Windows 7

Uummmmmmmmmmmmmm Windows 7.....
The best thing to happen to Microsoft's public relations in years, Windows 7 is more than just spin. Although the look of Windows 7 may seem to be nothing more than some polish applied liberally to the Vista Aero theme, make no mistake: this is a full replacement operating system, and more than just "Vista done right." From driver support to multitouch groundwork for the future, from better battery management to the most user-friendly interface Microsoft has ever had, Windows 7 is hardly half-baked.
The first thing that should stand out is the new taskbar. This is one of the best improvements Microsoft has made--third-party program dock makers are going to have to do some serious innovation when Windows 7 goes public. Besides incorporating the translucent style of Aero, the new taskbar is arguably even better than the Mac OS X dock. It features pinned programs using large, easy-to-see icons; mouse over one and all windows associated with that program appear in preview; mouse over one of those preview panes to reveal an X to close the window; and hover over the preview to show a full-size preview of the program, or click on the window to bring it to the front. When multiple windows from a pinned program are open, a thin line will appear next to the icon, giving users an elegant yet simple way to let them know they've got more than one window in play.
Jump lists are another new taskbar improvement that makes recently opened documents easier to get to. Right-click or left-click and drag on any program icon pinned to the taskbar to see a list of files that you've recently used in that program. In Internet Explorer, this will show recently visited Web sites, although it doesn't yet seem to work in Firefox or other browsers.
If you've noticed the missing Show Desktop icon, that's because it's been baked into the taskbar itself. Mouse over to the right corner; hovering over the Show Desktop box reveals the desktop, and then hides it when you mouse away. Click on the box to minimize all your programs.
Resizing programs has been simplified and improved by dragging a window's title bar. Drag a program window to the top of your monitor to expand it to full screen. If you want to work in two windows simultaneously, drag one to the left edge and one to the right edge of your screen, and they'll automatically resize to half the width of your monitor. Dragging a program away from the top or sides will return it to its original size. This is an entirely new feature in Windows 7, but should prove easy to adopt because it mimics and expands on the maximize/restore button that users have been resizing windows with since Windows 95.
Theme packages also make it much faster to change the look of Windows 7. From the Control Panel, you can change the theme under Appearance and Personalization. Microsoft has created several theme packages to give users a taste for what the feature can do. Click on one to download it, and it instantly changes the color scheme and background--no need to reboot. Users can create their own themes, as well.
One of the biggest new features makes Windows Media Player useful again: you can now stream media files from one Windows 7 computer to another, across the Internet and out of network. Even better, the setup procedure is dead simple.
When you open Windows Media Player, there's a new Stream option on the toolbar. Click it, and you're presented with two choices, both of which require you to associate your computer with your free Windows Live ID. When you've associated a second Windows 7's WMP with that same ID, you can remotely access the media on the host computer. Windows Media Player's mini mode looks much slicker, emphasizing the album art--sometimes at the expense of clearly seeing the controls, but it's a definite improvement.
The new Device Stage makes managing peripherals significantly easier, combining printers, phones, and portable media players into one window. A large photo of the peripheral summarizes important device stats and makes it easy to identify which devices you're using. Device Stage can also be used to preset common tasks, such as synchronization. Device Stage support for older devices makes one of Windows 7's best features applicable to peripherals and externals that don't need to be upgraded. One annoying change is that Bluetooth support no longer comes baked into the operating system. If you need a Bluetooth driver, you'll either need the installation disc on-hand or you'll have to go download it.
A less glitzy but no less important change to how removable drives are handled also can affect your media. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Vista, Windows 7 will no longer AutoRun external hard drives and USB keys when they're connected. This kills off a risky vector for malware infections that has been the bane of many security experts.
Other usability changes to Windows 7 include cold booting and launching programs faster, all from the same hardware that runs Vista. It never hurts to have good hardware, but Windows 7 won't require the hardware upgrade that many Vista users did. Part of that is because the hardware that Vista needed to run is now more common, but it's also because Windows 7 better manages available resources. Aero Peek runs fine on a Pentium 4 used for testing, and it doesn't require 2 GB of RAM, although ancient graphics cards won't do you any good.
There are other little tweaks, too. When you try to use a file already in use, Windows 7 goes beyond Vista and XP by telling you not just that it's being used, but where it's being used so you can manage the situation faster. The bloat-adverse will appreciate that it doesn't come with a slew of Windows Live programs, at least for now. UAC access has been streamlined from Vista, and users familiar with Vista's UAC should find the process to be more streamlined and less annoying, overall. However, one major bug allows UAC to be disabled remotely without notifying the user. Given that the flaw has been publicly known since January 2009, Microsoft doesn't appear to care to fix it.
Windows 7's native search feature has been improved. Files added to the hard drive were indexed so fast that they were searchable less than 5 seconds later. Search result snippets now include a longer snippet, and highlight the snippet more clearly. This should appeal specifically to people who juggle large numbers of long documents, but it's a useful feature for anybody who wants to find files faster.
At the time of testing, we lacked a touch-screen computer to try out multitouch zooming, taskbar previews, and other touch-screen features in Windows 7.
Experts and people or companies who hope to use Windows 7 for business situations will appreciate the new XP Mode. It doesn't have much of a practical application for the home consumer, but if you need to access programs designed for Windows XP that have not been upgraded to Windows Vista or 7, XP Mode creates a virtual environment within Windows 7 that should assuage any fears of upgrading without backward compatibility.
It's not easy to set up once you've downloaded the XP Mode installer. You'll need to double-check that you have the right hardware, and can get the right software. Hardware Virtualization Technology, also known as AMD-V, Vanderpool, or VT-d must be supported for it to work. Motherboards older than two years probably won't work, and even if you do have a newer one you might have to go into your BIOS and activate Hardware Virtualization. CPU-identification utilities that can tell you if you're in the clear or not are available from Microsoft. However, if compatibility is the issue, this hassle will be worth it to you. Users will have full access to peripherals connected to their Windows 7 hardware, including printers, and the clipboard can be used to cut and paste between the virtual operating system and the "real" one.
Judging by the beta and the release candidate, Windows 7 looks like the operating system that we've all been waiting for. Despite its imperfections, it shows a lot of promise for the future while presenting a stable platform that can compete comfortably with OS X and should reassure the world that Microsoft can still turn out a robust and useful new operating system.

