Introduction to Humanities Computing
Spring 1999
Lecture Four
Important distinctions
Algorithm
integrated circuit
floppy
plastic rodent
Program
microprocessor
stiffie
mouse
Know your generations 1st
vacuum tubes 2nd
transistors 3rd
chips 4th
microprocessors
Changes
How do computers change communication?
What do computers not change?
Change? How we communicate
Internet, E-mail, WWW, Chat, MUDs, IRC What we communicate
Multimedia, Procedures, Agents Where we communicate
Home Office, Virtual Spaces When we communicate
Asynchronous Communication, Chat Pace of communication
Pace
More ways = Faster?how
where
when
what
More places = Faster?
More times = Faster?
More types = Faster?
Cost
More ways = cheaper?how
where
when
what
More places = cheaper?
More times = cheaper?
More types = cheaper?
Theorum
most content-relatedglitches
incomputer-mediated communication
result fromthe confusion of
one-to-many communication with
one-to-one communication
it is impossible to know your audience
once and for allso
the big innovation wrought by
computer-mediated communicationincrease in
feedback * response * follow-upexpectations
Alluquère Rosanne StoneThe War of Desire and Technology at theClose of the Mechanical Age (1995)
See Chapter Five “Agency and Proximity”for an engaging history of the CommuniTree BBS
Network Varieties
Pay close attention to how Stone portrays the link between the physical and virtual.
Communication networks
Semaphores Postal Service Rail network Telegraph Phone network Couriers TV Networks Internet
LayersSome of the layers involved in connecting computing machines :
Physical Layer - Cables, Routers, NIC (Cards)
Software Layer - Protocols and Packets
Service Layer -WWW, E-mail, Gopher
LANs
Local Area Network
Network Cards
Cable
Networked DevicesFile Server Net Printer
Shared DevicesPersonal Computers
WANs
Wide Area Network
CAnet (Canada Wide)
Onet (Ontario Wide)
McMaster Backbone
Internet (US nets)
Togo Salmon LAN Other Buildings
Other Universities
Movement of Information
Packets1. Your file is divided into lots of small packets.
2. The packets are addressed.
3. The packets are sent out.
4. Packets are reassembled into a file
IP = From: and To: TCP = How many packets, order
Information
Shapes of Connection
Daisy Chain Star Ring
Remember the selection from Alluquère Rosanne Stone.What kinds of mental spaces do these formations evoke?
Topologies
Daisy-Chain
Star
Ring
Modems
Mainframe
Terminal
Star
Modems
Mainframe
Daisy Chain
Ring
Modem
Operates via telephone line connection Modem changes
digital bits into analog signal
and vice versa See demo on Computer Confluence CD
What can you do with network?
Share a Mainframe - Terminals Share a File Server Swap Files (FTP) Send Electronic Mail Join Discussion Groups Publish and Read Information
(Gopher, WWW)
Application Server
File Server
E-mail Server
WWW Server
List Server (Listserv)
How do you connect?
Direct Connection (You have an IP address)
Through an Access System (muss)
Terminal Mainframe (Access System)muss.cis.mcmaster.ca
Internet
Internet Machine
Internet
Stretch...
What is the impact of Moore’s law on bandwidth?
Moore’s LawIn 1965, Gordon Moore, Chairman of Intelpredicted the power of a silicon chip of the same price would double about every eighteenmonths for at least two decades.
Bandwidth Basicsphysical medianetwork trafficsoftware protocolsnetwork connection
Bandwidth & Processing Speedthe third element in network growth
isStorage Space
Which of these depends upon
processor speed ?
End
simple concepts when connected
appear to become complex
