Muddiest Point for Sept. 16

While it is useful to learn about meta-data, is meta-data useful for database creation?

What are current examples of databases that use the hierarchical and network models?

Reading Notes for Week 4, Sept. 16

As we get into the meatier part of information technology, I feel like posting more muddiest points for the class, this is party because I am more of a visual and hands-on learner, a diagram of meta-data would be helpful (hint).

The Database article was not a difficult article to comprehend. As individuals and students we encounter some sort of database everyday. In the past, I used Excel to organize the conference registration record of 1000 participants. The three types of databases include the hierarchical, network, and relational models. I am most familiar with the relational model. The organization I worked for created a student tracking database related to this model of columns and rows. The database contained over 10,000 student records, linked to the external web-site, and produced reports. An interesting difference between databases and metadata is that databases rely on software to organize the storage of data.

Meta-data is more than data about data. It is the set of industry standards used to describe the “information object.” Not surprising, library professionals used meta-data first to create intellectual and physical access to objects. It has increased accessibility and preserved the integrity of the information objects.

Muddiest Point for Sept. 9

I'm confused about the windows roadmap article. I understand that Microsoft is making improvements to Vista and it will be re-released. When it mentions Windows 7, I got lost. Is Windows 7 an application that belongs in Vista or is it a new operating system?

Comments on other blogs

eweismanpost1

Comments on other blogs

Sean'smuddiestpoint2

Computer software- Notes from Week 3

I learned a great deal this past week about hardware, input, output, and software. The Intro to Linux article was surprisingly easy-to-read and understand. It provided a history of Unix, Linux, and the beginnings of the C code. It was the original open source software collectively developed in the 1990s. Did you know that the browser Firefox is based on Linux applications?

What I liked about this article, was that it made it sound like Linux was not as hard as it seemed. That anybody could learn it and that there is a community of Linux users for support. I’m curious and I may play around on this site http://www.gnome.org.

For the sake of comparison, it was useful to read the articles about the MAC OS X and the “Update on the Windows Roadmap.”
As a PC user, it is tempting to think that MAC users have an easier time because its operating systems are compatible with older versions. Note that the MAC OS X has a UNIX core operating system. However, the MAC OS X will unveil a new version of MAC OS X v.10.6 and will likely face challenges.

Muddiest Point

Pixels per dollar

Found in the article, Moore's Law, the log scale was interesting to know but difficult to understand. What do the ascending and descending numbers in the middle of the graph mean, is that related to cost?