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Microsoft Is Closing Encarta...

Microsoft Corp. is to exit its Encarta encyclopedia business later this year after losing ground over the years to freely available reference material on the Internet on web sites like Wikipedia.
"People today seek and consume information in considerably different ways than in years past," the software maker said in a notice posted on its MSN website.
Microsoft, which axed 5,000 jobs earlier this year to cut costs and warned profit and revenue would fall over the next two quarters, said it would stop selling Encarta software products by June. Encarta websites worldwide, except Encarta Japan, would be discontinued on October 31 and Encarta Japan will cease after December 31, the company said.

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World's Top Technology Creator...

The researchers' team led by Indian American scientist Vivek Pai has developed a revolutionary way to expand internet access around the world. The team of Princeton University computer science researchers created a new efficient data storage system called HashCache which got listed as one of the top emerging technologies of the year in scientific magazine, Technology Review. The scientific magazine is being published by Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
HashCache claims to store information more efficiently than current methods. The newly created data-caching system is expected to expand web use in developing regions around the world by making internet access more affordable. The new data storage system increases the possibilities of expanding internet facility across the poorer regions as it is very affordable. Compared to RAM, HashCache is capable of storing more information from frequently visited web sites on a local hard drive thereby enabling direct data access. Vivek Pai explained that by increasing the efficiency of internet data transfer, HashCache can reduce the cost of maintaining a hard drive.

Proud to be India.

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The Supercomputers

A supercomputer is a computer belonging to the highest performance capacity class available at any given time.The unit used for measuring the performance of supercomputers is Flop/s (Floating Point Operations per Second). It shows how many floating point calculations a computer can perform in one second. Floating point refers to a computer’s internal way of representing real numbers. In this representation, the significant figures and exponent of a number are saved separately.
Among the programs used for measuring the Flop/s value, Linpack developed by Jack Dongarra has gained the status of almost a standard. Linpack is used as the benchmark for the TOP500 list of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, which is updated and published on the Internet twice a year.
The architecture of supercomputers has undergone some major changes during their more than 30-year history. Cray 1, released in 1975, is considered the first real supercomputer. That computer introduced a new feature – the vector processor, which meant a crucial improvement in the speed of processing tabular data.
Some scientific problems and processes are so complex that you need Supercomputing power to tackle them! Just what is a supercomputer? Supercomputer is a computer that is among the largest, fastest or most powerful of the computers available. As of late 2007 the fastest supercomputers operate on the order of more than 200 teraflops (that's computer lingo for trillions of operations per second!). And supercomputers are being improved all the time! Soon they will operate on the petaflop-scale (that's one quadrillion operations per second!).
Supercomputers are used to tackle problems that are very complex or problems that would be messy to deal with in the real physical world because they are dangerous, deal with incredibly small things are incredibly big ones! Here's some examples:
Climate researchers model Earth's current and predicted future climate using supercomputers.
Astronomers and space scientists use supercomputers to study the Sun and space weather.
Scientists use supercomputers to simulate how a tsunami would impact a coastline or a given city.
Supercomputers are used to simulate supernova explosions in space.
Supercomputers are used to test the aerodynamics of the latest military planes.
Supercomputers are being used to model how proteins fold and how that folding might affect people that have Alzheimer's Disease, Cystic Fibrosis and many kinds of cancer.
Supercomputers are used to model nuclear explosions, limiting the need for real nuclear testing.

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World's emerging Technologies for future

World's top Ten Future Technologies ...

