ConversationalGeek

ByJ.PeterBruzzese

Copyright©2015

ConversationalGeekPublishedbyConversationalGeekInc.

www.conversationalgeek.com

Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookshallbereproduced,storedinaretrievalsystem,ortransmittedbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopying,recording,orotherwise,withoutwrittenpermissionfromthepublisher.Nopatentliabilityisassumedwithrespecttotheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein.Althougheveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthisbook,thepublisherandauthorassumenoresponsibilityforerrorsoromissions.Norisanyliabilityassumedfordamagesresultingfromtheuseoftheinformationcontainedherein.

TrademarksConversationalGeek,theConversationalGeeklogoandJ.theGeekaretrademarksofConversationalGeek.Alltermsmentionedinthisbookthatareknowntobetrademarksorservicemarkshavebeenappropriatelycapitalized.Wecannotattesttotheaccuracyofthisinformation.Useofaterminthisbookshouldnotberegardedasaffectingthevalidityofanytrademarkorservicemark.

WarningandDisclaimerEveryefforthasbeenmadetomakethisbookascompleteandasaccurateaspossible,butnowarrantyorfitnessisimplied.Theinformationprovidedisonan“asis”basis.Theauthorandthepublishershallhaveneitherliabilitynorresponsibilitytoanypersonorentitywithrespecttoanylossordamagesarisingfromtheinformationcontainedinthisbookorprogramsaccompanyingit.

AdditionalInformationForgeneralinformationonourotherproductsandservices,orhowtocreateacustomConversationalGeekbookforyourbusinessororganization,pleasevisitourwebsiteatConversationalGeek.com

PublisherAcknowledgments

Allofthefolksresponsibleforthecreationofthisguide:

Author: J.PeterBruzzese

ProjectEditor: NickCavalancia

CopyEditor: JohnRugh

ContentReviewer(s): ShannaG.Giarrano

NotefromtheAuthor

Let’sclarifytheterm“geek”rightattheoutset.

DefinitionofaGeek:Apersonwithaneccentricdevotiontoaparticularinterest:"acomputergeek”.Thepeopleyoupickoninhighschoolandendupworkingforasanadult(UrbanDictionary.com)

Mymotiveinputtingthisbooktogethertotryandgivefolksaprimerforgeekterminologyandtechnology.Ialsowantedtoensuresomeofthekeyplayers(thegeekfounders)arementionedtohelpprovidealittlebitofgeekheritage.

Thisbookisnotthebeallandendallofthingsgeek.It’sastartingpoint.However,ifyouwouldliketolearnmoreyoucanreadthefull150+pageversion:“ConversationalGeek”(GeekierEdition!).

Attheendofthisbookisalistofpeople,technology,andterminologyyoumightwanttoresearchfurther.MyencouragementisforyoutouseWikipediaanddivedeeperintoeach.

Itismyhopethatyouenjoythisbook.Mayitbridgethegapbetweengeeksandnon-geeks.

J.PeterBruzzese

The“Conversational”Method

Wehavetwoobjectiveswhenwecreatea“Conversational”book:First,tomakesureit’swritteninaconversationaltonesothatit’sfunandeasytoread.Second,tomakesureyou,thereader,canimmediatelytakewhatyoureadandincludeitintoyourownconversations(personalorbusiness-focused)withconfidence.

Thesebooksaremeanttoincreaseyourunderstandingofthesubject.Terminology,conceptualideas,trendsinthemarket,andevenfringesubjectmatterarebroughttogethertoensureyoucanengageyourcustomer,team,co-worker,friendandeventheknow-it-allBestBuygeekonalevelplayingfield.

“GeekintheMirror”Boxes

Weinfusehumorintoourbooksthroughbothcartoonsandlightbanterfromtheauthor.Whenyouseeoneoftheseboxesit’stheauthorsteppingoutsidethedialogtospeakdirectlytoyou.Itmightbeananecdote,itmightbeapersonalexperienceorgutreactionandanalysis,itmightjustbeasarcasticquip,butthese“geekinthemirror”boxesarenottobeskipped.

Greetings.TheycallmeJ.WithintheseboxesIcansharejustaboutanythingonthe

subjectathand.Read’em!

Computers,NetworksandtheInternet

Firstcamethe“computer”…andthatwasgood.Thentheyconnectedabunchofthesecomputerstogethertoforma“network”andthatwasbetter.Thentheyconnectedmultiplenetworksaroundtheglobeandcalleditthe“Internet”.Andthatwasawesome!

Therearemanybrilliantpeoplewhocontributedtothetechnologyweuseeveryday.Forexample,AlanTuring,whoiscreditedasthe“fatheroftheoreticalcomputerscienceandartificialintelligence”.

