Special features of the computer

• Various machines have been invented by man to transform data into information. Among them, the computer commands a vital role. Many reasons have influenced to gain this important position and given below are some of the main reasons.
• Speed – The computer is a machine which operates very fast. A task or calculation which takes a long time to be completed through other means can be completed in a very short period using the computer.
• Accuracy – The computer is a machine which operates with a very high rate of accuracy. If there is any error in the operation of the computer, such errors occur due to the errors of the given instructions and data. When preparing a program for the computer, it is a fundamental responsibility of the person who prepares the instructions to ensure the accuracy of it.
• Efficiency – As it is a machine a computer which is installed in a suitable environment can be operated in the same speed continuously without any rest for any duration you need. This will not feel monotony, fatigue and loss of concentration as human beings.
• Versatility – The ability to engage in a number of tasks is a special feature of the computer. Just after finishing one task, the computer can perform another completely different task with the same efficiency.
• Storing and Retrieving – The data and information can be saved in the computer as long as we wish and it can be retrieved instantly when we need them. This is another special feature of a computer.
• No intelligence – Intelligent computers have not been created so far and all computers operate according to the commands or programs given by human beings.
• No feelings – A computer is just another machine we use. Computers do not get feelings such as isolation, loneliness and exhaustion. Therefore, we can use computers to get our work done as we wish.

Basic functions of a computer

• Input or inserting data and instructions – Input can be defined as inserting data and instructions needed for a computer.
• Processing – The process of converting data inserted to the computer to information as required can be defined as processing.
• Output or retrieving data or information – Giving the processed data and information to the external force is done under output.
• Storing data or information – Data and information are stored in a way that they can be reused later as required. This is done under storing.
• Controlling – The functions of a computer system and its various devices should be controlled properly. Under controlling the controlling activities done by computer system are considered.

Classification of Computers

According to the generation

• First generation computers - Vacuum tubes were used to design computers of this generation.
• Second generation computers - Transistors were used to design computers of this generation.
• Third generation computers - Integrated Circuits (IC) were used to design computers of this generation.
• Fourth generation computers - Microchips or Microprocessors were used to design computers of this generation.
• Fifth generation computers - Computers that are supposed to have the thinking ability are called fifth generation computers. Scientists are trying hard to develop the fifth generation computers using 'Artificial Intelligence'.

According to the size

• Super computers - Computers which are designed for a specific purpose with very high performance and capabilities are called as such. 
• Mainframe computers - These are the large scale computers. 
• Mini computers - Medium size computers can be called mini computers. 
• Micro computers - Extremely small computers that can be called micro computers.

According to the technological development

• Personal computers (PCs) - Computers designed for individual's use are called personal computers and this type of computers has been widely developed now. Personal computers are also known as ' Desktop Computers'.
• Laptop computers - These are portable computers designed to be carried about. These are known as the 'Note book computers' or 'Portable computers'.
• Palmtop computers - These are the computers that can be held on palm. Palmtops are also called 'Personal Digital Assistants' (PDAs).
• Work station computers - The name 'Workstation computers' is used for desktop computers made with high capacities. These are widely used to design more complex graphic designing and 3D animations and also serve as server computers.

According to the purpose

• Computers designed for usual and day - to - day activities are called General Purpose Computers.
• Computers designed for special purposes such as scientific experiments, battle operations, discovery of oil rigs etc.. are called Special Purpose Computers.

According to the design technology

• Digital computers - Computers designed by using the binary digital number system are called digital computers.
• Analog computers - Computers which are designed considering the physical data such as temperature, thrust, and pressure are called analog computers.
• Hybrid computers - A combination of the above two types of computers can be called hybrid computers.

