Conversational Geek · 2019-07-11 · system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical,...
Transcript of Conversational Geek · 2019-07-11 · system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical,...
ConversationalGeek
ByJ.PeterBruzzese
Copyright©2015
ConversationalGeekPublishedbyConversationalGeekInc.
www.conversationalgeek.com
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookshallbereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.Nopatentliabilityisassumedwithrespecttotheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein.Althougheveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthisbook,thepublisherandauthorassumenoresponsibilityforerrorsoromissions.Norisanyliabilityassumedfordamagesresultingfromtheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein.
TrademarksConversationalGeek,theConversationalGeeklogoandJ.theGeekaretrademarksofConversationalGeek.Alltermsmentionedinthisbookthatareknowntobetrademarksorservicemarkshavebeenappropriatelycapitalized.Wecannotattesttotheaccuracyofthisinformation.Useofaterminthisbookshouldnotberegardedasaffectingthevalidityofanytrademarkorservicemark.
WarningandDisclaimerEveryefforthasbeenmadetomakethisbookascompleteandasaccurateaspossible,butnowarrantyorfitnessisimplied.Theinformationprovidedisonan“asis”basis.Theauthorandthepublishershallhaveneitherliabilitynorresponsibilitytoanypersonorentitywithrespecttoanylossordamagesarisingfromtheinformationcontainedinthisbookorprogramsaccompanyingit.
AdditionalInformationForgeneralinformationonourotherproductsandservices,orhowtocreateacustomConversationalGeekbookforyourbusinessororganization,pleasevisitourwebsiteatConversationalGeek.com
PublisherAcknowledgments
Allofthefolksresponsibleforthecreationofthisguide:
Author: J.PeterBruzzese
ProjectEditor: NickCavalancia
CopyEditor: JohnRugh
ContentReviewer(s): ShannaG.Giarrano
NotefromtheAuthor
Let’sclarifytheterm“geek”rightattheoutset.
DefinitionofaGeek:Apersonwithaneccentricdevotiontoaparticularinterest:"acomputergeek”.Thepeopleyoupickoninhighschoolandendupworkingforasanadult(UrbanDictionary.com)
Mymotiveinputtingthisbooktogethertotryandgivefolksaprimerforgeekterminologyandtechnology.Ialsowantedtoensuresomeofthekeyplayers(thegeekfounders)arementionedtohelpprovidealittlebitofgeekheritage.
Thisbookisnotthebeallandendallofthingsgeek.It’sastartingpoint.However,ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreyoucanreadthefull150+pageversion:“ConversationalGeek”(GeekierEdition!).
Attheendofthisbookisalistofpeople,technology,andterminologyyoumightwanttoresearchfurther.MyencouragementisforyoutouseWikipediaanddivedeeperintoeach.
Itismyhopethatyouenjoythisbook.Mayitbridgethegapbetweengeeksandnon-geeks.
J.PeterBruzzese
The“Conversational”Method
Wehavetwoobjectiveswhenwecreatea“Conversational”book:First,tomakesureit’swritteninaconversationaltonesothatit’sfunandeasytoread.Second,tomakesureyou,thereader,canimmediatelytakewhatyoureadandincludeitintoyourownconversations(personalorbusiness-focused)withconfidence.
Thesebooksaremeanttoincreaseyourunderstandingofthesubject.Terminology,conceptualideas,trendsinthemarket,andevenfringesubjectmatterarebroughttogethertoensureyoucanengageyourcustomer,team,co-worker,friendandeventheknow-it-allBestBuygeekonalevelplayingfield.
“GeekintheMirror”Boxes
Weinfusehumorintoourbooksthroughbothcartoonsandlightbanterfromtheauthor.Whenyouseeoneoftheseboxesit’stheauthorsteppingoutsidethedialogtospeakdirectlytoyou.Itmightbeananecdote,itmightbeapersonalexperienceorgutreactionandanalysis,itmightjustbeasarcasticquip,butthese“geekinthemirror”boxesarenottobeskipped.
Greetings.TheycallmeJ.WithintheseboxesIcansharejustaboutanythingonthe
subjectathand.Read’em!
Computers,NetworksandtheInternet
Firstcamethe“computer”…andthatwasgood.Thentheyconnectedabunchofthesecomputerstogethertoforma“network”andthatwasbetter.Thentheyconnectedmultiplenetworksaroundtheglobeandcalleditthe“Internet”.Andthatwasawesome!
Therearemanybrilliantpeoplewhocontributedtothetechnologyweuseeveryday.Forexample,AlanTuring,whoiscreditedasthe“fatheroftheoreticalcomputerscienceandartificialintelligence”.
