QNO:5(A)

What are the current trends in computer hardware platforms?

Describe the evolving mobile platform, grid computing, and cloud computing.

Mobile platform: more and more business computing is moving from PCs and desktop
machines to mobile devices like cell phones and smartphones. Data transmissions, Web
surfing, e-mail and instant messaging, digital content displays, and data exchanges with
internal corporate systems are all available through a mobile digital platform. Netbooks,
small low-cost lightweight subnotebooks that are optimized for wireless communication
and Internet access, are included.

Windows Mobile is a mobile operating system developed by Microsoft that was for use in
smartphones and mobile devices, but is being phased out to specialized markets.[2]

The current version is called "Windows Mobile 6.5". It is based on the Windows CE 5.2
kernel, and features a suite of basic applications developed using the Microsoft Windows
API. It is designed to be somewhat similar to desktop versions of Windows, feature-wise and
aesthetically. Additionally, third-party software development is available for Windows
Mobile, and software applications can be purchased via the Windows Marketplace for
Mobile.

Originally appearing as the Pocket PC 2000 operating system, most Windows Mobile devices
come with a stylus pen, which is used to enter commands by tapping it on the screen.[3]
Microsoft announced a completely new phone platform, Windows Phone 7, at the Mobile
World Congress in Barcelona on February 15, 2010. Phones running Windows Mobile 6.x
will not be upgradeable to version 7.[4]

Windows Mobile's share of the Smartphone market has fallen year-on-year,[5] decreasing 20%
in Q3 2009.[6] It is the 5th most popular smartphone operating system, with a 5% share of the
worldwide smartphone market (after Symbian, BlackBerry OS, Android and iPhone).[7] In the
United States, it is the 3rd most popular smartphone operating system for business use (after
BlackBerry OS and iPhone), with a 24% share among enterprise users.[8] Microsoft is phasing
out Windows Mobile to specialized markets, such as rugged devices, and focusing on its new
mobile platform, Windows Phone 7.[2]

Common features

Windows Mobile for Pocket PC carries these standard features in most of its versions:

• Today Screen shows the current date, owner information, upcoming appointments, e-
mail messages, and tasks. (Is now Home screen in later WM6.5 builds)
• The taskbar shows the current time and the volume.
• Office Mobile a suite of Mobile versions of Microsoft Office applications
• Outlook Mobile comes with Windows Mobile.
• Internet Explorer Mobile is an Internet browser developed by Microsoft for Pocket PC
and Handheld PC that comes loaded by default with Windows Mobile and Windows
CE for Handheld PC.
• Windows Media Player for Windows Mobile.
 • Client for PPTP VPNs.
• Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) which in mobile phones allows attached computers
to share internet connections via USB and Bluetooth.
• Coherent file system similar to that of Windows 9x/Windows NT and support for
many of the same file types.
• Ability to multitask.

Hardware
See also: List of Windows Mobile devices

There are three versions of Windows Mobile for various hardware devices:[9]

• Windows Mobile Professional runs on (smartphones) with touchscreens

• Windows Mobile Standard runs on phones with regular screens
• Windows Mobile Classic which runs on 'Windows Mobile Classic devices' (Pocket
PCs).

An O2 Pocket PC phone

A Smartphone (T-Mobile Dash)

Windows Mobile Classic devices (Pocket PC)

A 'Windows Mobile Classic device' is a Windows Mobile personal digital assistant (PDA)
that does not have telephone functionality. It was formerly known as the Pocket PC. It was
the original intended platform for the Windows Mobile operating system. These devices
consisted of both standalone Pocket PC devices without mobile phone capabilities, and those
that included mobile phone capabilities. The most current name of Windows Mobile intended
for use on Pocket PCs is officially "Windows Mobile 6 Professional" for devices with mobile
phone capabilities and "Windows Mobile 6 Classic" for devices without mobile phone
capabilities.

