is monotonic in
that the set of conclusions that can the drawn from a set of premises is a monotonic increasing function of
the premises. Circumscription is another form of non-monotonic reasoning.
6. Common sense knowledge and reasoning:
This is the area in which AI is farthest from human-level, in spite of the fact that it has been an active
research area since the 1950s. While there has been considerable progress, e.g. in developing systems of
non-monotonic reasoning and theories of action, yet more new ideas are needed.
7. Learning from experience:
Programs learn from experience. This approach to AI is based on connectionism and neural nets.
There is also learning of laws expressed in logic. Mit97 is a comprehensive undergraduate text on machine
learning. Programs can only learn from facts or behaviors .Learning systems are almost all based on very
limited abilities to represent information.
8. Heuristics:
A heuristic is a way of trying to discover something or an idea imbedded in a program. The term is
used variously in AI. Heuristic functions are used in some approaches to search to measure how far a
node in a search tree seems to be from a goal. Heuristic predicates that compare two nodes in a search
tree to see if one is better than the other, i.e. constitutes an advance toward the goal, and may be more
useful.
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with United States Senator and later Vice-President Al Gore who introduced it in 1978. It is defined as, “a
high-speed communications system to enhance data transmission between different geography. The Internet
was originally cited as a model for this superhighway; however, with the explosion of the World Wide
Web, the Internet became the information superhighway” It is also defined as “a route or network for the
high-speed transfer of information; (a) a proposed national fiber-optic network in the United States; (b)
the Internet.”
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology describes the concept as follows: “The information
superhighway directly connects millions of people, each both a consumer of information and a potential
provider. Most predictions about commercial opportunities on the information superhighway focus on the
provision of information products, such as video on demand, and on new sales outlets for physical products,
as with home shopping.
The information superhighway brings together millions of individuals who could exchange information
with one another. Any conception of a traditional market for making beneficial exchanges, such as an
agricultural market or trading pit, or any system where individuals respond to posted prices on a computer
screen is woefully inadequate for the extremely large number of often complex trades that will be required.
The Internet provides a vast array of services, information sources, and ways to perform work and
engage in commerce. It has an estimated 20–40 million users, and doubles every year. The Internet
version 1.0 backbone operated at 56Kbps, and primarily carried email.1 The current Internet 2.0 backbone
operates at 45–155Mbps, which enables. The World-Wide Web (WWW). The next stage, Internet 3.0,
has been denoted as the “Information Superhighway.”
Internet 3.0 could provide ubiquitous symmetrical, high-bandwidth links that can simultaneously
carry telephone, video (television), and data. Ideally, bandwidth would be at the maximum carrying capacity
of the copper wires that link central offices with homes, a minimum of 6–25Mbps.
Today’s Internet provides a glimpse of an information-rich world enabling commerce, information
access and information distribution. Corporations, universities, and government organizations use economies
of scale to afford high-bandwidth connection to the Internet—typically 10Mbps and higher to the desktop.
However, homes and small organizations are relegated to low bandwidth connections: typically less than
28.8Kbps. This is 300 times slower than the connections offered their corporate cohorts.
It seems extremely unlikely that homes and small organizations will have substantially higher bandwidth
within the next five years. The great hope of ISDN gives only four times more bandwidth at substantially
higher prices. Even recent IEEE conferences focusing on broadband communications (high-speed data,
including video) fail to evoke any short-term optimism. To carry television-quality video such as MPEG-
2 requires 4–6Mbps. Even low-quality MPEG-1 video at 1.5Mbps is unlikely to be accessible from the
home or small business before the year 2001.
Web Browser:
Internet travelers navigate their journey by means of a web browser. The browser can be thought of
as the window onto the Internet, it is a software application used to locate and display Web pages. The
two most popular browsers are Mozilla Firefox and Microsoft Internet Explorer. Both of these are called
graphical browsers, which mean that they can display graphics as well as text. In addition to graphics and
text, most modern browsers can also present multimedia information, including sound, video and moving
animation
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Local Area Networks:
Your computer may be connected to another computer within your home or your office. If that is
the case, then you are part of a LAN, a local area network. A LAN is a series of computers that is
connected on a small network. You can think of a LAN as a neighborhood of computers that are connected
and are generally situated within close physical proximity. Most LANs are contained within a floor of a
building, a building or a group of buildings. LANs link computers together and provide shared access to
printers, file servers, and other services. The LAN server then connects all those devices to other networks,
such as the Internet. A network is just a way of connecting computers. The internet is a very big network.
