Comparing and Contrasting PCs and mainframes Essay Example for Free

Comparing and Contrasting PCs and mainframes Essay Before the existence of personal computer or PC, there is minicomputer or microcomputer, the term â€Å"computer† simply referred to mainframes. Mainframes and personal computers have changed drastically over the years but their core functions and systems have stayed the same. The mainframe is used to connect multiple users for large organizations, while personal computers are generally used for a single user. The more drastic changes for mainframes and personal computers have been the increase of speed, memory, and the reduction of size. Mainframes use to be the size of buildings, now they are the size of a normal Intel blade server system. Last time when you need to access the mainframe you need to use a terminal for data entry or retrieve certain data. Then, the idea came to off load some of the processing from the mainframe and place it on a personal computer. Compare A mainframe is not much difference from a personal computer. There are many similarities between mainframes and personal computers which stands to reason since one evolved from the other. Both mainframes and personal computers have one or more central processor units, a huge number of memory, one or more busses, and one or more I/O systems. Another similarity between the two is that they are both IBM-based systems and similar hardware is used to build them. They can also perform some complex calculations, applications and handle multiple programs. Another area is that both require operating system to work and also to handle and optimize all the I/O systems or modules. Differences Although they are much similarity between the mainframes and computer as mention above, the similarity stop there as they are many differences too. Mainframes cost much more in terms of thousands of dollar than a normal personal computer or server. The mainframe nowadays takes up less space and less power consumption compare to a server farm task to do the same job. As mention (Shurkin, 1996), Transaction processing jobs run constantly in real-time and must be available more than 99. 99% of the time. The reboots and lock-ups common with PCs are simply not acceptable. Thousands of individual users can log in simultaneously from a variety of sources such as computer terminals, ATM, or Internet web sites, and complete a single transaction. Time-sharing jobs can be started when needed from a computer terminal by authorized users who then use the mainframe as their own big PC. Finally, batch jobs are started automatically by the system at regular times according to a strict predetermined schedule. Batch jobs are used to do the periodic processing required on the data being received from transaction and time-sharing jobs. Closing the accounting books at month-end or copying disk files to tape for backup are examples of batch type processing. The OS or Operating System in a mainframe such as from IBM z/OS which is the successor to the IBM OS/390 can run Multiple Virtual Systems (MVS). The new IBM z/OS support WebSphere ® Application Server on z/OS, and also the new zFS (System z File System) Direct I/O capability in z/OS. This help to enhance performance improvements to the system, and also provide an easier Parallel Sysplex functionality (IBM, September 2011). In an article by (Barnett G, 2010) stated that the mainframe is best suited for enterprise cloud computing as it is easily able to handle hundreds of complex applications or programs, and most important able to run hundreds of environment in a single physical footprint and easily deliver the 247 availability that our customers demand. Conclusion (Doerbecker Patterson, 2002), stated that the role of the mainframe has gradually changed from that of a data processor to that of a server, with the processing being done on the users PC. It has also been modified to interface to the Internet through the addition of TCP/IP protocols, Unix, and Java programming, to enable businesses to connect to their customers over that network. Once the only form of business computer available, the mainframe has survived the PC revolution and maintained an important function in commercial computing.

