Tools of Information Technology
Information Technology Practices in Business
B.Com (CBCS and Non CBCS)
Unit – 2: Tools of Information Technology
Modern tools
of Information technology and Information and Communication Technology
1. Telegram:
A written message supplied to the department of telecommunication, which in
turns sends, the message by telegram.
2. Telegraph:
A system of sending message by telegraph using both wires and electricity or
radio.
3. Telegraphy:
With reference to telecommunication, telegraphy is the process of sending
message by telegraph. Telegraph wire by which telegraph messages are sent.
4. Telepathy:
A quite different style of communication of ideas, though directly from one’s
mind without the use of audio or visual.
5. Telephone
Directory: Directory is a specially prepared type of book containing the
names and address of a particular group. Telephone directory is a list of
names, addresses and telephone numbers of a group of all the people in a
particular area who have telephones and the arrangement is according to
alphabetical order.
6. Telephone
exchange: A centrally-controlled system through which telephone calls are
directed. The use of telephone exchange is necessary in case of non-STD and in
the absence of direct dialing operation.
7. Teleprinter:
Teleprinter is a specialized type of typewriter used in communication system.
8. Teletype:
Teleprinter is a specialized type of typewriter used in communication system.
9. Telex:
Sending of messages through teleprinter is called telex.
10. Telecom:
Telecom signifies inter-communication system used to communicate with one another,
especially to talk between two rooms, officer, etc. by means of a telephone or
a radio system.
Some of the tools are explained below
A) Printing Press: The
printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenburg, a German inventor. The
printing press was invented around 1450 A.D. Until the 19th century
Gutenberg’s printing technology remained largely unchanged. However, in the
early 1800’s the development of continuous rolls of paper, steam-powered
presses meant that the invention kept up with the times as being an effective
way to mass produce many documents. Also the material for printing was changed
to use iron instead of wood. All of these changes added to the efficiency of
the printing press.
Long
before Gutenberg invented the press. The Chinese had begun using ink, block
printing and movable clay type technologies, all of which are combined together
in the Gutenberg printing press.
The
printing press works as follows: Each letter was carved into the end of steel
punch, which was then hammered into a small piece of copper called a blank. The
copper impression was inserted into a mold and a molten alloy made of lead,
antimony and bismuth was poured in. The alloy cooled quickly and the resulting
reverse image of the letter attached to a lead base could be handled in
minutes. The width of the lead base varied according to the letter’s size,
therefore the base of an “I” would not be nearly as wide as the base of a “w”.
The resulting alloy blocks were put together either by hand or by a linotype
machine (see linotype). The resulting line of type was inserted into a frame.
When all of the rows of type were in the frame the printer could put them in
the press, ink them and print as many copies as required. Obviously type
setting was a slow process so very often this process was only used for books
or newspapers for which there was a strong demand.
If
the printing press wasn’t invented then the cultural and industrial revolutions
wouldn’t have taken place. The introduction of the printing press also changed
the way the church operated. For the first time many people could read the
bible by themselves, in their native language. This meant a dramatic downturn
in the numbers of people that went to church. Also people began to question the
authority of the church, as there was nothing in the bible about having to pay
the church taxes, which was common at that time. Also the spread of words and
other people’s idea began to spread a lot faster after the invention of the
printing press. Also more people could read the availability of books and
documents. It marked Western culture’s first viable method of disseminating
ideas and information from a single source to a large and far-ranging audience.
B) Radio
Transmission: Radio waves transmit music, conversations, pictures and data
invisibly through the air, often over millions of miles every day and every
time in different ways. Even though radio waves are invisible and completely
undetectable to humans, they have totally changed society. Whether we are
talking about a cell phone, a baby monitor, a cordless phone or any one of the
thousands of other wireless technologies, all of them use radio waves to
communicate. Even things like radar and microwave ovens depend on radio waves.
Things like communication and navigation satellites would be impossible without
radio waves, as would modern aviation – an airplane depends on a dozen
different radio systems. The current trend toward wireless Internet access uses
radio as well and that means a lot more convenience in the future.
