Technology Summit

The truth behind the veil

Copyright, 2010 - Rajesh Menon

Technology – Introduction, About the course, Q & A

History of Computing

Hardware

Operating Systems / Programming Languages

Databases

Networks (includes introduction to Internet)

Internet – What was, What is and What will (covering Wireless also)

Security

How Technology applies to You and Benefits of using itCopyright, 2010 - Rajesh Menon

Best Friend

Tool

Catalyst

Productivity Enhancer

Shortcut to Goals

Efficiency Improver

Communication Channel and Enhancer

Learning Enabler

Interactive (some)


I feel the need, the need for speed – Raise your adrenalin levels

Your guide to the technology ocean

Learn technology types and uses

When we say technology – mostly in relation to Computing

Although you will see that Computing is a subset of Technology

Learn some terms, some concepts, some applications

How is technology my best friend

Understand technology landscape

How to make use of Technology in my profession


Abacus

Difference Engine / Analytical Engine – Charles Babbage

Lady Ada Lovelace – The first Programmer

Mainframes – IBM

Minicomputers – DEC

Microcomputers

The Hardware is the Computer

The software is the Computer

The network is the Computer


• beads on rods to count and calculate• still widely used in Asia!


• Difference Engine c.1822 – huge calculator, never

finished

• Analytical Engine 1833– could store numbers– calculating “mill” used

punched metal cards for instructions

– powered by steam!– accurate to six decimal

placesCopyright, 2010 - Rajesh Menon

• born on 10 December

1815.• named after Byron's half

sister, Augusta, who had been his mistress.

• After Byron had left for the Continent with a parting shot -- 'When shall we three meet again?' -- Ada was brought up by her mother.

Courtesy : Tim Bergin. Computing History Museum, American University Copyright, 2010 - Rajesh Menon

Mainframes


Minicomputers – PDP 11 - 1970


Microcomputer - Altair 8800 Computer


First Microprocessor – 1971

• The 4004 had 2,250 transistors

• four-bit chunks (four 1’s or 0’s)

• 108Khz

• Called “Microchip”


Taken from Mugil Technologies Website


Taken from Click.in


Questions & Answers


Vaccum TubesTransistorsIntegrated CircuitsVery Large Integrated Circuits (Chips)MicroprocessorsSupport ChipsMotherboardChipSetSpecialized Microprocessors (Graphics and Sound)Input Output DevicesInput (Keyboard / Mouse and others)Output (Display, Printer and others)Wireless DevicesNetwork Devices (Switches / Hubs / Bridges / Gateways)Thought Readers , Robots, Prosthetic DevicesMicrocode


Vacuum Tubes - 1941 - 1956

• First Generation Electronic Computers used Vacuum Tubes

• Vacuum tubes are glass tubes with circuits inside.

• Vacuum tubes have no air inside of them, which protects the circuitry.


First Transistor

• Uses Silicon• developed in 1948• won a Nobel prize• on-off switch

• Second Generation Computers used Transistors, starting in 1956


Integrated Circuits

• Third Generation Computers used Integrated Circuits (chips).

• Integrated Circuits are transistors, resistors, and capacitors integrated together into a single “chip”


Very Large Integrated Circuits - CHIPS

Taken from WikipediaCopyright, 2010 - Rajesh Menon

Taken from ComputerMusuem.li


http://www.build-your-own-computer.net/motherboard-diagram.html


Taken from : Laptopshop.co.uk


http://blogs.digitalmediaonlineinc.com/dvdconverter/?page=1


http://www.misco.ie/productinformation/~88214~/Belkin%20Mini%20Optical%20Glow%20Mouse.htmhttp://visual.merriam-webster.com/communications/office-automation/input-devices_7.php


http://www.misco.ie/productinformation/~88214~/Belkin%20Mini%20Optical%20Glow%20Mouse.htm

http://www.misco.ie/productinformation/~88214~/Belkin%20Mini%20Optical%20Glow%20Mouse.htm

http://visual.merriam-webster.com/communications/office-automation/input-devices_7.php

http://visual.merriam-webster.com/communications/office-automation/input-devices_7.php

http://pusine.wordpress.com/2008/10/02/input-and-output-devices/

http://www.samsung.com/pl/products/monitor/tft/images/940fn_l1a.jpg






Taken from : static.howstuffworks.comslipperybrick.com


http://www.adobe.com/devnet/coldfusion/articles/coldfusion_scalability.html


klaxxx.comhttp://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/199905/99-046/index.htmlmedgadget.com Copyright, 2010 - Rajesh Menon

