True-False Questions



Chapter 6

Hardware and Software in the Enterprise

True-False Questions

| |Managers and business professionals must have a basic understanding of the role of hardware and software in the IT |

| |infrastructure. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 192 |

| |Computer hardware provides the underlying physical foundation for the firm’s IT infrastructure. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 192 |

| |Eight bits make a byte. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 193 |

| |Primary storage is temporary. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 193 |

| |The CPU contains both the ALU and a control unit. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 193 |

| |A machine cycle is the series of operations required to process a single machine instruction. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 194 |

| |Primary storage is composed of semiconductor chips. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 194 |

| |A nanosecond is one-millionth of a second. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |Microprocessors integrate memory, logic, and control circuits for an entire CPU onto a single chip. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |ROM can be written to. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 195 |

| |Conventional chips may take several clock cycles to execute a single instruction. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |Parallel processing uses more than one CPU. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 195 |

| |Secondary storage is sometimes contained in the CPU. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 196 |

| |RAID delivers data over multiple paths simultaneously. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 196 |

| |DVDs have a higher storage capacity than CD-ROMs. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 197 |

| |The amount of data companies need to store is doubling every 12 to 18 months. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 197 |

| |Supercomputers use parallel processors. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 201 |

| |Peer-to-peer computing can tap unused disk space on PCs. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 203 |

| |The two major types of software are programming languages and applications. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 203 |

| |The operating system manages and controls the computer’s activities. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 204 |

| |Object code is source code translated into machine language through a compiler. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 204 |

| |Program instructions written in a high-level language are called source code. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 204 |

| |With multiprogramming, two or more programs use the same computer resources simultaneously. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 205 |

| |Time sharing divides programs into variable-length portions, each of which takes a turn in rotation. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 205 |

| |UNIX is a free, reliable alternative to Windows XP. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 207 |

| |Fourth-generation languages are typically nonprocedural. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 208 |

| |Assembly language is designed for specific machines and microprocessors. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 209 |

| |C is portable across different microprocessors and used mostly with mainframes. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 209 |

| |Traditional software development requires object-oriented programming. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 209 |

| |Object-oriented programming is based on class and inheritance. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 210 |

| |Applets are miniature programs residing on centralized network servers. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 211 |

| |XML provides a standard format for data exchange. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 212 |

| |Most packaged software is application software. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 212 |

| |Presentation graphics software can convert numeric data into charts. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 214 |

| |Groupware supports collaborative efforts. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 216 |

| |Middleware is useful for firms that want to use enterprise software but cannot abandon existing systems. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 217 |

| |TCO refers to the original cost of the hardware and software. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 221 |

| |When all costs components are considered, the TCO for a PC can run up to three times the original purchase price of the |

| |equipment. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 221 |

| |ASPs provide software over the Web and private networks. |

| | |

| |Answer: True Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 222 |

| |Service computing is the model of computing in which companies pay only for the information technology resources they |

| |actually use during a specific period of time. |

| | |

| |Answer: False Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 225 |

Multiple- Choice Questions

| |A contemporary computer system consists of: |

| | |

| |a. primary and secondary storage. |

| |b. a central processing unit. |

| |c. input, output, and communications devices. |

| |d. software. |

| |e. All of the above |

| | |

| |Answer: e Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 193 |

| |The manipulation of symbols, numbers, and letters occurs: |

| | |

| |a. on alternate cycles. |

| |b. in primary memory. |

| |c. in secondary memory. |

| |d. in the CPU. |

| |e. in ROM. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 193 |

| |Computer storage capacity is measured in: |

| | |

| |a. kilobytes. |

| |b. megabytes. |

| |c. gigabytes. |

| |d. terabytes. |

| |e. All of the above |

| | |

| |Answer: e Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 195 |

| |Primary storage: |

| | |

| |a. stores all or part of the software program being executed. |

| |b. stores the operating system that manages the operation of the computer. |

| |c. holds the data the program is currently using. |

| |d. All of the above |

| |e. None of the above |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 194 |

| |Chip speed is dependent on: |

| | |

| |a. word length. |

| |b. data bus width. |

| |c. cycle speed. |

| |d. All of the above |

| |e. None of the above |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |Using _________ in their design can make microprocessors faster. |

| | |

| |a. DVD |

| |b. RISC |

| |c. peripheral devices |

| |d. more kilobytes |

| |e. WANs |

| | |

| |Answer: b Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |Secondary storage: |

