DIGITAL/INFORMATION AGE

The Basics
The Information Age began around the 1970s and is still going on today. It is also known as the
Computer Age, Digital Age, or New Media Age. This era brought about a time period in which
people could access information and knowledge easily.

Influences of the past on the Information Age

The Renaissance influenced the Information Age by creating the idea inventions, while too
advanced for the time, the basic idea was used to develop modern inventions. The Renaissance
also changed literature. At first, only books that told stories of religion and religious heroes were
written. During the Renaissance, people began to write realistic books and not just religious
stories. People's mindset about themselves changed. It was no longer about what humans could
do for God, but what humans could do for themselves. This way of thinking is called humanism.

The Scientific Revolution changed the modern era by introducing important scientists such as
Galileo, Copernicus, and Sir Isaac Newton. Their discoveries paved the way for modern tools,
inventions and innovations.

The Industrial Revolution brought about major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining,
transportation, and technology. This era had a profound effect on the social, economic, and
cultural conditions of the world.

Inventions and Innovations of the Information Age

There were many different inventions that came about because of the Information Age, one of
which was the computer. The Internet allowed people to access information with the touch of a
button.

The Internet has turned society into homebodies, individuals who do everything from the comfort
of their homes instead of venturing outdoors to complete tasks. People can do everything online;
shopping, communicating, bill paying, working, education, entertainment, even ordering food.
This may be good, but it has also made us a very lazy and uneducated society.

Tim Berners-Lee, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are several important people of the Information Age.
Berners-Lee created the World Wide Web. Jobs who was created the first effective personal
computer called the Apple 1
The Apple 1 was a huge advancement in computer sciences and it carved the path for the
computers we have now. Apple has created iPhone, iPod, iPad, iMac, and Apple TV. Gates is
also a huge force in the Information Age. He founded Microsoft, which creates almost everything
that has to do with computers. Microsoft develops programs like Microsoft Office, Windows, and
many other influential products.

Changes of the Information Age

The Information Age has changed people, technology, science, economies, culture, and even the
way people think. The Internet is arguably the most prominent innovation of the Information Age.
The Internet changed the way people do everything. It has made people lazier, but it also makes
a large amount of the population smarter. The Information Age has made industrial countries
stronger. With online companies being some of the most successful and economically stimulating
businesses out there, economies receive more from them and keep our world turning. People are
becoming more mature and more educated due to things like the computer and the Internet. This
time period has reshaped governments, with new technology being created every day.
Governments can now have more advanced and effective militaries. Because of things like the
Internet, new laws had to be put in place to stop hacking, piracy, and identity theft.

Impacts of the Information Age

The Information Age brought about many new inventions and innovations. Many communication
services like texting, email, and social media developed and the world has not been the same
since. People learn new languages easier and many books have been translated into different
languages, so people around the world can become more educated. However, the Information
Age is not all good. There are people in the world that believe they can live their entire life through
the Internet. Also, huge criminal organizations rely on hacking into government systems and
obtaining confidential information to continue their way of life. Jobs have also became easier,
and some jobs can even be done from the comfort of your own home. The Information Age is also
known as the Age of Entrepreneurship. Now entrepreneurs can start and run a company easier
than ever before. It also impacts our work ethics by distracting us and causing us to lose interest
in the task we are doing. This time period has also created a shortage of jobs and making many
jobs obsolete because machines are now being used to do the work humans once did.

In conclusion...
The Information Age is now. Every era from the Stone Age up to The Industrial Revolution has
led to the world as we know it. Without the information, knowledge and discoveries of those from
the past, we would not be where we are today. The past has shaped our present and will continue
to shape our future.
Classification of Computers/ Types of computer
Computers differ based on their data processing abilities. They are classified according to
purpose, data handling and functionality.

According to purpose, computers are either general purpose or specific purpose. General purpose
computers are designed to perform a range of tasks. They have the ability to store numerous
programs, but lack in speed and efficiency. Specific purpose computers are designed to handle
a specific problem or to perform a specific task. A set of instructions is built into the machine.

According to data handling, computers are analog, digital or hybrid. Analog computers work on
the principle of measuring, in which the measurements obtained are translated into data. Modern
analog computers usually employ electrical parameters, such as voltages, resistances or
currents, to represent the quantities being manipulated. Such computers do not deal directly with
the numbers. They measure continuous physical magnitudes. Digital computers are those that
operate with information, numerical or otherwise, represented in a digital form. Such computers
process data into a digital value (in 0s and 1s). They give the results with more accuracy and at
a faster rate. Hybrid computers incorporate the measuring feature of an analog computer and
counting feature of a digital computer. For computational purposes, these computers use analog
components and for storage, digital memories are used.