Here are the top 10 technologies and trends that will be strategic for most organizations. These strategic technologies as one with the potential for significant impact on the enterprise in the next few years. Factors that denote significant impact include a high potential for disruption to IT or the business, the need for a major dollar investment, or the risk of being late to adopt.
These technologies impact the organization's long-term plans, programs and initiatives. They may be strategic because they have matured to broad market use or because they enable strategic advantage from early adoption.
Strategic technologies affect, run, grow and transform the business initiatives of an organization. Companies should look at these 10 opportunities and evaluate where these technologies can add value to their business services and solutions, as well as develop a process for detecting and evaluating the business value of new technologies as they enter the market. The top 10 strategic technologies for 2009 include:
Virtualization. Much of the current buzz is focused on server virtualization, but virtualization in storage and client devices is also moving rapidly. Virtualization to eliminate duplicate copies of data on the real storage devices while maintaining the illusion to the accessing systems that the files are as originally stored (data deduplication) can significantly decrease the cost of storage devices and media to hold information. Hosted virtual images deliver a near-identical result to blade-based PCs. But, instead of the motherboard function being located in the data center as hardware, it is located there as a virtual machine bubble. However, despite ambitious deployment plans from many organizations, deployments of hosted virtual desktop capabilities will be adopted by fewer than 40 percent of target users by 2010.
Cloud Computing. Cloud computing is a style of computing that characterizes a model in which providers deliver a variety of IT-enabled capabilities to consumers. They key characteristics of cloud computing are 1) delivery of capabilities “as a service,” 2) delivery of services in a highly scalable and elastic fashion, 3) using Internet technologies and techniques to develop and deliver the services, and 4) designing for delivery to external customers. Although cost is a potential benefit for small companies, the biggest benefits are the built-in elasticity and scalability, which not only reduce barriers to entry, but also enable these companies to grow quickly. As certain IT functions are industrializing and becoming less customized, there are more possibilities for larger organizations to benefit from cloud computing.
Servers — Beyond Blades. Servers are evolving beyond the blade server stage that exists today. This evolution will simplify the provisioning of capacity to meet growing needs. The organization tracks the various resource types, for example, memory, separately and replenishes only the type that is in short supply. This eliminates the need to pay for all three resource types to upgrade capacity. It also simplifies the inventory of systems, eliminating the need to track and purchase various sizes and configurations. The result will be higher utilization because of lessened “waste” of resources that are in the wrong configuration or that come along with the needed processors and memory in a fixed bundle.
Web-Oriented Architectures. The Internet is arguably the best example of an agile, interoperable and scalable service-oriented environment in existence. This level of flexibility is achieved because of key design principles inherent in the Internet/Web approach, as well as the emergence of Web-centric technologies and standards that promote these principles. The use of Web-centric models to build global-class solutions cannot address the full breadth of enterprise computing needs. However, experts expects that continued evolution of the Web-centric approach will enable its use in an ever-broadening set of enterprise solutions during the next five years.
EnterpriseMashups. Enterprises are now investigating taking mashups from cool Web hobby to enterprise-class systems to augment their models for delivering and managing applications. Through 2010, the enterprise mashup product environment will experience significant flux and consolidation, and application architects and IT leaders should investigate this growing space for the significant and transformational potential it may offer their enterprises.
Specialized Systems. Appliances have been used to accomplish IT purposes, but only with a few classes of function have appliances prevailed. Heterogeneous systems are an emerging trend in high-performance computing to address the requirements of the most demanding workloads, and this approach will eventually reach the general-purpose computing market. Heterogeneous systems are also specialized systems with the same single-purpose imitations of appliances, but the heterogeneous system is a server system into which the owner installs software to accomplish its function.
Social Software and Social Networking. Social software includes a broad range of technologies, such as social networking, social collaboration, social media and social validation. Organizations should consider adding a social dimension to a conventional Web site or application and should adopt a social platform sooner, rather than later, because the greatest risk lies in failure to engage and thereby, being left mute in a dialogue where your voice must be heard.
Unified Communications. During the next five years, the number of different communications vendors with which a typical organization works with will be reduced by at least 50 percent. This change is driven by increases in the capability of application servers and the general shift of communications applications to common off-the-shelf server and operating systems. As this occurs, formerly distinct markets, each with distinct vendors, converge, resulting in massive consolidation in the communications industry. Organizations must build careful, detailed plans for when each category of communications function is replaced or converged, coupling this step with the prior completion of appropriate administrative team convergence.
Business Intelligence. Business Intelligence (BI) can have a direct positive impact on a company’s business performance, dramatically improving its ability to accomplish its mission by making smarter decisions at every level of the business from corporate strategy to operational processes. BI is particularly strategic because it is directed toward business managers and knowledge workers who make up the pool of thinkers and decision makers that are tasked with running, growing and transforming the business. Tools that let these users make faster, better and more-informed decisions are particularly valuable in a difficult business environment.
Green IT. Shifting to more efficient products and approaches can allow for more equipment to fit within an energy footprint, or to fit into a previously filled center. Regulations are multiplying and have the potential to seriously constrain companies in building data centers, as the effect of power grids, carbon emissions from increased use and other environmental impacts are under scrutiny. Organizations should consider regulations and have alternative plans for data center and capacity growth.
A strategic technology may be an existing technology that has matured and/or become suitable for a wider range of uses. It may also be an emerging technology that offers an opportunity for strategic business advantage for early adopters or with potential for significant market disruption in the next five years. Companies should evaluate these technologies and adjust based on their industry need, unique business needs, technology adoption model and other factors.

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Welcome to your Internet Future - Go - Fly Why Wimax..