College Style :: Education Writing Language Essays

College Style I was sitting at the bar on my favorite bar stool drinking a rather poor bottle of domestic beer. The sun was glaring off the snow on the outside world. It was dark inside, how I liked it. It was a time to collect my thoughts, a time to think the world out in a rational matter, it was time to think of an expository writing assignment. As I sat there peering through the beer glass watching the reflections off the watered down beer that appeared now more like a glass of tainted water, I noticed a few guys come in that were in my Marxist philosophy class. I waived my hand in that "nice to see ya" kind of gesture and they sat down beside me. I was a bit nervous but the courage I had from the first four beers was making me more at ease. These were the smart kids. There were four in all, two girls, two guys. They surrounded me around the bar. I began to sweat and drips of dew dropped down on to the hard plastic bar that had held up my head so many times before. I'd read their papers before . I realized they were the smart kids when reading their papers, I didn't understand what they were saying. Sure, some of the ideas were familiar but the general concepts of their papers were so ahead of my knowledge for the written word that the meaning was gone. was Now I was sitting among them, in a circle, a circle of knowledge. I was embarrassed that I was sitting amongst the greatest minds of the upper-Midwest drinking from a tainted glass with nothing more then a domestic beer. I quickly finished the drink and motioned to the bartender. "Sir," I cried, as only a intellectual could, "bring me a chardonay, spare no expense with the pretzels, and give yourself ten percent." I was pleased at my request. Certainly I would fit in now. In class the smart kids always spoke in such a manner unlike any dialect that I had known before. When the addressed the professor they used words that I didn't know existed, I flew for my dictionary but by then it was always too late. I would try to fit in this time. I swung my chair towards the semi-circle that had surrounded me. I crossed my legs as only poets and small boys can do and grinned at them.

Humanism during renaissance

Renaissance is a term used to describe ‘rebirth' (in French), which began in Italy in late middle age and then spread to other parts of Europe. During the Renaissance people to question the Scholastic methods of that time and their questioning resulted as the birth of humanism. Humanism goes along with secularism in the sense that it makes humans beings, not God, the centre of attention. People began to do things because they enjoyed them rather than for God's glory. It was responsible for the change in the medieval education system, emphasizing on rational and racial thinking.Humanism emphasizes on the importance of knowledge, as well as on the potential of the individual and civil responsibility. This concept of humanism became the core of renaissance style. It was in this age that people began to reason and think rationally. Even the term used for the Renaissance philosophers, ‘humanists', shows how the focus of the people's attention had shifted from Heaven and God to this world and human beings. Individualism takes humanism a step further by saying that individual humans were capable of great accomplishments.Renaissance philosophers saw humans as intelligent creatures capable of reasoning (and questioning the authority) rather than being mindless pawns helplessly manipulated by God. Humanism profoundly affected the artist community and how artists themselves were perceived. The medieval mind viewed artists as humble servants whose talent and ability were meant to honor God. This is evident in the work of medieval artists adoring churches and cathedrals. Renaissance artists, in contrast, were trained intellectuals – well versed in the classical and mathematical principles.And the art that they created reflected this newfound perspective. In art, linear and aerial perspective developed and artists considered their canvases to be windows to the natural world. Their task became to portray the natural world as realistically as possible. Renai ssance art portrayed the human body as a thing of beauty in its own right and not like a medieval comic strip character whose only reason to exist was for the glory of God. People were often conceived as nudes covered in real fabric rather than the medieval concept of clothes with a head and ands showing.Painters eliminated extra features and details so that the viewer's attention would focus on the theme of the painting rather than be distracted by details. Paintings became balanced and started to express emotions. During the middle age, saints in paintings wore halos around their heads; saints would also look larger in size than the humans. As humanism became popular the size of the saints began to look more human, halos became fainter and then eventually disappeared. The media of art evolved as well. Early paintings were usually done with egg tempera, which dried fast and created a flat rough surface.Oil paint was introduced in the early 1 5th century, and became immensely popula r as it dried slowly and was translucent, allowing light to shine through the paintings. Humanism freed remarkable individuals and geniuses such as Leonardo ad Vinci to live up to their potential without being held back by the medieval society that discouraged innovation. Other ways in which individualism is seen during Renaissance is that the artists started signing their paintings, thus showing individualistic pride in their work.During the Renaissances, architects trained as humanists helped raise the status of their profession from skilled laborers to artists. Renaissance architecture shows clarity as it emphasizes on clean lines, geometrical shapes, symmetry, and was very systematical. When comparing the Gothic architecture and the renaissance architecture, the Renaissance architecture seems to be more practical in terms of height, and spacing. As in the classical world, Renaissances architecture is characterized by harmonious form, mathematical proportion, and a unit of measur ement based on human scale.Patrician man The drawing is based on the ideal human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitreous. He describes the human as the principal source of proportion among the classical orders of architect. The image of the man exemplifies the blend of art and science during the Renaissances. An example of the proportions found in the Patrician man – The drawing the length of the outspread arm is equal to the height of a man, from the hairline to the bottom of the chin is one tenth of the height of the man, and from below the chin to the top of the head is one eight of the heights of the man form.Above the chest to the top of the head is one- sixth of the height of the man form and from above the chest to the hair line is one – seventh of the height of the man. The maximum width of the shoulder is a quarter of the height of the man. Temple fronts. His keen understanding and observation of classical architecture is al so seen in the Church of Santa' Andrea in Mantra. The columns in this building are not used decoratively but functional as lord bearing support. For Albert', architecture was not Just creating building but to give a meaning.