The10PartsofaComputerComputersaremadeupprimarilyof10parts.It’strue!Suretherearespecialtyitemslikewatercoolingsystemsandfancyglowlightingyoucanaddifyouwanttotrickoutyoursystem(“pimpyourcomputingrides”sotospeak).Butonly10keypiecesareneeded.

The10partsincludethefollowing:

• PowerSupply:Thepowersupplydoesn’treallysupplypower.Itdummiesdownthepowerfromtheoutlettorunlowvoltageitemsinside(motherboard,harddrive,etc.)at3V,5Vor12V(volt)increments.Italsochangesalternatingcurrent(AC)fromthewallandconvertstodirectcurrent(DC),whichismorestableforthecomputertohandle.

• Motherboard:Aboardofcircuitsthatlookslikeithasminihighwaysofcopperrunningeverywhereconnectingallthecomponentstogether.Componentsincludetheprocessor,memory,peripheralsandsoon.ThemotherboardhasinstructionsbuiltintoitcalledtheBIOS(basicinput/outputsystem)or,inmoderntimes,theUEFI(unifiedextensiblefirmwareinterface).Note:Don’ttouchamotherboardwithoutwearinganESD(electrostaticdischarge)straptodissipatestaticelectricityoryoumightzaptheboardwithashock.

• Processor:Alsoknownas(aka)theCPUorcentralprocessingunit,theprocessorislikethebrainofthecomputeranditsitsfirmlyonthemotherboard.Itprocessesallthebits(0’sand1’s)thatcomethroughit.TwokeyplayersareIntelandAMDprocessormanufacturers.

• Fans,HeatSinksandCooling:Processorsgethot,soweusedifferentmethodstocooltheprocessorand

theentirecomputerdown.Heatsinkspullheatofftheprocessorintothecoils.Thefanblowstheheatawayfromtheprocessorandheatsinktohelpcoolit.Internalfansandothercoolingaids(likeliquidcooling)helptocooldowntheentiresystem.

• Memory:Helpsyoutakedatafromyourharddriveandputitclosertoyourprocessor(toimprovespeed).Memorymightbe2GB,4GB,etc.Thereisalsoasmalleramountofmemorycalledthe‘cache’thatisonestepclosertotheprocessor.

• HardDrive:Thisisthe‘filecabinet’forallyourdata.Thedataiswritteninbinary(0’sand1’s)andthedataisnon-volatile(whichmeansifyoulosepowerthatdatawillstillbethere,asopposedtovolatiledatainmemoryandcache).HardDrivesaregettinglargerandlargerandnowyoumightbuyonewith500GB’soreven1or2TB’s.

Bits(0’sand1’s)arethestartingpoint.8bitsequalabyte(4bitsareanibble…notkidding).1024bytesequalsaKiloByte(KB).1024KBsequalsaMegaByte(MB).1024MBsequalsaGigaByte(GB).1024GBsequalsaTerabyte(TB).Andsoon…PetaBytes,ExaBytes

• OpticalDrives(CD/DVD/Blu-rayBurners):AnopticaldrivemightbeaCD,DVDorBlu-rayplayerand/orburner.Therearemanydifferenttypesofspeedsandprices;andallthisdependsonwhatyouneedinyourcomputer.

• VideoCard:Theabilitytoconnectamonitormaybebuiltrightintothemotherboard(oravideocardwillcomewiththesystem).Apurchasedvideocard

typicallyprovidesmorethanwhatyougetwithonboardvideo.Thevideocardfitsintoanexpansionslotonthemotherboardthatisspecificallydesignatedforthevideocard.Youmightneedapowerfulcardforplayingvideogamesoryoumightneedacardthatallowsyoutopluginmultiplemonitors.ModernvideocardstypicallyhavetheirownprocessorcalledaGraphicsProcessingUnitorGPU.

• AdditionalCards(Sound,Network,etc…):Yourmotherboardhasexpansionslotstoaddothercardsforsound,networking(LANorWireless),additionalUSBports,orothertypesofcards.

• Peripherals:Keyboard,mouse,speakers,webcams,printersandsuchcanallbepluggedinandthesearecalledperipherals.

Thegoalherewasnottomakeyouanexpertoneverylittledetailinvolvingcomputerpartsbutrather,giveyouabetterunderstandingofhoweachpartisused.

BinaryCodeBinaryisallabout0’sand1’s(bits).Thinkofthemlikeon/offswitchesforalightswitch.Puttogether,8bitsiscalledabyteoranoctet.

Thewayyoutakeanumberinbinaryandconvertittodecimalissimple.Justapplyacodetoeachbitinthenumber.

Thecodeis128–64–32–16–8–4–2–1

Whenyouseethenumber01000001youonlyaddupthenumbersthathavethebitturnedon.So128?Nope.64?Yes.

