Term Paper of Computer

TERM PAPERS ON COMPUTERS

Brief History Of Data Bases

In the 1960's, the use of main frame computers became widespread in many companies. To access vast amounts of stored information, these companies started to use computer programs like COBOL and FORTRAN. Data accessibility and data sharing soon became an important feature because of the large amount of information recquired by different departments within certain companies. With this system, each application owns its own data files. The problems thus associated with this type of file processing was uncontrolled redundancy, inconsistent data, inflexibility, poor enforcement of standards, and low programmer maintenance.

A Brief History of Library Automation: 1930-1996

An automated library is one where a computer system is used to manage one or several of the library's key functions such as acquisitions, serials control, cataloging, circulation and the public access catalog. When exploring the history of library automation, it is possible to return to past centuries when visionaries well before the computer age created devices to assist with their book lending systems. Even as far back as 1588, the invention of the French "Book Wheel" allowed scholars to rotate between books by stepping on a pedal

that turned a book table. Another interesting example was the "Book Indicator", developed by Albert Cotgreave in 1863. It housed miniature books to represent books in the library's collection. The miniature books were part of a design that made it possible to determine if a book was in, out or overdue. These and many more examples of early ingenuity in library systems exist, however, this paper will focus on the more recent computer automation beginning in the early twentieth century.

A Hacker

A hacker is a person obsessed with computers. At the heart of the obsession is a drive master the computer. The classic hacker was simply a compulsive programmer. It is only recently that the term hacker became associated with...