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/199905/99-046/index.html

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/News/Press/199905/99-046/index.html

Taken from Mugil Technologies Website


Questions & Answers


What is Operating System (OS) ?Why an OS ?Popular Operating Systems in the MarketStrengths and WeaknessComplimentary ProgramsNew Trends – Network OS , VirtualizationThe future of OSWhat is a Programming Languages (PL) What does it do ?Generations of PL’sWhat PL’s are in vogue today ?The next generation PLAbstractions and Annihilation of PL’s


An OS is a software program which has the following features

It talks to hardwareIt manages the CPUIt manages the MemoryIt manages all I/OIt also talks to different Software Subsystems OS works in the backgroundOS for different hardware is differentIt talks to other devices using internal knowledge or programs called device drivers


We cannot understand binary language very wellWe cannot remember details of all devicesWe cannot manage memory efficientlyWe need a human understanding interface to machinesWe need somebody to co-ordinate all activities that take place inside the machine


PC - OS

WindowsLinuxMacOS

Mobile OS

SymbianPalmOSWindows CE

Network OS

Chrome OS


Strengths Weakness

Simplicity Is getting bulkier day by dayAbstraction Too many choicesUser Friendly Vulnerable to threatsNon intimidating If buggy, can erode some valueEye for detail Sometimes not trustworthyDevice agnostic Too many API’sCommunicatorCollaboratorSchedulerMultitasking and MultiProgrammingInterrupt Handler


Programming Languages

Databases

Utilities

Extenders like Device Drivers

Network


Network OS

A lightweight OS which acts as a interface to the internetE.g: Chrome OS

Vitualization

Software Program which makes use of the CPU efficiently. Complements the OS.E.g: VMWare


Plug and play OS

Configurable

Lots of value adding components talking to multiple OS’s

Universal hooks

Faster and Intelligent


A way for us to communicate with computers

A Program is a set of instructions

Programming is the art and science of writing good programs

Language is like a protocol that is used to communicate with the machine

Hence PL is nothing but the art and science of writing programs that adhere to a protocol


A programming language (PL) is like any other language like say English

It helps us to explain to the computer the problem that we are trying to solve

It helps us achieve goals

It makes us happy, when we see the goal achieved.

It may contain bugs which have to be debugged in order to achieve the goal

Hence debugging is a intrinsic part of writing a PL

Creation, Preservation and Annihilation of a PL is similar to Life


First Generation Machine Language

Second Generation Assembly Language

Third Generation Procedural Language

Fourth Generation Non-Procedural Language

Fifth Generation Object Oriented Language

Sixth Generation AI languages

Seventh Generation ????


C , C++ , C#, Java

PHP, Python

Lisp, Ruby on Rails


Simple to use

Intelligent Constructs

Auto Correcting

Self Modifying

User FX

Platform Agnostic

Secure Constructs


Abstraction

Hiding details and exposing a very friendly interface to the userHuman LikePredictiveAnalyticalQualitative, at times

Annihilation

Future is for non programming productsAuto program writing programsEasy pick and choose interfaceEnd of Programming as we know itEase of Programming – actually the term is value adding


Questions & Answers


What is a databaseWhy a database is requiredTypes of DatabasesDatabases in the current MarketWhat is an indexOLTP, DSS, RealTime databasesWhat is SQLWhat are different SQL StatementsStandardsRollback Transactions (Undo)LockingObject Relational DatabasesDataTypesRelation between a database and a networkThe future of database


A database is a repository of dataLike the Ocean has water, the database has dataData means the smallest unit of informationBase means foundationThus database means a foundation made of dataDatabases can be classified functionally or in other ways for eg: locationwiseDatabases can also be compared to DNA


Where else can you keep your dataWithout data there is nothing in this worldData needs to be stored somewhereData needs to be classified in order to organize it betterSometimes data about data is also required (Description or Metadata)Data also needs to be retrieved in order to achieve some goal


Hierarchical databaseNetwork databaseRelational DatabaseObject Relational DatabasePure Object DatabaseInformation Database (Abstraction 1)Knowledge Database (Abstraction 2)


ORACLE, SQL Server, DB2MySQL, PostGreSQL (Open Source)


An index is a signpostTo say it in a better way, it is a pointerStill better, it’s an efficient way of organizing dataIndexes help to retrieve the required data in a flash (As compared to sequential access)There are different kinds of indexes like Binary Tree index, Hashes etcThe downside of index is that it takes up some space in the database for its own existence


OLTP – Online Transaction Processing

Indicates a kind of a database on which Add/Modify/Delete operations are being performed

DSS – Decision Support System

Indicates a kind of a database on which a Query is being performed

RealTime

A database where the time difference between stimulus and response is very low. In short, a fast database.


