The History of Computer Science: The Old to the New

Where did computer science start? When did we start programing? One of the earliest machines that was designed was the Charles Babbage. This machine used mechanical energy to perform calculations. The input was designed to handle punch cards. Regardless of what machine it was there were several components that were necessary to compute. The input was needed or else there would be nothing to compute, the processing units that would make the calculations, the memory that holds values and the control unit which directs all information, and lastly the output, without which there would be no point in making the calculations without seeing the results. Later on more and more advances in technology allowed for more, faster, and more efficiently. Mechanical energy changed into electrical energy. Buttons replaced punch cards, followed by later innovations such as the key board and mouse and touch screens. The devices became smaller and faster with the invention of the microchip. Calculations that were once done by using punch card machines that could take up a room can now be done in a device which can fit in one's hand.

Babbage's Difference Engine
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Babbage

File Sharing: Useful, Controvertial, and Possibly Unsafe.

File sharing is the ability to make data which was on your computer, tablet, or cellphone available to others. File sharing is a very useful tool that would allow one to share information online for easy access without requiring direct physical transfer device such as a flash drive or a transfer cable. This is a highly convenient and efficient way of giving and getting data. File sharing however, does have its controversies and risks. The sharing of files has drawn the attention of copyright holders. File sharing allows people to attain data which is supposed to be paid for, for free. The term for this is called internet piracy, as they are taking intellectual property without paying for it. One example of an action taken was when megauploads.com, a popular file sharing site was taken off the net. However the impact of such action may have been minimal, as this did stop piracy in other file sharing sites. As for risks there is no certain way to determine whether or not a file on the internet has malicious software. Preventative measures for this could include having an anti-virus software installed that has internet screening capability or making sure the source that the file is safe.

Data Structures: Arrays and Arraylists

Data Structures are a way of organizing information in a certain form so that it can be stored and accessed. Each type has its own strengths and weaknesses. For example the array is a data structure that is initiated with a certain amount of holding spots for data or with certain elements already placed into the amount of slots. This data structure makes it easy to access and fill its slots buy using loops. Each slot is both filled and accessed by indexes. It should be noted that the indexes start at zero instead of one. The downside to arrays is that they are if additional slots were needed it would not be able to expand. A new array would need to be made in order to add new slots. Luckily enough there is a different data structure that is similar but allows the addition of new slot. How it avoids the problem of having limited slots is that it expands its maximum capacity as you add data into the slots. Choosing which data structure to use depends on several factors. One of them is the time it takes to do a certain action. For instance, this one makes it easy to add and access information while making it take more time to delete items while another would have easy insertion and removal but, take more time when accessing data and so on and so forth. 

Arrays

Hacking: destructive or creative?

Hacking is the altering of a program that changes its functionality to something different than what the developer intended it to be. As one could imagine this could both be used as a tool that is beneficial and harmful, both creative and destructive. Most of today's media portray its in a negative light and for good reason. People's private information are on the line and crucial information of their lives are subject to exposure to those who have agendas that are less than admirable. Information such as names, addresses, phone numbers, emails, and credit card numbers. Such information in the hand of the right,(or in this case wrong) hands can cause outstanding financial harm or damage someones reputation. However, that is not the only use of hacking. Hacking can be used to alter programs in a creative way to enhance the user experience. For instance, in the video game market there is a very popular type of hacking called a mod. Just like hacking a mod can used for maleficent purposes such as cheating or it could be used as a way to show the program in a new sort of light or allow users to have more fun than they would without the mod. Regardless hacking is a controversial topic that deserves to be a crucial consideration in this age of digital information.

Gary's mod