Computer Games

Sports have got a special place in our daily life. It not only provides enjoyment, but also increase physical and mental solace. Today the computer with its related equipment are used as gaming equipment. So, as mentioned earlier, it not only provides enjoyment but also helps to increase knowledge in various fields.
When we play computer games, it is an important fact that games can be set according to an individual's age, knowledge level or skill level. Especially games such as chess can be highlighted here.
Such sports will enhance our intelligence, skills to take quick decisions and creativity.
Computer games help to improve the knowledge, creativity and analyzing skills not only on mathematics, science and technology but also on many other subjects like language, music and art. Computer games are popular media that helps mental relaxation and reducing physical fatigue.
However, addiction to computer games and gambling are the bad sides of computer games.

Identify the various categories of website users and describe in detail.

• Expert users (meaning with extended experience in the application) expects advance features and capabilities. They will want more customization options. Since they have a stable mental model of the application structure they feel free to explore the application and try new things. They will not be too worried about making mistakes since they feel secure that they will know how to bypass them.
• Novice users: on the other hand, are new to the system and will need a simple and basic interface. Since they are new in the system they will expect more secure ways of doing things in the system (for example they will choose the templates or wizards to do their first steps in the system). Novice users' interface should provide simple ways to achieve important frequently performed tasks. When designing to novice users we should remember what the main use cases and don't shadow them with unnecessary features. 
• Users with special needs: Users with special needs who are not sufficiently visually impaired to require assisted technologies can still be frustrated by poor contrast, problematic color schemes, or tiny, unreadable text. Up to 10% of men are color blind to some extent, and the increasing number of older users is less likely to have 20/20 vision than those designing the pages.

Email

*What is meant by attachment facility?
  The attachment information with e-mail.
  These attached information can be sent as attached files.
  The files may be text files or document files.
  By the attachment facility we can send any number of files with email.
*What is the use of email dictionary?
  While sending email the email dictionary helps to know the meaning of the word, if we need.
*What is the use of spell check?
  It helps to make spelling corrections in the email which we typed.
*What is the use of treasures?
  The facility which gives different words in similar meaning.
*What is mean by inbox?
  Inbox is which we receives all the emails to a person who holds email address.
*How can we erase the unwanted email?
  Select the unwanted emails and press the delete button.

Software

*What is a software?
  Software refers to the set of computer programs, procedures and associated documents.
*What are the types of software?
  Application Software
  System Software
*What is an application software?
  Application software is a set of programs designed to carry out operations for specified purpose.
*What is system software?
  System software is a set of  programs designed to control the operation of a computer system.

what are the major factors to be concerned when buying a computer for yourself?

• Choose a specialty store, consumer electronics store, retail chain, limited service discount chain, local computer builder or mail-order/Internet vendor, based on your hardware and service needs. 
• Buy when you need to buy. No matter how long you wait for the best deal, the same configuration will cost less in six months.  
• Decide which features you'll need based on what you're going to do with the computer. For example, if you're going to be creating graphics, sound and video, you'll want plenty of RAM. If you're going to be doing heavy computational tasks (searching large databases, watching video), you'll want a super processor.  
• Decide if you want a laptop, which you can carry around with you, or a desktop model.
•  Choose a computer brand based on quality, price and technical support. 
• Based on your likely needs, determined earlier, figure out the core configuration you need, including processor and speed, amount of RAM and hard drive size. 
• Determine additional drives you need: CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD recorder, Zip. 
• Select peripherals and additional hardware such as modems, sound cards, video cards and speakers. 
• Decide how many extra internal card slots and disk-drive bays you'll need in order to allow room for future expansion. 
• Determine what pre-installed software you want or need. Get at least an operating system, such as Windows, an anti-virus program, and programs for word processing, spreadsheets, databases and keeping your checkbook. 
• Choose the length of warranty or service coverage appropriate to your needs.
  

Computer technologies used in the Insurance Company

Technology pays a tremendous role in the modern insurance industries. The use of computers, specifically, has allowed changes with regard to how data is retained and transactions conducted. Computers also link up branches from anywhere in the world. Communication and information transfer happens in a matter of moments. These functions make computers an extremely valuable tool in the insurance industries.

