a. No; Actually, it was the first major commercial application of
microcomputers.
b. No; no more so than did earlier mechanical ones.
c. No; Eventually, this was true, but certainly not with early
ones.
d. Yes; the calculator was the first widely accepted and purchased
piece of home and desktop computer technology.
a. No; a printing press is a typesetting system: early word
processors didn't allow sophisticated typesetting like they
do today.
b. No; a book is a text display system, early word processors
weren't WYSIWYG, that is, you didn't see what would appear
on the printed page.
c. Yes; early word processors were really ways of storing and, if
desired, modifying typed documents.
d. No; it's only recently that voice communication with
computers has become feasible, so it's impossible for
this to have been used as a model for word processors.
a. Yes; calculations, formatted text, and graphics are all available
to the modern spreadsheet user.
b. No; They allow text and graphics to be incorporated into
numerical calculations for a complete presentation.
c. No; calculations, formatted text, and graphics are all available
to the modern spreadsheet user.
d. No; calculations, formatted text, and graphics are all available
to the modern spreadsheet user.
a. No; This WAS an early application.
b. No; This WAS an early application.
c. Yes; image processing by computer predates
Virtual Reality by decades.
d. No; This WAS an early application.
a. No; Embedded means more than just "on the machine."
b. No; You can "attach" files to messages, but these aren't
necessarily applications.
c. No; These are "expert systems" as discussed in more detail
in Module 9.
d. Yes; these cover all sorts of useful tools that we don't think of
as computers running programs, like microwave ovens, thermostats,
and cruise control.
a. No; so can hard disks and CDs.
b. No; this is a feature, but doesn't make it unique.
c. No; as can most modern programs.
d. Yes; a database allows us to sort through data arranged and
cross referenced in ways we, the users, define.
a. No; Not so.
b. No; Many modern calculators come
loaded with software.
c. No; No program can really do this
--at least so far.
d. Yes; the software package can perform
many higher level symbolic computations,
which a calculator would be hard pressed to keep
up with, both in terms of computing speed and power,
and in terms of screen size for the results.
a. No; most of us do this, and few of us are "power users."
b. Yes; being versatile with a program will often encourage users to
stick with it and try to make it do too much, rather than
switching to a more appropriate app.
c. No; this would be "Luddite Syndrome."
d. No; this does happen, but not only for power users.
a. No; this helps, but isn't the determining factor.
b. Yes; this is what is meant by the "killer app": a piece of
software that everyone buys and practically cannot do without,
like a telephone.
c. No; this helps, but isn't the determining factor.
d. No; this helps, but isn't the determining factor.
a. Yes; it features a modern, user-friendly interface, which doesn't
require the user to know a great deal about how the computer
works, only about what the user wants to do.
b. No; it's true: browsers use modern interface and computing
paradigms.
c. No; browsers, and other programs, are state-of-the-art if they
employ modern interface conventions, rendering them a "black
box" from the users perspective.
d. No; browsers are a type of application: they are software that runs
on your computer and performs a specific function. They are
just different from word processors and spreadsheets.