Transcript Desktop

Great Idea – Computer “Desktop
What’s on your Computer Desktop?
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Browser and Email reader
Office tools
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Microsoft Office or some other product
Adobe Reader
Games
Media manipulators
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Music, iTunes
Movies, Quicktime
Photos
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
Great Idea – Computer “Desktop
What’s on your Computer Desktop?
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“Business” Software
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Security software
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Symantec Antivirus
“firewall” protection
Course specific software
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Quicken
Turbo Tax
Karel the Robot
Recycle Bin
File storage
Todo list
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
Great Idea – Computer “Desktop
What do you use your computer for?
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Communication
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Social calendar
Virtual retail therapy
Entertainment
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Email
Virtual communities, facebook, myspace
E-newsletters, blogs
Games
Movies
TV
Art
Writing of all kinds
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Notes, letters, papers, etc.
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
Great Idea – Computer “Desktop
What do you use your computer for?
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Household record keeping
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On-line banking
Bills
Tax information
General business correspondence
Source of news and information
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
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“Metaphor”
or a reflection of something in the
physical world. Your computer “desktop” was
supposed to reflect or perhaps substitute for the
physical desktop you have at home or in your dorm.
To create this reflection, the computer uses a
multimedia graphical user interface to create a way
for you to interact with your machine.
This graphical interface is a software tool developed
so that you can communicate through an operating
system with your computer.
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
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Great Ideas:
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“Desktop”
Graphical user interface
Operating system
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
Great Idea: “Desktop”
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Let’s explore the desktop first.
It is a virtual world, created by a program, on your
monitor.
It is a collection of images that represent different
tasks.
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Little pictures, Icons, that represent these tasks
Folders
We have learned to give meaning to these images
The idea, which came about with the original
Macintosh in 1984 was to recreate on your monitor
your desk at home.
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
My physical desk at home really does have a rather
remarkable resemblance to my computer desktop
only my computer desktop is neater.
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Paper piles
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Some in file folders, some in boxes, some on the desk, some
on the floor, some actually filed
Books
Calculator
Rubber-bands, sticky notes, paper-clips, eye drops, cancy
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
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Computer “desktop” was envisioned to simplify our
world.
It was thought that the computer would replace all
the stuff on our desks and we would somehow move
into a paperless world were all our information was
stored simply, efficiently and painlessly in our virtual
world.
The computer HAS altered our physical desktop
world, but it has certainly NOT eliminated it.
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
Has it made our physical desktop world
simpler, easier to manage?
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
My computer desktop does help me
 Find my stuff, sometimes
 Make filing easier, sort of
 Make typing easier, especially spelling
 Has altered the way I do things
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Household business
Communication
Is it a help? I’m not sure!
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
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Our virtual desktop is a complex program that
manages the way people interact with computers. It’s
not magic. It’s just a program.
Operating System
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All general purpose computers have operating systems
Supercomputers
iPhone
Operating Systems have names
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Windows
Mac OS X
Linux
Unix
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/o/operating_system.html
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
Great Idea: Operating System
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The program that that lets your computer communicate with
you and with all the other software that runs on your machine.
“Performs basic tasks
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recognizing input from the keyboard,
sending output to the display screen,
keeping track of files and directory on the disk,
controlling the peripheral devices such as disk drives and printers.”
It manages wireless operations and controls all software
Coordinates operations so that programs running at the same
time seem to have total access to the machine and not “bump”
into each other
It manages resources
Coordinates between users on multiuser systems
http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/o/operating_system.html
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
Look and Feel of a Desktop – what we call Windows
A little history –
 First personal computer designed to be used by
“ordinary” folks was the Apple II released in 1977
 It sold very well because it was bundled with a
program called VisiCalc the first ever electronic
spreadsheet
 Did not have a “desktop”
 “Command” line operation
 Black screen, white letters
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
Apple II
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_II
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
Macintosh
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The first computer to have the “look and feel” of current
systems was the Macintosh
The computer for the rest of us!
Screen had icons to represent tasks
Black characters on white background
Designed for ease of use
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner
What is the computer “desktop”?
Great Idea: Graphical User Interface
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The user interactive portion of the operating system
that lets uses images, color and mouse clicks to
make interacting with a computer more “user
friendly.”
Multimedia
Combines text, graphics, images, sound to make
interacting easier
Tries to map virtual onto physical, easy to use
Copyright © 2008 by Helene G. Kershner