Computers are instrumental to the way the Insurance Company performs its business. This technology allows Insurance to be able to take transactions and update accounts in real time. Online Insuring is another effect of computer technology on the insuring industry; computers allow people to set up automatic payments from their bank accounts to such places as utility companies and insurance groups. The insurance industry uses sophisticated computer software to analyse risk. Automated underwriting systems adjust premiums and recommend acceptance or denial of risk for a potential client. With the use of the Internet, insurance companies are able to access information which will determine whether they accept client or not.

Computers decrease the amount of time needed to perform complex calculations and allow professionals in this industry to calculate many formulas at the same time. Computers also increase the efficiency of this industry by reducing the potential of humans to err and make incorrect calculations. Computer technology makes this information more easily accessible and also requires less amount of physical space. Records can be backed up easily with computer storage.

Comparison of Primary Storage Devices & Secondary Storage Devices.

The storage devices are broadly classified into secondary storage and primary storage. The secondary storage is known as peripheral storage, and is used to stores information of the computer that is not in current use. The secondary storage is typically slower and is of higher capacity than primary storage. The secondary storage is almost non – volatile. The secondary storage is slow due to serial access.

The primary storage is used to refer for local random access disk storage and is properly called secondary storage. If this type of storage is called primary storage, then the term secondary storage would refer to offline. This usually occurs in the slower, larger forms of storage which is used to develop vendors to provide secure device management services, authentication services, as well as encryption for data. There is software and application based solutions; however software – based encryption solutions can impact performance during the storage process. Vendors provide hardware based solutions, which are appliances that provide authentication to protect the data. These devices are taken into account for the different requirements of securing data on primary or secondary storage. The primary storage performance and access specifications for the tape environment and requires the encrypting to tape would require integration with backup schemas for primary storage scenarios.

simple structure of a processor

Describe generally about total computer system & computer networking

A total computer system is comprised of many internal and external devices. The complete computer made up of the CPU, memory and related electronics (main cabinet), all the peripheral devices connected to it and its operating system. Computer systems fall into two broad divisions: clients and servers. Client machines fall into three categories from low to high end: laptop, desktop and workstation. Servers range from small to large: low-end servers, mid range servers and mainframes.

A computer network is a group of computers that shares information across wireless or wired technology. Computer networks used to only be available for corporations but they are affordable for small businesses and individuals. Computer networking requires two computers, a protocol and the hardware to connect them. Collection of two or more computers that are interconnected with each other to perform data communication using the data communication protocol through communications media (wired or wireless), so these computers can share information, data, programs, and use of hardware together.

Benefits of Adobe Dreamweaver

Browser Development - Dreamweaver is the only web design software that develops web pages that can be viewed by all web browsers.
Quick Development Time - By incorporating easy-to-create templates as well as a reusable page library, Dreamweaver can be used by experienced developers to create a robust web site quickly.
Data Processing - By using Spry Data and Java scripting to handle dynamic data, Dreamweaver replaces back - end databases.
Table less Layouts - Dreamweaver offers table less layouts for web pages. Images and text no longer need to be placed in tables.
Split Development Screen - Dreamweaver 8 offers the developer a split screen. Half the screen displays the code for using HTML and the other half of the screen is a visual representation allowing for WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) development.

Features of Adobe Dreamweaver

1.     Spry framework for Ajax - With Adobe Dreamweaver, you can visually design, develop, and deploy dynamic user interfaces using the spry framework for Ajax. The Spry framework for Ajax is a JavaScript library for web designers that allow designers to build pages that provide a richer experience for their users. Unlike other Ajax frameworks, Spry is accessible to both designers and developers alike, as 99% of it is actually HTML.

2.     Spry widgets - Spry widgets are prebuilt, common user interface components that you can customize using CSS, and then add to your web pages. With Dreamweaver, you can add a number of spry widgets to your pages, including XML-driven lists and tables, accordions, tabbed interfaces, and form elements with validation.