The Civil War Siege of Vicksburg

The siege of Vicksburg on July 4, 1863, was a significant battle of the United States Civil War, and the culmination of one of the most brilliant military campaigns of the war. Vicksburg was a fortress with a massive artillery located on a sharp bend in the Mississippi River. Known as the Gibraltar of the Confederacy, Vicksburg controlled movement and trade along the Mississippi and linked Texas and Louisiana to the rest of the Confederacy. It was the second largest city in Mississippi after Natchez, with an economy based on cotton and riverboat trade and transportation. The 1860 census reports that Vicksburg had a population of 4,591 people, including 3,158 whites, 31 free blacks, and 1,402 slaves. Failed Attempts, and a Plan The north early recognized Vicksburg as a pivotal point, and the first northern siege of the city was attempted in summer 1862 by Admiral David Farragut. General ​Ulysses S. Grant tried again in the winter of 1862-1863, and after two more unsuccessful assaults in May of 1863, Grant began to plan a long-term strategy. To take the fort, there needed to be weeks of bombardment and isolation of Vicksburg from its sources of food, ammunition, and soldiers. Federal forces held the Mississippi River, and as long as the Union forces held their position, the encircled Confederates led by Major Maurice Kavanaugh Simons and the Second Texas Infantry faced decreasing resources. Assembled Union forces began making their way south to Vicksburg during the summer of 1863, masked by occasional forays by gunboats shelling random targets and cavalry raids. By June many of Vicksburgs residents hid in underground caves, and all the people and soldiers were on short rations. The Vicksburg press reported that there would soon be forces coming to their rescue, but General John C. Pemberton who was in charge of Vicksburgs defense knew better and began to scale down expectations. Progress, and a Literary Reference Intermittent shelling from the river increased and intensified during the first week of July, and Vicksburg fell on the fourth. Troops marched in and the stronghold with 30,000 men was ceded to the Union. The battle had 19,233 casualties of which 10,142 were Union soldiers, but the control of Vicksburg meant that the Union commanded traffic on the Mississippi Rivers southern reaches. With the loss of Pemberton’s army and this vital stronghold on the Mississippi, the Confederacy was effectively split in half. Grants successes in the West boosted his reputation, leading ultimately to his appointment as General-in-Chief of the Union armies. Mark Twain and Vicksburg Twenty years later, American satirist Mark Twain used the siege of Vicksburg to craft his Battle of the Sand-Belt in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court. According to Mark Twain aficionado and science fiction writer Scott Dalrymple, Grant is represented in the novel by its hero, Boss Hank Morgan. Like reports of the Siege of Vicksburg, the Battle of the Sand-Belt is, says Dalrymple, a relentlessly realistic portrayal of war, a clash between a chivalric, slave-owning, agrarian society and a modern, technologically advanced republic led by a general-president. Sources Braudaway DL. 2001. A Texan Records the Civil War Siege of Vicksburg, Mississippi: The Journal of Maj. Maurice Kavanaugh Simons, 1863. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly 105(1):92-131.Dalrymple S. 1996. Just War, Pure and Simple: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court and the American Civil War. American Literary Realism, 1870-1910 29(1):1-11.Henry G, and Simms LM. 1967. A Louisiana Engineer at the Siege of Vicksburg: Letters of Henry Ginder. Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association 8(4):371-378.Osborn GC. 1955. A Tennessean at the Siege of Vicksburg: The Diary of Samuel Alexander Ramsey Swan, May-July, 1863. Tennessee Historical Quarterly 14(4):353-372.