Lecture - 12 6.

4 Secondary Storage
We've talked mostly about the primary storage areas of ROM and RAM. Secondary storage includes the hard disk drives in almost every computer, floppy disks, and magnetic tape storage. The kind of storage necessary is dictated by the size of the computer and how it's used. As with most other components, the cost is dropping significantly while the technology is improving all the time.

Magnetic Disk and Tape

The most common form of secondary storage is the magnetic disk. Magnetic tape is still used on larger mainframe computers for data that don't require fast access, such as historical records maintained by credit card companies. If you want fast, direct access to data, use the magnetic disks that are most common in personal computers. Just about every personal computer has a hard disk drive located in the box that sits beside the monitor. All the operating system software and application program software resides on the hard disk drive for long-term storage. Data files are also saved to the hard disk (or floppy disk). When you start your personal computer, the operating system instructions most commonly used are moved from the hard drive to the RAM memory. Whenever you open an application program, the most frequently used instructions are also moved to the RAM memory for quick retrieval. The instructions that aren't currently being used remain on the hard drive. The common 3 1/2" floppy disk that we are used to seeing is becoming outdated because of size limitations. Most of these disks can only hold 1.44 million bytes of data. Zip disks can hold anywhere from 100 million to 250 million bytes. They operate basically the same way a floppy disk does, but you need a special zip disk drive in order to use them. When you create or use files with lots of graphics, you'll need the larger type of disk in order to hold the data.

Optical Disks
We've probably all seen a compact disk (CD-ROM) that holds music. This same type of disk is becoming more common with personal computers because of the amount of data it can hold. Many software programs are on compact disks (CD). Otherwise, you'd have to use 20-30 floppy disks to install the software. The drawback to this type of disk is that it can usually be used only once because the data are stored on the disk by literally burning pits into its surface. Machines that allow the average user to record CDs (compact disk-recordable) are starting to show up on store shelves, but they are still rather pricey. The WORM (Write Once/Read Many) technology gives the user the technique of writing to a CD once but reading it many times. And some machines now allow you to rewrite a CD (CDReWritable) by using a combination of magnetic and optical writing techniques.

Digital video disks (DVD) can be used on either computers or with televisions. You can rent DVDs from your local video store and watch a movie on either device. It's safe to say that the 3 1/2" floppy disks are on their way to the museum, but because of convenience and sheer numbers, it will be a while before they are gone altogether. Bottom Line: Secondary storage devices maintain the bulk of the programs and data needed to complete tasks. There are many different types of secondary storage; you should select according to your needs.

6.5 Input and Output Devices

Data go in and information comes out of computer systems via peripheral devices. The speed, capacity, and ease of use of these devices is constantly improving.

Input Devices
You're pretty familiar with the keyboard and mouse input devices. Keyboards and mouse pointers are becoming more comfortable to use through ergonomically improved designs. However, many people find these input devices cumbersome and slow. They are turning to pen-based input, which uses a tablet device and a pen stylus. Companies such as Federal Express and UPS use the technology for customers to accept packages. The data are then transferred directly to a mainframe computer which allows packages to be tracked from the sender to the recipient. The latest trend for input devices is voice recognition. This technology allows you to put data into a computer using a combination of a microphone headset and software on your computer that recognizes your voice. You speak into the microphone and the software interprets your voice and records your words. You can also use this technology to execute commands on your computer, such as "Save this file" or "Print this document." The software associated with voice recognition technology is very complex because no two people speak alike. We all have accents, voice inflections, slang words, or even headcolds that change the tone of our voice. When you initially use voice recognition software, you have to "train" the computer to recognize your voice and all of its characteristics. It typically takes 2 to 3 hours for the initial training with additional training as you continually use the software. In essence, you build your own dictionary of words that are unique to you. This is one of the greatest inventions for people with physical disabilities, since they can rely on voice to control the computer. Executives find this technology especially useful. It is also great for people who do a lot of typing and could possibly or do suffer from repetitive stress injuries. In fact, these computer files were generated using voice recognition software to reduce the amount of typing necessary to create them! Unfortunately voice recognition doesn't work very well in some corporate settings. It can be very distracting to the workers around you if you are constantly talking into a