32,16,8,4and2?Nope.1?Yes.Addup64and1andyoucomeupwiththenumber65.

Let’stryafew:01010101?10001000?11111111?

Theanswersare:85,136and255.

It’simportanttonotethatall0’s(00000000)=0andall1’s(11111111)=255.Thatgivesyou256differentoptions.Butyoucanstringthemtogethertoo.192.168.1.1isanIPaddress(discussedsoon).Thatiscalleddotteddecimalbutwhenconvertedintobinarylookslikethis:11000000.10101000.00000001.00000001

Whatabouttakingadecimalnumberandmakingitintobinary?Itjusttakesalittleeffortusingthecodetoworkbackward.Tomakedecimal27inbinary,youwillneeda:1inthe16’splace,a1inthe8’splace,a0inthe4’splace,a1inthe2’splaceanda1inthe1’splace.Itlookslikethis11011.Youmaythinkofitlikethis;add,16+8+0+2+1.Eachbinary1canbea“yes”inthatplaceholderinthechart,andabinary0isa“no”inthatplace.

Whilebinaryisusedwithinthecomputeritselfandisimportanttolearn,anothertypeofnumberingsystemiscalledhexadecimalandisbasedoffgroupingsof16rangingfrom0through9andthena,b,c,d,e,fwhichrepresentsnumbering10-15(0-15foratotalof16).

NetworkingandtheInternetNetworkingisallaboutconnectivity.Homes,smallbusinesses,enterpriseenvironmentswiththousandsofcomputers,theInternet(aglobalnetwork)allutilizesimilartechnologyregardlessofthesize.Theyallconnecttoarouterusingeitheran‘Ethernet’connectionorawirelessconnection.Theyalluse

TCP/IPastheunderlyingprotocoltoconnect.TheyalluseDomainNameServices(DNS)tofindothercomputersontheInternet.Thequestionsyoumayhavenoware“What’sEthernet,Routers,TCP/IPandDNS?”Ok,holdontight.

Let’stalkaboutthephysicalpiecestoanetwork(andtotheInternet).Thesemightincludethefollowing:

Cables:CommontodayisCategory5Ethernetcable(andyes,therewerecategories1-4butwedon’tusethoseanymore).Futurecategoriesare,youguessedit,6and7.Cat6isusedforGigabitEthernetandiscompatiblewith5.

WhyisitcalledEthernet?Ethernetwasdevelopedintheearly1970’satXeroxPARCbyRobertMetcalfeandothers.ThereasonitwascalledEther-netwasbasedontheconceptofluminous“ether”whichwasoncethoughttocarryelectromagneticwavesthroughspace.Atthattime,manynetworkingsystemswereproprietary(thatis,uniquetoagivenenvironment)andtheideawastoindicatethattheEthernetwasdesignedforallsystems.

Connectors:Cablehaveconnectorsontheendthatresembleaphoneconnector(RJ11/4pins).EthernetcablesuseanRJ45connectorwith8pins.

Routers:ToconnectcomputerstogetheryouhavetohaveeitheranetworkconnectioninyourcomputerorawirelessconnectionforWiFi.Andthenyouhavetohaveaplaceto

connectto,calleda“router”.ArouterallowsforcableconnectionorWiFiconnectivity.TherouterallowsforconnectionsbetweennetworkedcomputersandtheInternet.

Note:ConnectionstotheInternetcanbemadethroughacablemodem,DSLandothermeansbutyoustillneedarouterbetweenyourhome/businessandtheInternet.

Onceyouhavethephysicalpiecesinplayit’simportanttounderstandhowcommunicationactuallytakesplace.

Firstoff,allcomputers/devicesonanetworkhaveuniqueaddresses.Alldevicesthatareonanetwork,orontheInternethaveabuilt-inMACaddress(MediaAccessControl).Thesearetypicallyassignedbythemanufacturerofthedeviceandareassignedusinghexadecimalnumbers,forexample:00-21-6A-3E-D5-5E.

OnaPCyoucanfindacomputer’sMACaddressbyopeningacommandpromptandtypinggetmacoripconfig/all

Asyoucansee,theMACaddressnumbersarenotthateasytoworkwith;andthereisnoordertothemamongstdevices.AmoreorganizedwaytodistinguishcomputerswasdevelopedcalledaTCP/IPAddress.Thesearegivenmanuallyordynamicallytocomputers.ThecomputerslocateeachotherusingTCP/IPaddressesandonlythendoesitacquirethetrueMACaddressofacomputertolinkforcommunication.

TCP/IPstandsfortransmissioncontrolprotocol/Internetprotocolanditisactuallymorethantwoprotocolsbutawholesuiteofthem.“Protocols”aresometimesusedtomeanalanguageorasetofstandards.Havingstandardscausesthedifferentmanufacturerstofollowaprotocolwhendevelopingthingsthatwillworktogetheronanetwork.