Imagine Broadband on the Go
Broadband that travels with you across town or across the nation makes all things Internet available on your terms. WiMAX enables the freedom and convenience that comes from having your Internet standing by where and when you need it—staying connected on the go to the people, communities, and resources that make up our lives. Broadband on the go is your front row seat to all the rich multimedia Internet applications you already use, and exciting future possibilities enabled by Mobile WiMAX.
• Playing in Real-Time. Play multiplayer 3-D games, view YouTube* videos, listen to radio broadcasts—it’s all there waiting to entertain you on the go.
• Working Smarter. WiMAX pulls productivity out of thin air. Capture lost time by doing things in areas previously unavailable. Working on the go changes the rules of competition by allowing you to be more productive.
• Staying in Touch. Broadband on the go is about keeping in touch with family, friends, and your communities using all the typical tools like e-mail and IM, but WiMAX adds face-to-face video conferencing and voice to your connections.
• Locating People and Places. WiMAX enables a spontaneous lifestyle. Location-based services creates a new paradigm in accessing real-time information where and when you need it. Mobilizing Your Internet
• Receiving TV and Radio on the Go. There are just more streams of data available with WiMAX, so why not pipe broadcast television and radio into a Mobile WiMAX device? Radio stations already co-broadcast over the Internet. Mobile Internet-based TV transmissions also set the stage for content-on-demand services like movies and sporting events.
Making WiMAX Fly
A huge ecosystem of companies have coalesced around WiMAX to deliver on the promise of open, standards-based, interoperable wireless broadband built for the Internet. Why do you care? Well, standards deliver the benefits of cooperation and competition to consumers in product choices and innovation.

Why WiMAX?
WiMAX success stems from a robust vision incorporating four key strengths:
• Open standards-based, interoperable technology built from the ground up for the Internet fosters innovation and competition.
• Vibrant, growing ecosystem of industry leaders such as Intel, Sprint, Clearwire, Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, Cisco, and hundreds of other companies.
• Global economies of scale and more attractive intellectual property environment that enable lower costs compared to other wireless technologies.
• Advanced wireless technology that enables a faster wireless broadband solution for doing more on the go.

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Welcome to Your Internet Future

Welcome Aboard - Your Mobile Internet Future
You’ve fallen in love with Wi-Fi—being able to connect wirelessly to the Internet in your home, office, and from thousands of hotspots. Well, hold on to your Internet! Soon, a new wireless wind will be blowing over the landscape. WiMAX transmits broadband Internet connectivity for miles/kilometers, reaching into more of the places where we live, work, and play. Imagine broadband on the go enabled by WiMAX:
• Engaging in an epic, multiplayer 3-D battle on a train
• Video conferencing from the park
• Looking up the nearest local bookstore or getting directions to a restaurant while on the move
• Downloading movies while at the soccer field
• Staying productive on the road without searching for hotspots
This is our future—and WiMAX will deliver it.
Mobilizing Your Internet
A Wi-Fi hotspot is like an oasis in the desert. As you travel, your notebook connects to one Wi-Fi oasis after another to replenish your Internet thirst. In between and beyond these Wi-Fi watering holes are vast expanses of dead air where your notebook is unconnected. WiMAX will make these deserts come alive with the crackle of broadband Internet access.
What is WiMAX?
WiMAX combines the familiarity of Wi-Fi with the mobility of cellular that will deliver personal mobile broadband that moves with you. It will let you get connected to the Internet, miles from the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot. Soon, Mobile WiMAX will blanket large areas— metropolitan, suburban, or rural—delivering mobile broadband Internet access at speeds similar to existing broadband. WiMAX is built for the future with advanced, efficient wireless technology that provides higher speeds than today’s wide area wireless technologies. It will be able to completely transform your mobile Internet lifestyle, enabling you to connect in ways you’ve only dreamed about.
How Does WiMAX Work?
Think of WiMAX as taking the best part of cellular network access– the part that allows you to easily connect anywhere within your service provider’s wide coverage area and taking the best part of your Wi-Fi experience—the fast speeds and a familiar broadband Internet experience. And combining them into a new wireless standard. WiMAX is a Wide Area Network (WAN) technology. Service providers will deploy a network of towers that will enable access over many miles. Internet access is instantly available anywhere within coverage areas. And like Wi-Fi, WiMAX is a standards-based technology that will unleash the benefits of open markets and global economies of scale to deliver the devices and services that consumers want.

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WiMAX Technology

Now the whole city can be your hotspot
Imagine having a wireless connection with the kind of speed and performance you get at home that you could also take with you all over town. WiMAX brings this vision to life, ushering in a new era in mobile Internet.

WiMAX is the next evolution in wireless Internet, offering the best available mobile broadband experience with service covering entire metropolitan areas. Just like cell phones have eliminated the need to find a phone booth when you want to make a call, WiMAX frees you from staying within a Wi-Fi area to be connected - turning your city into one big hotspot that delivers strong, fast Internet performance. As service becomes widely available, you'll wonder how you ever lived without WiMAX.
Intel is committed to the future growth of WiMAX, and we're enabling broadband wireless Internet access around the world. Learn more about the worldwide providers who are helping roll out a global WiMAX network.

It is the next-generation of wireless technology designed to enable pervasive, high-speed mobile Internet access to the widest array of devices including notebook PCs, handsets, smartphones, and consumer electronics such as gaming devices, cameras, camcorders, music players, and more. As the fourth generation (4G) of wireless technology, WiMAX delivers low-cost, open networks and is the first all IP mobile Internet solution enabling efficient and scalable networks for data, video, and voice. As a major driver in the support and development of WiMAX, Intel has designed embedded WiMAX solutions for a variety of mobile devices supporting the future of high-speed broadband on-the-go.

