COMPUTER PLATFORMS

1
COMPUTER PLATFORMS
Jargon Busting Human Factors of Computing
2
Week 4

• Jargon Busting
• What does it all mean?
• Working with computers
• Effects on life
• Health
• Social aspects
• Squeezing through the Von-Neumann Bottleneck
• http//www.knozall.com/squeezingthroughthevonneuma
  n.htm

3
Jargon Busting

• FLOPS
• FLoating Point Operations Per Second
• How many fractional calculations can processor
  carry out?
• Processors often have a FPU (Floating Point Unit)
  designed to do these calculations
• Improve number intensive tasks
• Such as graphics rendering
• Also called maths-coprocessor
• Another way to measure processor speed
• MFLOPS MegaFLOPS (MillionFLOPS /s)
• GFLOPS GigaFLOPS (BillionFLOPS /s)
• Thought to be inaccurate

4
Jargon Busting

• Benchmark
• The measuring stick against which something is
  measured
• Tests which have been devised to measure a
  specific type of equipment or program
• Used to measure and compare performance of
  computer software of hardware
• Overclock(ing)
• Forcing a CPU to run faster than its approved
  and tested speed
• Used to force a little more power out of the
  processor
• Risks attached
• Overheating of CPU
• Processing errors

5
Jargon Busting

• CISC
• Complex Instruction Set Computer
• Refers to processor
• Supports up to 200 instructions
• Common
• Original Pentium processors
• RISC
• Reduced Instruction Set Computer
• Refers to processor
• Less instructions than CISC
• Less Instructions Faster (?)
• Cheaper to produce
• Puts bigger burden on software (?)
• Motorola processors found in Apple computers
• Pentium 2, 3 4 Use CRISC
• Combination of CISC RISC

6
Jargon Busting

• Hyper-Threading
• Process developed by Intel
• Allows programs to run multiple threads in
  parallel on one processor
• Pipelining
• Technique used in modern processors
• CPU executes next instruction before first is
  done
• Pipeline split into segments
• Each segment executes a specific function in sync
  with other segments then data is moved along

7
Jargon Busting

• UPS
• Un-interruptible Power Supply
• Battery backup System
• Can also perform power conditioning and surge
  protection
• POST
• Power On Self Test
• Checks performed by the BIOS when computer is
  powered up
• Beep codes
• Also have POST diagnostic cards

8
Jargon Busting

• ASCII
• American Standard Code for Information
  Interchange
• Represents English language characters using
  numbers (0 to 127)
• 7 bits for each character
• E.g- 115 is a small s
• Extended ASCII (uses 8 bits more characters)
• http//www.asciitable.com/

9
Jargon Busting

• Unicode
• Another standard for representing language
  characters
• Uses 16 bits for each character
• gt 65,000 unique characters
• Useful for complex languages (Greek, Japanese,
  etc.) special characters, symbols, etc.
• May ultimately replace ASCII
• www.unicode.org

10
Jargon Busting

• AI
• Artificial Intelligence
• Attempting to make the computer behave like a
  human or think for itself
• Used in games to simulate human and random
  behaviour
• Expert systems or knowledge bases allow decisions
  or recommendations to be given based on input
• Meta
• Information about information
• Thing of Meta as meaning about
• Meta-data data about data
• Meta-language a language about a language

11
Jargon Busting

• HCI
• Human Computer Interaction
• How the user and computer communicate and
  interact with each other
• Make interaction faster, easier and better
• Many different forms of interaction
• Haptic movement, gestures, physical interaction
• Auditory using sounds to interact
• Pervasive Computing
• Ubiquitous Computing
• Integration of computing technology to everyday
  life
• Introducing technology into everyday ordinary
  objects
• Allowing everything to be networked and live

12
Jargon Busting

• Compression
• Using an algorithm to reduce the size of a
  computer file or program
• Loss-less compression
• Information is compacted without destroying or
  removing any data from the file
• E.g- zipping a file
• Lossy compression
• Information is compacted but information deemed
  to be insignificant or redundant is thrown away
• E.g- MP3

13
Working with computers

• Risks and effects associated with computer use
• These are not only health related but also have
  social and economical implications
• Computers and technology encroach on many aspects
  of everyday life
• Desktop computers
• Laptop computers
• PDAs
• Mobile phones

14
Health Safety

• Predominantly because of keyboard and mouse use
• RSI (Repetitive Strain Injury)
• Primarily affects the hand and arms (pain!!!)
• Can cause permanent damage
• CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome)
• Mainly affects the wrists of computer users
• Especially in the mouse hand
• Swelling of tendons, causes pressure on the nerves

15
Health Safety

• VDU use
• VDU Visual Display Unit
• The monitor or screen to you and I
• Eye strain
• Poor positioning of monitor
• Issues with electrostatic fields
• Skin and eye irritation
• Magnetic light radiation
• Issues with electromagnetic fields
• Reduction of immune system effectiveness
• User wellbeing

16
Social implications of computers

• Computers are everywhere!
• IT training becoming a necessity
• Everyone prone to health and safety issues with
  technology
• Stress
• Computer rage
• Software manufacturers fault?!
• Information easily available and easy to share
• Less need for social interaction
• Why cant the computer do it?
• Laziness?
• Un-sociable society?

17
Solutions

• Working environment
• OHSA (US)
• Occupational
• Health and
• Safety
• Administration
• www.osha.gov
• UK Health and
• Safety Executive
• www.hse.gov.uk

18
Solutions

• Health and safety laws
• Ergonomics
• Correct posture
• Positioning of components
• Copy holders
• Better work environment
• Adjustable chair,
• desk, etc.
• Wrist supports
• Monitor filters
• Regular breaks
• Get a life!?!