Report/Essay/Paper on desktop computing; past, present and future

Due date: Friday 28^th November 2003 at 10.15 a.m.

about 2000 words

Should deal with :

• desktop computing pre-Wintel PCs
• Apple
• DOS
• GUIs e.g. Windows and Mac OS
• The improvements that Windows brought or didn’t bring to DOS
• Why the PC won and the Mac lost (if you agree with that statement)
• The present – this is a relatively easy part; look at all the magazines!
• The future – where do you think desktop/household computing will go?
• Other things of your choice

Content

Your work should be in your own words, (except for short parts clearly indicated with the source). Master your material and then sit down and re-write it. Your report should not be filled with absolutely masses of complex data that you don’t really understand. If in doubt, keep it simple rather than complex, though it should be at second year level, not first year level. You should use graphs, charts and diagrams wherever appropriate. Remember the old adage "A picture is worth a thousand words!"

Layout and Binding

Structure your work into subsections, number all pages and provide a contents page. Since your work will not consist of too many pages, don’t bind it using a manually applied clamp down the spine as the clamp will fall off in two and a half seconds when it stacked with other reports on a shelf. A suitable form of binding would be simply the standard plastic folder, with two prongs, a coloured backing, and a transparent front. If you don’t like that way of doing it, then go to a shop and get it bound there in a manner of your choice. Remember to allow room for the binding so that the document doesn’t have to be unbound to be read.

Marks will be awarded for:

• computing content
• use of language and diagrams to explain the content
• overall presentation

Please speak with me or email me idowney@wit.ie with any queries. This page of the web site may be updated from time to time. I’ll let you know via the email service.