Comp1900 – Lecture week 2

Kathy Egea

1

Overview• Intermediated experience

– Command line vs GUI cp Disney’s approach– OS, software are intermediaries

• Structure– GUI interface access to OS , hardware, software,

networks, internet– File system access to hard drive (HD)

• Information– Software to OS to computer/printer/? and back– Backing up– Communication across platforms and version control

2

Introduction to Computers

• History of computers• Computer functions• Bits and bytes• Software – application programs and system

programs• Storage of data – hardware• Input of data – hardware

3

Operating systems

• Mac• Windows• Linux• Red Hat• UNIX• Sugar OS (XO computer for kids)

4

What an OS does?

Figure 5.7, Evans, Martin and Poastsy (2009, p215)5

Other information

• Processor management• Booting• File organisation• Utility programs

– Defrag utility– Task manager utility– Backup utility

6

Threshold Concept

• Operating system, and software, are intermediaries

• "Disney does mediated experiences better than anyone. If they understood what OSes are, and why people use them, they could crush Microsoft in a year or two." from "In the beginning".

• Reading: Neil Stephenson : http://www.locusmag.com/2004/Issues/08Stephenson.html

7

Intermediated experience : result of hardware + software (OS + applications)

– Command line vs GUI interaction cp Disney’s approach

– Computer perspective: Direct control (user) vs system control (GUI) cp Disney’s immersive process

– User’s perspective ~ user knowledge/preconceptions/expectation of operation; users want meaningful interaction

8

Structure

• Desktop/GUI gives access to file system, operating system, network, internet/www

• different layers: network (OSI), hardware, operating system, and software

• file system gives access to hard-drives

9

Information

• software to OS to computer/printer/? and back

• file names – individual perspective and changing with needs and understanding

• backing up • communication across platforms and

version control

10