The10PartsofaComputerComputersaremadeupprimarilyof10parts.It’strue!Suretherearespecialtyitemslikewatercoolingsystemsandfancyglowlightingyoucanaddifyouwanttotrickoutyoursystem(“pimpyourcomputingrides”sotospeak).Butonly10keypiecesareneeded.
The10partsincludethefollowing:
• PowerSupply:Thepowersupplydoesn’treallysupplypower.Itdummiesdownthepowerfromtheoutlettorunlowvoltageitemsinside(motherboard,harddrive,etc.)at3V,5Vor12V(volt)increments.Italsochangesalternatingcurrent(AC)fromthewallandconvertstodirectcurrent(DC),whichismorestableforthecomputertohandle.
• Motherboard:Aboardofcircuitsthatlookslikeithasminihighwaysofcopperrunningeverywhereconnectingallthecomponentstogether.Componentsincludetheprocessor,memory,peripheralsandsoon.ThemotherboardhasinstructionsbuiltintoitcalledtheBIOS(basicinput/outputsystem)or,inmoderntimes,theUEFI(unifiedextensiblefirmwareinterface).Note:Don’ttouchamotherboardwithoutwearinganESD(electrostaticdischarge)straptodissipatestaticelectricityoryoumightzaptheboardwithashock.
• Processor:Alsoknownas(aka)theCPUorcentralprocessingunit,theprocessorislikethebrainofthecomputeranditsitsfirmlyonthemotherboard.Itprocessesallthebits(0’sand1’s)thatcomethroughit.TwokeyplayersareIntelandAMDprocessormanufacturers.
• Fans,HeatSinksandCooling:Processorsgethot,soweusedifferentmethodstocooltheprocessorand
theentirecomputerdown.Heatsinkspullheatofftheprocessorintothecoils.Thefanblowstheheatawayfromtheprocessorandheatsinktohelpcoolit.Internalfansandothercoolingaids(likeliquidcooling)helptocooldowntheentiresystem.
• Memory:Helpsyoutakedatafromyourharddriveandputitclosertoyourprocessor(toimprovespeed).Memorymightbe2GB,4GB,etc.Thereisalsoasmalleramountofmemorycalledthe‘cache’thatisonestepclosertotheprocessor.
• HardDrive:Thisisthe‘filecabinet’forallyourdata.Thedataiswritteninbinary(0’sand1’s)andthedataisnon-volatile(whichmeansifyoulosepowerthatdatawillstillbethere,asopposedtovolatiledatainmemoryandcache).HardDrivesaregettinglargerandlargerandnowyoumightbuyonewith500GB’soreven1or2TB’s.
Bits(0’sand1’s)arethestartingpoint.8bitsequalabyte(4bitsareanibble…notkidding).1024bytesequalsaKiloByte(KB).1024KBsequalsaMegaByte(MB).1024MBsequalsaGigaByte(GB).1024GBsequalsaTerabyte(TB).Andsoon…PetaBytes,ExaBytes
• OpticalDrives(CD/DVD/Blu-rayBurners):AnopticaldrivemightbeaCD,DVDorBlu-rayplayerand/orburner.Therearemanydifferenttypesofspeedsandprices;andallthisdependsonwhatyouneedinyourcomputer.
• VideoCard:Theabilitytoconnectamonitormaybebuiltrightintothemotherboard(oravideocardwillcomewiththesystem).Apurchasedvideocard
typicallyprovidesmorethanwhatyougetwithonboardvideo.Thevideocardfitsintoanexpansionslotonthemotherboardthatisspecificallydesignatedforthevideocard.Youmightneedapowerfulcardforplayingvideogamesoryoumightneedacardthatallowsyoutopluginmultiplemonitors.ModernvideocardstypicallyhavetheirownprocessorcalledaGraphicsProcessingUnitorGPU.
• AdditionalCards(Sound,Network,etc…):Yourmotherboardhasexpansionslotstoaddothercardsforsound,networking(LANorWireless),additionalUSBports,orothertypesofcards.
• Peripherals:Keyboard,mouse,speakers,webcams,printersandsuchcanallbepluggedinandthesearecalledperipherals.
Thegoalherewasnottomakeyouanexpertoneverylittledetailinvolvingcomputerpartsbutrather,giveyouabetterunderstandingofhoweachpartisused.
BinaryCodeBinaryisallabout0’sand1’s(bits).Thinkofthemlikeon/offswitchesforalightswitch.Puttogether,8bitsiscalledabyteoranoctet.
Thewayyoutakeanumberinbinaryandconvertittodecimalissimple.Justapplyacodetoeachbitinthenumber.
Thecodeis128–64–32–16–8–4–2–1
Whenyouseethenumber01000001youonlyaddupthenumbersthathavethebitturnedon.So128?Nope.64?Yes.
