Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Theory

1) Explain how connecting to the internet has changed.
Most people access the Internet using a PC connected to a telephone line or cable TV service.
We can also connect throught a router.
2) What do the letters kbps stand for and what does it measure?
Kilobits per second, kbit / s. A kbps equals 1000 bits per second. Generally used to measure connection speed or transfer in a network.3) Draw a diagram to show how a user connects up to a website.
4) What are the two main parts of the Internet called?
The World Wide Web
Electronic Mail (E-mail)
5) Explain fully how an e-mail is sent by someone and then read by the recipiente.
first: create the message.
second: connect to the Internet.
third: press the "send" button.
fourth: the message is sent from the sender's ISP to a "mailbox" in the computer system of the recipient's ISP.
fifth: the recipient later connects to the Internet, opens their e-mail account, and finds the new message - which they then download and open.
6) What are attachments?
Attachments are separate files that are sent along with your e-mail message. They do not form part of your e-mail message but they can be opened and viewed or edited by the e-mail recipient.
6.1) Describe one potential problem with opening attachments.
The main problem with emails comes from using email attachments. While email attachments represent a useful addition to email functionality, as a way to send files via email, they are also risky due to the fact that email attachments can contain not just documents, but also binary attachments like executable files.
7) Explain two benefits and two problems of using e-mail.
PROS
- It's quick, e-mails take seconds to send, compared to days for a letter.
- It's cheap, e-mails are cheaper than posting or faxing, especiallity for large documents.
CONS
- The sender and receiver both need Internet access and e-mail accounts.
- The hardware and software needed is expensive if you just need e-mail.
8) Explain the difference between a search engine and a portal.
- A web search engine is designed to search for information on the World Wide Web. The search results are usually presented in a list of results and are commonly called hits. The information may consist of web pages, images, information and other types of files.
- A web portal, also known as a links page, presents information from diverse sources in a unified way. Portals provide a way for enterprises to provide a consistent look and feel with access control and procedures for multiple applications and databases, which otherwise would have been different entities altogether.
9) Explain what a URL is and how it is constructed?
URL redirection, also called URL forwarding and the very similar technique domain redirection also called domain forwarding, are techniques on the World Wide Web for making a web page available under many URLs.
10) What country has the code "fr"?
France
What is the country code for the USA?
US
11) Explain what a hyperlink is and what it does?
A hyperlink is a reference to a document that the reader can directly follow, or that is followed automatically. The reference points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document.
12) What is found in a history folder?
history coursework
13) Explain how web pages that have already been visited can be displayed more quickly.
The computer can save web pages you view to its memory. This store of temporary web pages is called a cache.
14) What's the name for the process of making a file smaller? What's it called when the file is expanded back to its original size?
Other files like software updates or music files can be compressed to reduce their size and this means they'll take less time to download.
15) Give four rules of good website design.
- Remember the needs of the intended audience.
- Keep the overall design simple and use a similar layout on all the pages, so it's easier to navigate through the site.
- Keep graphics to a minimum, they increase the file size and make download time longer.
- Keep the number of hyperlinks needed to reach anywhere to a minimum. Remember, their job is to help usersfind content quickly.
16) Explain how websites use dynamic content.
Dynamic Content enables websites to produce infotmation that may change every time the page is viewed e.g website countries. Dynamic website can also display customised details depending on what information you've entered on previous pages or on previous visits.
17) Explain how a shopper makes a purchase from an on-line retailer.
On-line shopping has got much more popular recently. The basic idea is that the retailer puts details of their products on a website. Customers can put the stuff they want into an electronic shopping basket. They then pay using a credit card, and the goods are delivered soon after.
18) What does encryption mean? Describe one of its benefits.
Websites that encrypt details like this are called "secure", are display a padlock icon in the browser. Sensitive information -like card details- is encrypted by the website into a code which can only be decoded with the right software and a password called a key.
19) List some of the problems that hackers can cause.
It's totally illegal, and once inside a system, the hacker might be able to view, edit, copy or delete important files, or plant a virus.
20) List five different types of user-based website.
- Discussion Boards
- Information resource
- Social Networking or Gaming sites
- Blogs
- File Sharing Uploads
21) Explain how copyright and libel affect UGC.
It's quite a social affair really. despite the fact that you can't spend time with anyone face-to-face, people develop good friendships through common interests and experiences.
22) Describe the main features of instant messaging.
- As long as both users that want to chat are connected, they can receive messages from the other instantaneously.
- People find it more personal than e-mails and less intrusive than phone calls.
- You can make it even more personal now by using webcams or by sending and receiving audio in real time like a phone call.
- There are still a lot of security concerns, are mostly closed down beacuse of concerns for children's safety.
- With this is mind instant messagign services let you add or remove people from a personal contacts list so you're in control of who you talk to.
23) What are the pros and cons of social networks?
-The Pros
Social networking sites have paved the way for easier communication to your friends, family, or colleagues. One example is that instead of meeting in a certain place, you and your classmates could discuss a school activity by having a conference in a certain site that you are all members of, thus saving you time and effort. Virtual communities are also formed, which are composed of people connected together by common interests, purpose, and goal. People of different races also get to mingle with each other in just a few clicks.
-The Cons
While social networking sites have become places for establishing connections and meeting friends, they have also become likely places for identity theft and fraud. As you have to provide certain information such as your e-mail address, name, and location, others use these information and pretend to be you, especially when they are into illegal activities.
24) Describe some of the online video content provided by amateurs.
Popular video sharing websites include YouTube and Google Video. Much of the content on video sharing websites is produced by amateurs on webcams, digital cameras or mobile phone.
25) Explain the advantages of online software.
Advantages:
-i t means that your own documents and settings can be accessed through any computer with an Internet connection.
- you can also give other users permission to view and edit the document.
- this is good if you are working on joint projects or presentations, or if you just want some feedback.
- multiple users can have a document open at any one time and can all work on it at once.
- the software can keep a list of all the revisions that have been made and which user has made them.
- document sharing is also useful for online training.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Tuesday, March 16, 2010