Network and Telecommunications: The evolution in telecommunication: From wire to wireless.

Twisted-pair wire: ordinary telephone wire, consisting of copper wire twisted into pairs and is the most widely used medium for telecommunications. These lines are used to communications networks throughout the world for both voice and data. Moreover, it is cheap and easy to install.

Coaxial cable: consisting of sturdy copper or aluminium wire wrapped with spacers to insulate and protect it. It’s commonly used in television cable. Furthermore, coaxial cable cheaper than fibre-optic cable but expensive than twisted-pair wire. Coaxial cable is also used in office buildings and other worksites for LAN.

Fiber-optic cable: consisting of one or more hair-thin filaments of glass fiber wrapped in a protective jacket. They can conduct pulses of visible light elements generated by laser at transmission rates. Fiber-optic cable has faster transmission
speeds and its freedom electrical interference. Moreover, it is less susceptible to interference (noise) and therefore more secure. It also a small size in thinner and lighter.

Wireless LANS: uses wireless radio-wave technology to connect PCs within an office or a building. And it can be high-frequency, similar to digital cellular, or low frequency (spread spectrum) such as Wi-Fi

WiMAX: newest of the network types. Similar to Wi-Fi, but operates over longer distances and at higher speeds. It can use both licensed and non-licensed frequencies.

Bluetooth: short-range wireless technology and connects PCs to devices, such as a printer .It also fairly low cost to implement.

Terrestrial Microwave: earthbound microwave systems transmit high-speed radio signals. It also has follows a line-of-sight path between relay systems spaced about 30 miles apart. Microwave antennas are placed on top of buildings and must transmit in straight line with no obstructions.

Communications Satellites: space station that receives microwave signals from earth-based station, amplifies signals, and broadcasts signals back to any number of earth-based stations. E.g. GPS

Cellular and PCS system: Geographic areas are divided into cells. Moreover, each cell has a low-power transmitter or radio relay antenna. Computers and other communications processors coordinate and control the transmissions to and from mobile users

Wireless Web: Wireless internet access is growing as Web-enabled information appliances proliferate such as smart telephones, pagers, PDAs and all are very thin clients in wireless networks.

Data management: The evolution of data management technology: from traditional file to data warehouse.

In the traditional file processing approach that was used in business data processing for many years, each business application was designed to use one or more specialized data files containing only specific types of data records. However, the file processing approach finally became too cumbersome, costly and inflexible to supply the information needed to manage modern business, and as we shall soon see, was replaced by the database management approach. Despite traditional file processing approach apparent logic and simplicity, file processing systems had the following major problems:

Data Redundancy
- Independent data files included a lot of duplicated data.
- Duplicated data: the same data (such as a customer’s name and address) were recorded and stores in several files.
- This data redundancy caused problem when data had to be updated.

Lack of Data Integration
- Having data in independent files made it difficult to provide end users with information for ad hoc requests that required accessing data stored in several different files.
- Special computer programs had to be written to retrieve data from each independent file.

Data Dependence
- The organization of files, their physical locations and storage hardware, and the application software used to access those- depended on one another.

Lack of Data Integrity or Standardization
- Data elements to be defined differently by different end users and applications.
- For examples, end user 1 write address, end user 2 write addresses and end user 3 write add.

To solve the problems encountered with the file processing approach, the database management approach was conceived as the foundation of modern methods of managing organizational data. The database management approach consolidates data records, formerly held in separate files, into databases that can be accessed by many different application programs. In addition, a database management system (DBMS) serves as a software interface between users and databases, which helps users easily access the data in a database. Thus, database management involves the use of database management software to control how database are created, interrogated, and maintained to provide information needed by end users.

A database management system (DBMS) is the main software tool of the database management approach, because it controls the creation, maintenance, and use of the databases if an organization and its end users. The three major functions of a database management system are to create new databases and database applications, to maintain the quality of the data in an organization’s databases and to use the database of an organization to provide the information needed by its end users.

Examples of DBMS
- Microcomputer DBMS package - MS Access 2003
- Mainframe and server versions - Oracle Database 10g
- IBM DB2 UBD 8.2
- Microsoft SQL Server 2005
- Sybase ASE 15
- Open Source DBMS - MySQL 5.0

Therefore, nowadays business tend to use data warehouse system instead of traditional file in business data processing. A data warehouse is stores data that have been extracted from various operational, external, and other databases of an organization. It is a central source of the data that have been cleaned, transformed, and cataloged so they can be used by managers and other business professionals for data mining, online analytical processing, and other forms of business analysis, market research and decision support. Data warehouse may be subdivided into data marts, which hold subsets of data from the warehouse that focus on specific aspects of a company, such as a department or a business process.