C) Telephone: During
the 1870s, two well known inventors both independently designed devices that
could transmit sound along electrical cables. Those inventors were Alexander
Graham Bell and Elisha Gray. The telephone commonly referred to as a phone, is
a telecommunications device that transmits and receives sound, most commonly
the human voice. Telephones are a point-to-point communication system whose
most basic function is to allow two people separated by large distances to talk
to one another. It is one of the most common household appliances in the
developed world and has long been considered indispensable to business,
industry and government. The word telephone has been adapted to many languages
and is widely recognized around the world.
The
telephone has gradually supplemented the telegraph as the principle system
of telecommunications. Not only does the telephone service as an instrument
for reproducing articulate speech and other sounds at a distance through the
medium of electric waves but its circuits carry telegraph telephoto and television
signals and data in a form that can be fed directly into processing devices.
In effect telephone circuits enable computers at remote points to communicate
with each other. As a consequence telephone systems have become an
integral part of modern telecommunication system, intern telecommunication systems
have become an integral part of IT.
D) TELEX: Telex
was designed to provide a fast and efficient means of exchanging written
messages between organisations using the telephone network. Since it was
started in 1932, the telex service has been constantly updated and now offers
many of the features associated with modern telephone communications, such as
an on-line directory, automatic dialling, and last-number redialling. The telex
service is a system in which each user has a unique code number. A telex
message would be sent as follows:
(1)
The user types or dials the number of the terminal for which the message is intended.
(2)
Once connected, the message is then typed-a copy of the message being produced
by both the sending and receiving terminals.
(3)
Proof that the call was made to the correct telex terminal is given by the
exchange of an ‘answerback' code.
The
main advantage of the telex system is its wide acceptance within the business
community, with a large number of users worldwide. The limitations of telex are
that it is based on a five-bit code that allows only a restricted character
set, and all messages appear in upper case (capital letters) only. These
limitations are, however, outweighed by its large number of users and the ease
with which telex enables organisations to communicate. Telexes might be sent
from a prospective customer to a supplier to confirm an order, from the head
office of a company to a regional office to advise on company policy, or from a
supplier to an overseas customer informing it of the dispatch of an urgent
spare part, for example. Although telex has been replaced by fax for many inter-company
communications, it is still widely used for international communications.
E) Telegraph:
The world telegraph comes from Greek words Tele which means a far
and graphein meaning write. The method of communication employing electrical signaling
impulses produced and received manually or by machines. Telegraphy as communication
techniques uses essentially a narrow frequency band and a transmission rate
adapted to machine operations. TEL uh graf was the first method used to send
messages by electricity. Tapping outwards letter by letter with a telegraph
sent at one time most telegraph message. Early equipment devised by Samuel F.
B. Morse consisted of a mechanical transmitter and receiver. Operators soon
learned to handle messages faster by using simple manual keys, and audible sounders.
The telegraph revolutionized long distance communication. Until its invention,
messengers served as the chief means of communication at a distance. In 1790s
Claude Chappe, a French inventor established a system visual telegraph is
semaphores that relayed messages across France. In 1820, Hans Christian Oersted
of Denmark showed that an electric current could produce a magnetic field that
an electric current can produce a magnetic field that will turn a compass needle.
Using the electromagnetic techniques three scientists namely William F. Cooks,
Charles Wheatstone and F. B. Morse developed successful electrical telegraphs.
Today, machines telegraph, messages. The facsimile machine has a keyboard, and
the operators sends a message by typing it. A printing device a receiving it
automatically types it on the paper.
EMERGING
TRENDS IN IT
21st century
has been defined by application of and advancement in information technology.
Information technology has become an integral part of our daily life. According
to Information Technology Association of America, information technology is
defined as “the study, design, development, application, implementation,
support or management of computer-based information systems.” Information
technology has served as a big change agent in different aspect of business and
society. It has proven game changer in resolving economic and social issues. Advancement
and application of information technology are ever changing. Some of the trends
in the information technology are as follows:
A. Semiconductor
Technology: Enormous improvements in the performance of integrated circuits and
cost reductions brought about by rapid miniaturization have driven much of the
advances in IT. A related trend is the migration of computing into other
devices and equipment. This is not a new trend – automobiles have been major
users of microprocessors since the late 1970s – but as semiconductor chips
become more powerful and less expensive, they are becoming increasingly
ubiquitous. Also, new capabilities are being added to chips. These include
micro electromechanical system (MEMs), such as sensors and actuators and
digital signal processors that enable cost reductions and extend IT into new
types of devices.
