CSC 142

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CPU (stupid) brain of the computer
Goal Perform elaborate tasks by putting
together many simple tasks
HOW ?
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• To solve a specific problem weather forecast,
  payroll, word processing, traffic lights...

Need a compiler to translate our program into
0s and 1s
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Examples of High level languages

• FORTRAN, LISP 50s (scientific)

• COBOL 60s (business)

• BASIC, PASCAL, C 70s (multipurpose)

• C80s (OOP)

• Java, Java 90s (platform independent)

WIDESPREAD A NECESSARY STEP TOWARDS C, Java...
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• Clearly specify the problem
• Analyze the problem
• Find an algorithm to solve the problem

Long enough?
Change the light
Write the program (use C). DOCUMENTATION Test
and Debug (correct mistakes) Maintain and Update
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• Computers have improved dramatically

If the same had happened to cars

• a Cadillac would cost 0.50

• 0 to 60 mph in 3 milliseconds

• Go to the moon and back on a tank of gas

• Could put the Cadillac in your pocket

Moores Law every 18 months, double the number
of components on a chip... for the same price
Atom is the limit (insulators are a few atoms
thick)
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and sometimes frustrating

• Read the book
• Come to class
• Get a lot of practice on the computers
• And...

• Employment e.g. from ADOBE

_ Education None
_ Experience 3 years C
_ Salary 96,000
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For no reason whatsoever your car would crash
twice a day.
The airbag system would say "Are you sure?"
before going off.
Every time they repainted the lines on the road
you would have to buy a new car.
Occasionally your car would die on the freeway
for no reason, and you would just accept this,
restart and drive on.
Occasionally for no reason whatsoever, your car
would lock you out and refuse to let you in
until you simultaneously lifted the door handle,
turned the key, and grabbed hold of the radio
antenna
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