Introduction to Computer Science: Links
"Ask the Professor": Students' Questions from HW1
Hardware/Devices
- What is Intel 2 core and what's the difference between 2 core and 1 core?
- I heard that we have reached an impasse in processor speeds because the sheer amounts of components on one chip is causing it to melt from the generated heat. Is this true, or are processor speeds still becoming faster at a good clip? (also: Is the any natural limit that controls a CPU's computing power, or can it have a theortically unlimited capability to process more bits of information per unit of time?
- How are mainframe computers different from standard computers?
- What is NVIDIA and ATI? How to understand that display card needs some softwares so that they can work?
- How specifically do the hardware components already inside computer like the mother board and ram inteact to produce what we see and interact with and what are the processes that the computer undergoes when it coldstarts.
- What exactly is the computer turning "on" and "off" when it's processing binary code? (2x)
- How do hard drives work?
- How does the computer know that you are typing the letter "k" or "m"?
- Which of the following would be most attributed to speeding up the framerate of a computer game, the processor, the video card, or the RAM?
- Why do computer games have problems with some computers or video cards when they should all be using the same operating system?
- why does computer only know 0 and 1, not 3 or 4? (also: Can a CPU read infromation an anything other than binary? For example using zeros, ones, and twos. Or is it restriced by it's eletrical components to only read information in binary?)
- How essential is it to know the construction of a computer if one intends to do programming?
Software/Programming Languages
- What is the most common programming language used today?
- What exactly is an abstraction? Is there a better example than a car engine?
- How specifically does a computer interpret lines of code to be programmed and what are the major differences in the main programming languages and why and what languages work best for diffferent processes?
- How do people become acquainted with programming without taking a class in it?
- Why is Microsoft the most popular of all word processing programs over other alternatives?
- What is your opinion about VMs? How stable are they?
- Is computer programming a universal language, or is it different for each operating system?
- What are common programs that engineers need to have mastered on computers?
- Can one program a computer to solve something like how to set up a perfect economic system, govermental system, etc., as long as one managed to successful lay out all the parameters nessecary?
Operating Systems, Mac v. Win v. Linux
- What makes apples os more secure than microsofts?
- Why is Windows the most popular operating system?
- what is the difference between Unix, unbuntu, kunbuntu?
- Why do Apple products seem superior to any Windows product? Does Apple have access to a type of technology that Windows does not?
- What are the advantages of using both Macs and PCs?
Web
- How can search engines recover keywords from websites so quickly and narrow the search without invading any security?
- What is Tor (anonymity on the web)? Also: How does the TOR web browser work? In terms of encryption and security, do you recommend it?
- Why don't sites like Facebook switch to SSL for login so that they are no longer vulnerable to session hijacking tools such as Firesheep?
- How can we tell just by looking at a website what kind of programming language is used to create it?
- How are people able to create carbon copies of websites, as in the case of WikiLeaks?
- How do people make websites?
- How is information stored on something that is not tangible? (the internet)
- How is media played through the web?
- I'm curious as to why google picks the sites that it does. What preferences does google take into account when it chooses the order of the sites? Continuing the question, how does search engine optimization work?
Networking
- How does wireless based Internet connections work? (3x)
- How does the Internet transfer all of the information it does without overloading?
- When running Backtrack Linux (based on Ubuntu) inside VirtualBox on a Mac OSX host, is is possible to access the AirPort wireless card in order to put it in monitor mode and do packet sniffing? The default virtual adapter is wired, and I've had trouble trying to change it. I've heard a USB wireless adapter will get recognized inside the Virtual Machine.
- What is the difference between internet and [an] intranet and how are they programmed/developed differently?
- How do online multiplayer games work, for example, to serve many people at a time?
- What are the 13 DNS servers?
- When someone calls text support how is it that the person miles away is able to see what I'm doing or tap into my device to do things like set-up and troubleshooting?
- I know that my xbox 360 needs to connect to the internet in order to run xbox live. Is xbox live just an ip that the xbox contacts, like a web page, or is it an online application?
- what does binary have to do with things like networks?
- what is cloud computing?
- How does a service like Logmein ie. remote control of a computer, work?
- How do servers work?
Security
- How do hackers hack into your computer? (2x)
- What does a virus do to a computer?
- As computer programs and systems become more complex and capable of greater tasks, are they becoming more useful or more susceptible to hackers?
Other
- What are different fields inside computer science?
- What is the difference between computer science, and computer engineering?
- Is "the matrix" real? If so, how does it work? If not, is there anything like it today?
- Do you think that the computer science degree will be still in high demand 10 years from now like it is currently?
- In the world of computers what kinds of things are being developed now that you see could potentially having a real chance to dominate the market or change how we interact with computers? (also: In your opinion, what computer science breakthroughs will come in the next five years?)
- why all programs in Linux is free?
- Is it possible to use a computer science degree to help design Civilization 7 (as 6 might be out before I'm able to contribute).
- why does computer technology keep growing as such a fast rate?
- Besides programing, teaching, and IT support, what jobs do computer science graduates get?
- What classes should I take if I was a very practical knowledge of computer science/networking?
Links from lectures
Chatbots
History
Chatbots
Operating Systems
Programming Languages
