Importance Of Computer To Communication Essay Example

various mediums for communication, computers primarily rely on stationary means due to ongoing robotics development. Computers use physical media to transmit conversations among themselves while humans have the advantage of relocating computers to places accessible by media.

The research focuses on addressing communication problems grouped into information, mime (communication through gestures or expressions), and space. Two main problems associated with communication are reaching an agreement between computers and implementing required communication using available physical media. Achieving agreement and implementation both require human decision-making skills.

The convergence of the computer-centered and human-oriented worlds has greatly impacted computer communications. Initially, computers were interconnected for convenience in the computer-centered world; later on, communication facilities were computerized in the human-oriented world.The convergence of telecommunications and broadcasting has led to the concept of the global village, combining interpersonal communication and entertainment. Coined by Marshall Mclean in 1964, this term originally referred to human-oriented facilities but now includes computer-assisted facilities. The information superhighway is a more contemporary term that represents the collective communication and information technology shaping the future global village, similar to roads for transportation. To understand current and future computer communications, it is important to examine the historical emergence and convergence of various communication systems, including developments in computers, telecommunications, and broadcasting. Understanding their demands when using computer communication facilities is crucial, which can be quantified in units such as seconds or fractions/multiples for time measurement and bits for information measurement. A single bit can differentiate between options like 'on' and 'off', 'black and white', or 'yes' and 'no'. Chapter 2 provides a detailed explanation of how bits measure information, with commonly used units such as kilobits (kibitz) representing 1,000 bits

and megabits (Ambit) representing 1,000,000 bits.It is worth noting that these units follow powers of ten, which is different from the powers of two used in computing. In the early stages of computer development, the focus was on assembling components within computer boxes. Human presence in the computer room was necessary to input and retrieve data.

Initially, advancements in computer communication involved physically moving paper or magnetic tapes between computers. This reliance on physical media meant that both computers and people depended on each other equally. To increase convenience, remote terminals were introduced for individuals to interact with computers without being physically close. These terminals were connected via cables and looked like typewriters with input keyboards and teleprompter-like output screens (Figure 1.1(b)).

Although terminals operated at slower speeds due to their electromechanical nature and remote location, they served as peripheral devices for the computer system. Terminals in modern models of computer interaction have improved, replacing printing with video screens for faster output speed. These terminals can now either be controlled by computers themselves or simulate terminal behavior.

Moreover, advanced computers now have the ability to use complete WIMP interfaces such as Window, Icon, Menu, and Pointer. The second major advancement in computer technology is related to computer communications.Instead of relying on physical cables, any communication channel that can transmit information can be used to connect terminals and computers. This includes conventional telephone systems or specialized computer networks (Figure 1 .1(c)). The Internet is the most widely recognized means of globally connecting computers, with an estimated 20 million computers having access to it in 1997. However, despite appearing as a direct connection, there are two agreement issues that

must be resolved for effective communication due to the increased distance between the terminal and computer.

The first issue involves compatibility between different terminals and the computer's expectations. More details on this problem and its solution can be found on page 44 in Chapter 2.

The second problem relates to the interaction between human users and terminals. Users provide commands or input information to the computer via keyboards. Understanding how to interact with a specific computer through terminals is crucial for users since terminals function as peripheral devices.

Initially, users only had to interact with one computer using their terminals. However, advancements in communication technology now allow access to multiple computers worldwide. It is not practical for an individual to know how to interact with all these diverse computers.The solution involves the user interacting with their own computer, which then communicates with other computers on their behalf, introducing automation for the human terminal user. In earlier versions, the user's computer would simulate being a human user of distant computers. The evolution of computer systems began with information transmitted between computers as if it came from a terminal keyboard and received back as if it were from a terminal printer or screen. These interactions facilitated tasks like file transfer, email exchange, and job processing. As time passed, new agreements and direct interactions between computers replaced human-mediated interactions, resulting in more efficient procedures (depicted in Figure 1.1(d)). These agreements encompassed various operations such as file transfer, email, and job submission. Consequently, users became less reliant on specific computer types; for instance, they could use the same interface for email regardless of the involved computers.The progress made in technology has led

to the development of distributed systems where users are unaware of multiple working computers' presence.In these systems, computers often serve as both servers and clients.Servers have specific functions such as storing and processing information while clients interact with servers by making requests and receiving responses.This interaction between computers mirrors human-computer interaction.In distributed systems, the client-server relationship is not visible to users. The World Wide Web serves as an example of this, where users' computers act as clients accessing information stored in servers worldwide. As computer communications have advanced, physical cable connections have been replaced by complex communication systems that allow computers to indirectly connect with numerous others. The information shared in these systems is intricate and can be vast in quantity, with transmission speeds measured according to computer rates rather than human rates. In the past, terminal links had a speed limit of 300 bits per second. Nowadays, high-speed computers can communicate at 1 gigabit (1 billion bits) per second. At the most sophisticated level, multiple communicating computers can exist within one box using high-speed electronic connections to form a supercomputer. A supercomputer is a new type of high-speed computer made up of multiple computing elements that combines computer communications and parallel computation. Human communication through a medium has been present for centuries - during the 19th century, the telegraph emerged as an affordable way to transmit information over long distances using Morse code or similar systems.Both the telegraph and computers focused on bits, but Morse code used a three-valued form (dot, dash, and pause) instead of the two-valued form used by computers. Telegraph systems required expensive physical cables between communicators. These systems often developed

alongside railways with telegraph cables placed next to railway tracks. The inefficiency in transmission medium usage resulted from humans having limitations in keying and decoding Morse code quickly rather than any physical constraints of the cables themselves.

