Week 3 Clear Personal Computer 2

This weeks topic, Networking, while having a tremendous amount of information, was one that seemed to flow together in a way that made it easy to understand. All of the terms, as usual, were a little bit overwhelming since most were new to me.

One concept that I needed a little clarification on was protocols. While I new what the definition of a protocol was, I found a video that helped me understand how it applied to computers and information transfers. Check out this short clip below. I found it very useful.



So in a nutshell, protocols are rules that define communication. They map out a path for the computer to move information and follow that same path in reverse to bring information back. Mr. Olsen's lecture obviously goes into more detail and fills in the technology that gets the information from the application to the physical.

One aspect of networking that I wasn't familiar with at all was peer to peer. I'm not a big media download person so I needed a little insight to what this was all about. Below is a video that explains the nature of this network in easy to understand language.


As you can see, there is a huge drawback to this type of networking and all of the potential pit falls one can land in if you are aware or even unaware of possessing copyrighted material. It is better to pay up front for music and movies than to end up paying quite a lot more in the end!

Since I am a Business major, this section in ISM3004 is one that will definitely have "real world" applications after graduation. Not only is it useful to have an understanding of how networks work, but to have the added information on how to select the best type of network for a particular business model will produce savings in time and money. Two very important areas for any business!