32,16,8,4and2?Nope.1?Yes.Addup64and1andyoucomeupwiththenumber65.
Let’stryafew:01010101?10001000?11111111?
Theanswersare:85,136and255.
It’simportanttonotethatall0’s(00000000)=0andall1’s(11111111)=255.Thatgivesyou256differentoptions.Butyoucanstringthemtogethertoo.192.168.1.1isanIPaddress(discussedsoon).Thatiscalleddotteddecimalbutwhenconvertedintobinarylookslikethis:11000000.10101000.00000001.00000001
Whatabouttakingadecimalnumberandmakingitintobinary?Itjusttakesalittleeffortusingthecodetoworkbackward.Tomakedecimal27inbinary,youwillneeda:1inthe16’splace,a1inthe8’splace,a0inthe4’splace,a1inthe2’splaceanda1inthe1’splace.Itlookslikethis11011.Youmaythinkofitlikethis;add,16+8+0+2+1.Eachbinary1canbea“yes”inthatplaceholderinthechart,andabinary0isa“no”inthatplace.
Whilebinaryisusedwithinthecomputeritselfandisimportanttolearn,anothertypeofnumberingsystemiscalledhexadecimalandisbasedoffgroupingsof16rangingfrom0through9andthena,b,c,d,e,fwhichrepresentsnumbering10-15(0-15foratotalof16).
NetworkingandtheInternetNetworkingisallaboutconnectivity.Homes,smallbusinesses,enterpriseenvironmentswiththousandsofcomputers,theInternet(aglobalnetwork)allutilizesimilartechnologyregardlessofthesize.Theyallconnecttoarouterusingeitheran‘Ethernet’connectionorawirelessconnection.Theyalluse
TCP/IPastheunderlyingprotocoltoconnect.TheyalluseDomainNameServices(DNS)tofindothercomputersontheInternet.Thequestionsyoumayhavenoware“What’sEthernet,Routers,TCP/IPandDNS?”Ok,holdontight.
Let’stalkaboutthephysicalpiecestoanetwork(andtotheInternet).Thesemightincludethefollowing:
Cables:CommontodayisCategory5Ethernetcable(andyes,therewerecategories1-4butwedon’tusethoseanymore).Futurecategoriesare,youguessedit,6and7.Cat6isusedforGigabitEthernetandiscompatiblewith5.
WhyisitcalledEthernet?Ethernetwasdevelopedintheearly1970’satXeroxPARCbyRobertMetcalfeandothers.ThereasonitwascalledEther-netwasbasedontheconceptofluminous“ether”whichwasoncethoughttocarryelectromagneticwavesthroughspace.Atthattime,manynetworkingsystemswereproprietary(thatis,uniquetoagivenenvironment)andtheideawastoindicatethattheEthernetwasdesignedforallsystems.
Connectors:Cablehaveconnectorsontheendthatresembleaphoneconnector(RJ11/4pins).EthernetcablesuseanRJ45connectorwith8pins.
Routers:ToconnectcomputerstogetheryouhavetohaveeitheranetworkconnectioninyourcomputerorawirelessconnectionforWiFi.Andthenyouhavetohaveaplaceto
connectto,calleda“router”.ArouterallowsforcableconnectionorWiFiconnectivity.TherouterallowsforconnectionsbetweennetworkedcomputersandtheInternet.
Note:ConnectionstotheInternetcanbemadethroughacablemodem,DSLandothermeansbutyoustillneedarouterbetweenyourhome/businessandtheInternet.
Onceyouhavethephysicalpiecesinplayit’simportanttounderstandhowcommunicationactuallytakesplace.
Firstoff,allcomputers/devicesonanetworkhaveuniqueaddresses.Alldevicesthatareonanetwork,orontheInternethaveabuilt-inMACaddress(MediaAccessControl).Thesearetypicallyassignedbythemanufacturerofthedeviceandareassignedusinghexadecimalnumbers,forexample:00-21-6A-3E-D5-5E.
OnaPCyoucanfindacomputer’sMACaddressbyopeningacommandpromptandtypinggetmacoripconfig/all
Asyoucansee,theMACaddressnumbersarenotthateasytoworkwith;andthereisnoordertothemamongstdevices.AmoreorganizedwaytodistinguishcomputerswasdevelopedcalledaTCP/IPAddress.Thesearegivenmanuallyordynamicallytocomputers.ThecomputerslocateeachotherusingTCP/IPaddressesandonlythendoesitacquirethetrueMACaddressofacomputertolinkforcommunication.
TCP/IPstandsfortransmissioncontrolprotocol/Internetprotocolanditisactuallymorethantwoprotocolsbutawholesuiteofthem.“Protocols”aresometimesusedtomeanalanguageorasetofstandards.Havingstandardscausesthedifferentmanufacturerstofollowaprotocolwhendevelopingthingsthatwillworktogetheronanetwork.