In the twentieth century, the telephone became another communication technology that required significant investment in cabling. Unlike the telegraph, it directly converted human speech into electrical waveforms for transmission; however, analog transmission had drawbacks such as audible crackles and whines. Nowadays, most telephone systems use digital transmission where speech is represented as a series of bits. The use of direct speech encoding for easier reconstruction of damaged signals has been enabled. This is part of an effort towards achieving universal connectivity through a complex network of automated telephone exchanges.

Alongside traditional cabling methods, radio transmission is increasingly being employed for mobile phones. The telephone system has transformed into a computer-oriented means of communication that connects computers with countries like Armenia.This communication involves transmitting electrical waveforms that encode computer-style information. The telephone system has evolved into a distributed computer network, where digital exchanges act as specialized computers and the links between them resemble those between computers. End users can access fully digital services through options like ISDN. However, most subscribers still receive a traditional analog-style service implemented using digital facilities. Consequently, when subscribers use this service for computer communication, their information undergoes unnecessary conversion to analog before being transmitted digitally.

An expansion to the telephone system includes videophones that transmit both speech and images of callers. Although it is possible to provide videophone services using regular telephone lines, the picture quality tends to be poor. Additionally, transmitting pictures poses a significant challenge

due to their higher information requirements. Thus, better communication facilities are crucial for enhancing picture quality.

Speech alone can be transmitted at a rate of approximately 10 kibitz per second, whereas video requires a minimum of 60 kibitz per second for decent quality and 1500 kibitz per second for good quality.

Aside from traditional telephone communication, there are other telecommunication services that prioritize transmitting written information rather than direct human interaction.One of the services available is fax (facsimile), which permits users to exchange text page images using an electrical signal like that utilized in telephone systems. This process involves converting pages into digital bits and transmitting them between fax machines. Fax machines essentially operate as specialized computers within the analog telephone system. Numerous modern computers can emulate fax machines, enabling them to send page images to other computers or actual fax machines. The amount of data needed to represent a faxed page varies depending on its black and white pattern but generally around 200 kibitz is sufficient for one page. For more detailed information about representing faxes, please refer to Chapter 2, specifically page 53.

Telex technology serves as a form of information transmission service that enables the exchange of written messages between terminals or computers. It is primarily used by businesses and facilitates global communication. Telex messages may contain uppercase letters, numbers, and certain punctuation symbols. The transmission rate of telex is relatively slow at 50 bits per second; however, an updated version offers a larger character set and faster transmission rate of 2400 bits per second.

On the contrary, videotape functions similarly to the client-server model in distributed computer systems and operates over regular telephone lines.Users connect

video terminals to their phones for making global calls and accessing information from computer databases acting as servers. Travel agencies commonly use video terminals to book holidays and travel arrangements over the phone. Telecommunications providers offer value-added services like videotape, which showcase the convergence of telecommunications with computer-oriented communication. In the early 20th century, it was realized that the electromagnetic spectrum could be utilized for transmitting information once telephones became widely available. Radio waves replaced costly cabling and enabled wireless communication. The initial application of this technology was a wireless telegraph, but broadcasting took some time to be recognized as a significant use after World War I. This delay stemmed partly from perceiving communication technology as relevant only for closed commercial and military purposes rather than serving the general public. Despite this perception, public radio and television broadcasting services have witnessed tremendous growth since then. Previously, radio and television information was transmitted in analog signals received through aerials and then decoded until the late 20th centuryIn 1997, digital transmission with encoded sound and pictures using bits was still in its early stages. This transmission style combines radio, television, and computer-oriented communications. Compared to telephone and videophone rates, radio and television require higher rates as they transmit the entire range of audible sounds. They also desire stereo sound and other enhancements. High-quality audio transmission requires an information rate of about 100 kibitz per second, which is ten times faster than telephony. Television requires an even higher information rate due to larger picture sizes, more detail, and increased motion over time - approximately 15 Ambit per second for transmitting television-quality video. Similarly, video telephony demands rates ten

times higher compared to previous standards. These rates are applicable in digital transmission where computer processing compresses the information to accommodate it. Without compression process, raw video transmission would require significantly higher rates. Telex can be compared to videotape in terms of retrieving digital information through the telephone system but has less interaction than videotape in the television industry.
In telex systems, all available information is continuously transmitted and filtered by the television receiver to remove irrelevant data. On the other hand, videotapes allow users to search for specific information as needed. Both telex and videotape demonstrate a convergence with computer-based communications. Cable elevation exemplifies how television and telecommunications are merging using similar technology to provide services directly to end-users. This technology can also be used for computer-oriented communication services, completing a convergence of communication facilities with diverse histories.

While analogue transmission is still utilized for cable TV, digital TV advancements will eventually transmit digital information bits through physical cables to support various communication services. These cables will serve as each user's access point to the information superhighway. From a user's perspective, the interface should make it easy to access information, communication facilities, and entertainment in the integrated world of computer communications, telecommunications, radio, and television. These functionalities will be supported by current computer communications techniques.

Indeed, devices such as telephones and TVs can be considered specialized computers in terms of technical communications. The integration of computers and everyday devices will continue until explicitly visible computers become rare from a user's perspective.Users will primarily engage with "intelligent" devices that are internally operated by computers. These devices can include wearable computers embedded in clothing or glasses, as well as

ubiquitous computing integrated into various objects around the user. A knowledge robot is an example of a novel device that enhances conventional methods of gathering information. In addition to retrieving specific information upon request, similar to traditional resources, this device also proactively collects data anticipated to be useful for its user.