The acquisition process of this system might include activities like consolidating data from several sources, filtering out unwanted data, correcting incorrect data, converting data to new data elements, or aggregating data into new data subsets.
These data are then stored in the enterprise data warehouse, from which they can be moved into data marts or to an analytical data store that holds data in a more useful form for certain types of analysis. Metadata (data that define the data in the data warehouse) are stored in a metadata repository and cataloged by a metadata directory. Finally, a variety of analytical software tools can be provided to query, report, mine and analyze the data for delivery via Internet and intranet Web systems to business end users.
One important characteristic about the data in a data warehouse is that, unlike a typical database in which changes can occur constantly, data in a data warehouse are static, which means that once the data are gathered up, formatted for stage, and stored in the data warehouse, they will never change. This restriction is so that queries can be made on the data to look for complex patterns or historical trends that might otherwise go unnoticed with dynamic data that change constantly as a result of new transactions and updates.

Data mining is a major use of data warehouse databases and the static data they contain. In data mining, the data in a data warehouse are analyzed to reveal hidden patterns and trends in historical business activity. This analysis can be used to help managers make decisions about strategic changes in business operations to gain competitive advantages in the marketplace.
Data mining can discover new correlations, patterns, and trends in vast amount of business data stored in data warehouses. Data mining software uses advanced pattern recognition algorithms as well as variety of mathematical and statistical techniques to sift through mountains of data to extract previously unknown strategic business information. For example, many companies use data mining to:
- Perform “market-basket analysis” to identify new product bundles.
- Find root causes of quality or manufacturing problems.
- Prevent customer attrition and acquire new customer.
- Cross-sell to existing customers.
- Profile customers with more accuracy.

IS Software : The comparison between general purpose application software and function-specific application software

General purpose application programs are the programs that perform common information processing jobs for end users but not in support of a specific purpose. Because of them importantly increase the productivity of end users, also known as productivity packages. For example, word processing, spreadsheet, database management, and graphic management are popular with microcomputer user for home, education business and many others propose.


The Microsoft Word is examples of Word Processing Packages. Word Processing Software is used to create letters, memos and various types of documents. Function-specific application software is more limited in what it will do, but it usually goes that one thing much better than you see.

A spreadsheet program is software that permits numerical data to be used and to perform automatic calculations on numbers contained in a table. It is also possible to automate complex calculations by using a large number of parameters and by creating tables called worksheets.

Presentation software (sometimes called "presentation graphics") is a category of application program used to create sequences of words and pictures that tell a story or help support a speech or public presentation of information. Some very popular presentation software, such as Microsoft's PowerPoint is sold stand-alone or can come as part of office-oriented suites or packages of software.

Function-specific application software is available to support specific applications of end users in business or other fields. Function-specific application software has also lesser purpose but it has greater capabilities. Moreover, it is much better then general purpose application software based on application software program and how it works.Example: Business application software, customer relationship management, enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, web-enabled electronic commerce.

Sap.com is a leading application service provider of Web-based sales management and customer relationship management services to both large and small business.

Web-enabled electronic commerce applications or apply to the functional areas of business like human resource management, accounting and finance. Web-enabled electronic commerce such as Amazon.com provides electronic payment, security, and many other e-commerce services.

Enterprise resource planning software, or ERP which is attempts to integrate all departments and functions across company onto a single computer system that can serve all those different departments’ particular needs. Oracle also provides a comprehensive Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software solution that can make the best use of organisational resources.

IS HARDWARE: The evolution of computer systems : From mainframe computer systems to microcomputer systems

Mainframe is a large, ultra-fast and powerful computer. It mainly used by large organizations for critical applications, typically bulk data processing such as census, industry and consumer statistics, enterprise resource planning, and financial transaction processing. Mainframe can include more conventional big serving 100-400 users so it can reduces management and administrative costs while providing greatly improved scalability and reliability but occupying a special air-conditioned room.

Microcomputer is usually called a personal computer or PC. It is a single user computer system with a microprocessor as its central processing unit. It is physically small compared to mainframe and microcomputer. A microcomputer contains a central processing unit (CPU) on a microchip (the microprocessor), a memory system (typically read-only memory and random access memory), a bus system and I/O ports, typically housed in a motherboard. These were used for small industrial, office and program development applications. The advent of affordable personal computers had lasting impact on education, business, music, games, social interaction, and entertainment.


