Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow: Comprehensive 16th Edition

Book Preface

In today’s technology-oriented society, computers and technology impact virtually everyone’s life. Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 16th Edition is designed to ensure that students are current and informed in order to thrive in our technology-oriented, global society. With this new edition, students not only learn about relevant cutting-edge technology trends, but they also gain a better understanding of technology in general and the important issues surrounding technology today. This information gives students the knowledge they need to succeed in today’s world. This nontechnical, introductory text explains in straightforward terms the importance of learning about computers and other computing devices, the various types of devices and their components, the principles by which computers work, the practical applications of computers and related technologies, the ways in which the world is being changed by these technologies, and the associated risks and other potential implications of computers and related technologies. The goal of this text is to provide readers with a solid knowledge of computing fundamentals, an understanding of the impact of our technology-oriented society, and a framework for using this knowledge effectively in their lives.

WHAT ’S NEW IN THIS EDITION ?

Accommodating a wide range of teaching styles, Understanding Computers: Today and Tomorrow, 16th Edition provides comprehensive coverage of traditional topics while also covering relevant, up-to-the-minute new technologies and important societal issues. This edition has an increased emphasis on mobile computing, cloud applications, social media, and smart devices, and includes the following new topics:
➤➤New hardware developments, including flexible smartphones, modular smartphones, self-driving cars, Apple Watch and other wearables, USB 3.0 and 3.1, USB-C, smart clothing, HAMR (heat-assisted magnetic recording) hard drives, neuromorphic chips, graphene chips, Intel Compute Stick and other thumb drive PCs, Surface Hub, portable 3D scanners, Ultra HD (4K) displays, Microsoft HoloLens, silk ink and protein ink, Amazon Echo, drones, and robot butlers and orderlies.
➤➤New software developments, including Windows Edge, Windows 10, OS X El Capitan and OS X Yosemite, Android Marshmallow, iOS 9, Firefox OS, Tizen, Cortana, crapware, Office 2016, Web site builders, social commerce, mobile UX (user experience), NoSQL databases, and new programming languages such as F# and B#.
➤➤New mobile applications, including smartphone drivers licenses, digital watermark icons, Bitcoins and other mobile payment options, biometric authentication, and Apple Pay and other digital wallets.
➤➤New networking technologies, including personal clouds, Google Fiber, 802.11ax, 802.11af (White-Fi), 802.11ah (Low Power Wi-Fi), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U), 5G, and point-to-multipoint (PMP) and point-to-point (PP) networks.
➤➤New security and privacy risks and precautions, including waterproof smartphones, Transport Layer Security (TLS), tracking cookies, skimming and EMV credit cards, digital IDs and privacy issues surrounding wearable devices.

In addition, the textbook has been streamlined for more efficient coverage and is now a total of 13 chapters instead of 16 chapters to make it easier to teach this course in a single semester. Key changes include:
➤➤The security and privacy topics from Chapter 15 in previous editions are now combined with the network and Internet security topics in Chapter 9 so that all of the computer, network, and Internet security and privacy topics are included in a single chapter (Chapter 9).
➤➤Key multimedia and e-commerce concepts from Chapters 10 and 11 in previous editions have been moved into appropriate chapters in this edition.