The Internet Backbone:
As you travel along the Internet, the router will direct you onto a network that is the equivalent of an
Interstate highway - the Internet backbone. The Internet backbone is the bulwark of the Internet, spanning
the globe and moving large amounts of information across vast distances at high speeds. The Internet
Backbone consists of three components. The first component is made up of phone lines and cables that
make up the channels along which information travels. The second component, the Network Service
Providers (NSPs) provide high-speed Internet access and services for Internet Service Providers, who
then make these services available to individual Internet subscribers. Finally, Network Access Points
(NAPs) allow messages to ‘hop’ or transfer from one network to another, thereby providing the connection
between different networks. The three components work together to facilitate the high-speed movement
of information around the world.
Internet Service Provider:
Whether you are part of a LAN or you are trying to connect to the Internet as a single user, you will
likely gain access to the Internet via an Internet Service Provider, or ISP. An ISP is essentially an off-ramp
onto the Internet. ISPs are companies that allow you to connect to their computers, which in turn are
connected to the Internet. ISPs are usually local companies that provide individuals and small companies
with all the requirements to allow user to connect to the Internet. This may include software, domain
names, user names and connectivity.
Routers:
A router is a computer that sits on a network. Its sole purpose is to direct messages to their final
destination. Routers are important because messages do not always travel the same path to their final
destination. As the Internet has gained in popularity the various channels of the Internet have become
increasingly busy. Often the channels that link computers become overloaded with traffic. Like a policeman
on a very busy road, the router may detect that there is a backlog of traffic on one of the routes to a
message’s destination, in which case it will simply send the data along a different, more convenient route.
How the Internet works on information superhighway:
By now, it is hoped that you have a decent idea of how the Internet is constructed. However, in
addition to understanding the structure of the Net, we must also understand how computers communicate
with each other in order to send, receive and understand messages. Protocols On any road or highway,
there must be a system of rules and procedures that allows traffic to navigate to its chosen destination. On
the internet, this system of order is known as protocols. The term protocol describes a set of rules for
encoding and decoding data so that messages may be exchanged between computers so that each computer
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can fully understand their meaning. Simply put, protocols allow computers and networks to speak to each
other in order to exchange data.
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• Health care will be improved by telemedicine and maintenance of on-line Medical records.
• Telemedicine will enable remote patient examination and diagnosis.
Most probably the Information Superhighway will be built, owned, and run by the Private sector
with hundreds or thousands of companies providing services whereby the role of regulating bodies
(such as the governments) is to ensure that these systems and services are interconnected and
interoperable in order to provide competition and choice for the customer
Since the goal is to have a fully competitive marketplace in which any company may Provide any
service to any customer we are witnessing a fundamental paradigm change:
The Information Superhighway will cause convergence of different players which found their
undisturbed and independent role in Communications, Computing, Consumer products, Content provision
and will, therefore, be the catalyst of new alliances.
17.14 Summary
Video conferencing also called as video teleconference is basically a set of interactive
telecommunication technologies which allows two or more people residing at different locations to interact
simultaneously with audio and video [Link] conferencing provides a facility to schools, colleges
and other educational institutions to connect with speakers and experts from different areas and indulge in
different professional activities, project collaboration and community events. The technology behind video
teleconference system is digital compression of audio and video streams in real time. This functionality is
provided with the help of codec also called as coder/decoder. Videoconferencing is extremely useful
technology for telemedicine and telenursing applications. This can help in diagnosis, consulting, transmission
of medical images in real time. Students can learn by participating in a 2-way communication platform.
Teachers and lecturers from all over the world can be brought to classes from remote places. Students
from diverse communities and backgrounds can come together to learn about one another
AI is defined as “the study and design of intelligent agent” where an intelligent agent is a system that
perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success. AI research is highly
technical and specialized, deeply divided into subfields. The central problems of AI include such traits as
reasoning, knowledge, planning, learning, communication, perception and the ability to move and manipulate
objects. Artificial intelligence is widely used in the field of logistics, data mining, medical diagnosis and
many other [Link] Superhighway refers to digital communication systems and the internet
telecommunications network. It is associated with United States Senator and later Vice-President Al
Gore who introduced it in 1978 .The Internet was originally cited as a model for this superhighway;
however, with the explosion of the World Wide Web, the Internet became the information
superhighway”.The information superhighway brings together millions of individuals who could exchange
information with one another. Internet travelers navigate their journey by means of a web browser. The
browser can be thought of as the window onto the Internet, it is a software application used to locate and
display Web pages. It will be an amalgam of partially already existing, information networks, services, end
systems such as PCs or TV-sets, terrestrial and satellite broadcasting, cable television networks, wired
and wireless telephone systems.