UsingTCP/IP,packetsthatgooutonthewirewillfindtheirdestinationbecausetherouterwillusetheTCP/IPaddresstolocateorrouteitspacketstotheproperrecipient.

Yourrouterislikeapostoffice.Communicationishandledthrough‘packets’.Yourrouterwillsendpacketsfromonecomputertoanothercomputer;andfromtheInternettoyourcomputers.Thesearelikepiecesofmailthattravelfromonehometothenext.IfyouwanttomailsomethingofficiallytoyourneighboryouwouldtakeyourmailtothepostofficeandputitintheLocalbox.IfyouwanttomailittoanotherstateorcountryyouwouldputitintheOut-of-Townbox.Thepostofficewouldhandleitfromthatpoint.Buthowdocomputersfindeachother?

Wecouldgomuchdeeperonallofthis,especiallywithregardtoTCP/IPaddressingbutthisisa101guideafterall.Readthefullversiontogotothenextlevel(s).

DomainNameServices(DNS)RatherthangotoodeeponhowTCP/IPworksandtheaddressingsidewhereyouneedtoprovideanIPaddress,subnetmaskanddefaultgateway(allimportantstuff)let’sanswerthefollowingquestions:WhenItype‘www.conversationalgeek.com’intomybrowser,howdoesmycomputerknowwheretogo?AndwhenIsendanemailtojpeter@conversationalgeek.comhowdoesmyemailfindhim?

Greatquestions.TheanswerisDNS(domainnameservices).DNSisprovidedthroughhigh-poweredcomputerscalled‘servers’thatareontheInternettohelpusfindtheIPaddressesofwebsitesorsendemailstomailserversandsoon.Theseserversareorganizedbydomain,justlikeanalphabeticalphonedirectory.

WebsitesareofficiallyregisteredandTCP/IPaddresseshavetobeincludedsothatwhenyourcomputerwantstoawebsiteorsendanemailitcanusetheTCP/IPaddresstodoit.YouputinthenamebutDNSgivesyourcomputertheaddress.

YoucanregisteryourownwebsitenamethroughadomainregistrationsitelikeGoDaddy.combutthenamehastobeunique.Manynamesarealreadytakenasyoucanimagine.

ImportantPeopleinInternetHistoryTherearesomanypeoplewecouldputintoadiscussionofInternethistorybuthereareacollectionofkeypeopleandtheircontribution:

• AlGore:InventedtheInternet.(Kidding)AlthoughhedidsupportInternetgrowthanddevelopment.Hepopularizedtheterm‘informationsuperhighway’

• J.C.R.Licklider(fromMIT):Wroteaboutan“IntergalacticNetwork”thatconnectseveryoneonthe

planet.In1962hebecomesthefirstheadofresearchfortheDefenseAdvancedResearchProjectsAgency(DARPA).

• LeonardKleinrock(alsofromMITandUCLA)workedonpacketswitchingtechnology.

• LawrenceRoberts(alsofromMIT)connectscomputersfromMassachusettstoCaliforniausingdial-up.

ThefirstoperationalpacketswitchednetworkwascalledARPANET(fundedbyDARPA)andincludedfourdifferentuniversitiesandgrewfromthatpoint.

Everwonderwhoinventedthe@symbolweusewhenwesendemail?ItwasRayTomlinsonin1972!

• RobertKahnandVintCerfcreatedTCPin1973

• TimBerners-Lee(fromCERN)developedaprotocolforinformationtobedistributedusinghypertextpages.TheprotocolisstillinusetodayastheHypertextTransferProtocol(http)whichyouseeatthebeginningofeverywebsiteaddressyoutypein,andTHISwasthebeginningofwhatweknownowastheWorldWideWeb.TheoriginalgoaloftheHTTPprotocolwastogetpageswritteninHTML(hypertextmarkuplanguage).

It’simportanttonotethatthereisadifferencebetweentheInternetandtheWorldWideWeb.TheInternetisaglobalnetworkthatusesTCP/IPtotransmitdatabetweensystems.TheWorldWideWebisacomputernetworkthathassitesavailableontheInternetthatallowyoutoseesitesusingHTTP.

TheInternetisusedformorethanjusttheWWW;itisalsousedforemailandahostofotherservices.

ThereisareallycoolposterthatshowstheHistoryoftheInternetandhowithasgrownoverthepast30years.ThepostercanbefoundattheComputerHistoryMuseum,locatedinMountainView,CA.Tolearnmoreaboutthefirst30yearsofInternetdevelopmentinmuchgreaterdetailgohere:http://www.computerhistory.org/internet_history/

TheBigTakeawaysWecouldtalkfordaysaboutcomputers,networkingandtheInternet.Thiswasjustaprimertogetyourfeetwetandyourmindthinkingaboutthecoreknowledgeneededasa‘geek’.