Windows Mobile Smartphones

The 'Windows Mobile' (Microsoft's term for its range of smartphones) became the next
hardware platform after the Pocket PC to run Windows Mobile, and debuted with the release
of Pocket PC 2002. Although in the broad sense of the term "Smartphone", both Pocket PC
phones and Microsoft branded Smartphones each fit into this category, it should be noted that
Microsoft's use of the term "Smartphone" includes only more specific hardware devices that
differ from Pocket PC phones. Such Smartphones were originally designed without
touchscreens, intended to be operated more efficiently with only one hand, and typically had
lower display resolution than Pocket PCs. Microsoft's focus for the Smartphone platform was
to create a device that functioned well as a phone and data device in a more integrated
manner.[10]

Version history
Pocket PC 2000

Grid computing: connects geographically remote computers into a

single network to create a “virtual supercomputer” by combining the computational
power of all computers on the grid.

Grid computing is a term referring to the combination of computer resources from multiple
administrative domains to reach a common goal. The Grid can be thought of as a distributed
system with non-interactive workloads that involve a large number of files. What
distinguishes grid computing from conventional high performance computing systems such
as cluster computing is that grids tend to be more loosely coupled, heterogeneous, and
geographically dispersed. Although a grid can be dedicated to a specialized application, it is
more common that a single grid will be used for a variety of different purposes. Grids are
often constructed with the aid of general-purpose grid software libraries known as
middleware.

Grid size can vary by a considerable amount. Grids are a form of distributed computing
whereby a “super virtual computer” is composed of many networked loosely coupled
computers acting together to perform very large tasks. Furthermore, “Distributed” or “grid”
computing in general is a special type of parallel computing that relies on complete
computers (with onboard CPUs, storage, power supplies, network interfaces, etc.) connected
to a network (private, public or the Internet) by a conventional network interface, such as
Ethernet. This is in contrast to the traditional notion of a supercomputer, which has many
processors connected by a local high-speed computer bus.
Overview

Grid computing combines computers from multiple administrative domains to reach common
goal.[1] to solve a single task and may then disappear just as quickly.

One of the main strategies of grid computing is to use middleware to divide and apportion
pieces of a program among several computers, sometimes up to many thousands. Grid
computing involves computation in a distributed fashion, which may also involve the
aggregation of large-scale cluster computing-based systems.

The size of a grid may vary from small—confined to a network of computer workstations
within a corporation, for example—to large, public collaborations across many companies
and networks. "The notion of a confined grid may also be known as an intra-nodes
cooperation whilst the notion of a larger, wider grid may thus refer to an inter-nodes
cooperation".[2]

Grids are a form of distributed computing whereby a “super virtual computer” is composed of
many networked loosely coupled computers acting together to perform very large tasks. This
technology has been applied to computationally intensive scientific, mathematical, and
academic problems through volunteer computing, and it is used in commercial enterprises for
such diverse applications as drug discovery, economic forecasting, seismic analysis, and back
office data processing in support for e-commerce and Web servic

Cloud computing is a technology that uses the internet and central remote servers to maintain data and

applications. Cloud computing allows consumers and businesses to use applications without installation and

access their personal files at any computer with internet access. This technology allows for much more efficient

computing by centralizing storage, memory, processing and bandwidth.

A simple example of cloud computing is Yahoo email or Gmail etc. You dont need a software or a server to use

them. All a consumer would need is just an internet connection and you can start sending emails. The server and

email management software is all on the cloud ( internet) and is totally managed by the cloud service provider

Yahoo , Google etc. The consumer gets to use the software alone and enjoy the benefits. The analogy is , 'If you

only need milk , would you buy a cow ?' All the users or consumers need is to get the benefits of using the

software or hardware of the computer like sending emails etc. Just to get this benefit (milk) why should a

consumer buy a (cow) software /hardware ?

Cloud computing is broken down into three segments: "applications," "platforms," and "infrastructure." Each

segment serves a different purpose and offers different products for businesses and individuals around the world.

In June 2009, a study conducted by VersionOne found that 41% of senior IT professionals actually don't know

what cloud computing is and two-thirds of senior finance professionals are confused by the concept,[1] highlighting

the young nature of the technology. In Sept 2009, an Aberdeen Group study found that disciplined companies
achieved on average an 18% reduction in their IT budget from cloud computing and a 16% reduction in data

center power costs.[2]

Cloud Computing Segments

Applications: It's all On Demand

So far the applications segment of cloud computing is the only segment that has proven useful as a business

model.The Cloud Wars: $100 Billion at Stake, Published by Merrill Lynch, May 7, 2008</ref> By running

business applications over the internet from centralized servers rather than from on-site servers, companies can

cut some serious costs. Furthermore, while avoiding maintenance costs, licensing costs and the costs of the

hardware required to run servers on-site, companies are able to run applications much more efficiently from a

computing standpoint.

