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Preface
CONFLUENCE—1. a coming or flowing together, meeting, or gathering at one point (a happy confluence of weather and scenery);
2a: the flowing together of two or more streams; b: the place of meeting of two streams;
c: the combined stream formed by conjunction
—Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Electronic Edition
When powerful forces come together, change is inevitable. As we enter the 21st century, we're standing at the confluence of three powerful technological forces: computers, telecommunications, and electronic entertainment. The computer's digital technology is showing up in everything from telephones to televisions, and the lines that separate these machines are eroding. This digital convergence is rapidly-and radically-altering the world's economic landscape. Start-up companies and industries are emerging to ride the waves of change, while older organizations reorganize, regroup, and redefine themselves to keep from being washed away.
Smaller computers, faster processors, smarter software, larger networks, new communication media-in the world of information technology, it seems like change is the only constant. In less than a human lifetime, this technological cascade has transformed virtually every facet of our society-and the transformation is just beginning. As old technologies merge and new technologies emerge, far-fetched predictions routinely come true. This headlong rush into the high-tech fixture poses a formidable challenge for all of us: How can we extract the knowledge we need from the deluge of information? What must we understand about information technology to successfully navigate the waters of change that carry us into the fixture? Computer Confluence: Exploring Tomorrow's Technology is designed to aid travelers on their journey into that future.
What Is Computer Confluence?
Computer Confluence is more than a textbook; it's the confluence of three powerful information sources: an illustrated textbook, a multimedia CD-ROM, and a dynamic World Wide Web site. This integrated learning package takes advantage of the unique strengths of three media types:
Computer Confluence presents computers and information technology on three levels:
Who Is Computer Confluence For?
Computer Confluence: Exploring Tomorrow's Technology is designed especially for the introductory computer class for both non-majors and majors. Computer Confluence is also appropriate for introductory computer science classes, discipline-specific computer courses offered through other departments, high school courses, and adult education courses. Computer Confluence can also serve as a self-study guide for anyone who's motivated to understand the changing technological landscape.
Most introductory computer courses are divided into lecture and lab sections. In some courses the labs cover desktop applications such as Microsoft Office; in other courses the labs cover Internet tools such as electronic mail and the World Wide Web; a few courses include programming with languages such as Visual BASIC, C, and Java. Since this book focuses on concepts rather than keystrokes, it can be used in courses that teach any combination of lab applications and tools.
How Is Computer Confluence Organized?
The book consists of 16 chapters organized into five broad sections:
Part 1 provides the basics: a brief historical perspective, a nontechnical discussion of computer and Internet basics, and an overview of hardware and software options. These chapters quickly introduce key concepts that recur throughout the book, putting the student on solid ground for understanding future chapters. Part 2 covers the most important and widely used computer applications, including word processing, desktop publishing, spreadsheets, graphics, multimedia tools, and databases. These applications, like those in Parts 3 and 4, are presented in terms of concepts and trends rather than keystrokes. Part 3 explores the world of networks, from simple interoffice LANs to the massive global infrastructure that's evolving from the Internet. Part 4 begins with a discussion of information technology risks and related ethical issues; it then explores the process and the problems of creating software, including the curious field of computer science known as artificial intelligence. Part 5 explores the far-reaching impact of computers on our work, our schools, our homes, our society, and our future.
Throughout the five parts, the book's focus gradually flows from the concrete to the controversial and from the present to the fixture. Individual chapters have a similarly expanding focus. After a brief introduction, each chapter flows from concrete concepts that provide grounding for beginners toward abstract, future-oriented questions and ideas.
Each chapter includes instructional aids to help students master the material quickly. Key terms are highlighted in boldface blue type for quick reference; secondary terms are italicized blue. Terms are defined in context, in a glossary at the end of the text, and in the CD-ROM's hypertext glossary. Each chapter opens with a summary of the key content that can be found in the chapter, on the Web site, and on the CD, and a list of objectives. Each chapter ends with a chapter summary; a list of key terms; collections of review questions, discussion questions, and projects; and an annotated list of sources and resources for students who want more information or intellectual stimulation.
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