IT Guru

Fastest desktop processor

The ultimate immersive gaming experience : Conquer the world of extreme gaming with the highest performing desktop processor on the planet - The Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition. With intelligent multi-core technology that kicks into overdrive as your activity becomes more intense, it delivers breakthrough performance in gaming. Plus, multitask demanding applications up to 25% faster and unleash amazing power for digital media creation.
Key Features :
Adrenaline on a chip Prepare to lose yourself in the action. The Intel® Core™ i7 processor Extreme Edition, incorporates technology that distributes AI, physics and rendering across eight software threads, putting you in the middle of a smoother, more realistic gaming experience.
Fast and efficient multitasking Whether you’re casually checking email and surfing the web or hopping between intensive apps like HD video encoding, the Intel Core i7 processor Extreme Edition enables maximum PC performance. And with more than double the memory access performance for reduced latency, you’ll achieve more and wait less.
More threads = more speed The Intel Core i7 processor Extreme Edition has an unprecedented design with two threads per core (i.e., total of four cores with eight threads). With twice as many threads, you can perform more tasks simultaneously and get things done faster.
Unmatched digital media creation It’s time for digital content creation that’s limited only by your imagination. Experience total creative freedom with the power to encode video up to 79% faster and render images up to 46% faster. And enjoy incredible performance on other multimedia tasks like photo retouching and editing.
Power on demand With optional Intel® Turbo Boost Technology, you can enjoy full processing power exactly where and when you need it most by accelerating performance to match the intensity of your activity. That means you can maximize speed for demanding applications and work more efficiently.
Gaming without limits Feed your need for speed and tune your system for maximum performance with overspeed protection removed.

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Intel Next Gen Processor...

Intel® Microarchitecture, Codenamed Nehalem
Intel's latest-generation microarchitecture, first exemplified as the Intel® Core™ i7 processor, represents the next step in faster, multi-core technology that intelligently maximized performance to match your workload. Designed from the ground up to take advantage of 45nm Hi-k next generation Intel® Core™ microarchitecture, Intel® microarchitecture, codenamed Nehalem, unleashes parallel processing performance enabled by an integrated memory controller and Intel® QuickPath Technology providing high-speed interconnects per independent processing core. The next level of multi-core performance, Intel® microarchitecture, codenamed Nehalem, offers the latest in processor innovation, including:

1. Dynamic scalability, managed cores, threads, cache, interfaces, and power for energy-efficient performance on-demand.
2. Design and performance scalability for servers, workstations, notebooks, and desktops with support for 2-8+ cores and up to 16+ threads with Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology), and scalable cache sizes, system interconnects, and integrated memory controllers.
3. Intelligent performance on-demand with Intel® Turbo Boost Technology taking advantage of the processor's power and thermal headroom. This enables increased performance of both multi-threaded and single-threaded workloads.
4. Increased performance on highly-threaded applications with Intel HT Technology, bringing high-performance applications into mainstream computing with 1-16+ threads optimized for new generation multi-core processor architecture. Scalable shared memory features memory distributed to each processor with integrated memory controllers and Intel QuickPath Technology high-speed point-to-point interconnects to unleash the performance of future versions of next-generation Intel® multi-core processors.
5. Multi-level shared cache improves performance and efficiency by reducing latency to frequently used data.

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Performance on demand...

Intel® Turbo Boost Technology
Intel® Turbo Boost Technology is one of the many exciting new features that Intel has built into latest-generation Intel® microarchitecture (codenamed Nehalem). It automatically allows processor cores to run faster than the base operating frequency if it's operating below power, current, and temperature specification limits.

Dynamically increasing performance
As an independent and complimentary feature, Intel® Hyper-Threading Technology (Intel® HT Technology) along with Intel Turbo Boost Technology increases performance of both multi-threaded and single threaded workloads. Intel Turbo Boost Technology is activated when the Operating System (OS) requests the highest processor performance state (P0).
The maximum frequency of Intel® Turbo Boost Technology is dependent on the number of active cores. The amount of time the processor spends in the Intel Turbo Boost Technology state depends on the workload and operating environment, providing the performance you need, when and where you need it.
Any of the following can set the upper limit of Intel Turbo Boost Technology on a given workload:
Number of active cores
Estimated current consumption
Estimated power consumption
Processor temperature
When the processor is operating below these limits and the user's workload demands additional performance, the processor frequency will dynamically increase by 133 MHz on short and regular intervals until the upper limit is met or the maximum possible upside for the number of active cores is reached. Conversely, when any of the limits are reached or exceeded, the processor frequency will automatically decrease by 133 MHz until the processor is again operating within its limits.