Computers(PCsandlaptops)haveabout10partstothem.Thepartsaremadebydifferentmanufacturersandhavedifferentdesignsandstrength/sizelevels.Gotoastore(online/in-person)toseethesepartsforyourselforopen(withpermission)andoldcomputertolookinside.Unplugitfirst!

Networkingisallaboutcommunication.YouneedtobephysicallyconnectedthroughEthernetcablingoraWiFiconnection.AndifyouwanttogetouttoanothernetworkortheInternetyouwillneedarouter.TheunderlyingcommunicationmethodisTCP/IPwhichreliesonDNStolocatesystemsoutontheInternet.

Allofthis(computers,networking,theInternet)istheresultofmany,manysmartpeople.It’simportantwedon’tforgetthem.

Intheend,it’sall0’sand1’s(binary).Butlooktheamazingthingspeoplehavedonewith0’sand1’s.

OS’s,MobileDevices,TabletsandApps

YourPCs,laptops,tablets,mobiledevices…allrunanoperatingsystem.Operatingsystemsarenotnew.BeforethePCagethereweremainframesthathadtheirownoperatingsystems.WithmodernPCstherearesomanydifferenttypesthatit’snotworthreviewingthemall.Howeverthereareafewthatstandout.Unix/Linux,MacOSandWindows.ThereareotherslikeChromeOSbyGoogle(whichisLinux-based,asmanyare).

Alongwithfamousinventorsandinnovatorstherearealsonefariousornotoriouscomputeruserscalled“hackers”.One,nowreformed,hackerisKevinMitnick.Hisbooksonsocialengineeringarefascinating!

Unix/LinuxItwasdevelopedbyateamatAT&TBellLaboratoriesin1969.ItwaseventuallycodedinaprogramminglanguagecalledC,whichwasdevelopedbyDennisRitchiefromAT&T.ThevalueofthisnewOSwithCwasitsprogramminglanguagewasportable,meaningitcouldbeinstalledonotherhardware.VariationsofUnix,likeLinuxandMacOS,havebeencreatedovertheyearsandyoumayhaveheardofsomeliketheBerkeleySoftwareDistribution(BSD)variantsanditsdescendants:FreeBSD,NetBSD,OpenBSDandDragonFlyBSD;alongwithAndroid,whichisalsoavariant.

LinuxisavariantofUnix.ItwasfirstcreatedandreleasedbyLinusTorvalds.Linuxasanoperatingsystemisopensourced,meaningpeoplehavetherighttofreelyuseit,studyit,andmakechangestoitandsoon.Thesourcecodeisopentoall.

Apple|MacOSandiOSEveryoneknowsApple.It’srecognizedglobally.Whatmanyforgetishowitgotstarted.SteveJobsandSteveWozniak.TheyformedApplecomputersin1976andcreatedtheveryfirstApplecomputersinSteveJob’sfamilyhomegarageastheirworkspace.

ItwasinthatgaragethattheywoulddeveloptheAppleI,releasedApril1,1976,andlaterontheAppleII.Initiallyitwasmeanttobeahobbyistmachinethatcouldbepurchasedcheaperandbesmallerthanexistingsystems.TheAppleIwasthefirstcomputerthatusedasinglecircuitboard.BoththeAppleIandtheAppleIIwereengineeredcompletelybySteveWozniak.Thecompanywouldgoontocreatemanymoresystems(PCs,laptops,tablets,mobiledevices)overtheyears(Lisa,Macintosh(in1984),iMac,MacbookAir,iPod,iPad,iPhone,AppleWatchetc…)MobiledevicesuseiOS,whichisavarietyoftheMacOSX,whichisbasedonUnix.

ThereisanincrediblestorytobetoldaboutthelifeofJobsandWozniak.It’sbeentoldinbooksandmoviesandcontinuestobetheinspirationforeverytechstartupdowntotoday.SteveJobsdiedin2011andthecurrentCEOofAppleisTimCook.

AmanwhohelpedJobsrealizehisvisionofstreamlinedproductsisJonathan(akaJony)Ive.HewastheleaddesignerformanyoftheiconicAppleproductsthatappearclean,crisp,andfuturistic.

OnethingaboutApplethatmakesitdifferentfromMicrosoftisthattheybuildanddistributeboththehardwareandthesoftware(theoperatingsystem).Microsoftisfocusedprimarilyonsoftware.