| | |

| |a. is volatile. |

| |b. is nonvolatile. |

| |c. transfers data from disk to tape. |

| |d. is HTML enabled. |

| |e. None of the above |

| | |

| |Answer: b Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 196 |

| |A high-speed network dedicated to storage that connects different kinds of storage devices, such as tape libraries and disk |

| |arrays so they can be shared by multiple servers best describes: |

| | |

| |a. SSN. |

| |b. ASP. |

| |c. LAN. |

| |d. SAN. |

| |e. RAID. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 197 |

| |_____________________ has/have made multimedia popular on the Internet. |

| | |

| |a. Interactive Web pages |

| |b. Movies on DVD |

| |c. Animation technology |

| |d. High-speed fiber-optic lines |

| |e. Built-in modems |

| | |

| |Answer: a Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 200 |

| |Servers are important for IT infrastructures because: |

| | |

| |a. they provide more speed in computing. |

| |b. they provide the hardware platform for electronic commerce. |

| |c. their cost is less than new computers. |

| |d. they are easy to attach to mainframes. |

| |e. they provide wider buses. |

| | |

| |Answer: b Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 201 |

| |Computing on the Internet uses: |

| | |

| |a. the client/server model. |

| |b. the power of microwave telecommunications. |

| |c. much of the financial resources of the modern firm. |

| |d. centralized processing. |

| |e. more powerful mathematic and graphics capabilities. |

| | |

| |Answer: a Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 201 |

| |Downsizing is: |

| | |

| |a. the practice of farming out computer transactions. |

| |b. the ability to use time-sharing computers effectively. |

| |c. moving from centralized to decentralized record-keeping. |

| |d. the process of transferring applications from large computers to smaller ones. |

| |e. deleting unnecessary data. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 202 |

| |System software is the layer between: |

| | |

| |a. primary and secondary memory. |

| |b. the CPU and secondary storage. |

| |c. the hardware and the application software. |

| |d. the computer and the Internet. |

| |e. the application software and the storage medium. |

| | |

| |Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 204 |

| |Utility software is: |

| | |

| |a. application software. |

| |b. stored only in primary memory. |

| |c. controlled by the system clock. |

| |d. part of the system software. |

| |e. accessed through the modem. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 205 |

| |Linux is: |

| | |

| |a. primarily concerned with the tasks of end users. |

| |b. designed for specific machines and specific microprocessors. |

| |c. an example of open-source software. |

| |d. especially useful for processing numeric data. |

| |e. a program developed by Niklaus Wirth. |

| | |

| |Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 206 |

| |C++ is: |

| | |

| |a. designed for business administrators. |

| |b. a fourth-generation language. |

| |c. a software application package. |

| |d. object-oriented. |

| |e. a natural language. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 209 |

| |A company providing software that can be rented by other companies over the Web or a private network best defines: |

| | |

| |a. WAN. |

| |b. LAN. |

| |c. ASP. |

| |d. SSN. |

| |e. SAN. |

| | |

| |Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 209 |

| |Which of the following is not a fourth-generation language category? |

| | |

| |a. Query language |

| |b. Report generator |

| |c. Middleware |

| |d. Application generator |

| |e. Very high-level programming language |

| | |

| | |

| |Answer: c Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 210 |

| |In object-oriented programming, new classes of objects are created: |

| | |

| |a. by creating a new category of objects. |

| |b. by inheritance and defined modes for the new classes. |

| |c. by distributing common ancestors. |

| |d. by choosing an existing class and specifying how the new class differs from the existing class. |

| |e. by specifying a new class as another object. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 211 |

| |Java software was designed: |

| | |

| |a. as a new platform for the Internet. |

| |b. to run on any computer or computing device regardless of its operating system. |

| |c. to make writing Web pages easy for the new user. |

| |d. to be downloaded from the Internet as required. |

| |e. to be applied to communications. |

| | |

| |Answer: b Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 211 |

| |HTML: |

| | |

| |a. is a page description language. |

| |b. uses tags to create dynamic links and specify format options. |

| |c. creates hypertext and hypermedia documents. |

| |d. All of the above. |

| |e. None of the above. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 211 |

| |___________ is a general-purpose language that describes the structure of a document and supports links to multiple |

| |documents; it allows data to be manipulated by the computer and is used for both Web and non-Web applications. |

| | |

| |a. HTML |

| |b. HTTP |

| |c. LAN |

| |d. COBOL |

| |e. XML |

| | |

| |Answer: e Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 212 |

| |RosettaNet is: |

| | |

| |a. an XML dictionary defining all properties of a PC, such as modems, monitors, and cache memory. |