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• Codec: A codec is the name given to the encoding/decoding algorithm that compresses and
decompresses audio video data. The effectiveness of a streaming IP connection is determined
partly by the codec.
• AI: It is defined as “the study and design of intelligent agent” where an intelligent agent is a system
that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its chances of success.
• Information Superhighway: It is defined as “a route or network for the high-speed transfer of
information; (a) a proposed national fiber-optic network in the United States; (b) the Internet.”
• Web browser: Internet travelers navigate their journey by means of a web browser. It provides an
environment to view a webpage.
• ISP: To connect to the Internet and to gain access to the Internet you need an Internet Service
Provider, or ISP. An ISP is essentially an off-ramp onto the Internet. ISPs are companies that allow
you to connect to their computers, which in turn are connected to the Internet.
• Router: A router is a computer that sits on a network. Its sole purpose is to direct messages to their
final destination. Routers are important because messages do not always travel the same path to
their final destination.
• Non Procedural Language Its a language in which end result is being descirbed insted of various
steps.
• Procedural Language In this we have to describe all the steps in detail to achieve a desired result.
• 4GL A language in which we have to describe result and rest of the program are developed by 4GL
environment.
• SQL Structured Quary Language is an example for 4GL used for manipulation of databases
• Virtual Reality Its a artifically created reality by controlling sensory organse.
18.0 Objectives
After studying this unit you should be able:
• To understand the concept of e-Commerce.
• To Study the development of e-Commerce
• To study the difference between e-Commerce and e-Business
• To study the various types of Ecommerce.
• To study the unique characteristics of e-Commerce
• To know electronic payments and issues.
18.1 Introduction
E-Business is the one of the most exciting economic and technological trend of last century, which
has been resulted from new business application of information technology. The electronic business is
more than a technology, and if used strategically it provide organizational benefits through gains in produc-
tivity, market shares or even in bottom line profitability.
Electronic commerce, commonly known as e-commerce or eCommerce, consists of the buying
and selling of products or services over electronic systems such as the Internet and other computer net-
works. Electronic commerce can be defined as any form of business transaction in which the parties
interact electronically. A transaction in an electronic market represents a number of interactions between
parties. It could involve several trading steps, such as marketing, ordering, payment, and support for
delivery. An electronic market allows participating sellers and buyers to exchange goods and services with
the support of information technology. The interaction between participants is supported by electronic
trade processes that are basically search, valuation, payment and settlement, logistics and authentication.
The amount of trade conducted electronically has grown extraordinarily with widespread Internet usage.
The Internet and the World Wide Web allow companies to efficiently implement these key trading
processes. Many search services and brokers are available to help buyers find information, products and
merchants in electronic markets. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on
innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction
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processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data col-
lection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point
in the transaction’s lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as
well.
A large percentage of electronic commerce is conducted entirely electronically for virtual items such
as access to premium content on a website, but most electronic commerce involves the transportation of
physical items in some way. Online retailers are sometimes known as e-tailers and online retail is some-
times known as e-tail. Almost all big retailers have electronic commerce presence on the World Wide
Web.
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E-business involves business processes spanning the entire value chain: electronic purchasing and
supply chain management, processing orders electronically, handling customer service, and cooperating
with business partners. Special technical standards for e-business facilitate the exchange of data between
companies. E-business software solutions allow the integration of intra and inter firm business processes.
E-business can be conducted using the Web, the Internet, intranets, extranets, or some combination of
these.
18.2.1 Timeline
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her appreciation is required. When money is involved then the first thing which user looks for is
safety and security of his/her money. Having a website laden with such qualities is important.
4. When Dell sell computers, laptops, monitors, printers, accessories etc online then it is not engaged
in e-commerce but e-business. Let me tell you how. When a visitor comes on the website, the first
thing he see is website design and navigation as well as those things which are going to help him find
what he is looking for and if he directly lands on the page he was looking for, he looks for the
information related to it. The information provided should be appealing and clear maximum doubts
of the visitor so as to convert him in a client. Till now no money has been exchanged nor been talked
about. So, was this e-commerce? No, it is e-business which guides the visitor.
5. E-commerce has also been defined as a process covering outward processes that touch customers,
suppliers and external partners while e-business covers internal processes such as production,
inventory management, product development, risk management, finance etc.
In all, e-commerce can be described as the use of the Internet and the web to transact business.