B. Information
Storage: Disk drives and other forms of information storage reflect similar
improvements in cost and performance. As consequence, the amount of information
in digital form has expanded greatly. Estimates of the amount of original
information (excluding copies and reproductions) suggest that information on
disk drives now constitutes the majority of information. Increasingly, much of
this information is available on-line. Computers,
reflecting the improvements in their components, have shown similar dramatic
improvements in performance. Due to improvements in semiconductors, storage and
other components, price declines in computers (adjusted for quality) have
actually accelerated since 1995.
C. Networking:
The third trend is the growth of networks. Computers are increasingly connected
in networks, including local area networks and wide area networks. Many early
commercial computer networks, such as those used by automated teller machines
and airline reservation systems, used proprietary systems that required
specialized software or hardware (or both).
The growth in
networking has been enabled by rapid advances in optical networking. In 1990, a
single optical fiber could transmit about 1 billion bits per second; by 2000, a
single fiber could transmit nearly 1 trillion bits per second.
D. Cloud
Computing: One of the most talked about concept in information technology is
the cloud computing. Clouding computing is defined as utilization of computing
services, i.e. software as well as hardware as a service over a network.
Typically, this network is the internet. Cloud computing offers 3 types of
broad services mainly Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service
(PaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS).
Some of the
benefit of cloud computing is as follows:
1)
Cloud computing reduces IT infrastructure cost
of the company.
2)
Cloud computing promotes the concept of
virtualization, which enables server and storage device to be utilized across
organization.
3)
Cloud computing makes maintenance of software
and hardware easier as installation is not required on each end user’s
computer.
Some issues
concerning cloud computing are privacy, compliance, security, legal, abuse, IT
governance, etc.
E. Mobile
Application: Another emerging trend within information technology is mobile
applications (software application on Smart phone, tablet, etc.) Mobile
application or mobile app has become a success since its introduction. They are
designed to run on Smartphone, tablets and other mobile devices. They are
available as a download from various mobile operating systems like Apple,
Blackberry, Nokia, etc. Some of the mobile app are available free where as some
involve download cost. The revenue collected is shared between app distributor
and app developer.
F. User
Interfaces: User interface has undergone a revolution since introduction of
touch screen. The touch screen capability has revolutionized way end users
interact with application. Touch screen enables the user to directly interact
with what is displayed and also removes any intermediate hand-held device like
the mouse. Touch screen capability is utilized in smart phones, tablet,
information kiosks and other information appliances.
G. Analytics:
The field of analytics has grown many folds in recent years. Analytics is a
process which helps in discovering the informational patterns with data. The
field of analytics is a combination of statistics, computer programming and
operations research.
The field of
analytics has shown growth in the field of data analytics, predictive analytics
and social analytics.
Data
analytics is tool used to support decision-making process. It converts raw data
into meaningful information.
Predictive
analytics is tool used to predict future events based on current and historical
information.
Social media
analytics is tool used by companies to understand and accommodate customer
needs.
The every
changing field of information technology has seen great advancement and changes
in the last decade. And from the emerging trend, it can be concluded that its
influence on business is ever growing, and it will help companies to serve
customers better.
Introduction to Media
Convergence
Media convergence has become a
vital element of life for many people. With the development of technology in
different platforms and operations such as television, Internet and
mobile communication, audiences have had both a bigger choice of media and a
life which media technologies has made easier. Media
Convergence is the phenomenon involving the interlocking of computing and
information technology companies, telecommunications networks, and content
providers from the publishing worlds of newspapers, magazines, music, radio,
television, films, and entertainment software. Media convergence brings together
the “three Cs”—computing, communications, and content.
The ACMA defines
media convergence as ‘the phenomenon where digitization of content, as well as
standards and technologies for the carriage and display of digital content, are
blurring the traditional distinctions between broadcasting and other media
across all elements of the supply chain, for content generation, aggregation,
distribution and audiences’
Simply, Media
convergence is defined as the technological merging of content in different
mass media. Media convergence is a theory, and subsequently a practice, in
communications where every mass or niche medium eventually merges with each
other to the point that they are indistinguishable from each other, creating a
new medium from the synthesis, due to the advent of new communication
technologies. With the advent of new medium over the Internet and the mobile,
media convergence is now an increasing reality in the India media and
entertainment industry.