| |b. a high-level language translator. |

| |c. a site with the ability to link the supply chain from top to bottom. |

| |d. a new technology for the Internet. |

| |e. a proprietary database for programmers. |

| | |

| |Answer: a Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 212 |

| |Software that displays data in a grid, with the capability of recalculating numerical data is: |

| | |

| |a. production software. |

| |b. desktop publishing software. |

| |c. presentation software. |

| |d. spreadsheet software. |

| |e. HTML software. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 213 |

| |Software used for creating and manipulating lists, creating files and databases to store data, and combining information for |

| |reports best describes: |

| | |

| |a. groupware. |

| |b. storage area network. |

| |c. presentation graphics. |

| |d. integrated software. |

| |e. data management software. |

| | |

| |Answer: e Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 214 |

| |A software package that combines two or more applications, such as word processing and spreadsheets, providing for easy |

| |transfer of data between them best describes: |

| | |

| |a. Web browser. |

| |b. integrated software package. |

| |c. middleware. |

| |d. groupware. |

| |e. enterprise application integration software. |

| | |

| |Answer: b Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 214 |

| |Web browser software features: |

| | |

| |a. a point-and-click GUI that can be used throughout the Internet. |

| |b. World Wide Web access only. |

| |c. are generally less complex than software suites. |

| |d. limited search capacities. |

| |e. little support for workgroup computing. |

| | |

| |Answer: a Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 216 |

| |Which of the following is software that provides functions and services that support the collaborative activities of |

| |workgroups? |

| | |

| |a. Utility software |

| |b. Linux |

| |c. Middleware |

| |d. Groupware |

| |e. C++ |

| | |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 216 |

| |The process of tying together multiple applications to support the flow of information across multiple business units and |

| |systems is called: |

| | |

| |a. a network. |

| |b. the Internet. |

| |c. enterprise application integration. |

| |d. integrated programming. |

| |e. enterprise programming applications. |

| | |

| |Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 217 |

| |Software that connects two disparate applications, allowing them to communicate with each other and to exchange data best |

| |describes: |

| | |

| |a. C++. |

| |b. XML. |

| |c. Linux. |

| |d. middleware. |

| |e. groupware. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 217 |

| |A set of universal standards using Internet technology for integrating different applications from different sources without |

| |time-consuming custom coding best describes: |

| | |

| |a. HTTP. |

| |b. HTML. |

| |c. Web services. |

| |d. XML. |

| |e. WAN. |

| | |

| |Answer: c Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 218 |

| |Software in a multi-tiered network that provides the business logic for handling all application operations between a user |

| |and an organization’s back-end business systems best describes: |

| | |

| |a. Web server. |

| |b. application server. |

| |c. groupware. |

| |d. capacity server. |

| |e. query server. |

| | |

| |Answer: b Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 219 |

| | |

| |A Web server is: |

| | |

| |a. a computer whose only task is to access the Web. |

| |b. a computer linking one network to another network. |

| |c. software for locating and managing stored Web pages. |

| |d. part of a telecommunications server. |

| |e. All of the above |

| | |

| |Answer: c Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 219 |

| |The process of predicting when a computer hardware system becomes saturated to ensure that adequate computing resources are |

| |available for work of different priorities and that the firm has enough computing power for its current and future needs best|

| |describes: |

| | |

| |a. information systems planning. |

| |b. resource planning. |

| |c. storage planning. |

| |d. capacity planning. |

| |e. enterprise planning. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 220 |

| |Which of the following refers to the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a larger number of users |

| |without breaking down? |

| | |

| |a. Modifiability |

| |b. Scalability |

| |c. Expandability |

| |d. Disintermediation |

| |e. Reintermediation |

| | |

| |Answer: b Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 221 |

| |Storage service providers: |

| | |

| |a. are part of an in-house infrastructure. |

| |b. monitor stored data for release to consumers. |

| |c. perform the bulk of the processing needs for clients. |

| |d. sell storage as a pay-per-use utility. |

| |e. do all of the above. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 222 |

| |The “timesharing” services of the 1970s were an earlier version of: |

| | |

| |a. data dictionaries. |

| |b. URLs. |

| |c. networked capabilities. |

| |d. ASPs. |

| |e. SSPs. |

| | |

| |Answer: d Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 223 |

| |Which of the following is a third-party provider that rents out storage space to subscribers over the Web, allowing customers|

| |to store and access their data without having to purchase and maintain their own storage technology? |

