Chapter 7. Input and Output
Input is what goes into something and output is what you get out. In terms of computing, data going in is input and data that comes out is output. When you type something on your keyboard, you are sending input to your computer. It responds by displaying what you type on your monitor. That is output. Movements and clicks with your mouse are the same. They are inputs. You see the pointer move on your screen, which is output. When you print something or if you are playing music on your computer, that is output. Installing software can be input, or copying files onto your computer from a disc, a USB key, a digital camera etc. can also be input.
Keyboard
A keyboard is usually part of a personal computer or part of a terminal that is connected to a computer somewhere else. Not all keyboards are traditional, however. A fast-food franchise like McDonald's, for example, uses keyboards whose keys represent items such as large fries or a Big Mac. Even less traditional in the United States are keyboards that are used to enter Chinese characters.
Mouse
A mouse is an input device with a ball on its underside that is rolled on a flat surface, usually the desk on which the computer sits. The rolling movement causes a corresponding movement on the screen. Moving the mouse allows you to reposition the pointer, or cursor, an indicator on the screen that shows where the next interaction with the computer can take place. The cursor can also be moved by pressing various keyboard keys. You can communicate commands to the computer by pressing a button on top of the mouse. In particular, a mouse button is often used to click on an icon, a pictorial symbol on a screen; the icon represents a computer activity-a command to the computer-so clicking the icon invokes the command.
Trackball
A variation on the mouse is the trackball. You may have used a trackball to play a video game. The trackball is like an upside-down mouse-you roll the ball directly with your hand. The popularity of the trackball surged with the advent of laptop computers, when traveling users found them- selves without a flat surface on which to roll the traditional mouse.
Source Data Automation: Collecting Data Where It Starts
Efficient data input means reducing the number of intermediate steps required between the origination of data and its processing. This is best accomplished by source data automation ‹the use of special equipment to collect data at the source, as a by-product of the activity that generates the data, and send it directly to the computer. Recall, for example, the supermarket bar code, which can be used to send data about the product directly to the computer. Source data automation eliminates keying, thereby reducing costs and opportunities for human-introduced mistakes. Since data about a transaction is collected when and where the transaction takes place, source data automation also improves the speed of the input operation.
For convenience, I will divide this discussion into the primary areas related to source data automation: magnetic-ink character recognition, optical recognition, data collection devices, and even directly by your own voice, finger, or eye.
CAREERS IN IT : Technical writers - prepare instruction manuals, technical reports, and other scientific or technical documents. Most technical writers work for computer software firms, government agencies, or research institutions. Technical writers can expect to earn annual salary n the range of $46,500 to $76,500. Advancement opportunities can be limited within a firm or company, but there are additional opportunities in consulting.
A LOOK TO THE FUTURE : Crashing through the foreign language barrier...
Have you ever wished you could speak more than one language fluently? What if you could speak hundreds of languages instantly? Would you like to have your own personal interpreter to accompany you whenever you traveled to a foreign country? What if you could take a picture of a foreign road sign or restaurant menu and have it immediately translated for you? Technology called machine translation (MT) may soon exist to do all of these things. The military and private sector are funding a variety of research projects on electronic interpreters, and the commercial opportunities are enormous. The worldwide translation services market is an over $8 billion-a-year industry and is expected to grow even more.
Keyboard
A keyboard is usually part of a personal computer or part of a terminal that is connected to a computer somewhere else. Not all keyboards are traditional, however. A fast-food franchise like McDonald's, for example, uses keyboards whose keys represent items such as large fries or a Big Mac. Even less traditional in the United States are keyboards that are used to enter Chinese characters.
Mouse
A mouse is an input device with a ball on its underside that is rolled on a flat surface, usually the desk on which the computer sits. The rolling movement causes a corresponding movement on the screen. Moving the mouse allows you to reposition the pointer, or cursor, an indicator on the screen that shows where the next interaction with the computer can take place. The cursor can also be moved by pressing various keyboard keys. You can communicate commands to the computer by pressing a button on top of the mouse. In particular, a mouse button is often used to click on an icon, a pictorial symbol on a screen; the icon represents a computer activity-a command to the computer-so clicking the icon invokes the command.
Trackball
A variation on the mouse is the trackball. You may have used a trackball to play a video game. The trackball is like an upside-down mouse-you roll the ball directly with your hand. The popularity of the trackball surged with the advent of laptop computers, when traveling users found them- selves without a flat surface on which to roll the traditional mouse.
Source Data Automation: Collecting Data Where It Starts
Efficient data input means reducing the number of intermediate steps required between the origination of data and its processing. This is best accomplished by source data automation ‹the use of special equipment to collect data at the source, as a by-product of the activity that generates the data, and send it directly to the computer. Recall, for example, the supermarket bar code, which can be used to send data about the product directly to the computer. Source data automation eliminates keying, thereby reducing costs and opportunities for human-introduced mistakes. Since data about a transaction is collected when and where the transaction takes place, source data automation also improves the speed of the input operation.
For convenience, I will divide this discussion into the primary areas related to source data automation: magnetic-ink character recognition, optical recognition, data collection devices, and even directly by your own voice, finger, or eye.
CAREERS IN IT : Technical writers - prepare instruction manuals, technical reports, and other scientific or technical documents. Most technical writers work for computer software firms, government agencies, or research institutions. Technical writers can expect to earn annual salary n the range of $46,500 to $76,500. Advancement opportunities can be limited within a firm or company, but there are additional opportunities in consulting.
A LOOK TO THE FUTURE : Crashing through the foreign language barrier...
Have you ever wished you could speak more than one language fluently? What if you could speak hundreds of languages instantly? Would you like to have your own personal interpreter to accompany you whenever you traveled to a foreign country? What if you could take a picture of a foreign road sign or restaurant menu and have it immediately translated for you? Technology called machine translation (MT) may soon exist to do all of these things. The military and private sector are funding a variety of research projects on electronic interpreters, and the commercial opportunities are enormous. The worldwide translation services market is an over $8 billion-a-year industry and is expected to grow even more.