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The - Information Technology

Introduction Aim of the postThe aim of this post is to provide a brief summary of some of the main technological developments that have taken place in information technology and how these developments have had an influence on the way we work and on society in general, in the last thirty years.It would be useful to outline some "working definitions" for some of the terms, which have been introduced in the opening paragraph. These definitions will help define the scope of this post. Definitions of Terms used in the AimThe first definition is of "information technology". Information technology is the technology used to store, manipulate, distribute or create information. The type of information or data is not important to this definition. The technology is any mechanism capable of processing this data.Kathleen Guinee wrote, "By information technology, I mean the tools we use to perform calculations, to store and manipulate text, and to communicate. Some of these twentieth century tools include: the adding machine, slide rule, and calculator for performing calculations, the typewriter and word processor for processing text, and the telephone, radio, and television for communicating."The post will examine how advances in constructing and designing these mechanisms have affected the general society.The second definition is of "the way we work". The elements of this phrase can be split up into two main considerations, e.g. what we mean by the way and how we define work. The "way" will be defined for the purposes of this post as the processes that are used by individuals or organisations. "Work" shall be defined as when we apply the processes to accomplish some arbitrary task.The third definition is of "general society". Society can be defined as "a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests." The post will examine how the technological developments which have occurred in information technology have influenced a "broad grouping of people" in their "common traditions, institutions and/or collective activities". This broad grouping of people will primarily be those in the industrialised world of where "information technology" is commonly available.The fourth and final working definition in this introduction is "technological developments". For the purpose of this post this phrase has been defined with a reference to the previous definition of "information technology". A development in information technology is any improvement to the mechanism used to "store, manipulate, distribute or create information". This post aims to provide a brief summary of these developments. This will be achieved by highlighting only those developments that have influenced "general society".Having provided a few "working definitions" for some of the words in the initial paragraph the aim and scope of the post has been more clearly delimited.How the post will achieve the aimThe post will provide a summary of the main developments that have occurred in the last thirty years of information technology.After presenting this list the post will then justify each which has been identified primarily in terms of it’s advancement of technology.After the technological justification the post will then examine what influence if any these advances have had on society.Identification of main developmentsThe identification of significant developments begins chronologically in 1969. It was decided to arrange the developments in a chronological order. The advantages of this approach for this section of the post are that the developments are presented in a logical order. A development in the sphere of information technology often was dependent upon other developments that preceded it. The chronological order therefore provides a simple and commonly understood framework in which to present the summary.Timeline1969:The Arpanet is introduced, funded by the department of defence. (http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/hacker-history/hacker-history-2.html)1970:The first automatic teller machine is introduced. (www.warbaby.com/FG_test/Timeline.html)E.F.Codd describes the relational model (databases) (http://www.computer.org/computer/timeline/timeline.pdf)1971:The first single chip central processing unit was introduced, the Intel 4004. (www.co.umist.ac.uk/services/academic/resources/level_1/ct101/lec4.rtf)The first network e-mail message is sent by Ray Tomlinson of Bolt Boranek and Newman. (http://www.computer.org/computer/timeline/timeline.pdf)1972:Lexitron, Wang and VYTEC introduce Word Processing systems. (http://www.computer.org/computer/timeline/timeline.pdf)1973:The Xerox Paulo Alto Research Centre developed the Alto, an experimental computer that uses a graphical user interface and a mouse.1978:Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard Adelman introduce the RSA cipher as a public key cryptosystem.1979:The first electronic spreadsheet program is introduced.1981:IBM introduces its first personal computer with an operating system developed by Microsoft.1983:The switchover to the TCP\IP protocol marks the beginning of the global Internet.1985:Microsoft releases the Windows operating system. (www.co.umist.ac.uk/services/academic/resources/level_1/ct101/lec4.rtf)1989:The world wide web project is proposed to the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN). (http://www.computer.org/computer/timeline/timeline.pdf)1990:Windows version 3.0 is released bringing a stable graphical user interface to the IBM Personal Computer.1993:The Mosaic NCSA is developed by the National Centre for Super-computing Applications.1995:The first full length feature movie createdby a computer is released. Toy Story.Late 1990’s:The emergence of electronic commerce.Justification of developments selectedSections dealing with the impact of the developments will show the justification of the developments mentioned above. However to justify them on a technical scale is also important. They have been selected as being among the most important developments in information technology of the last thirty years.However some of the developments highlighted have been included instead of other similar developments. This is because of the impact on the general society (which influence is the main examination of this post) that these specific developments have had..It is important to note however some of the potential pitfalls in developing a technical history. These include "the overemphasis of the contribution made by an individual and also the distortion of a derived view of current `reality` due to a distorted history." (www.co.umist.ac.uk/services/academic/resources/level_1/ct101/lec0.rtf)Impact of developmentsThe impact of the developments that have been included in the summary will be analysed in this section. However rather than continue to follow a simple chronologically ordered summary, organised with the developments as the starting point. The post will first identify some general areas of society and evaluate the influences which information technology has had on these areas.As previously shown society can be defined as "a community, nation, or broad grouping of people having common traditions, institutions, and collective activities and interests.". Therefore we shall use the common traditions, institutions and collective activities and interests as the basis for our examination of the impact information technology has had on society. We shall also integrate this examination with the impact of how information technology has changed the "way we work". This integration will occur in two areas of the analysis of society, first the institutions and second the collective activities of the society.Common TraditionsHow has the development of information technology influenced the common traditions of a society?To answer this question in the context of this post it is helpful to highlight a difference between "traditions" and "activities/interests". Tradition can be defined as the following:"An inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behaviour (as a religious practice or a social custom).Cultural continuity in social attitudes, customs, and institutions."