| | |

| |a. Management service provider |

| |b. Business continuity service provider |

| |c. Application service provider |

| |d. RAM provider |

| |e. Storage service provider |

| | |

| |Answer: e Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 224 |

| |Management service providers: |

| | |

| |a. contract IT management to small businesses. |

| |b. manage combinations of applications, networks, storage, and security. |

| |c. provide Web site and systems monitoring. |

| |d. offer disaster recovery. |

| |e. Both b and c |

| | |

| |Answer: e Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 224 |

| |Which of the following is the model of computing in which companies pay only for the information technology resources they |

| |actually use during a specific time period? |

| | |

| |a. Utility computing |

| |b. Storage service provider |

| |c. Application server provider |

| |d. Variable computing |

| |e. Secondary computing |

| | |

| |Answer: a Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 224 |

Fill In the Blanks

| |Primary Storage is the part of the computer that temporarily stores program instructions and data being used by the |

| |instructions. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 193 |

| | A(n) machine cycle is the series of operations required to process a single machine instruction. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 194 |

| |Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) is the technology used to enhance the speed of microprocessors by embedding only the|

| |most frequently used instructions on a chip. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |Parallel processing allows more than one instruction to be processed at a time by breaking down a problem into smaller parts |

| |and processing them simultaneously with multiple processors. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |Massively parallel computers use hundreds or thousands of processing chips to attack large computing problems simultaneously.|

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 195 |

| |Secondary storage is relatively long term, nonvolatile storage of data outside the CPU and primary storage. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 196 |

| |A(n) digital video disk (DVD) is a high-capacity optical storage medium that can store full-length videos and large amounts |

| |of data. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 197 |

| |A(n) storage area network (SAN) is a high-speed network dedicated to storage that connects different kinds of storage |

| |devices, such as tape libraries and disk arrays so they can be shared by multiple servers. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 197 |

| |Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses tiny tags with embedded microchips containing data about an item and its location |

| |to transmit short-distance radio signals to special readers that then pass the data on to a computer for processing. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 198 |

| |Multimedia is the integration of two or more types of media, such as text, graphics, sound, voice, full-motion video, or |

| |animation into a computer-based application. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 200 |

| |Streaming technology is the technology that transfers data so that they can be processed in a continuous flow. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 200 |

| |MP3 (MPEG3) is a compression standard that can compress audio files for transfer over the Internet with virtually no loss in |

| |quality. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 200 |

| |A(n) server farm is a large group of servers maintained by a commercial vendor and made available to subscribers for |

| |electronic commerce and other activities requiring heavy use of servers. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 201 |

| |In distributed processing, work is shared among multiple computers linked by a communications network. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 201 |

| |In centralized processing, work is accomplished by one large central computer. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 201 |

| |Client/server computing is a model for computing that splits processing between “clients” and “servers” on a network, |

| |assigning functions to the machine most able to perform the function. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 201 |

| | The client is the user point-of-entry for the required function in client/server computing. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 201 |

| |A(n) network computer is a simplified desktop computer that does not store software programs or data permanently. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 202 |

| |Peer-to-peer computing is a form of distributed processing that links computers via the Internet or private networks so that |

| |they can share data or processing tasks. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 203 |

| |A(n) compiler is special system software that translates a high-level language into machine language for execution by the |

| |computer. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 204 |

| | A(n) graphical user interface is the part of an operating system users interact with that uses graphic icons and the |

| |computer mouse to issue commands and make selections. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 205 |

| |Open-source software provides free access to its program code. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 206 |

| |Visual programming is the construction of software programs by selecting and arranging graphic or iconic elements |

| |representing sections of program code. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 207 |

| |A natural language is a nonprocedural language that enables users to communicate with the computer using conversational |

| |commands resembling human speech. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 209 |

| |Query language is a software tool that provides immediate online answers to requests for information that are not predefined.|

| | |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 209 |

| |Object-oriented programming is an approach to software development that combines data and procedures into a single object. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 209 |

| |Java is a programming language that can deliver only the software functionality needed for a particular task, such as a small|

| |applet downloaded from a network; it can run on any computer and operating system. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 211 |

| |Hypertext markup language (HTML) is a page description language for creating Web pages and other hypermedia documents. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 211 |

| |Extensible markup language (XML) is a general purpose language that describes the structure of a document and supports links |

| |to multiple documents, allowing data to be manipulated by the computer. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Hard Reference: p. 212 |

| |Data management software is used for creating and manipulating lists, creating files and databases to store data, and |

| |combining information for reports. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Easy Reference: p. 214 |