microphone. The background noise of most office settings can also interfere with the voice input. Touch screens are also becoming more common for general usage. Touch screens have been used in ATM banking machines for years. Now they are coming to a screen near you - computer or television or household appliances. The advances in processing technology that we've talked about through this whole chapter are largely responsible for the ability of small computers to use these new devices and methods. Source data automation is popular with businesses because the technology reduces the chance of input error. A human may type in 2345 instead of 2354a simple error that could have significant consequences. Optical character recognition software or scanner software will always read the number correctly. Digital scanner technology extends far beyond the page scanners attached to personal computers or used in offices. The scanners grocery stores use at the checkout counter are a great example of this technology. The vast number of hand-held scanners used by other retailers are also typical of the ability of technology to increase human productivity. The biggest benefit of this technology lies in the fact that input errors are greatly reduced. The computer reads what is there and processes it. If an error occurs, which does happen in groceries about 5 % of the time, it isn't because of the computer. It's because the human programming the computer made a mistake. Banks have used magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) technology for years to process checks. If you still receive cancelled checks from your bank, take a look at the bottom right hand corner of the check. You'll notice that the amount of the check and the date it was processed is imprinted in block style numbers. The computer added this information to ensure that your account was properly credited.

Batch and On-Line Input and Processing

Whether a business uses batch processing or on-line processing depends: On how soon the data must be input On how fast the updates must be made On how accessible the data must be If the data are not needed immediately, batch processing is usually the chosen method. If the data must be immediately available, the required method is on-line processing.

FIGURE 6.12 Batch and on-line processing.

Figure 6.12 shows the difference between the two methods of processing and accessing data. Note the different uses of the transaction file and the master file. Many companies are switching to on-line processing even for data that have traditionally been batch processed because they don't want to maintain two different processing methods.

Output Devices
What goes into a computer eventually needs to come out of the computer. Typically we think of printers as the main form of output. But more and more often, the output of a computer merely extends to the monitor screen. A good example of this is the Web. We surf the Web looking for information or entertainment. We access a good Web site that has information about our favorite sports team or gardening in the West. We read the information, process it through our "personal processor" (commonly called a brain), and then we're on to another Web site. Or, we save it to our disk drive to access at a later time. The quality of the cathode ray tube (CRT) is determined by the number of pixels on the screen. The higher the number of pixels, the better resolution you'll have. Bit mapping is the technique the computer uses to manipulate the pixels on your screen. In addition to being an input device, voice recognition is also an output device. If you call a major corporation on the telephone, it would be unusual for you to actually talk to a

human being. More often, the company uses voice recognition technology to guide you through menus of services or answer your questions. The cost of laser and ink-jet printer devices (nonimpact printers) has dropped significantly in the last few years so they are affordable for home use. You should be aware that the cost of using these devices extends past the price of the device itself. When considering the cost of printing you should include the cartridges and paper. The cartridges usually cost $25 to $30 each, while the paper can be twice the cost of regular bond paper. Impact printers, such as the dot matrix, are much cheaper to own and operate. The paper is less costly than bond paper and the printer ribbons are approximately $5 each. However, the quality is significantly lower. Bottom Line: Input and Output technology now extends far past the typical devices we're used to. Voice technology is one of the fastest growing mediums for input and output and offers many advantages beyond those of the methods we have traditionally used.

6.6 Information Technology Trends

The speed and computing capacity of technology continues to advance at dizzying speeds and in ways we can hardly imagine. Star Trek is no longer a vision for the 24th century but for next week.