ThefirstMacOSXsystem(10.0)wasreleasedin2001anditwascalledCheetah.Theideatokeepusingbigcatsstuckbuttheymusthaverunoutattheend:

• 10.0Cheetah

• 10.1Puma

• 10.2Jaguar

• 10.3Panther

• 10.4Tiger

• 10.5Leopard

• 10.6SnowLeopard

• 10.7Lion

• 10.8MountainLion

• 10.9Mavericks

• 10.10:Yosemite

• 10.11:ElCapitan

TherearesomeinterestingfeaturestotheMacOSXoperatingsystemthatmakeitdistinguishablefromeveryothermajorplayer.OnekeyelementistheDock.WhenyoulookatthedesktopofanAppleyouseeareallycooldockdownatthebottomofthedesktopthatallowsyoutoaddandremoveapplicationsforquickclickaccess.

Microsoft|WindowsThestoryofBillGates,PaulAllenandSteveBallmeriscompletelydifferentfromJobsandWozniakandyetnolessentertaining.

Gatesplayedaroundwithsoftwareprogrammingeveninhisyouth,spendingtimeonaGEcomputeratschoolandprogramminginBASIC.HewenttoLakesideSchool,aprivateschoolwherehemetMicrosoftco-founderPaulAllen.Thetwowouldworktogetherintheiryouthonavarietyofdifferentventures,includingonecalledTraf-O-Data,whichwasatrafficcounterthatwouldgeneratereports.Theydidn’tmakeamilliononthatone,buttheywereonly17,sothatwasok.Itwasagoodstarttowhatwouldcomelater.

In1973GateswenttoHarvardUniversity,thisiswherehemetSteveBallmer.ItwastheJanuary1975issueofPopularElectronicsthatchangedalloftheirlivesbecauserightonthecoverwastheAltair.

Originally,theAltairwasprogrammedinbinaryusingtheswitcheswiththeresultsbeingshownonthefrontLED.Theprogramingwouldtakedaysorevenweeksanditwashorrendous.Theyneededabettermethodtoworkwith,thusGatesandAllencontactedEdRoberts.EdwasthepresidentofMicroInstrumentationandTelemetrySystems(MITS),thecompanythatmanufacturedtheAltair.GatesandAllensaidtheywereworkingonaBASICinterpreter.Thetruthwastheydidn’thaveanytypeofworkingBASICcodefortheAltair.Infact,theydidn’tevenhaveanAltair.Insteadtheyhadasimulator.Well,theywroteuptheinterpreterandranouttoNewMexicototryitoutontherealAltair.TheygotittoworkontheseconddayoftestingandthatwasthefirstproductMicrosoft(thencalledMicro-Soft)created.

BecauseMITSwasinAlbuquerqueNewMexico,Microsoftwasfirstestablishedthere.In1979theymovedtoBellevue,Washingtonwhichiswheretheheadquartersremaintothisday.

Microsoft’smainfocuswasBASICinterpretersupuntilthe1980’s.MicrosoftBASICwasthekeytotheirearliersuccess.InJune1980BallmerbecomesMicrosoft’s30themployeeandisthefirstbusinessmanager.HewouldgoontobecomePresidentofMicrosoftfrom1998to2001andlaterCEO.ThecurrentCEOisSatyaNadella.

MicrosoftpurchasedasimpleOScalledDOS(diskoperatingsystem)fromTimPatersonofSeattleComputerProductsandturnedaroundandlicensedittoIBM(notsoldit,licensedit!)whichturnedouttobeagamechangerforthemandsettheirbusinessmodelforsoftwaregoingforward.

InitiallyWindowsranontopofDOS(althoughthatisn’tthecasetoday).TherehavebeensomanyversionsofWindowsit’shardtorecountthemall,butherearethemainones:

• Windows3.xandWindowsforWorkgroups• Windows95,98,98SE,ME(MillenniumEdition)• Server/Workstation:WindowNT(akanewtechnology)

3.5x,NT4.0,Windows2000/2003/2008/2012(withR2flavors)

• WindowsXP,Vista,7,8,8.1and10

It’sworthmentioningthatMicrosoftiscurrentlyworkingonsomecooltechnologycalledHoloLensthatworksoffWindows10toprovideaholographicenvironmentthatlaysontopoftherealworld.

TabletsandMobileDevicesMostfolkstodaydon’trememberthetermPDA(personaldigitalassistant)butthesewerebiginthe90’sandcompanieslikePalmPilotweretheking.FastforwardabitandBlackBerryhadagoodrunatbeingkingofthemobileworldforatime.Thenitallchanged.

TheiPhonewasfirstreleasedin2007.Itwasrevolutionary(stillis)andcontinuestointroducenewandexcitingmobilefeatureslikeSiri,apersonalassistantyoucantalkto.TheiPhonerunsoniOS.TheiPad,releasedin2010isatabletrunningiOS.ThereareseveralversionsofiPhoneandiPadthathavebeenreleasedovertheyears(currentlyatiPadAir,iPadMiniandiPhone6).