| |Middleware is software that connects two disparate applications. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 217 |

| |A(n) legacy system is a system that has been in existence for a long time and that continues to be used to avoid the high |

| |cost of replacing or redesigning it. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 217 |

| |Web server software manages requests for Web pages on the computer where they are stored and then delivers the page to the |

| |user’s computer. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 219 |

| |Capacity planning is the process of predicting when a computer hardware system will become saturated. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 220 |

| |Scalability is the ability of a computer, product, or system to expand to serve a larger number of users without breaking |

| |down. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 221 |

| |Total cost of ownership (TCO) designates the cost of owning technology resources, including initial purchase costs, the cost |

| |of hardware and software upgrades, maintenance, technical support, and training. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 221 |

| |Groupware is software that provides functions and services that support the collaborative activities of workgroups. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 222 |

| |A(n) storage service provider rents out storage space to subscribers over the Web, allowing customers to store and access |

| |their data without having to purchase and maintain their own storage technology. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 222 |

| |A(n) application service provider is a company providing software that can be rented by other companies over the Web or |

| |private network. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 222 |

| |Utility computing is a model of computing in which companies pay only for the information technology resources they actually |

| |use during a specified time period. |

| | |

| |Difficulty: Medium Reference: p. 225 |

Essay Questions

| |Discuss the issue of centralized versus decentralized computer resources. |

| | |

| |With centralized computer resources, management retains more control of resources, it is easier to maintain congruent |

| |information, and information distribution is faster. Some drawbacks are that, if the center goes down, the entire firm is |

| |crippled until repairs can be made and a larger, more expensive IT staff is usually required. |

| | |

| |Decentralized computer resources allow the purchase of many smaller computers, which are less expensive individually and can |

| |be replaced piecemeal. Because there is no central computer, data and information may be incongruent or lost. Decentralized|

| |computer resources do encourage more decision making at lower levels. Fewer first-rank IT professionals may be required, but|

| |planning and the structure of the information flow must be more carefully designed. |

| |List and describe the six major components of a contemporary computer system. |

| | |

| |A contemporary computer system consists of a central processing unit, primary storage, input devices, output devices, |

| |secondary storage, and communications devices. The central processing unit is composed of the ALU and the control unit. The|

| |central processing unit is where the actual “computing” is accomplished, one instruction at a time. Primary storage or RAM |

| |is composed of registers, which hold all, or part of the software being used; it holds the operating system that manages the |

| |resources of the computer, and it holds data that the program is using. Input devices allow data, software, and |

| |communications materials to come into the computer. Keyboards, mice, and touch screens are examples of input devices. |

| |Output devices display or print processing results. Video display terminals and printers are examples of output devices. |

| |Secondary storage is a nonvolatile area outside the CPU and primary storage where data are kept indefinitely or until |

| |deleted. Examples include magnetic disks, optical disks, and magnetic tape. Communications devices allow the computer to |

| |communicate with other computers. Modems are an example of a communications device. |

| |List and describe the components of the CPU. |

| | |

| |The central processing unit has two components: an arithmetic logic unit and a control unit. The arithmetic logic unit |

| |adds, subtracts, multiplies, and divides, determining whether a number is positive, negative, or zero. It must also be able |

| |to determine when one quantity is greater than or less than another and when two quantities are equal. It can perform logic |

| |operations on letters, as well as numbers. The control unit coordinates and controls the other parts of the computer system.|

| |It reads a stored program, one instruction at a time, and directs other components of the computer system to perform the |

| |program’s required tasks. |

| |Define primary and secondary storage, how they differ, and the uses to which each is put. |

| | |

| |Primary storage has three functions—it stores all or part of the software program that is being executed, it stores the |

| |operating system programs that manage the computer, and stores data that the program is using. It is sometimes called RAM |

| |because it can directly access any randomly chosen location in the same amount of time. Primary storage is placed within the|

| |computer, close to the CPU. It is divided into storage locations, each of which holds one byte—a letter, digit, or special |

| |symbol. Each byte has a unique address indicating where it is located in primary memory. The computer can remember where |

| |the data in each location are stored by keeping track of these addresses. Data and instructions and the instruction results |

| |are moved back and forth in primary storage as necessary. Primary storage is volatile—it returns to a null state when the |

| |power is turned off. |

| | |

| |Secondary storage accepts the transfer of data from primary memory, translating it from volatile electrical impulses into |

| |nonvolatile magnetic dots onto a hard or floppy disk, a tape, or an optical disk. This storage is permanent, unless it is |