(http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/netdict?tradition)The influence of information technology on religious practices has mainly been to the effect of making information about them more accessible. The most relevant question though is whether the developments in information technologies have influenced the continuity of social attitudes, customs or institutions. The question of the effect on institutions will however be dealt with later in the post.Cultural ContinuityHow has the development of information technology influenced the cultural continuity of general society? (E.g. of social attitudes or customs).The question of a change in the continuity of social attitudes or customs is a question that by itself could occupy an entire post. However it shall be dealt with briefly here. Social attitudes have changed with the effect that citizens of a society now expect the various elements of that society to be better informed than previously. They also expect to be able to access more information about a specific product, service or organisation so that they can make informed decisions with regard to their interactions with that entity.InstitutionsThe word institutions can incorporate a wide variety of organisations. For the purposes of this post the institutions we will examine will be:Governments,Commercial businesses,News & Media organisations,Educational organisations.Each of these could be further refined into more specific types of institution but for the purposes of the post these abstractions will be sufficient. The influence which information technology development has had on these areas will be mainly focused on how the technology has "improved" the processes by which the institution accomplishes its task or goal.GovernmentsHow has the development of information technology influenced the way Governments operate?The "government" of a nation will be comprised of many varied institutions. However developments in information technology has helped governments to improve their "service" to their citizens. Advances in Database technology for example have enabled the governments of various countries to collate and monitor statistical information that they can use to combat fraud, manage the economy in a more informed way.Information Technology has also had a major impact on the defence capabilities of governments. This covers both a government's capability towage war and their intelligence gathering capability. Advances in weapons technology and weapons design has increased the effectiveness of various governments' armed forces. For example it would have been impossible to design aeroplanes such as the B2 Bomber if it were not for the advances made in information technology. The B2 bomber relies on a "continuous curvature" design to minimise radar signature. It would have been impossible to design or build this machine without the development of computer modelling techniques.Information Technology has also had a major impact on a government's intelligence agencies. Encryption of sensitive information has enabled government's to obtain added security. However attempting to decrypt information is also a major area of work for those employed by the government.Governments also have had to have a renewed care towards their sensitive information. The proliferation of Internet technologies has led to stories such as that highlighted below:"The Web becomes the focal point of British politics as a list of MI6 agents is released on a UK Web site. Though forced to remove the list from the site, it was too late as the list had already been replicated across the Net. (15 May 1999)" (http://info.isoc.org/guest/zakon/Internet/History/HIT.html)The advance of information technology has also led to a need for new legislation to be introduced, for example in the United Kingdom the Data Protection Act of 1998. The governments data protection act Web Site gives the following eight rules regarding personal information:It must be fairly and lawfully processed;Processed for limited purposes;Adequate, relevant and not excessive;Accurate;Not kept longer than necessary;Processed in accordance with the data subject's rights;Secure;Not transferred to countries without adequate protection.(http://www.dataprotection.gov.uk/principl.htm)Commercial BusinessesHow has the development of information technology influenced commercial businesses?The advances in information technology have heavily influenced commercial businesses in several ways. The most important role of information technology in a commercial business however is to provide a commercial advantage. Advances such as computer aided design, relational database technologies, spreadsheets, and word processing software all provide a commercial benefit to the business, as does automation of manufacturing processes (as Sara-Lee did in 1964).It is beyond the scope of this post to go into detail about how the various software developments can be used to provide a commercial advantage, other than increaseing the productivity and innovation of the workforce.It is interesting to note however that as different businesses compete with each other, the commercial advantage one can have over another may depend primarily on it's use of information technologies. For example being able to extract information as to what the customer really wants and how to provide for that want can provide a significant advantage. This extraction of information is facilitated and indeed made possible by the technology used to store and manipulate this information. As the hardware and software mechanisms used to store and manipulate the information become more sophisticated and quicker the business can utilise its stored information to maximise it's commercial advantage.The use of information technology to monitor a businesses performance can also enable the business to highlight areas where they are not making the most use of their resources. The use of information technologies can also increase the businesses income through advertising in the various available forums. Advances in information technology over the last thirty years have lead to the television for example being more widely used today than thirty years ago (e.g. the introduction of transistor based televisions reduced costs while increasing reliability).News & Media organisationsHow has the development of information technology influenced the way news and media organisations deliver content?Due to the nature of news and media organisations, the information technologies have particular relevance to them. As noted earlier "Information technology is the technology used to store, manipulate, distribute or create information". News and media organisations are intimately acquainted with each of these elements of information technology. However this post will focus on the distribution and creation of information.Developments such as the Internet and satellite television have created new medium and audiences through which and to which these organisations can disseminate their information.Given the situation thirty years ago the developments that we have seen have enabled the news and media organisations access to more people, they have a wider audience. The audience however now has a wider, global choice. News reports can be received which highlight many different sides of an international conflict for example than was possible before. The relative cheapness of being able to publish information on the Internet for example means that virtually anyone can publish information accessible anywhere in the world.Educational organisationsHow has the development of information technology influenced the way educational resources are provided?As information technology has developed over the last thirty years, educational establishments have been influenced in various ways. The most obvious example has been the introduction of information technology related courses. These courses are introduced to try to satisfy the demand that society has for qualified people to develop these information technologies.The developments that have occurred in information technology have also had other influences on educational establishments. As was discussed earlier about news and media organisations, educational