UsingTCP/IP,packetsthatgooutonthewirewillfindtheirdestinationbecausetherouterwillusetheTCP/IPaddresstolocateorrouteitspacketstotheproperrecipient.
Yourrouterislikeapostoffice.Communicationishandledthrough‘packets’.Yourrouterwillsendpacketsfromonecomputertoanothercomputer;andfromtheInternettoyourcomputers.Thesearelikepiecesofmailthattravelfromonehometothenext.IfyouwanttomailsomethingofficiallytoyourneighboryouwouldtakeyourmailtothepostofficeandputitintheLocalbox.IfyouwanttomailittoanotherstateorcountryyouwouldputitintheOut-of-Townbox.Thepostofficewouldhandleitfromthatpoint.Buthowdocomputersfindeachother?
Wecouldgomuchdeeperonallofthis,especiallywithregardtoTCP/IPaddressingbutthisisa101guideafterall.Readthefullversiontogotothenextlevel(s).
DomainNameServices(DNS)RatherthangotoodeeponhowTCP/IPworksandtheaddressingsidewhereyouneedtoprovideanIPaddress,subnetmaskanddefaultgateway(allimportantstuff)let’sanswerthefollowingquestions:WhenItype‘www.conversationalgeek.com’intomybrowser,howdoesmycomputerknowwheretogo?AndwhenIsendanemailtojpeter@conversationalgeek.comhowdoesmyemailfindhim?
Greatquestions.TheanswerisDNS(domainnameservices).DNSisprovidedthroughhigh-poweredcomputerscalled‘servers’thatareontheInternettohelpusfindtheIPaddressesofwebsitesorsendemailstomailserversandsoon.Theseserversareorganizedbydomain,justlikeanalphabeticalphonedirectory.
WebsitesareofficiallyregisteredandTCP/IPaddresseshavetobeincludedsothatwhenyourcomputerwantstoawebsiteorsendanemailitcanusetheTCP/IPaddresstodoit.YouputinthenamebutDNSgivesyourcomputertheaddress.
YoucanregisteryourownwebsitenamethroughadomainregistrationsitelikeGoDaddy.combutthenamehastobeunique.Manynamesarealreadytakenasyoucanimagine.
ImportantPeopleinInternetHistoryTherearesomanypeoplewecouldputintoadiscussionofInternethistorybuthereareacollectionofkeypeopleandtheircontribution:
• AlGore:InventedtheInternet.(Kidding)AlthoughhedidsupportInternetgrowthanddevelopment.Hepopularizedtheterm‘informationsuperhighway’
• J.C.R.Licklider(fromMIT):Wroteaboutan“IntergalacticNetwork”thatconnectseveryoneonthe
planet.In1962hebecomesthefirstheadofresearchfortheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(DARPA).
• LeonardKleinrock(alsofromMITandUCLA)workedonpacketswitchingtechnology.
• LawrenceRoberts(alsofromMIT)connectscomputersfromMassachusettstoCaliforniausingdial-up.
ThefirstoperationalpacketswitchednetworkwascalledARPANET(fundedbyDARPA)andincludedfourdifferentuniversitiesandgrewfromthatpoint.
Everwonderwhoinventedthe@symbolweusewhenwesendemail?ItwasRayTomlinsonin1972!
• RobertKahnandVintCerfcreatedTCPin1973
• TimBerners-Lee(fromCERN)developedaprotocolforinformationtobedistributedusinghypertextpages.TheprotocolisstillinusetodayastheHypertextTransferProtocol(http)whichyouseeatthebeginningofeverywebsiteaddressyoutypein,andTHISwasthebeginningofwhatweknownowastheWorldWideWeb.TheoriginalgoaloftheHTTPprotocolwastogetpageswritteninHTML(hypertextmarkuplanguage).
It’simportanttonotethatthereisadifferencebetweentheInternetandtheWorldWideWeb.TheInternetisaglobalnetworkthatusesTCP/IPtotransmitdatabetweensystems.TheWorldWideWebisacomputernetworkthathassitesavailableontheInternetthatallowyoutoseesitesusingHTTP.
TheInternetisusedformorethanjusttheWWW;itisalsousedforemailandahostofotherservices.
ThereisareallycoolposterthatshowstheHistoryoftheInternetandhowithasgrownoverthepast30years.ThepostercanbefoundattheComputerHistoryMuseum,locatedinMountainView,CA.Tolearnmoreaboutthefirst30yearsofInternetdevelopmentinmuchgreaterdetailgohere:http://www.computerhistory.org/internet_history/
TheBigTakeawaysWecouldtalkfordaysaboutcomputers,networkingandtheInternet.Thiswasjustaprimertogetyourfeetwetandyourmindthinkingaboutthecoreknowledgeneededasa‘geek’.