| |deliberately deleted, destroyed, or damaged. Secondary memory is located outside the primary storage area. |

| |Identify and briefly describe five categories of computers. |

| | |

| |Computer categories include mainframes, midrange, personal computers, workstations, and supercomputers. Mainframes are the |

| |largest category and are used for major business processing. Midrange computers are middle-sized computers that are capable |

| |of supporting the computing needs of smaller organizations or of managing networks of other computers. Personal computers |

| |are small desktop or portable computers and are used by individuals. Workstations are desktop computers with powerful |

| |graphics and mathematical capabilities and have the ability to perform several complicated tasks at once. Supercomputers are|

| |highly sophisticated and powerful computers that rapidly perform very complex computations. |

| |Define total cost of ownership. Identify nine important cost components. |

| | |

| |Total cost of ownership designates the total cost of owning technology resources. Important cost components include hardware|

| |acquisition, software acquisition, installation, training, support, maintenance, infrastructure, downtime, and space and |

| |energy. |

| |Define and discuss the types of service providers that have arisen in the recent decades. Give an example of each one. |

| | |

| |The textbook mentions storage service provider, application service provider, management service provider, and business |

| |continuity service provider. A storage service provider provides online access over networks to storage devices and storage |

| |network technology. IBM Managed Storage Services is an example. An application service provider uses centrally-managed |

| |facilities to host and manage access to package applications delivered over networks on a subscription basis. Corio Inc. is |

| |an example. A management service provider manages combinations of applications, networks, systems, storage, and security as |

| |well as providing Web site and systems performance monitoring to subscribers over the Internet. Totality is an example. A |

| |business continuity service provider defines and documents procedures for planning and recovering from system malfunctions |

| |that threaten vital business operations. Comdisco is an example. |

| |What are software packages? List and describe at least three types of PC software packages, other than word processing and |

| |spreadsheets, used in modern business. |

| | |

| |Software packages are prewritten, precoded, commercially available sets of programs that eliminate the need to write software|

| |programs for certain functions. Other than word processing and spreadsheets, the textbook discusses desktop publishing |

| |software, data management software, presentation graphics, integrated software packages, e-mail, Web browsers, and groupware.|

| |Desktop publishing software produces professional quality documents with capabilities for design, layout, and work with |

| |graphics. Data management software is used for creating and manipulating lists, creating files and databases to store data, |

| |and combining information for reports. Presentation graphics software allows users to create professional-quality graphic |

| |presentations. Integrated software packages combine the functions of two or more stand-alone software packages to provide a |

| |more general-purpose software tool and eliminate redundant data entry and maintenance. E-mail software is used for the |

| |computer-to-computer exchange of messages. Web browsers are easy-to-use software tools for displaying Web pages and for |

| |accessing the Web and other Internet resources. Groupware provides functions and services to support the collaborative |

| |activities of work groups. |

| |What is a fourth-generation language? List the seven categories of fourth-generation languages with an example of each one. |

| | |

| |Fourth-generation languages consist of a variety of software tools enabling end-users to develop software applications with |

| |minimal or no technical assistance, or that enhance professional programmers’ productivity. Fourth-generation languages are |

| |usually nonprocedural, or less procedural, than conventional programming languages. Some of these nonprocedural languages |

| |are natural languages that enable users to communicate with the computer using conversational commands resembling human |

| |speech. |

| | |

| |Following is a list of the categories and examples of each. Additional examples are provided in Table 6-6 of the text. |

| | |

| |PC software tools: WordPerfect |

| |Query language: SQL |

| |Report generator: Crystal Reports |

| |Graphics language: SAS Graph |

| |Application generator: FOCUS |

| |Application software package: PeopleSoft HCM |

| |Very high-level programming language: APL |

| |Define and differentiate among Java, HTML, and XML. |

| | |

| |Java is a programming language that can deliver only the software functionality needed for a particular task. It is a |

| |platform-independent, object-oriented programming language. It can be used to create miniature programs called “applets” |

| |which are delivered from a centralized network server only when needed to perform a particular task. HTML is a page |

| |description language for creating Web pages and other hypermedia documents. HTML uses instructions called tags to specify |

| |how text, graphics, video, and sound are placed on a document and to create dynamic links to other documents and objects |

| |stored in the same or remote computers. XML is new and specifically designed to improve usefulness of Web documents. It is |

| |a general-purpose language that describes the structure of a document and supports links to multiple documents, allowing data|

| |to be manipulated by the computer. |

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