Advantages and
Disadvantages of Media Convergence
Advantages of
Media Convergence
1. Media for the
Consumers: Like any other business, the purpose of the media is to
earn profit and the only way they can do so, is by providing the viewers with
whatever they want. So something that is popular in media stays on, while
others are just chucked out. Since people are responsible for what appears in
the media, it is assumed that quality media wins.
2. Minimal
Government Control: If the media is consolidated, and it is people who make
choices of what they want to see, the government control is minimal.
3. The Advantage
of Converging Technologies: Due to converging technologies the media
houses are fueled by the desire to reach consumers in different and often
innovative ways. This allows the user to get a phone, TV and internet from a
single company, and pay a single competitively priced bill, instead of three
different bills. The competition among the few media houses also ensures better
and lower prices for the consumers.
4.
Diversification: With media convergence there is lesser investment risk.
Therefore, a bad phase by a subsidiary of the media conglomerate can be
counterbalanced by more profitable ventures. Meanwhile, the pro consolidation
voice also argues that with diversification there are a number of TV channels,
movie productions, newspapers, radio or the Internet offered by companies. Thus
every niche is catered for, and every voice is heard.
5. Direct Participation of Public: Due to media
convergence, people can directly provide feedback to the media. Media are
increasingly evolving into a better direction. In addition, people become more
free to choose the information, without having to be bound by the agenda
setting theory is designed in traditional media. As well, the public can
participate as a conduit of information to the media.
6. Citizen Journalism: The presence of public
spaces in the media convergence which then led to the innovation of
citizen journalism. Media convergence requires direct feedback from the public
that the media follows the growing trend toward becoming better.
7. Bigger Choice of
Media: Media
convergence has become a vital element of life for many people. With the
development of technology in different platforms and operations
such as television, Internet and mobile communication, audiences have had both
a bigger choice of media and a life which media technologies has made easier.
8. Lowe Cost: With the
development of technology, the cost of products and software was lowered.
Instead of having different news crews for every medium, one converged media
operation can use the same reporters and staff to produce stories for,
television, telecommunication and Internet mediums.
Disadvantages of
Media Convergence
1. Lack of
Competition: One of the biggest fears in the minds of those opposing
media convergence is that the large media houses will silence alternate views,
which can then lead to a decline in democratic viewpoints. It is staggering to
imagine that only a handful of media houses cater to billions of viewers.
They are responsible
for controlling all aspects of the industry, from creation and production to
delivery. This has led to lack of meaningful content and alternate viewpoints
in the media. So, every channel you tune into expresses the same opinions.
There is marked censorship of content, especially if it is too controversial.
The lack of diversity is a direct result of monopoly in the market, and little
or no healthy market-based competition.
2. Money vs.
Public Interest: The lack of adequate competition also means that media
houses now, run after money instead of serving public interest. Since every
media house is now ensured of a large global audience, the focus shifts from
providing quality services to getting more money. Innovative or risky ideas are
now squelched in favor of 'tried and tested' methods. Moreover, with less
competition, the media houses charge more and, due to the lack of alternatives,
the consumer has to pay.
3. Focus on
Advertisers: The commercially driven media is loyal to their
sponsors and advertisers, not to the viewers. There is minimal interest in
journalism and public affairs, and more concentration of lucrative genres that
do quite well.
4.
Under-representation of Women: There is a vast under-representation of women and
people of color in media. Even though women consist of 51 % of the Indian
population, they hold less than 7 percent of all TV and radio station licenses.
There is also a lack of accurate coverage and diverse programming related to
women and minorities in the media.
5. Biased Political
Views: Large media houses are also blamed for their biased
political views. Media companies are known to support candidates and political
parties. When donations of this magnitude are made, it affects and influences
the content in the media as well.
6. Less Local
News: With the monopoly of large media businesses, the local
news takes a backseat. With cross-owned media there was a marked production of
total news produced locally.
7. Health Risk: It is believed that
new media devices such as cell phones can cause serious health risk. Such as
headaches, ear aches, blurring of vision can cause cancer.
8. Security
Risk: High
security risk Content can be stolen, copied and redistributed with the proper
consent or authorization. Added to that identity theft and compromise of
personal information such as credit card details.
9. Lack of
Credibility: It
makes it harder to locate credible sources as most of new media devices such as
the internet and social networking sites such as YouTube often times does not
filter the information on these site.