Computers(PCsandlaptops)haveabout10partstothem.Thepartsaremadebydifferentmanufacturersandhavedifferentdesignsandstrength/sizelevels.Gotoastore(online/in-person)toseethesepartsforyourselforopen(withpermission)andoldcomputertolookinside.Unplugitfirst!
Networkingisallaboutcommunication.YouneedtobephysicallyconnectedthroughEthernetcablingoraWiFiconnection.AndifyouwanttogetouttoanothernetworkortheInternetyouwillneedarouter.TheunderlyingcommunicationmethodisTCP/IPwhichreliesonDNStolocatesystemsoutontheInternet.
Allofthis(computers,networking,theInternet)istheresultofmany,manysmartpeople.It’simportantwedon’tforgetthem.
Intheend,it’sall0’sand1’s(binary).Butlooktheamazingthingspeoplehavedonewith0’sand1’s.
OS’s,MobileDevices,TabletsandApps
YourPCs,laptops,tablets,mobiledevices…allrunanoperatingsystem.Operatingsystemsarenotnew.BeforethePCagethereweremainframesthathadtheirownoperatingsystems.WithmodernPCstherearesomanydifferenttypesthatit’snotworthreviewingthemall.Howeverthereareafewthatstandout.Unix/Linux,MacOSandWindows.ThereareotherslikeChromeOSbyGoogle(whichisLinux-based,asmanyare).
Alongwithfamousinventorsandinnovatorstherearealsonefariousornotoriouscomputeruserscalled“hackers”.One,nowreformed,hackerisKevinMitnick.Hisbooksonsocialengineeringarefascinating!
Unix/LinuxItwasdevelopedbyateamatAT&TBellLaboratoriesin1969.ItwaseventuallycodedinaprogramminglanguagecalledC,whichwasdevelopedbyDennisRitchiefromAT&T.ThevalueofthisnewOSwithCwasitsprogramminglanguagewasportable,meaningitcouldbeinstalledonotherhardware.VariationsofUnix,likeLinuxandMacOS,havebeencreatedovertheyearsandyoumayhaveheardofsomeliketheBerkeleySoftwareDistribution(BSD)variantsanditsdescendants:FreeBSD,NetBSD,OpenBSDandDragonFlyBSD;alongwithAndroid,whichisalsoavariant.
LinuxisavariantofUnix.ItwasfirstcreatedandreleasedbyLinusTorvalds.Linuxasanoperatingsystemisopensourced,meaningpeoplehavetherighttofreelyuseit,studyit,andmakechangestoitandsoon.Thesourcecodeisopentoall.
Apple|MacOSandiOSEveryoneknowsApple.It’srecognizedglobally.Whatmanyforgetishowitgotstarted.SteveJobsandSteveWozniak.TheyformedApplecomputersin1976andcreatedtheveryfirstApplecomputersinSteveJob’sfamilyhomegarageastheirworkspace.
ItwasinthatgaragethattheywoulddeveloptheAppleI,releasedApril1,1976,andlaterontheAppleII.Initiallyitwasmeanttobeahobbyistmachinethatcouldbepurchasedcheaperandbesmallerthanexistingsystems.TheAppleIwasthefirstcomputerthatusedasinglecircuitboard.BoththeAppleIandtheAppleIIwereengineeredcompletelybySteveWozniak.Thecompanywouldgoontocreatemanymoresystems(PCs,laptops,tablets,mobiledevices)overtheyears(Lisa,Macintosh(in1984),iMac,MacbookAir,iPod,iPad,iPhone,AppleWatchetc…)MobiledevicesuseiOS,whichisavarietyoftheMacOSX,whichisbasedonUnix.
ThereisanincrediblestorytobetoldaboutthelifeofJobsandWozniak.It’sbeentoldinbooksandmoviesandcontinuestobetheinspirationforeverytechstartupdowntotoday.SteveJobsdiedin2011andthecurrentCEOofAppleisTimCook.
AmanwhohelpedJobsrealizehisvisionofstreamlinedproductsisJonathan(akaJony)Ive.HewastheleaddesignerformanyoftheiconicAppleproductsthatappearclean,crisp,andfuturistic.
OnethingaboutApplethatmakesitdifferentfromMicrosoftisthattheybuildanddistributeboththehardwareandthesoftware(theoperatingsystem).Microsoftisfocusedprimarilyonsoftware.