 Who is Offering On Demand Software? - The companies below are already established in the On-

Demand software or SaaS business. These companies charge their customers a subscription fee and in

return host software on central servers that are accessed by the end user via the internet.

 Salesforce.com (CRM)

 Google (GOOG)

 NetSuite (N)

 Cordys

 Taleo (TLEO)

 Concur Technologies (CNQR)

 Who is Offering Traditional Software? - The following companies have established themselves as

traditional software providers. These companies sell licenses to their users, who then run the software from

on premise servers.

 SAP AG (SAP)

 Oracle (ORCL)

 Blackbaud (BLKB)

 Lawson Software (LWSN)

 Blackboard (BBBB)

Platforms:
Many of the companies that started out providing On Demand application services have developed platform

services as well. The platform segment of cloud computing refers to products that are used to deploy internet.

NetSuite, Amazon, Google, and Microsoft have also developed platforms that allow users to access applications

from centralized servers.

In July 2008, HP, Yahoo! (YHOO), and Intel (INTC) announced a joint cloud computing research project called

the Cloud Computing Test Bed. The companies are jointly designing and producing the internet based testing

utilizing HP hardware and Intel processors.[3]

 Active platforms - The following companies are some that have developed platforms that allow end

users to access applications from centralized servers using the internet. Next to each company is the name

of their platform.

 Google (GOOG) - Apps Engine

 Amazon.com (AMZN) - EC2

 Microsoft (MSFT) - Windows Azure

 SAVVIS (SVVS) - Symphony VPDC

 Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) - The Enterprise Cloud

 Salesforce.com (CRM) - Force.com

 NetSuite (N) - Suiteflex

 Rackspace Cloud - cloudservers, cloudsites, cloudfiles

 Metrisoft - Metrisoft SaaS Platform

 [1] - SUN Oracle direct link

 Cordys Process Factory - The Enterprise Cloud Platform

Infrastructure:
The final segment in cloud computing, known as the infrastructure, is very much the backbone of the entire

concept. Infrastructure vendors environments (such as Google gears) that allow users to build applications.

Cloud storage, such as Amazon's S3, is also considered to be part of the infrastructure segment.

 Major Infrastructure Vendors - Below are companies that provide infrastructure services:

 Google (GOOG) - Managed hosting, development environment

 International Business Machines (IBM) - Managed hosting

 SAVVIS (SVVS) - Managed hosting & cloud computing

 Terremark Worldwide (TMRK) - Managed hosting

 Amazon.com (AMZN) - Cloud storage

 Rackspace Hosting (RAX) - Managed hosting & cloud computing

Explain how businesses can benefit from autonomic computing, virtualization, and
multicore processors.

Autonomic computing
Benefits of autonomic computing include systems that automatically do the
following:
 • Configure themselves
• Optimize and tune themselves
• Heal themselves when broken
• Protect themselves from outside intruders and self-destruction
• Reduces maintenance costs
• Reduces downtime from system crashes

Virtualization
Benefits of server virtualization include:
• Run more than one operating system at the same time on a single machine.
• Increase server utilization rates to 70 percent or higher.
• Reduce hardware expenditures. Higher utilization rates translate into fewer
computers required to process the same amount of work.
• Mask server resources from server users.
• Reduce power expenditures.
• Run legacy applications on older versions of an operating system on the same
server as newer applications.
• Facilitates centralization of hardware administration.

Multicore processors
Benefits of multi-core processors:
• Cost savings by reducing power requirements and hardware sprawl
• Less costly to maintain as fewer systems need to be monitored.
• Performance and productivity benefits beyond the capabilities of today’s
single-core processors.
• Able to handle the exponential growth of digital data and the globalization of
the Internet.
• Able to meet the demands of sophisticated software applications under
development.
• Run applications more efficiently than single-core processors – giving users
the ability to keep working even while running the most processor intensive
task in the background.
• Able to increase performance in areas such as data mining, mathematical
analysis, and Web serving.

What are the current trends in software platforms?

Define and describe open source software and Linux and explain their business
benefits.