GooglehastheAndroidOS,builtoffLinux,thevariantofUnix.AndroidOSisusedonbothsmartphonesandtabletsbyavarietyofmanufacturers.

AllAndroidOSnicknamesarenamedaftersweetfoodsordessertslike:2.3Gingerbread,3.0Honeycomb,4.0Ice-CreamSandwich,4.1/4.2/4.3JellyBean,4.4KitKat,5.0+Lollipop.HeysomefolksliketousebigcatsfortheirOSnicknamesandotherslikedesserts!

LatestversionsoftheWindowsPhoneandWindowsSurface(Microsoft’stablet)arebothrunningversionsoftheWindowsOS(Windows10).

ApplicationsandAppsIt’simpossibletolistoutthedifferentapplicationsandappsthathavebeenrolledoutovertheyears.Certainlyapopularlineofbusinessapplications/appsistheMicrosoftOfficeSuite(Word,Excel,PowerPoint,Outlook,etc…).TheseareinstalleddirectlyonyourPC,andnowthereareOfficeappsforyourtablets.

TherearealsoonlineproductivityappslikeGoogleAppsthatruninthe“cloud”(didn’tthinkwewouldgothroughthewholebookandnotmentionthe“cloud”didyou?)whichmeansitrunsinyourbrowserandtheapplicationisrunninginsomeoneelse’sdatacenterandisn’tinstalledonyourcomputerortablet.

Socialnetworkingsitesoffersolutionsinthe“cloud”likeFacebook,Twitter,Instagram,LinkedInandsoforth.

Mobile/Tabletappsincludeallsortsoffreeandpaid-forgamesyoucanuseforjustaboutanything.Forexample,theEvernotenotetakingapp,theKindleeReaderapp,theNetflixvideostreamingappandsoon.

TherearemorepeopletolearnaboutincludingMarkZuckerberg(Facebook),LarryPageandSergeyBrin(Google),SeanParker(Napster),andothers.

TheBigTakeawaysHopefullyyou’restartingtoseethatthetechnologyweuseisheavilyconnectedtothepeoplewhocreateditand/orenhancedit.Someofthesefolksweretruedevelopergeeks.Someofthemweregeekloverswithabusinessfocuswhoknewhowtotakethedevgeeksproductsandgetthemouttothemasses.

It’simportanttorememberthehistory.YouworkonyourPCatschool/workrunningWindows10withOffice2016,takeoutyouriPadtoplay“ClashofClans”duringyourlunchbreak,callyourfriendonyourAndroidphoneonthewayhome…butdoyouknowthestorybehindallthese“geek”toys?

Nowyoudo.Youknowthetipoftheiceberg.Digdeepertolearnmore!

GeekEntertainment

It’simpossibletocovereveryaspectofgeekentertainmentfromtheBigBangTheorytoDr.Who,buthereisalistthatmayhelpyougetstarted.

MoviesandTVShowsHerearealistofmoviesyoucanwatchtogetabetterunderstandingofgeeklife.

• WarGames(1983)• Sneakers(1992)• TheNet(1995)• PiratesofSiliconValley(1999)• TheSocialNetwork(2010)

• TheTheoryofEverything(2014)• TheImitationGame(2014)• Jobs(2013)andSteveJobs(2015)

InadditionyoucanaddtothatlisteveryStarWars,StarTrek,Marvel/DC,typemovieyoucanimagine.Oh…andTron/Tron:Legacy

It’simportantforyoutounderstandthebasicsofthesetwo“geek”sci-figenres:

StarWars:Longago,galaxyfar,farway…lightsabers,Skywalker/Vadar,R2/D2,C3PO“MaytheForceBewithYou”,Soloincarbonite,Yoda,Wookies,Ewoks(littlewookies),theForce(dark/light),Jedi/Sith,MillenniumFalcon“I’vegotabadfeelingaboutthis.”

StarTrek:Future,currentgalaxy,humans/Vulcans(pointyears/logical)/Romulans(angrycousinsofVulcans)/Klingons,“Livelongandprosper”(Vulcangreeting),“Ihavebeenandalwaysshallbeyourfriend”,Kirk/Spock,McCoy,Scotty“IneedmoretimeCapt’n”

Watchthemovies…itwillallmakesense.

AsforTVshowsyouhaveBigBangTheory.ButyoumightalsolookforcurrentorrecentshowslikeBattlestarGalatica(reruns),Dr.Whoandahostofothersci-fi,fantasyfocusedshows.YoumightconsidersuperheroshowslikeSmallville(reruns),Arrow,etc..