ThefirstMacOSXsystem(10.0)wasreleasedin2001anditwascalledCheetah.Theideatokeepusingbigcatsstuckbuttheymusthaverunoutattheend:
• 10.0Cheetah
• 10.1Puma
• 10.2Jaguar
• 10.3Panther
• 10.4Tiger
• 10.5Leopard
• 10.6SnowLeopard
• 10.7Lion
• 10.8MountainLion
• 10.9Mavericks
• 10.10:Yosemite
• 10.11:ElCapitan
TherearesomeinterestingfeaturestotheMacOSXoperatingsystemthatmakeitdistinguishablefromeveryothermajorplayer.OnekeyelementistheDock.WhenyoulookatthedesktopofanAppleyouseeareallycooldockdownatthebottomofthedesktopthatallowsyoutoaddandremoveapplicationsforquickclickaccess.
Microsoft|WindowsThestoryofBillGates,PaulAllenandSteveBallmeriscompletelydifferentfromJobsandWozniakandyetnolessentertaining.
Gatesplayedaroundwithsoftwareprogrammingeveninhisyouth,spendingtimeonaGEcomputeratschoolandprogramminginBASIC.HewenttoLakesideSchool,aprivateschoolwherehemetMicrosoftco-founderPaulAllen.Thetwowouldworktogetherintheiryouthonavarietyofdifferentventures,includingonecalledTraf-O-Data,whichwasatrafficcounterthatwouldgeneratereports.Theydidn’tmakeamilliononthatone,buttheywereonly17,sothatwasok.Itwasagoodstarttowhatwouldcomelater.
In1973GateswenttoHarvardUniversity,thisiswherehemetSteveBallmer.ItwastheJanuary1975issueofPopularElectronicsthatchangedalloftheirlivesbecauserightonthecoverwastheAltair.
Originally,theAltairwasprogrammedinbinaryusingtheswitcheswiththeresultsbeingshownonthefrontLED.Theprogramingwouldtakedaysorevenweeksanditwashorrendous.Theyneededabettermethodtoworkwith,thusGatesandAllencontactedEdRoberts.EdwasthepresidentofMicroInstrumentationandTelemetrySystems(MITS),thecompanythatmanufacturedtheAltair.GatesandAllensaidtheywereworkingonaBASICinterpreter.Thetruthwastheydidn’thaveanytypeofworkingBASICcodefortheAltair.Infact,theydidn’tevenhaveanAltair.Insteadtheyhadasimulator.Well,theywroteuptheinterpreterandranouttoNewMexicototryitoutontherealAltair.TheygotittoworkontheseconddayoftestingandthatwasthefirstproductMicrosoft(thencalledMicro-Soft)created.
BecauseMITSwasinAlbuquerqueNewMexico,Microsoftwasfirstestablishedthere.In1979theymovedtoBellevue,Washingtonwhichiswheretheheadquartersremaintothisday.
Microsoft’smainfocuswasBASICinterpretersupuntilthe1980’s.MicrosoftBASICwasthekeytotheirearliersuccess.InJune1980BallmerbecomesMicrosoft’s30themployeeandisthefirstbusinessmanager.HewouldgoontobecomePresidentofMicrosoftfrom1998to2001andlaterCEO.ThecurrentCEOisSatyaNadella.
MicrosoftpurchasedasimpleOScalledDOS(diskoperatingsystem)fromTimPatersonofSeattleComputerProductsandturnedaroundandlicensedittoIBM(notsoldit,licensedit!)whichturnedouttobeagamechangerforthemandsettheirbusinessmodelforsoftwaregoingforward.
InitiallyWindowsranontopofDOS(althoughthatisn’tthecasetoday).TherehavebeensomanyversionsofWindowsit’shardtorecountthemall,butherearethemainones:
• Windows3.xandWindowsforWorkgroups• Windows95,98,98SE,ME(MillenniumEdition)• Server/Workstation:WindowNT(akanewtechnology)
3.5x,NT4.0,Windows2000/2003/2008/2012(withR2flavors)
• WindowsXP,Vista,7,8,8.1and10
It’sworthmentioningthatMicrosoftiscurrentlyworkingonsomecooltechnologycalledHoloLensthatworksoffWindows10toprovideaholographicenvironmentthatlaysontopoftherealworld.
TabletsandMobileDevicesMostfolkstodaydon’trememberthetermPDA(personaldigitalassistant)butthesewerebiginthe90’sandcompanieslikePalmPilotweretheking.FastforwardabitandBlackBerryhadagoodrunatbeingkingofthemobileworldforatime.Thenitallchanged.
TheiPhonewasfirstreleasedin2007.Itwasrevolutionary(stillis)andcontinuestointroducenewandexcitingmobilefeatureslikeSiri,apersonalassistantyoucantalkto.TheiPhonerunsoniOS.TheiPad,releasedin2010isatabletrunningiOS.ThereareseveralversionsofiPhoneandiPadthathavebeenreleasedovertheyears(currentlyatiPadAir,iPadMiniandiPhone6).