Interactive Multimedia
One trend highly touted by the experts is that of the "information appliance." Do we need to have a separate device for watching television, another one for listening to music, a different one called a telephone, and yet a whole separate device for computing? Some people say we can do all of that with one central appliance with a variety of input and output devices. If you watch the mergers taking place in the corporate world between the telephone companies and cable TV companies, you can start to understand another major change that may be in store for us. The companies are working toward a convergence of the "entertainment outlets" we know as television and the Internet. Why can't we download a movie off the Internet whenever we're ready to watch it instead of having to follow a TV channel's set schedule? This idea may be a reality in a few years. The music industry is struggling with the issue of music downloaded from Web sites. How do the musicians protect their copyrighted work while making the music more accessible to the public? How do the music publishing companies protect their business from disintermediation, the process of eliminating the middleman from transactions?

Superchips and Fifth-Generation Computers

Computers promise to get easier to use. Some of you may seriously doubt this, especially if you've ever been frustrated by a sudden crash or an error message that tells you absolutely nothing about the real problem and how you can fix it. But if you look back you realize that computing has become easier and easier. The industry understands that if more people are going to be enticed into using computers and helping the industry grow, they have to make them easier to handle. Earlier in the chapter we discussed supercomputers, which use parallel processing techniques to process data simultaneously through multiple processing chips. Massively parallel computers use hundreds or thousands of processors at the same time; think of a thousand people tackling a problem, each working on one small part, and arriving at the solution all at the same time.

Smart Cards and Microminiaturization

Take a credit card out of your wallet and look at the magnetic strip on the back. The strip may seem too small to hold much data. You might be surprised to learn that through micro miniaturization, virtually all of your personal information, from health records to school records to credit records, can be stored on that small area with room to spare. Some states are now including vital medical information on the back of driver's licenses which can be accessed by paramedics if you're ever in an accident and need medical attention. The technology has already saved lives.

Social Interfaces
Bill Gates, Microsoft Corporation, has a vision of the future of computing. Speaking to a reporter for Business Week magazine, May 17, 1999, he says: "Desktop PCs have been incredibly successful. Most businesses have them, and 50% of homes do. And for most people, the PC will remain their key computing tool, but it will also work alongside a lot of other cool devices. That's why we've expanded our vision to giving people the power to do what they want, where and when they want, on any device. That means on PCs, handheld PCs, phones, or smart TVs such as WebTV." When asked what he saw on the horizon that will dramatically change people's lives, he replied: "I'm optimistic about what the industry can achieve, but the word dramatic will mean different things to different customers. If you're a large enterprise customer, being able to connect your employees with on-demand videoconferencing for collaboration would be dramatic. If you are head of IT for a large corporation and can deploy software, do updates, and change users on a companywide network of PCs, and never visit a desktop, ever - that's dramatic. If you have a PC at home and use the Web to buy products, such as a car, a TV, or a dishwasher, and if you can use your PC to track the warranties, find the nearest repair center, and have your PC store remind you of all that information - that would be dramatic." Bottom Line: So where are we going with all this technology? Computers that are easier to use and incorporated into our everyday lives are in the near future. I dt h l i f b i ti b i i t d d hd

Faster and smaller information appliances are coming to a store near you. When it comes to the future of computing, your imagination is the only thing holding us back.

Discussion Questions:
Click on the Discussion icon in the top toolbar to answer the following Discussion Questions.

1. Determine the TOC (total cost of ownership) associated with the technology in your workplace or classroom, even if it is your own home. Use your hourly wage or salary as a basis to figure the persware cost. 2. Describe a client/server network with which you are associated. Remember, Internet Service Providers such as AOL or your local service provider can be part of your personal client/server network. 3. What is the difference in how primary and secondary storage handle storage for application program instructions? 4. If you could change anything about computer hardware, what would it be? Be as specific as you can and use your imagination.

Information Systems Software 7.1 What Is Software? 7.2 System Software 7.3 Application Software 7.4 New Software Tools and Approaches 7.5 Managing Software Assets Discussion Questions