3.     Spry effects - Spry effects are a simple, elegant way of enhancing the look and feel of your website. You can apply them to almost any element on an HTML page. You can add Spry effects to enlarge, shrink, fade, and highlight elements; visually alter a page element for a certain period of time; and more.

4.     Advanced Photoshop CS3 integration - Dreamweaver includes enhanced integration with Photoshop CS3. Now, designers can simply select any portion of a design in Photoshop even across multiple layers and paste it directly into a Dreamweaver page. Dreamweaver presents a dialog box where you can specify optimization options for the image. Should you ever need to edit the image, simply double click the image to open the original layered PSD file in Photoshop for editing.

5.     Browser Compatibility Check - The new Browser Compatibility Check feature in Dreamweaver generates reports that identify CSS-related rendering issues in a variety of browsers. In code view, issues are flagged with green underlining, so you know exactly where the problem is. After you identify the problem, you can quickly fix it if you know the solution.

6.     Adobe CSS Advisor - The Adobe CSS Advisor website contains information on the latest CSS issues, and is accessible directly from the Dreamweaver user interface during the Browser Compatibility Check process. More than a forum, a wiki page, or a discussion group, CSS Advisor makes it easy for you to comment with suggestions and improvements to existing content, or to add new issues for the benefit of the entire community.

7.     Manage CSS - The Manage CSS feature makes it easier for you to move CSS rules from document to document, from the head of a document to an external sheet, between external CSS files, and more. You can also convert inline CSS to CSS rules, and place them where you need them just by dragging and dropping.

What are the five main views in Microsoft Outlook?

• Mail
• Calender
• Contacts
• Tasks
• Notes

How do you manage multiple e-mail accounts in Microsoft Outlook?

1.      Outlook can manage all your e-mail account for you, becoming one central place to work with all your messages.

a.      Sending Messages from Multiple Accounts.

When you are sending messages, you are in control of which account Outlook uses. You can tell Outlook to use a different account.

·        When you create a new message, Outlook assumes you’ll want to use the default account to send it unless you specific a different account.

·        If you are replying to a message, Outlook uses the account that the message came in on. If you receive a message sent to your account, and you click Reply or Reply to all, Outlook would assume you want to send the reply using that account.

·        When you forward a message, Outlook will assume you want to do so using the same account as the original message.

·        You tell Outlook which e-mail account to use when you have the message window open. When you have multiple accounts set up, you will see an Account Button below the Send Button. Click the account button, and Outlook will display a menu containing all your e-mail accounts. Select one, and Outlook uses that one to send your message.

b.      Changing the Default Account.

·        You may sometimes decide that you want Outlook to use a different e-mail account as your default. If you want to change the default, follow these steps:

                                                                    I.            Go to the main Outlook menu and click Tools>Account Settings to open the Account Setting dialog box.

                                                                  II.            On the e-mail tabbed page of the Account Setting dialog box, find the box listing all your e-mail accounts. Click the account you want to make your new default account.

                                                                III.            In the space above the account list, find and Click Set as Default. Outlook dims this option until you select a new account to use as default.

                                                               IV.            The list rearranges itself so the new default option appears at the top of the list.

                                                                 V.            Click Close.

·        Another step to change default account:

                                                                                I.            Go to control Panel.

                                                                              II.            Click on User Accounts and Family Safety.

                                                                            III.            Click on mail.

                                                                           IV.            Click on E-mail accounts.

                                                                             V.            Click the account you want to make your new default account.

How do you save the Contact from an email message you receive?

To save an e-mail address, name, or other contact information from an e-mail message that you receive, you add it to your Microsoft Outlook contacts. After this information is added to Contacts, it is automatically included in your Outlook Address Book.

In a message that you receive, right-click the name of the sender, and then click Add to Outlook Contacts.

A contact form opens, with the sender’s name and e-mail address already filled in.

Click Save and close.

