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Web Systems Week 1-2

Lecture notes for UTS subject 31268 Web Systems. Week 1-2 of Autumn 2023.

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lizki225
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12 views6 pages

Web Systems Week 1-2

Lecture notes for UTS subject 31268 Web Systems. Week 1-2 of Autumn 2023.

Uploaded by

lizki225
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Week 1 - What is this subject about?

An intro to information technology… using the web as a case study.

Objectives:

 Basing computing concepts


o Hardware, software, processes
o Operating systems (how to use command line & scripting)
 Role of internet, WWW, & using internet apps
 Design/build website

Modules

1. Operating Systems
2. The Web
3. Computing Theory

Theory

 File systems
 Complexity theory
 Information representation - binary, hex
 Logic - Boolean algebra, binary arithmetic
 Computation theory, memory, coding
Week 2 - For the next 3 weeks we will talk about the web and Operating Systems:

 Intro to Operating Systems


 User Interfaces
 UNIX operating system
 File systems
 Process management
 Memory management

What is an Operating System?

 An operating system is a piece of software that sits between all the programs and the
computer’s hardware
 Manages your computer
 Runs programs
 Interface between user & hardware
 Provides services to programs & users
 Protects users and programs from each other…

Common Operating Systems

Mainframes pioneered OS since the 1960s:

 IBM still runs mainframes - z/OS will still run ancient programs
 Handles 1000s of users simultaneously
 Supercomputers now tend to run Linux

Minicomputers:

 openVMS, IBM OS/400


 UNIX & Unix-like OS
o e.g. Linux, BSD, Solaris, HP-UX, Mac OSX

Personal Computers:

 Linux
 Microsoft Windows
 Mac OSX
 Older/more obscure examples
o BeOS
o CP/M
o Amiga

Embedded Systems:

 Military, telecommunications, etc.


o e.g. VxWorks, QNX, Integrity, Linux

OS architecture: the “onion” model


[image]

Hardware:

 CPU - central processing unit


 Memory
 Input/output devices
o Mouse, keyboard
o Display, printer
 Storage
o e.g. flash, hard drive, DVD

Kernel:

 Controls the hardware directly


o Device drivers, firmware, etc.
 Provides resources and services to applications
o e.g. CPU, memory, storage, video, mouse, keyboard, memory, etc.
 Manages access to privileged resources

Apps:

 Applications
o Programs to do “something” for the user
 Services
o Services are programs that run “behind the scenes”
o Usually provide system support e.g. security, networking

User Interface:

 Shell
o AKA Command Line Interface (CLI), Command Prompt, Terminal etc.
o A program that make a set of commands available to the user
 Graphical User Interface (GUI)
o A user-friendly interface on top of the operating system
o Often runs the “shell” commands transparently
o Sometimes a WEB interface

How to design a user interface…

 Pick intended audience


 Good workflow
 “Polish”
 Consistency
 Psychology

Psychology of user interfaces

 Cognitive scientists analyse how people think


 Notice how easy it is to predict how people will react to certain stimulus
 Designing a user interface is hard work and rarely done right first try

The Command Line Interface (CLI)

 Interact through the keyboard and a monitor which only prints text
 Well known CLIs include:
o sh (1969): predecessor of bash, csh
o CPM (1973) predecessor of MS-DOS
o cmd.exe: Windows shell

Strengths:

 Greater flexibility
 Fine tuning —> parameters
 Essential for system administration
 Faster, less overhead
 Runs on simple hardware
 Can run remotely
 Robust — difficult to crash

Weaknesses:

 Hard to learn — cryptic commands & parameters


 Multiple options — more than 1 way to do things
 Output often cryptic or non-existent
 Inconsistent commands — different versions of Unix? DOS?
 No graphics
 No safety net — “expert mode”

The Graphical User Interface (GUI)

 Interact via windows, icons, menu & pointer device


o Called “WIMP” interface
 Well known GUIs include:
o 1983: Apple - Lisa, Mac OS
o 1984: Unix - Gnome, KDE
o 1985: Microsoft - Windows 1.0
o 2001: Apple - Mac OS X
o 2001: Microsoft - Windows XP
o 2006: Microsoft - Vista Aero
o 2010: Microsoft - Metro

Strengths:

 Little/no experience required


 Good for graphics e.g. artwork, publishing
 User friendly, intuitive
 Hides complexity from users

Weaknesses:
 Can’t do everything
 Using keyboard can be faster
 Can crash
 Slows computer down
 Needs better hardware
 User is unsure of what the OS is really doing
 Hides complexity from users

GUI vs. CLI - which is better?

 Neither of them is “better”


 Both have an appropriate and important role in computing
 Both have their strengths and weaknesses

Why have multiple interfaces?

 Customisation
 Automation
 Understanding

Batch Files and Scripting Languages

 You can automate CLIs via a Batch file


 You can put a sequence of commands into an executable file
o CLI treats the file as a command
 Most CLIs include programming features
o Logic, calculations, variables, user input
 Some GUIs also have batch facilities
 This type of programming language is called a “scripting language”

Example Scripting Languages

 sh, Bash, K shell, C shell, Z shell


 Windows DOS/CMD Batch Language
 WMI (Windows Scripting Language), VBScript
 JCL (Job Control Language) used in mainframes
 Applescript
 Python

Characteristics

 Variables are usually untyped (called “loosely bound”)


o The same variable can be used as a number or a string
 Language syntax is often inconsistent
 Often designed and created by one person to get a particular job done
 Usually run through an interpreter, not a compiler

Evolution of Scripting Languages

 Scripting languages tend to gain extra features as they evolve


 Perl is a good example of this
o Started as a scripting language
o Now almost a generic programming language
 Windows Shell replaced by powershell
o “Real” programming features
 Bash (Linux default CLI) also evolved

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