organisations also have a goal to distribute information from a source (lecturer, books, on-line resources etc.) to the student. The processes by which educational establishments distribute information have become increasingly diverse, and the effectiveness of the process has also improved.The distribution of information is not the only concern of educational establishments. For example one of the aims of Universities is to create information. This "creation" is done by research. Information technologies have enabled researchers to access a wider source of information than previously available through such technologies as the Internet (the original ArpaNet being set up primarily to assist research). The Internet and other related technologies such as electronic mail, also enable collaborative projects to be undertaken between geographically distant groups.Collective Activities and InterestsOne of the aims of the post is to analyze the influence of "information technology" on the collective activities and interests of a broad range of people. The phrase "collective activities and institutions" has a wide scope. This post divides these into two main areas:Work processes,Social.This section of the post will examine how information technology influences how individuals in a society have had the way they function in their interactions with each other (social), and their interactions with institutions (work processes).Work ProcessesHow has the development of information technology influenced the interactions between institutions and individuals from the individual point of view?Developments in information technology in the last thirty years have led from institutions with large single computers being able to only accommodate one user at a time, to a point now where powerful computing power is available to individuals rather than an organisation. Thirty years ago computers were much larger than now, often filling large rooms. The move from individuals in an organisation (whether commercial or academic) not having access to computing facilities to a position where users could have a link to computing facilities first began with Fernando Corbató's CTSS operating system (the first multi user operating system), giving users the impression they had possession of a computer. (In fact their terminals were sharing time on the computer with other terminals).Further development in this area occurred with the introduction of several developments. These included developments such as mass-produced mini-computers such as the PDP-8, which enabled more institutions to obtain computers at a lower cost than be fore. Later developments such as the personal computer, have brought computing power even closer to the individual in the organisation. And as graphical user interfaces have evolved from the early experiments at Xerox PARC to the Windows operating system, the individuals in an organisation can even more easily harness computing power. This leads to an increase in the individuals ability to complete tasks quickly and efficiently.SocialHow has the development of information technology influenced the interactions between individuals?Interactions between individuals have been enhanced by the development of information technologies. New channels of communication have been opened between people in the last thirty years. These developments have been assisted by such projects as the ArpaNet. The forerunner to the Internet. The ArpaNet was commissioned as an aid to research between various institutions. This institutional use was also accompanied by an unofficial use between individuals. The ArpaNet hosted mailing lists, some of which individuals used to communicate with each other on non-institutional business. These included the science fiction mailing list (http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/hacker-history/hacker-history-2.html)As other developments occurred, such as the widespread availability of modems and personal computers became more widespread, the general population was integrated into what is known as the Internet.Individuals then have the ability to interact with other individuals through such developments as e-mail, chat-rooms and the Usenet.This proliferation of Internet technologies has enabled people with disabilities such as those who are blind or visually impaired, physical disabilities or others to be able to enjoy access to sources of information and ways of communicating they may not have had the opportunity to have used before. As Christopher Murphy wrote "Of greatest importance to disabled people, perhaps, is the ability of the computer and modem to immerse them into a world that might otherwise be off limits. A disabled person using a computer has access to vast amounts of information at his fingertips. People with disabilities can tap into practical disability-related information or converse with other disabled people. Not only that, they can also enter the mainstream. With the help of these computer devices and advanced software many disabled people can be just as competitive as anyone else."(http://courses.cs.vt.edu/~cs3604/lib/Disabilities/murhpy.AT.html)ConclusionTo offer a conclusion to this post we should detail the aspects of the aim that we have fulfilled. Here then was the initial aim."The aim of this post is to provide a brief summary of some of the main technological developments that have taken place in information technology and how these developments have had an influence on the way we work and on society in general, in the last thirty years."By giving a timeline of some of the developments that have been seen in information technology, we have provided the brief summary of the main technological developments.The sections following that which, deal with the impact of information technology on the common traditions, institutions and the collective activities and interests provide an analysis of how the developments impacted on the general society.It has been shown that the developments in information technology have had an impact on general society perception of information. Without going into specific detail about individual situations, it has been shown that that impact has been fourfold:storage,manipulation,distribution,creation.These four areas dealing with information are the four areas in which societies perception of information has changed. As communication and information technologies have been developed, the various elements that makeup society, whether they be individuals or organisations, expect to be able to use information in ways that were not possible thirty years ago. Society expects to be able to store more than was previously conceived. Society expects to be able to manipulate the information they have for their benefit, to increase understanding and discover new relationships. Society expects to be able to distribute information quickly, efficiently and cheaply. Society now expects the creation of new information to be facilitated by these new technologies.
IT Guru

The Information Technology

Simply Acquisition, recording, organization, retrieval, display, and dissemination of information is called Information Technology.Today the term usually refers to computer-based operations. Information processing consists of locating and capturing information, using software to manipulate it into a desired form, and outputting the data. An Internet search engine is an example of an information-processing tool, as is any sophisticated information-retrieval system.

Welcome to Pentaneo - The Human Technology

Over the past few years I have been involved in a number of studies & Research about Information technology. What continues to be a surprise is the lack of In-depth & Concrete knowledge about technologies and its sources so the purpose of this BLOG is to provide some insight and hopefully some Good & Correct knowledge on what is and what is not about Technology & processes.

I know a lot of people try to do it, but in my opinion, the majority of them take the completely wrong approach. And of course, the wrong approach often leads to Failure. I can't say that a different approach would guarantee success, but in my experience approach has a significant impact on outcomes.

Warm Welcome