GooglehastheAndroidOS,builtoffLinux,thevariantofUnix.AndroidOSisusedonbothsmartphonesandtabletsbyavarietyofmanufacturers.
AllAndroidOSnicknamesarenamedaftersweetfoodsordessertslike:2.3Gingerbread,3.0Honeycomb,4.0Ice-CreamSandwich,4.1/4.2/4.3JellyBean,4.4KitKat,5.0+Lollipop.HeysomefolksliketousebigcatsfortheirOSnicknamesandotherslikedesserts!
LatestversionsoftheWindowsPhoneandWindowsSurface(Microsoft’stablet)arebothrunningversionsoftheWindowsOS(Windows10).
ApplicationsandAppsIt’simpossibletolistoutthedifferentapplicationsandappsthathavebeenrolledoutovertheyears.Certainlyapopularlineofbusinessapplications/appsistheMicrosoftOfficeSuite(Word,Excel,PowerPoint,Outlook,etc…).TheseareinstalleddirectlyonyourPC,andnowthereareOfficeappsforyourtablets.
TherearealsoonlineproductivityappslikeGoogleAppsthatruninthe“cloud”(didn’tthinkwewouldgothroughthewholebookandnotmentionthe“cloud”didyou?)whichmeansitrunsinyourbrowserandtheapplicationisrunninginsomeoneelse’sdatacenterandisn’tinstalledonyourcomputerortablet.
Socialnetworkingsitesoffersolutionsinthe“cloud”likeFacebook,Twitter,Instagram,LinkedInandsoforth.
Mobile/Tabletappsincludeallsortsoffreeandpaid-forgamesyoucanuseforjustaboutanything.Forexample,theEvernotenotetakingapp,theKindleeReaderapp,theNetflixvideostreamingappandsoon.
TherearemorepeopletolearnaboutincludingMarkZuckerberg(Facebook),LarryPageandSergeyBrin(Google),SeanParker(Napster),andothers.
TheBigTakeawaysHopefullyyou’restartingtoseethatthetechnologyweuseisheavilyconnectedtothepeoplewhocreateditand/orenhancedit.Someofthesefolksweretruedevelopergeeks.Someofthemweregeekloverswithabusinessfocuswhoknewhowtotakethedevgeeksproductsandgetthemouttothemasses.
It’simportanttorememberthehistory.YouworkonyourPCatschool/workrunningWindows10withOffice2016,takeoutyouriPadtoplay“ClashofClans”duringyourlunchbreak,callyourfriendonyourAndroidphoneonthewayhome…butdoyouknowthestorybehindallthese“geek”toys?
Nowyoudo.Youknowthetipoftheiceberg.Digdeepertolearnmore!
GeekEntertainment
It’simpossibletocovereveryaspectofgeekentertainmentfromtheBigBangTheorytoDr.Who,buthereisalistthatmayhelpyougetstarted.
MoviesandTVShowsHerearealistofmoviesyoucanwatchtogetabetterunderstandingofgeeklife.
• WarGames(1983)• Sneakers(1992)• TheNet(1995)• PiratesofSiliconValley(1999)• TheSocialNetwork(2010)
• TheTheoryofEverything(2014)• TheImitationGame(2014)• Jobs(2013)andSteveJobs(2015)
InadditionyoucanaddtothatlisteveryStarWars,StarTrek,Marvel/DC,typemovieyoucanimagine.Oh…andTron/Tron:Legacy
It’simportantforyoutounderstandthebasicsofthesetwo“geek”sci-figenres:
StarWars:Longago,galaxyfar,farway…lightsabers,Skywalker/Vadar,R2/D2,C3PO“MaytheForceBewithYou”,Soloincarbonite,Yoda,Wookies,Ewoks(littlewookies),theForce(dark/light),Jedi/Sith,MillenniumFalcon“I’vegotabadfeelingaboutthis.”
StarTrek:Future,currentgalaxy,humans/Vulcans(pointyears/logical)/Romulans(angrycousinsofVulcans)/Klingons,“Livelongandprosper”(Vulcangreeting),“Ihavebeenandalwaysshallbeyourfriend”,Kirk/Spock,McCoy,Scotty“IneedmoretimeCapt’n”
Watchthemovies…itwillallmakesense.
AsforTVshowsyouhaveBigBangTheory.ButyoumightalsolookforcurrentorrecentshowslikeBattlestarGalatica(reruns),Dr.Whoandahostofothersci-fi,fantasyfocusedshows.YoumightconsidersuperheroshowslikeSmallville(reruns),Arrow,etc..
