Assignment 1

CGS 1570

Assignment 1

Online Experience

Objective: You will show your competence in finding information on the Internet (World Wide Web) and communicating that information to others via email (Pirate Mail). Use a Web browser program, online reference sites, and Internet search engines to find answers to any 10 of the following questions, and then compose your answer using Word, WordPad, or Notepad. Send an email attachment containing those answers to your instructor.

Required Materials/Components:

A computer with a connection to the Internet.
Access on that computer to either Internet Explorer or Firefox.
Your username and password for Pirate Mail.

Required Format for Submission:

You must use Pirate Mail to send your answers as an attachment to your instructor at llemley@pjc.edu.
You must include your class section number and your name in the subject line (ex. Section 0257, John Smith).
You must type your class section number, meeting time, and your name on the first line of your answers (ex. Section 0257, 7:30-8:45 MW, John Smith).
All answers must conform to the following format:

Question #.

Answer: The answer to the question.

URL(s): Addresses where you found the answers

Engine/Site(s): The search engines (if any) you used.

Keyword(s): Any keywords you used in the search.

EXAMPLE

10.

Answer: TYPING AN ENTIRE SENTENCE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS is considered SHOUTING. It is bad netiquette to TYPE IN ALL CAPS, especially in e-mail.

URL(s): http://www.netlingo.com/lookup.cfm?term=SHOUTING

Engine/Site(s): Google

Keyword(s): shouting internet

1. Find three anti-spyware programs that could be used on a PC.

2. Find at least two websites that can perform a “speed test” on your internet connection. Run the tests. What are the speeds reported for both sites? Are the reported speeds the same for both sites? Is your connection speed about what you thought it should be?

3. Using an ASCII Table online, what is the decimal code for the character “A”?

4. Inputting drawings into a computer might best be accomplished using a “graphics tablet.” Before buying a tablet, though, you should investigate them. After finding and reading articles about graphics tablets online, what are some of their features, advantages, and disadvantages?

5. There are two competing standards for High Definition DVD on the market. They are in what might be termed a “format war” with each other. What are the names of the two standards? What is a “format war?”

6. There was another famous “format war” in the 1970’s and early 1980’s between VHS and ???. What was the VHS standard’s competitor called? Who “won” that war and when you compare the companies involved can you see any similarities between the earlier “war” and the current HD DVD “war?”

7. Running older programs, especially DOS based games, on modern PC’s is often a challenge. One possible solution is a program called DOSBOX. Investigate this program. What does it do? What does it cost? On what operating systems will it run?

8. Find TheOpenCD online. What is the purpose of this non-profit organization? Do you think you could make use of any of the programs they have collected?

9. You should back up the data on your hard drive often, more often than many of us do. A backup utility program comes with Windows XP, and there are other programs for locally backing up your data, but another choice is to use an “online backup” service. Find and compare 3 of these online backup services. If you had to choose one, which would it be and why?

10. Why is Charles Babbage known as the “father of computers”?

11. What is the IP Address of the computer you are using and how did you find that out?

12. What is “dogpile” and how does it differ from a search engine like Google or Ask?

13. A friend is thinking about buying a Lenovo Thinkpad x61. Find and read recent reviews online. What are the pros and cons of this computer system?

14 Someone suggested that you should “overclock” your CPU. What does that mean and what are the pros and cons of doing this?

15. What is Virtual Network Computing and where was it invented?

16. It seems silly, but a friend wants a “USB mug warmer” for Christmas. Where can you find one for sale and how much does it cost?

17. How do document “scanners” work?

18. What is currently the world’s fastest computer?

19. What is the National LambdaRail and how does it compare to the Abilene Network?

20. Define the following terms:

a. Computer Bus

b. SATA

c. Firewire

d. BIOS