The first mainframe computers were developed in 1940s, and then in late 1950s through the 1970s, several manufacturers produced mainframe computers. The group of manufacturers was first known as "IBM and the Seven Dwarfs": IBM, Burroughs, UNIVAC, NCR, Control Data, Honeywell, General Electric and RCA. After that, in 1970s and 1980s, there were several minicomputer operating systems and architectures. Terminals used for interacting with mainframe systems were gradually replaced by microcomputers. Thus, demand plummeted and new mainframe installations were restricted mainly to financial services and government. Finally, in the early 1990s, there was a rough consensus among industry analysts that the mainframe was a dying market as mainframe platforms were increasingly replaced by microcomputer networks.

Stranger group members' self-introduction

My name is Tan Sue Chi, and I am often called Suqi. Now, I am reading the course of bachelor of finance. I am 20 years old and came from KL. As for my family, I have two brothers and three sisters. My father works in a motorcycle workshop. My mother has taking care of household.
My hobbies are shopping, playing badminton, watch movies and so forth. I love to eat but I most like to eat Japanese food. The websites that I more visited are http://www.youtube.com/, http://www.facebook.com/, window live messenger, http://www.google.com/ and http://www.sinchew.com.my/. I always explore internet in order to communicate with my friends, search information, receive latest news and seek fun on network.
Lastly, I hope I will more effort in my studies and enjoy my university life.

My name is Chu Pei Yee. I come from Kuala Lumpur. I take the Bachelor of Finance Course. I graduate at Kuen Cheng Girl’s High School.
My hobbies are plays badminton, shopping, plays game(PS2),listening music, watch foreign movie such as Korea, Japan, Hong Kong and etc….,
Top 5 website that I visited the most are: www.y8.com,www.emp3world.com, www.facebook.com, www.youtube.com, www.google.com and etc….
Y8 is the website that can plays more games such as zombie game ,racing, cooking games and etc all the games I liked…I love English song so every time I download the song from emp3world web. Moreover, I like to see my friend’s photos, plays game and chatting with my friend’s also through the Facebook web. Another one is when I watch music video, or the movie will coming soon at the cinema I always through the YouTube to search. Furthermore, I also through the Google web can easily to search more information.Top 5 internet activities are online shopping, chatting with friends, watch movie, listen music, play games, search information and etc…

Hello everyone, my name is Ng Pau Leng. I am Johorian but I study at Utar now. I am taking course Bachelor of Finance. My hobbies are watch drama, animation and listen to music. My favorite top 5 websites are tom365.com, dygod.org, verycd.com, pps.tv and youtube.com because these websites can free download or free watching drama or anime. Furthermore, I also can find my favorite music form youtube.com. My top 5 internal activities are watching drama, listening music, charting, playing games and searching information. Besides, I like to go emeraldinsight.com find article and journal when doing assignment. Sometimes, I will go to gougou.com website to find some source. However, some source from gougou.com contain a lot of virus hence, we need to be careful.

My name is Lee Siau Mei, friend call me Steph. My zodiac is Gemini. I'm studying at UTAR, Kampar campus in Bachelor of Finance, Year 1 Semester 1. I came from Ipoh, Perak. My hobbies are surfing internet, traveling, hanging out with friends and photo shooting. My top five internet activities are search information, chit-chatting with friends, check and send email, listen music and watch drama via PPS stream as well. The top five websites I had visited the most are Facebook as I can have a lot of entertainment like upload photo, movie and keep connecting with friend. Gmail website is for me to check and send my email. UTAR website, to keep me updated of announcement and the change of bus schedule. Besides, I with go to internet to search for information where there is a need and update with the latest news via Google to search and get further information and YouTube.

My name is Law Boon Kaih, my friends called me Law or Achilles. My parents call me “Ah B”. I am in 20 years old this year (Year 2010). My hometown is in Ipoh, I am a degree student, study in University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Kampar, and the course I read is Bachelor of Finance, now I am in year 1 semester 1. My hobbies are listening to music, playing online games, watching drama or anime and hanging out with friends. The top 5 websites that I visited the most are http://www.facebook.com/, http://www.hotmail.com/, http://www.gougou.com/, http://www.youtube.com/ and http://www.blog.sina.com.cn/ because these top 5 websites gave me entertainment (Facebook), check mails (hotmail), download songs and movies (gougou), watch video (YouTube), and write blog (blog sina). Top 5 internet activities are playing Facebook’s game (e.g. friend for sale, friend stock), chatting with friends through instant messaging (MSN), upload photos and videos on Facebook, searching the latest songs and movies and download for it to listen and watch, sending some interesting email to friends (e.g. email’s jokes) and sometimes lazy to download movie, I will watch movies via PPS Stream. This is a simple introduction for me, be friend with me, you will know more about me.