ComicsandComic-ConIt’simportanttoknowthattherearemanydifferenttypesofcomics.ThetraditionalcomicbookheroeslikeSuperman,
Batman,WonderWoman(allfromDCcomics)andthealternative(perhapsmoreflawed)heroeslikeIronMan,Hulk,Thor(allfromMarvelcomics).
IfyougoseeacomicbookmoviewithSuperman,don’texpecttoseeIronManinthemovie.Theseguysarefromtwodifferentcomicbookcompanies:MarvelandDC
YoumighthearotherwordsforcomicslikeManga(theJapanesewordforcomics)andAnime(theJapaneseabbreviationforanimation).Thesearepopularinbothtameformats(likePokemon)andultra-violent/sexual/spiritisticformats.Allcomicsarenotequal(logically).
BothComic-ConandDragon*Conareconferencesthatpromotethesci-fi,fantasy,andall-around-geekorientedentertainment.TheofficialComic-ConisheldinSanDiego,althoughtherearesmalleronesheldinotherlocations.Cosplayiscommon(notrequired)atthesetypesofshows.Cosplayisshortfor“costumeplay”wherefolksdressupastheirfavoritecharactersfrommovies/TV/books/comics/etc.
GamingGaminggoesallthewaybacktoPongandAtari.Moderngamingandgamingsystems(likeXbox/Playstation/Wii,etc.)allowyoutoplayagainstorwithpeopleonline.Youdon’tneedagamingsystemtoplay,youcanuseyourPC/laptoporyourtablettoplayanynumberofgames(singleormultiplayer).
Thereareroleplayinggames(RPGs),massivelymultiplayeronlineroleplayinggames(MMORPG),appgames(likeAngryBirds),socialnetworkgames(likeWordswithFriends)andmore.Someplayasateamonlinewith“ClashofClans”,orplayonlineoralonewithfirstpersonshooter(FPS).
Oneofthephenomenon’softhemoderngamingworldisMinecraft.CreatedbyMarkus“Notch”Persson(Swedon)andpublishedbyMojang(nowownedbyMicrosoft)thisisa3Dgameworldwhereyoucancreateandbuildtheworldaroundyou,playaloneorwithothers,availableonjustabouteveryplatform(PC/mobile/tablet/gamesystem).
BooksGeeksaredividedonthebestbookstoread.Flatland,booksonstringtheory,sci-fibooks,encryptionfocusedbooks(likeDigitalFortressbyDanBrown)andahostofothergeekybooks.
MostwouldagreethoughthatHitchhikersGuidetotheGalaxy(byDouglasAdams)isamust-read.Inityou’llfindtheanswertolife,theuniverseandeverything!
Fortechnicallyrealisticdramaticnovelsaboutmoderndaydangers(hackers/rootkits/viruses/etc.)checkoutMarkRussinovich’sbooksstartingwith“ZeroDay”andfollowitupwiththebooks“TrojanHorse”and“RogueCode”.
Mentionedearlier,therearebooksbyKevinMitnickthatarequiteinterestingonsocialengineering.Theseinclude‘GhostintheWires’‘TheArtofDeception’and‘TheArtofIntrusion’andothers.
TheBigTakeawaysGeekentertainmentvaries.It’simpossibletosayexactlywhatageekwilllike.However,it’ssafetosaytherearekeyelementstogeekentertainment.Thereisaheavytechnologybase(real,futuristic,orcompletelyimplausiblelikeglowingswords).Andwhetheramovie,TVshow,comicorgame,itisoftenbasedinsci-fi,fantasyorcomicbooks.
ResearchandRememberThisbookisfilledwithtechnology,peopleandterminologythatareworthresearchingandremembering.Hereareafewyoumightwanttotakealittletimetostudy:
AlanTuring
PowerSupply
Motherboard
Processor
Fans
Heatsinks
Memory
Harddrive
Opticaldrives
Videocard
Peripherals
Binarycode
Byte
Kilobyte
Megabyte
Gigabyte
Terabyte
Ethernet
RobertMetcalfe
RJ45connector
Router
MACaddress
Hexadecimal
TCP/IP
DomainNameService(DNS)
J.C.R.Licklider
LeonardKleinrock
DARPA
ARPANET
LawrenceRoberts
RayTomlinson
RobertKahn
Vinton(Vint)Cerf
TimBerners-Lee
HTTP
HTML
Unix
Linux
LinusTorvalds
DennisRitchie
SteveJobs
SteveWozniak
TimCook
JonyIve
BillGates
PaulAllen
SteveBallmer
SatyaNadella
Altair
EdRoberts
DC/Marvel
Comic-Con
Cosplay
HitchhikersGuide
KevinMitnick
Learnmorebyreading“ConversationalGeek”3rdEdition(akatheGeekierEdition!)
GotoConversationalGeek.comtodownloadmorefreebooksthatgeekslovefromour
growinglibraryofsubjects!