SQL stands for Structured Query Language

It is based on relational theory in mathematics

Actually it is not just a Query language, but offers other features also.

SQL is a non procedural language

Every statement itself is complete in itself

There are languages like PL/SQL which extend the functionality of basic SQL

In short, it adds a programming layer


DDL : Data Definition Language. Eg: CREATE, DROP

DML : Data Manipulation Language. Eg: INSERT,DELETE,UPDATE

DCL : Data Control Language. Eg: GRANT, REVOKE

DQL : Data Query Language. Eg: SELECT

Transaction Processing Statements: Eg: ROLLBACK, COMMIT


ISO/ANSI

SQL-92


Are used to undo the earlier action(s)

One way this is achieved using what are called Redo Log Files

There are rollback segments internal to the database

Rollback can be till a particular time or a particular point in code

Rollback points can be specified


Locking is used to give controlled access to data

There are many kinds of locks

Exclusive LocksRead Only LocksPart read only and Part Exclusive locks

These locks can be at different levels

Some locks are on entire database, some on Files, some on a set of data

A deadlock or a deadly embrace is when 2 users have locked out each other

Modern databases automatically resolve such situations


A relational database that incorporates object oriented paradigm

Certain statements within SQL now are having object level meanings

Objects support concepts such as Abstraction, Inheritance, Polymorphism


Are fundamental units which depict what the type of data is

Some of the datatypes are

NUMBER, STRING, XML etc.

Data within a database is stored in columns of a specific datatype, as given above


Database is nature

And

Network is nurture

We are all born with a database and realize the network around us.

As time passes by …


Databases will become more complex in terms of type of content

Songs, Videos etc will be embedded within a database – I mean new data types

There will be programs which help disparate databases to talk to each other

Information and Knowledge would be stored within a database

Meta data will become very important

Databases will grow in size

Redundancy would be taken care by some programs, although the trend is to increase

Code will also be interspersed with data in a database


Questions & Answers


What is a networkWhy a network is requiredOSI Network LayerNetwork TopologiesBridges, Hubs, Routers, Switches, GatewaysLAN, WAN, MANNetworking ProtocolsConnecting Devices in a NetworkIntelligence in a NetworkThe internet – The mother of all networksWhy the internetARPANET, MILNET, InternetBulletin Boards, Archie , VeronicaWorld Wide Web


Two or more devices and/or people connected to each other forms a networkNature itself is synonymous to networkWe are connected to each other through a bond that is not visibleIn a peoples network, we just have six degrees of separation from one anotherThere are networking sites on the internet

Business Networks like LinkedIn

Social Networks like Facebook

Communities

Forums


Imagine how life would be without a network, all by yourself

There will be nothing to share or show off

There will be a feeling of loneliness

We see ourselves through the senses of other people, when conscious

Ditto with Computers

The more devices connected the more is the value of the network


Taken From: http://www.webstepbook.com/supplements/slides/images/osi_model.png


http://www.webstepbook.com/supplements/slides/images/osi_model.png

http://www.webstepbook.com/supplements/slides/images/osi_model.png

Bridge : Connects two networks

Hub : Central Point for connecting all computers

Router: An intelligent Switch

Switch : Used to connect 2 or more networks

Gateway: A Switch for dissimilar networks


LAN : Local Area Network

WAN : Wide Area Network

MAN : Metropolitan Area Network


TCP / IP Transmission Comtrol Protocol/Internet Protocol

UDP User Datagram Protocol

FTP File Transfer Protocol

SMTP / POP3 Simple Mail Transfer Protocol / Post Office Protocol

HTTP Hype Text Transfer Protocol

NetBEIU

NetBios


The value of a network grows exponentially as more members are added to a network

This is called MetCalfe’s Law

The more devices you connect to each other, the more the value goes up

Devices may require to be installed or may be plug and play

The latter seems to be the trend for the future


Intelligence resides in the devices on the network

Not in the wire that transmits data

Or the ether through which wireless signals flow

Intelligence will move to the periphery and middle wherever there are devices

Two or more devices may also have a collective intelligence

Intelligence modules will be available as plug and play in the future


Taken from: http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/webserver-backbone-sm.gif


http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/webserver-backbone-sm.gif