More formally, digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individu-
als. On the other hand, e-business can be described as the digital enablement of transactions and process
within a firm, involving information systems under the control of the firm. Moreover, e-business applica-
tions turn into e-commerce precisely when an exchange of value occurs.
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carry out the transactions without the platform which is provided by the online market maker such as
eBay. Some of the example for this category are [Link],all the job site such as [Link], all
the matrimonial site such as [Link] etc.
18.4.4 Government-to-Business (G2B)-
The government-to-business category covers all transactions between companies/ business and
government organizations. It includes government electronic procurements and other government to busi-
ness communications and vise versa. In addition to public procurement, government organizations may
also offer the option of electronic transactions such as payment of corporate taxes. Some of the site in this
category are filling of sale tax, all the tenders these days also appear electronically on government site,
auction of the products etc.
The government-to-citizens category covers electronic interactions between citizens and govern-
ment. This model is very popular in areas such as welfare payments and file of income tax returns (efileing),
payment of taxes of local governing body such as property tax, water tax etc.
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18.4.8 m-Commerce -
It refers to the use of mobile devices for conducting the transactions. The mobile device holders can
contact each other and can conduct the business. Even the web design and development companies
optimize the websites to be viewed correctly on mobile devices. These day one can perform many action
on mobile.
It is not necessary that these models are dedicatedly followed in all the online business. It may be
the case that a business is using them as per its needs.
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6. Personalization -
E-commerce technologies permit personalization. Merchants can target their marketing messages
to specific individuals by adjusting the message to a person’s name, interests and past purchases. The
technology also permits customization. Merchants can change the product or service based on user’s
preferences or prior behavior.
E-commerce technologies make it possible for merchants to know much more about consumers
and use this information more effectively than ever before. Online merchants can use this information to
develop new information asymmetries, enhance their ability to brand products, charge premium prices for
high quality service and segment the market into an endless number of subgroups, each receiving a differ-
ent price.
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Another limitation of e-commerce is that it is not suitable for perishable commodities like food
items. People prefer to shop in the conventional way than to use e-commerce for purchasing food prod-
ucts. So e-commerce is not suitable for such business sectors. The time period required for delivering
physical products can also be quite significant in case of e-commerce. A lot of phone calls and e-mails may
be required till you get your desired products. However, returning the product and getting a refund can be
even more troublesome and time consuming than purchasing, in case if you are not satisfied with a particu-
lar product.
Thus, on evaluating the various pros and cons of electronic commerce, we can say that the advan-
tages of e-commerce have the potential to outweigh the disadvantages. A proper strategy to address the
technical issues and to build up customers trust in the system, can change the present scenario and help e-
commerce adapt to the changing needs of the world.
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A number of electronic money systems use Contactless payment transfer in order to facilitate easy
payment and give the payee more confidence in not letting go of their electronic wallet during the transac-
tion.
• Electronic money systems
In technical terms, electronic money is an online representation, or a system of debits and credits,
used to exchange value within another system, or within itself as a stand alone system. In principle this
process could also be done offline.
Occasionally, the term electronic money is also used to refer to the provider itself. A private cur-
rency may use gold to provide extra security, such as digital gold currency. Some private organizations,
such as the United States armed forces use independent currencies such as Eagle Cash.
• Centralised systems
Many systems—such as Paypal, WebMoney, cashU, and Hub Culture’s Ven—will sell their elec-
tronic currency directly to the end user, but other systems only sell through third party digital currency
exchangers.
In the case of Octopus card in Hong Kong, electronic money deposits work similarly to regular
bank deposits. After Octopus Card Limited receives money for deposit from users, the money is depos-
ited into a bank. This is similar to debit-card-issuing banks redepositing money at central [Link]
community currencies, like some LETS systems, work with electronic transactions.
• De-centralized systems
Decentralized electronic money systems include:
· Bitcoin, an anonymous distributed electronic money system
· Ripple monetary system, a project to develop a distributed system of electronic money independent
of local currency.
· PKTP, a pseudonymous distributed electronic money system
• Offline ‘anonymous’ systems
In the use of offline electronic money, the merchant does not need to interact with the bank before
accepting money from the user. Instead merchants can collect monies spent by users and deposit them
later with the bank. In principle this could be done offline, i.e. the merchant could go to the bank with his
storage media to exchange e-money for cash. Nevertheless the merchant is guaranteed that the user’s e-
money will either be accepted by the bank, or the bank will be able to identify and punish the cheating
user. In this way a user is prevented from spending the same funds twice (double-spending). Offline e-
money schemes also need to protect against cheating merchants, i.e. merchants that want to deposit
money twice (and then blame the user).