ComicsandComic-ConIt’simportanttoknowthattherearemanydifferenttypesofcomics.ThetraditionalcomicbookheroeslikeSuperman,

Batman,WonderWoman(allfromDCcomics)andthealternative(perhapsmoreflawed)heroeslikeIronMan,Hulk,Thor(allfromMarvelcomics).

IfyougoseeacomicbookmoviewithSuperman,don’texpecttoseeIronManinthemovie.Theseguysarefromtwodifferentcomicbookcompanies:MarvelandDC

YoumighthearotherwordsforcomicslikeManga(theJapanesewordforcomics)andAnime(theJapaneseabbreviationforanimation).Thesearepopularinbothtameformats(likePokemon)andultra-violent/sexual/spiritisticformats.Allcomicsarenotequal(logically).

BothComic-ConandDragon*Conareconferencesthatpromotethesci-fi,fantasy,andall-around-geekorientedentertainment.TheofficialComic-ConisheldinSanDiego,althoughtherearesmalleronesheldinotherlocations.Cosplayiscommon(notrequired)atthesetypesofshows.Cosplayisshortfor“costumeplay”wherefolksdressupastheirfavoritecharactersfrommovies/TV/books/comics/etc.

GamingGaminggoesallthewaybacktoPongandAtari.Moderngamingandgamingsystems(likeXbox/Playstation/Wii,etc.)allowyoutoplayagainstorwithpeopleonline.Youdon’tneedagamingsystemtoplay,youcanuseyourPC/laptoporyourtablettoplayanynumberofgames(singleormultiplayer).

Thereareroleplayinggames(RPGs),massivelymultiplayeronlineroleplayinggames(MMORPG),appgames(likeAngryBirds),socialnetworkgames(likeWordswithFriends)andmore.Someplayasateamonlinewith“ClashofClans”,orplayonlineoralonewithfirstpersonshooter(FPS).

Oneofthephenomenon’softhemoderngamingworldisMinecraft.CreatedbyMarkus“Notch”Persson(Swedon)andpublishedbyMojang(nowownedbyMicrosoft)thisisa3Dgameworldwhereyoucancreateandbuildtheworldaroundyou,playaloneorwithothers,availableonjustabouteveryplatform(PC/mobile/tablet/gamesystem).

BooksGeeksaredividedonthebestbookstoread.Flatland,booksonstringtheory,sci-fibooks,encryptionfocusedbooks(likeDigitalFortressbyDanBrown)andahostofothergeekybooks.

MostwouldagreethoughthatHitchhikersGuidetotheGalaxy(byDouglasAdams)isamust-read.Inityou’llfindtheanswertolife,theuniverseandeverything!

Fortechnicallyrealisticdramaticnovelsaboutmoderndaydangers(hackers/rootkits/viruses/etc.)checkoutMarkRussinovich’sbooksstartingwith“ZeroDay”andfollowitupwiththebooks“TrojanHorse”and“RogueCode”.

Mentionedearlier,therearebooksbyKevinMitnickthatarequiteinterestingonsocialengineering.Theseinclude‘GhostintheWires’‘TheArtofDeception’and‘TheArtofIntrusion’andothers.

TheBigTakeawaysGeekentertainmentvaries.It’simpossibletosayexactlywhatageekwilllike.However,it’ssafetosaytherearekeyelementstogeekentertainment.Thereisaheavytechnologybase(real,futuristic,orcompletelyimplausiblelikeglowingswords).Andwhetheramovie,TVshow,comicorgame,itisoftenbasedinsci-fi,fantasyorcomicbooks.

ResearchandRememberThisbookisfilledwithtechnology,peopleandterminologythatareworthresearchingandremembering.Hereareafewyoumightwanttotakealittletimetostudy:

AlanTuring

PowerSupply

Motherboard

Processor

Fans

Heatsinks

Memory

Harddrive

Opticaldrives

Videocard

Peripherals

Binarycode

Byte

Kilobyte

Megabyte

Gigabyte

Terabyte

Ethernet

RobertMetcalfe

RJ45connector

Router

MACaddress

Hexadecimal

TCP/IP

DomainNameService(DNS)

J.C.R.Licklider

LeonardKleinrock

DARPA

ARPANET

LawrenceRoberts

RayTomlinson

RobertKahn

Vinton(Vint)Cerf

TimBerners-Lee

HTTP

HTML

Unix

Linux

LinusTorvalds

DennisRitchie

SteveJobs

SteveWozniak

TimCook

JonyIve

BillGates

PaulAllen

SteveBallmer

SatyaNadella

Altair

EdRoberts

DC/Marvel

Comic-Con

Cosplay

HitchhikersGuide

KevinMitnick

Learnmorebyreading“ConversationalGeek”3rdEdition(akatheGeekierEdition!)

GotoConversationalGeek.comtodownloadmorefreebooksthatgeekslovefromour

growinglibraryofsubjects!