Like Sunlight is impartial, Knowledge should also be impartial

The internet is the first attempt towards this noble goal

The internet is evolving, it’s the mother of all networks on this blue planet

It’s Ubiquitous, Net Neutral and Powerful

Without internet, we would not be able to share so well

Information will reach people late

Some people may even not get the benefit of it

We are all 1 big humanity connected thru networks like the Internet

It accelerates change and provides us tools / info to be more productive


ARPANET : Is the predecessor of the internet

MILNET: The military network on the internet

Internet: Grew from the two above and now embraces most of the networks


Earlier Websites were called Bulletin Boards

Except that they were exclusive (not talking to other websites)

Eg: Compuserve, AOL etc

Archie and Veronica were tools to access the internet earlier before 1993

There were many other tools also

Till the time, the World Wide Web was not invented


The internet as most of us know today is called World Wide Web

A term coined and invented by Tim Berners Lee

Web Browsers were made available and they could access the Web

The underlying language of the Web was HTML

The father of the Internet is Vint Cerf.

Thanks to efforts of all these people, that we get to access the internet


Questions & Answers


Building a WebsiteChoosing your Service ProviderChoosing the Platform (Microsoft or LAMP)Choosing the right planPayment details

Hosting your BlogBlogger or WordPressPaid Blogs Permalinks / Comments / Share

Fun with WikisWikipedia – Jimmy WalesAdding / Modifying Wiki Pages

Social NetworkingFacebook & LinkedIn

Getting Paid thru AdSense and AdWordsConsulting Sites (GLG / Nitron)Freelancing with eLance and Guru


Building

a Websit

e


Your Service Provider is your middleman to the internet

Learn more about the type of service provided by them

Go to their website

Read about them on blogs, forums, discussions etc.

Check if there are Service Level Agreements (SLA’s)

Narrate your expectations to the Service Provider Contact

See if they can fulfill it

Preferably in writing


Select a platform that is suitable for your website

For e.g: If your website has been developed on Microsoft Technologies, choose it

Else if say PHP, Python or other Linux Open Source is used, Choose that

If you have a plain brochureware, choose any one of the platforms

By this we mean a set of HTML pages

Once you select a platform, most of the service providers will not allow you to switch

Mostly, the decision for you is a technical one


The plan typically has the following parameters

What do you plan to do with an internet connection

Size your requirement

Look for a corresponding plan with the service provider

Sizing involves bandwidth, which is the quantum of data flowing up and down through your computer

You can switch plans, as and when your requirement changes

Please check with Service Provider for this


Normally you have to pay before you use a service

For a new connection, there is going to be an additional charge (for modems, cables etc)

Unless some scheme which waives off all charges is being offered

Mostly people choose to pay monthly

You can make payment by cheque / creditcard / Net Banking (depends on Service Provider)

The less risky is cheque, but it involves a clearing process

Choose the payment plan most suitable to you


Hosting your Blog


Both Bloggger and Wordpress are Blogging Sites

Blogger is Google owned

WordPress is independent

To start blogging, Blogger is good

WordPress gives more control over the blog and is slightly more complex

You can Blog from wherever there is a blog button to your blog site


Some sites pay you for blogging

Typically they need you to

Blog on a subject that you like

Or

Blog on a subject that they want

It can be a product review or a topic

You can also activate AdSense on your Blog (More about this later)

The more the traffic the more popular your Blog and the more they pay you

That roughly is the equation


Permalinks : Permanent Link to your Blog Address

Comments: Feedback from people who have read your blog

Share: You can share the blog with others on your network

Besides the above you will be able to mark them or click a ‘I like it’ icon

Depends on the blog

Remember to submit your blog to blog search engines to get a higher ranking

The more the traffic the better

Use a third party tool like Google Analytics to understand and predict traffic to your blog


WikiPedia is a collabortaive knowledge guide

Founded by Jimmy Wales

It is a reference guide

It has a map counterpart called WikiMapia

Similar to Google Earth

Anyone can edit Wikipedia articles


Wikipedia is available in many languages

Choose your language and article

You can Edit any page.

