Application: Software fundementals

Social Ethical Issue: Software Piracy

Software piracy is defined as the unauthorized copying of a software. When a person buys a software, they become a licensed user. They are allowed to make copies of the CD for back up purposes but it is illegal to make copies of it to give to others.

Companies have tried many methods to stop software piracy, but it is nearly impossible to stop it completely. The methods discourage some would be software pirates, but do not stop the piracy.

Some common types of software piracy include counterfeit software, OEM unbundling, softlifting, hard disk loading, corporate software piracy, and Internet software piracy.

(source:http://www.webopedia.com/TERM/S/software_piracy.html)

1- Is the Turing test a valid test of intelligence? Why or why not?
2- List several mental task that people do better than computers. List several mental tasks that computers do better than people. Can you find any general characteristics that distinguish the items of the two lists?

I do not think that the Turing Test is a valid test because it does not prove that a computer is intelligent. In this case it seems that the computer just relates information that had been inputted at one time. Some one would have had have to inputted the answer because the computer would not know on its own.

Computers
-quick calculations
-remembering recent activities

People
-Translating (accuracy)
-Deciphering meaning based on linguistic context
-Imagination
-Thinking

General characteristics that distinguish the two: speed, memory, and understanding.

CH. 15 8 RQs

1. In what sense is AI a "moving frontier"?

Artificial intelligence is a moving frontier in the sense that it is defined by some people as consisting of "whatever hasn't been done yet".

2.What are the disadvantages of the approach to AI that attempts to simulate human intelligence? What is the alternative?

There are many disadvantages to the simulation approach:
1-Human intelligence includes instantaneous insights, and other mental processes that are difficult or impossible to understand or describe
2-There are vast difference between the structure and capabilities of the human brain and those of computers. Such as the brains ability to parallel processing
3-The best way to do something with a machine might be very different from the way people would do it.

The alternative approach would be to design intelligent machines independent of the way people think.

4. Why did early machine translation programs fail to produce the desired result?
The translation programs were able to translate words but their translation would not have the same meaning as that which was intended. The programs could not understand the meaning of the sentences, they could only recognize the words.

7. What is a knowledge base?What is an expert system?How are the two related?
A knowledge base is a database that contains facts, a system of rules for determining and changing the relationship among facts. An expert system is a software designed to replicate the decision making process of a human expert. The relationship between the two is that at the foundation of every expert system there is a knowledge base representing ideas from a specific field of expertise.
9. What are some problems that make machine vision so challenging?

Comic

Discussion Question

You are planning on starting your own business selling clothes. Discuss pros and cons for starting an e-business.

If I wanted to start my own clothing business business then I would consider starting an e-business. There are many pros for this. First of all, it's convenient because I could just sell whatever I wanted from home. There would be no need for me to open a real store. It is also great because a wider range of people will be able to see what I am offering therefore it will help make my business profitable. Since many people shop online or spend a lot of time on the internet, I would be able to get more buyer than I would if I opened up a physical store. E-business is easier and is less of a hassle.

But e-commerce has some cons as well. If I created an e-business, those who do not have computers or don't know how to will not be able to access it. There is also a chance that shipments can be lost. Another con is that there are many people who do not feel comfortable buying things online using their credit cards, therefore those customers will not want to buy from me.

E-Commerce S/E issues

Reliability: customers can feel more secure, seller does not get money until the shipment is received by the buyer Equality: anyone around the world can buy things on the internet at the same price -anyone has the opportunity to sell whatever they want -they can get things that are not in there area. - But those who do not have the technology (electronics) then the can not Control: advertise what they want and control prices Security: protects personal info

2. Is e-commerce possible without the internet?

• I think that e-commerce depends heavily on the internet but it is not impossible to do it without the internet. As long as their is some electronic network ( and the other necessary things) e-commerce is possible

4. What are the purposes of the intranet. What are the min characteristics of the intranet?

• In B2B commerce, the intranet allows cross platform capabilities open standard,reduced hardware & software, easy installation, and minimal user training.They also use firewall for security. Its main purpose is to improve communication withing the organization. It provides information access for employees, allows them to collaborate and use teamwork, and manage internal business transactions.

8. List the capabilities e-commerce softwares should provide?

• E-commerce software should provide access to business information( searchable directories), on demand customer service,. It must be able to support transaction processing ,typical calculations for transaction, and be able to collect payments from customers accurately and securely.

9. Describe some ethical issues involved in electronic commerce.

• The main ethical issue that rises is that of privacy. E-commerce need to maintain trust between the people engaging in transactions. If the trust is lost such as due to a companies misuse of personal information.