After it is added to your main Outlook Contacts folder, which is the default contact folder displayed in the Outlook Address Book, the contact can be copied to any other Contact folders you have created. New contact folders are automatically added to the Address Book, and the new information is also available to you there.

Briefly explain Information viewer, Drafts, Search box, Navigation pane?

  1.  Information Viewer.

The Information viewer is where most of the action happens in Outlook. When you are reading email, you look in the Information Viewer to read your message; if you are adding or searching for contacts, you see contact names here. The Information Viewer is also where you can do all sorts of fancy sorting tricks that each module in Outlook lets you perform. Also you can browse calendar data in the Information Viewer.

  2.   Drafts.

Draft will save the message until you finish composing. You don’t have to send every message right way, just save it in Draft and finish it later on.

Draft folder is used for keeping work in progress. If you are sending an e-mail to someone and you don’t have all the information available to finish the e-mail off then you can save it to Drafts. By saving an e-mail to Draft you can come back to it later at your convenience.

  3.  Search box.

Outlook 2007 offers a new search tool, called instant search. Near the top of the Information Viewer pane, in the centre of the screen, you see the instant search box. This box has a little magnifying glass on the right and some text on the left. Click the box and type the 1^st few letters of a word that you want to find. Almost immediately, the Information Viewer screen goes blank, and then shows only the items containing the text you entered. When outlook displays the items it found, the magnifying glass is replaced byû. Clear the search result by clicking theû.

  4.     Navigation Pane.

The Navigation Pane, located next to the main window, is made up of 2 areas.

·       An expandable folder list that provides access to your personal Microsoft Office Outlook Web Access folders and any folders you create. The folders are displayed in a hierarchy that you can expand to view the folder contents or collapse to view only the top-level folder. The plus sign icon next to a folder indicates that the folder contains sub folders. To view the sub folders, click the plus sign.

·        A set of buttons that provide one click access to your inbox, calendar, contact, and Task folders and to your organization’s public folders. An options button allows you to set user option, such as calendar or task reminder. A horizontal splitter bar located between the folder list and the buttons allow you to collapse the button into a button tray. When you click any folder or button in the Navigation Pane, it contents are displayed in the outlook Web Access main window.

How do you add a new e-mail account in Outlook?

1.      Start Outlook.

2.      On the Tools menu, click Account Settings.

3.      On the e-mail tab, click New.

4.      In the Add New E-mail Account dialog box, click Microsoft Exchange, POP3, IMAP, or HTTP and then click Next. 

5.      Configure the new e-mail account. We can configure the new e-mail account automatically or manually.

                                  I.            To configure the new e-mail account automatically, follow these steps under Auto Account Setup in the Add New E-mail Account dialog box.

a)      In the Your Name box, type your full name.

b)     In the E-mail Address box, type your e-mail address.

c)      In the Password box, type the password that your ISP provided.

d)     In the Retype Password box, retype the password, and then click Next to begin the Auto Account Setup process.      Outlook 2007 will try to automatically configure your account settings and server settings. If your account is successfully configured, the Add New E-mail account dialog box indicates that the account was created successfully. This dialog box also indicates the type of e-mail server to which you successfully connected.

e)      Click Finish, and then close to complete the account setup.

                                II.            To configure the new e-mail account manually, follow these steps in the Add New E-mail Account dialog box.

a)      Click to select the Manually Configure Server Settings check box, and then click Next.

b)     Click Internet E-mail and then click Next.

c)      Under User Information, follow these steps:

1.      In the Your Name box, type your full name.

2.      In the E-mail address box, type your full e-mail address.

d)     Under Server Information, click the type of e-mail account that you have in Account type box.

v If you clicked POP3 or IMAP in the account type box, follow these steps:

1.      In the Incoming mail server box, type the name of the server. This is the server that holds your messages before you download them to the computer.