Moderation is carried out and the page you edited or added becomes part of the Wikipedia knowledge base


Social Networks are built with one aim : Share

Content can be anything – pictures, text, videos

The idea is to form a network of friends and share useful things with them

Facebook : Is the most popular Social Networking Sites

Others like Facebook : MySpace, Orkut

LinkedIn: Is a Social Networking Site for Business People

Others like LinkedIn: Ryze


Adsense : is an advertising program for end users

AdWords: is an advertising program for advertisers

AdSense helps you to make money by providing Google’s taregted Ads on your site or blog

AdWords helps you to own certain keywords which will activiate your Ad on Adsense Pages

With Adsense you make money whenever somebody clicks on the targetted Ads

With Adwords, your Ad comes up first in the Advertisements on a Adsense Network. You have to Pay Google for this service. Advantage: Traffic


You can also make money by offering your services on a time basis

GLG and Nitron are websites which list services to be fulfilled

And if you can take up a consulting assignment you get paid

Payment depends on your relation with them and experience

You can enlist in these sites and provide consulting assognments


eLance and Guru are websites which advertise jobs

These need to be done and payment received thereof

There are many freelancing opportunities available.

You have to bid for them and once awarded, do the work and get paid.

Normally the projects are short and of value less than 5000 USD

Good Luck !


Questions & Answers


The race between the good and the badPrivacyEncryption – Private and Public KeyWhat happens when you boot up ?Malware – Adware, Spyware and Viruses (Trojans, Worms) Antivirus – what they can and what they cannot doZero day exploitsPhishingFirewalls, IDSDigital SignaturesHackingWhat next ?


Since ages the cops have been chasing the criminals

As light is to darkness, so is cops to criminals

There are rules to follow – which is called dharma

When people do not follow the dharma, they fall into disgrace

The farther away from way of the dharma, the more they seem to have err-ed

People do wrong actions because of ignorance

The cops are our line of defence against the looming threat


We treasure our privacy. There are some parts of our life,, which cannot be exposed as doing so will cause discomfort to ourselves

What to hide and what to expose varies from individual to individual

Privacy is a key attribute of modern computing systems

One way to have privacy is to authenticate the set of data that we need to make private

Authorization further restricts the access to required data

Privacy can be compromised by not just computers, but also people who are unaware


Encryption is a way of changing data into an unreadable format

It works on the basis of keys that are the gatekeepers to data

Private encryption is typically a dataset and 1 key to decode the same

Public Key Encryption uses 2 keys (RSA)

Encryption is also referred to as Secured mode

For eg: https

The key strength may be 40 bit, 128 bit etc. The bigger the key the more difficult it is to break the code.


Here’’s a typical PC boot up sequence

Start POSTLoad Boot RecordLoad Kernel of OSLoad Shell of OSLoad Applications on StartupGive control to application


Adware is a program which typically shows ads on your system, without your permission

Spyware is more advanced. It can log in your keys , act as a part of a botnet

Viruses are nasty little programs that cause a lot of nuisance.

Trojans are a type of virus. E.g: E-mail attachments

Worms are runaway virus programs which multiply very fast

There are many other types of viruses like boot sector / file viruses


Antivirus detects viruses and eradicates them

They work typically on virus signatures

Some work on heuristics

Most of the anti viruses are pretty good, but virus writers are one step ahead.

Eg: McAfee, Norton, AVG etc.


Are the exploits written with 24 hours of launch of a product

Antivirus people are always on the lookout for these viruses

The exploit can be a weakness in a operating system, a patch or something else


Gathering info thru social engineering is called Phishing

The data typically is used to do something harmful to the person who revealed this data

It can also be an organization or group instead of a person

The problem is human beings who are gullible to such attacks

The only solution is to be alert


A firewall is a block between the outside network and your computer

IDS or intrusion detection system, detects suspicious activities

A firewall can restrict access to your computer by closing some ports or restricting certain protocols


Are electronic equivalent of paper signatures

They are recognized to be legally binding in some countries

Typically organizations like Verisign issue the same

MS Word also has a provision for the same


Hacking is the art of understanding a system in depth

When the knowledge that is gathered is used for bad purpose it is called black hat hacking

When the knowledge that is gathered is used for good purpose it is called white hat hacking (ethical hackers)

Those in between are called grey hat hackers


To block a black hat hacker, you have to think like them

Prevention is better than cure

Being proactive matters

Take backup regularly

Viruses have started proliferating thru all channels like device drivers

As gadgets become more intelligent the chances of a virus infecting them is more

Social Engineering is something that needs to be tackled with more awareness


Questions & Answers


Technology Summit

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Transcript of Technology Summit