UNIT 2
You and computers

Computer history

Possible answers:

• 1954
  • First production of silicon junction transistors
  • IBM 650 computer (magnetic drum calculator)
• 1960
  • DEC PDP-1, precursor to the minicomputer
  • COBOL programming language (Common Business Oriented Language) was created
• 1970
  • Computer-to-computer communication expanded when the US Department of Defense established four nodes on the ARPANET: the University of California Santa Barbara and UCLA, SRI International, and the University of Utah
• 1971
  • Intel released the first microprocessor (the Intel 4004)
  • An IBM team invented the 8-inch floppy diskette
• 1981
  • Microsoft launched MS-DOS, the basic software for the newly released IBM PC
  • Osborne I, the first portable computer and Apollo DN100, the first workstation, were launched
• 1984
  • IBM released its PC Jr. and PC-AT
  • William Gibson coined the term 'cyberspace' in his novel Neuromancer.
• 1990
  • The World Wide Web was born when Tim Berners-Lee, a researcher at CERN, the high-energy physics laboratory in Geneva, developed HyperText Markup Language

UNIT 8
You and computers

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Answers:

• ASCII: American Standard Code for Information Interchange
• MIPS: Million Instructions Per Second
• PCMCIA: Personal Computer Memory Card International Association
• USB: Universal Serial Bus
• MP3: MPEG-1 Layer 3 Audio
• WAP: Wireless Application Protocol
• UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (used by 3G mobile phones)

UNIT 12
You and computers

Copy this letter to your word processor. Then edit it by making the changes listed on page 35 of the book.

UNIT 16
You and computers

Create your own Podcast

Suggested answers:

UNIT 17
You and computers

Computer languages

Go to the Webopedia website at www.webopedia.com. Webopedia is an online dictionary and search engine for computer and Internet technology definitions. You can access the information by using the search facility. Look up the computer languages in the table below and then complete the table.

¹ An expert system is a computer application that performs a task that would otherwise be performed by a human expert. For example, there are expert systems that can diagnose human illnesses or make financial forecasts.

UNIT 23
You and computers

How to choose the perfect domain name

Possible answers:

1. Main tips:
   • A good domain name is easy to spell and pronounce.
   • It is easy to remember.
   • It invokes positive associations.
   • It reinforces the site concept.
   • It is short.
   • It is unique.
   • It avoids linguistic traps.
2. Answers:
   1. Yes. It's easy to spell and pronounce; it's short.
   2. No. It's hard to pronounce; it doesn't reinforce the site concept.
   3. No. It's long and hard to remember.
   4. Yes. It's easy to remember; it says something about the visitor.
   5. Yes. It invokes positive associations.
   6. Yes. It's short and unique.
   7. No. It is a linguistic trap.

UNIT 29
You and computers

Are you a responsible mobile user?

Possible answers:

1. True.
2. False. Don't talk and drive even with a hands-free mobile; phone conversations can distract you.
3. True.
4. False. Be brief when you are talking to other people, whoever they are. Your friends, colleagues, etc. might not be interested in your conversation.
5. False. If you're not sure if it's the right moment to phone someone, send an SMS instead.
6. True.

UNIT 31
You and computers

Your dream home

Possible answers:

Home control

1. The systems that you can control are:
   • lighting
   • appliances
   • heating and cooling
   • security and monitoring systems
   • entertainment (home audio and video)
   • communications (telephones and intercoms)
   • lawn sprinklers
2. Types of management networks:
   • power line
   • radio signals (wireless)
   • phone lines
   • structured wiring

UNIT 32
You and computers

Emerging technologies

Suggested answers:

1. Devices that will be designed to determine unused frequencies while establishing communication. They will make the most of existing bands and help solve the problems of jammed communications between wireless devices.
2. A technology that will allow devices that use different radio standards to communicate over a pervasive¹ network to avoid crashes, i.e. two cars will create a pervasive network and avoid crashes.
3. A system that allows users to hop securely from one site to another after signing on just once. Such systems could protect both users' privacy and the online businesses or other institutions that offer Web-based services.

¹ Pervasive computing is the trend towards increasingly ubiquitous (another name for the movement is ubiquitous computing), connected computing devices in the environment, a trend being brought about by a convergence of advanced electronic — and particularly, wireless — technologies and the Internet.

UNIT 34
You and computers

More 'wares'

Suggested answers:

• betaware: Software that is given to many users for beta testing before its official release.
• bloatware: Software that uses excessive memory in proportion to the task it performs, perhaps because of having too many unnecessary features.
• firmware: Software stored in ROM or PROM; essential programs that remain even when the system is turned off. Firmware is easier to change than hardware but more permanent than software stored on disk.
• guiltware: Freeware or shareware that has a message attached which attempts to make the user feel guilty until making some kind of payment.
• hookemware: Free software that gives a limited sample of how a program works, intended to hook the user into buying the full version.
• nagware: Shareware that displays a screen when the program is opened or closed that reminds the user to register and pay the fee.
• payware: Software that is sold; commercial software (not freeware or shareware).
• vapourware: Software that is announced long before it is ready for sale, and that sometimes never materializes.
• wetware: Human beings, or the human nervous system, as opposed to computer hardware or software.

UNIT 35
You and computers

Combinations with 'card' and 'web'

Possible answers:

¹ A symbol (e.g. an asterisk *) that represents one or more unspecified characters, used especially in searching text.

Expressions from other dictionaries: store card, sim card, phone card / phonecard, identity card, credit card, memory card, web address, web portal, web mail, weblog (blog).

UNIT 36
You and computers

Word combinations relating to mobile phones

1. Answers:
   1. card
   2. short
   3. built-in
   4. ring
   5. voice
   6. wireless
2. Match each verb on the left with its partner on the right to make collocations.

   make		calls
   send		faxes
   press		the button
   browse		websites
   record		video
   download		software

UNIT 38
You and computers

Compare before you buy

Possible answers

1. PDAs are smaller in size and easier to carry. They weigh less than laptops so they're a better option if you travel a lot and don't want to have a briefcase with you. They fit in a pocket. The batteries in a PDA last longer, which is another advantage for travellers. They are usually cheaper and more versatile. Many PDAs include a mobile phone, an MP3 player, and a planner on top of the basic specs of a computer (web access, email, word processor, spreadsheet, etc.).

   On the other hand, laptops have a keyboard which is easier to use. The processor and memory are more powerful so working with a laptop is more efficient and faster. They offer the possibility of working with highly-demanding applications (multimedia, graphics, etc.), while PDAs are mainly used for storage.

2. This person will probably be happier with a PDA which includes a mobile phone and an Internet connection to send and receive emails.