18.8 Summary
The Internet and the World Wide Web allow companies to efficiently implement these key trading
processes. Many search services and brokers are available to help buyers find information, products and
merchants in electronic markets. The use of commerce is conducted in this way, spurring and drawing on
innovations in electronic funds transfer, supply chain management, Internet marketing, online transaction
processing, electronic data interchange (EDI), inventory management systems, and automated data col-
lection systems. Modern electronic commerce typically uses the World Wide Web at least at some point
in the transaction’s lifecycle, although it can encompass a wider range of technologies such as e-mail as
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well. E-Commerce and E-Business are two completely different terms but unfortunately they are always
used interchangeably by many of us. The reason behind this lies in the meanings of “business” and “com-
merce” in English language. But there is a difference between e-commerce and e-business. There are
many people who understand the subtle differences between the two and there had always been a debate
among these two groups about the differences and similarities between e-commerce and e-business.
Ecommerce can be clasified on the basis of transaction like B2B,B2C,C2C, G2C, G2G,G2B etc, many
new business model also been evolved in this era. for ecommerce transaction payment can be made by
various payment machanism like ecash,echeque,EFT, debit card and credit cards.
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The Internet has revolutionized modern business practices by enabling e-commerce, which allows for commercial transactions online. It facilitates global reach and access to wide markets without geographical limitations, enables real-time customer interactions, and supports business automation, reducing overhead costs. The development of secure payment methods has increased consumer trust, while the ability to integrate with supply chain management systems has improved operational efficiency .
File management commands like RD (remove directory), COPY, and XCOPY allow users to organize, copy, and delete files and directories efficiently. RD is used to remove directories, COPY duplicates files, while XCOPY can copy entire directories including sub-directories. These commands help maintain an organized file system, facilitate easy data management, and streamline workflows by automating file tasks .
Command-line interfaces (CLI) offer precise control over computer systems, improving functionality and management through script automation, batch processing, and faster access to system tools. They enable users to perform complex tasks with specific commands that can be combined in scripts to automate repetitive tasks, resulting in increased productivity and system efficiency. CLIs are essential for managing servers, scripting automation, and performing advanced system diagnostics .
With the integration of digital and Internet technologies, businesses face challenges such as cybersecurity threats, maintaining up-to-date infrastructure, and the need for continuous technological adaptation. However, these technologies also offer opportunities for global market expansion, operational efficiencies, personalized customer interactions, and data analytics-driven decision-making. Businesses can leverage these technologies to innovate their products and services, improve customer satisfaction, and enhance competitive advantage .
Interpreted languages are executed line-by-line by an interpreter at runtime, whereas compiled languages are translated into machine code by a compiler before execution. This means that interpreted languages can be slower but allow for more flexible and dynamic execution, making them popular for scripting and rapid development. Compiled languages generally offer better performance due to prior optimization during compilation, making them suitable for resource-intensive applications .
System software is designed to provide a platform for other software and to operate computer hardware, whereas application software is designed to help the user perform specific tasks. System software includes operating systems and utility programs that manage system resources and hardware, while application software includes programs like word processors and web browsers that perform user-specific tasks .
With each computer generation, there have been significant advancements in programming languages from machine language in the first generation to high-level languages in later generations. Initially, programming was done using machine languages that directly manipulated hardware. As technology advanced, languages became more abstract and user-friendly, allowing for more complex instructions and easier programming. This evolution enabled more complex software development, increased productivity, and facilitated widespread adoption and innovation in computing .
Technological advancements have greatly influenced education by enabling interactive online learning, facilitating access to a vast range of resources, and supporting data-driven personalized learning experiences. Such technologies improve educational outcomes by making learning more engaging and accessible to a broader audience. The integration of online tools and platforms has revolutionized traditional educational methods, fostering new ways of teaching and learning that cater to the needs of a diverse student population .
Information Technology plays a critical role in shaping global business trends by enabling communication and connectivity, facilitating automation and operational efficiency, and supporting data-driven decision-making. IT infrastructures allow businesses to coordinate global operations efficiently, adapt to market changes quickly, and integrate with emerging technologies to remain competitive. It supports international collaborations and streamlines business processes across different regions .
Object-oriented programming (OOP) languages such as C++ and Java provide a framework for modeling real-world systems as groups of interacting objects. This paradigm emphasizes encapsulation, inheritance, and polymorphism, allowing for more modular, reusable, and adaptable code compared to procedural programming. OOP facilitates complex software design by encouraging code reuse and system scalability, making it essential for large-scale software projects .