Open-source software provides all computer users with free access to the program code
so they can modify the code, fix errors in it, or to make improvements. Open-source
software is not owned by any company or individual. A global network of programmers
and users manage and modify the software. By definition, open-source software is not
restricted to any specific operating system or hardware technology. Several large software
companies are converting some of their commercial programs to open source.
Linux is the most well-known open-source software. It’s a UNIX-like operating system
that can be downloaded from the Internet, free of charge, or purchased for a small fee
from companies that provide additional tools for the software. It is reliable, compactly
designed, and capable of running on many different hardware platforms, including
servers, handheld computers, and consumer electronics. Linux has become popular
during the past few years as a robust low-cost alternative to UNIX and the Windows
operating system.

Thousands of open-source programs are available from hundreds of Web sites.

Businesses can choose from a range of open-source software including operating systems,
office suites, Web browsers, and games. Open-source software allows businesses to
reduce the total cost of ownership. It provides more robust software that’s often more
secure than proprietary software.

Define and describe Web services and the role played by XML.

Web services offer a standardized alternative for dealing with integration across various
computer platforms. Web services are loosely coupled software components based on
XML and open Web standards that are not product specific and can work with any
application software and operating system. They can be used as components of Web-
based applications linking the systems of two different organizations or to link disparate
systems of a single company. Web services are not tied to a particular operating system
or programming language. Different applications can use them to communicate with each
other in a standard way without time-consuming custom coding.

XML provides a standard format for data exchange, enabling Web services to pass data
from one process to another

Businesses use Web services to tie their Web sites with external Web sites creating an
apparently seamless experience for users. The benefit derives from not having to re-
create applications for each business partner or specific functions within a single compan

Name and describe the three external sources for software.

Software packages from a commercial software vendor: prewritten commercially

available set of software programs that eliminates the need for a firm to write its own
software program for certain functions, such as payroll processing or order handling.

Software-as-a-service: a business that delivers and manages applications and computer

services from remote computer centers to multiple users using the Internet or a private
network. Instead of buying and installing software programs, subscribing companies can
rent the same functions from these services. Users pay for the use of this software either
on a subscription or a per-transaction basis. The business must carefully assess the costs
and benefits of the service, weighing all people, organizational, and technology issues. It
must ensure it can integrate the software with its existing systems and deliver a level of
service and performance that is acceptable for the business.

Outsourcing custom application development: an organization contracts its custom

software development or maintenance of existing legacy programs to outside firms,
 frequently firms that operate offshore in low-wage areas of the world An outsourcer
often has the technical and management skills to do the job better, faster, and more
efficiently. Even though it’s often cheaper to outsource the maintenance of an IT
infrastructure and the development of new systems to external vendors, a business must
weight the pros and cons carefully. Service level agreements are formal contracts
between customers and service providers that define the specific responsibilities of the
service provider and the level of service expected by the customer.

QNO:5(B)
Network economics refers to business economics that benefit from the network effect. This
is when the value of a good or service increases when others buy the same good or service.
Examples are website such as EBay, or iVillage where the community comes together and
shares thoughts to help the website become a better business organization.

In sustainability, network economics refers to multiple professionals (architects, designers, or

related businesses) all working together to develop sustainable products and technologies.
The more companies are involved in environmentally friendly production, the easier and
cheaper it becomes to produce new sustainable products. For instance, if no one produces
sustainable products, it is difficult and expensive to design a sustainable house with custom
materials and technology. But due to network economics, the more industries are involved in
creating such products, the easier it is to design an environmentally sustainable building.

Another benefit of network economics in a certain field is improvement that results from
competition and networking within an industry.

Network Interactions
Clearly, one of the principal facets of the Network
Econ-
omy is the interaction among the networks
themselves.
For example, the increasing use of e-commerce espe-
cially in business to business transactions is changing
not only the utilization and structure of the underlying
logistical networks but is also revolutionizing how
busi-
ness itself is transacted and the structure of _rms and
industries.
Cellular phones are being using as vehicles move
dynam-
ically over transportation networks resulting in
dynamic
evolutions of the topologies themselves.
This course also, under \advanced topics" explores
the
network interactions among such networks as
transporta-
tion networks and telecommunication networks, as
well
as _nancial networks