According to functionality, Type of computers are classified as :

Analog Computer
An analog computer (spelt analogue in British English) is a form of computer that uses continuous
physical phenomena such as electrical, mechanical, or hydraulic quantities to model the problem
being solved.

Digital Computer
A computer that performs calculations and logical operations with quantities represented as
digits, usually in the binary number system

Hybrid Computer (Analog + Digital)

A combination of computers those are capable of inputting and outputting in both digital and
analog signals. A hybrid computer system setup offers a cost effective method of performing
complex simulations.

On the basis of Size: Type of Computer

Super Computer
The fastest and most powerful type of computer Supercomputers are very expensive and are
employed for specialized applications that require immense amounts of mathematical
calculations. For example, weather forecasting requires a supercomputer. Other uses of
supercomputers include animated graphics, fluid dynamic calculations, nuclear energy research,
and petroleum exploration.

The chief difference between a supercomputer and a mainframe is that a supercomputer channels
all its power into executing a few programs as fast as possible, whereas a mainframe uses its
power to execute many programs concurrently.

Mainframe Computer
A very large and expensive computer capable of supporting hundreds, or even thousands, of
users simultaneously. In the hierarchy that starts with a simple microprocessor (in watches, for
example) at the bottom and moves to supercomputers at the top, mainframes are just below
supercomputers. In some ways, mainframes are more powerful than supercomputers because
they support more simultaneous programs. But supercomputers can execute a single program
faster than a mainframe.

Mini Computer
A midsized computer. In size and power, minicomputers lie between workstations and
mainframes. In the past decade, the distinction between large minicomputers and small
mainframes has blurred, however, as has the distinction between small minicomputers and
workstations. But in general, a minicomputer is a multiprocessing system capable of supporting
from 4 to about 200 users simultaneously.

Micro Computer or Personal Computer

• Desktop Computer: a personal or micro-mini computer sufficient to fit on a desk.

• Laptop Computer: a portable computer complete with an integrated screen and keyboard. It is
generally smaller in size than a desktop computer and larger than a notebook computer.

• Palmtop Computer/Digital Diary /Notebook /PDAs: a hand-sized computer. Palmtops have no

keyboard but the screen serves both as an input and output device.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS
A computer is a general purpose device which can be programmed to carry out a finite set of
arithmetic or logical operations. There are different types of computer system: Personal computer,
Workstation, Minicomputer, Mainframe and Supercomputer.

Personal computer: A personal computer can be defined as a small, relatively inexpensive

computer designed for an individual user.

Workstation: It is a type of computer used for engineering applications, desktop publishing,

software development, and other types of application that require a moderate amount of
computing power and relatively high quality graphic capabilities.

Minicomputer: It is a mid size computer. In general, a minicomputer is a multiprocessing system

capable of supporting from up to 200 users simultaneously.

Mainframe: Mainframe computers are powerful computers used primarily by corporate and
governmental organizations for critical applications, bulk data processing such as census. In
some ways, mainframes are more power than supercomputers because they support more
simultaneous programs.

Supercomputer: Supercomputer is a board term for one of the fastest computer currently
available. Supercomputers are employed for specialized application that requires immense
amounts of mathematical calculations.
History of Multimedia Systems
Newspaper were perhaps the first mass communication medium to employ Multimedia -- they
used mostly text, graphics, and images.

In 1895, Gugliemo Marconi sent his first wireless radio transmission at Pontecchio, Italy. A few
years later (in 1901) he detected radio waves beamed across the Atlantic. Initially invented for
telegraph, radio is now a major medium for audio broadcasting.

Television was the new media for the 20th century. It brings the video and has since changed the
world of mass communications.

Some of the important events in relation to Multimedia in Computing include:

1945 - Bush wrote about Memex

1967 - Negroponte formed the Architecture Machine Group at MIT
1969 - Nelson & Van Dam hypertext editor at Brown
Birth of The Internet
1971 - Email
1976 - Architecture Machine Group proposal to DARPA: Multiple Media
1980 - Lippman & Mohl: Aspen Movie Map
1983 - Backer: Electronic Book
1985 - Negroponte, Wiesner: opened MIT Media Lab
1989 - Tim Berners-Lee proposed the World Wide Web to CERN (European Council for Nuclear
Research)
1990 - K. Hooper Woolsey, Apple Multimedia Lab, 100 people, educ.
1991 - Apple Multimedia Lab: Visual Almanac, Classroom MM Kiosk
1992 - the first M-bone audio multicast on the Net
1993 - U. Illinois National Center for Supercomputing Applications: NCSA Mosaic
1994 - Jim Clark and Marc Andreesen: Netscape
1995 - JAVA for platform-independent application development. Duke is the first applet.
1996 - Microsoft, Internet Explorer