2.      In the outgoing mail server (SMTP) box, type the name of the outgoing e-mail server.

v If you clicked HTTP in the Account Type box, follow these steps:

1.      In the HTTP Service Provider box, click the appropriate service provider for this account. For example, click one of the following:

Ø  Hot mail

Ø  MSN

Ø  Other

2.      If you clicked other in the HTTP Service Provider box, type the URL to the mailbox in the Server URL box.

e)      Under logon information, follow these steps:

1.      In the User Name box, type your user name.

2.      In the Password box, type the password that your ISP provided.

3.      If you want outlook to remember your e-mail account password, click to select the Remember Password checkbox.

f)       If your ISP require it, click to select the Require logon using secure Password Authentication check box to logon by using secure password authentication.

g)      Click Test Account settings. This feature calls a dialog box that displays, in a step-by-step manner, each phase of the testing of the configuration that you entered. When you click Test Account Settings, the following process occurs:

Ø  The connectivity of the system to the Internet is confirmed.

Ø  You are logged on to the SMTP Server.

Ø  You are logged on to the POP3 Server.

Ø  It is determined whether the POP3 Server must be logged on to first. If it is required, outlook automatically sets the log on to incoming mail server before sending mail option.

Ø  A test message is sent. This message explains any changes that outlook made to the initial setup.

h)     If you want to modify your e-mail account any more, click More Settings to open the Internet E-mail Settings dialog box.

 i)    Click Next, and then click Finish.

How do you create a setup application to distribute your application

Before we can distribute our application, we must build an application file with an .app extension, an executable file with an .exe extension, or a COM component (automation server) with a .dell extension.

Prior to building our application, make sure that our project includes the necessary files for our application, as well as any resource files, such as graphics files or templates. For more information about the types of files we can include in our application, see "Including Resources in Applications" in the Visual FoxPro online Help.

The development environment of Visual FoxPro contains many features and files that are licensed for our use only. If our application contains any of these features or files, we must remove them from our application before creating our Setup program. For a list of redistributable files, see Redist.txt, located in our Visual FoxPro directory (C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual FoxPro 7) and "Removing Restricted Visual FoxPro Features and Files" in the Visual FoxPro online Help.

When we choose the type of build we want to create, consider the size of our final application file and whether users have Visual FoxPro installed on their computers.

• Application (.app) file   this file requires that the user have a copy of Visual FoxPro installed. An .app file typically is smaller than an .exe file.
• Executable (.exe) file   this file includes the Visual FoxPro loader, so users are not required to have Visual FoxPro installed.
• COM Server (.dull) files   Used to create a file that can be called by other applications.

Some distribution scenarios might require merge modules in addition to the Visual FoxPro run-time files.

Three options that deployment wizard offers

• The Package option helps we package a project's files into a .cab file that can then be deployed, and in some cases creates a setup program that installs the .cab files. The wizard determines the files we need to package and leads us through all the choices that must be made in order to create one or more .cab files for our project.
• The Deploy option helps we deliver our packaged applications to the appropriate distribution media, such as floppies, a network share, or a Web site.
• The Manage Scripts option lets we view and manipulate the scripts we have saved from previous packaging and deployment sessions in the wizard. Each time we use the wizard, we save a script that contains all the choices we made. We can reuse these scripts in later sessions if we want to use similar settings and make the same choices as we did previously.

Exe Files

An exe file is a file that ends with the extension ".exe" otherwise known as an executable file. When one clicks on an exe file, a built-in routine automatically executes code that can set several functions into motion. Exe files are used to install and run programs and routines.

An exe file is just one of several types that are recognized by various operating systems. Text files, which are files that do not generate code but simply display text, end in txt. Microsoft Word saves files with the doc extension, short for document. Another common file type is the compressed or zipped file, which uses the zip extension.

The exe file is one of the most useful types of files precisely because it runs programs; however, this also makes it potentially harmful. It can be used as a delivery system for viruses or other malicious routines. Outwardly, the infected exe file might seem quite benign. Clicking on it might appear to launch nothing more than an animated cartoon or simple arcade game. However, unseen code can be running in the background, infecting or compromising the computer.