(eBook PDF) Computing Essentials 2021 28th

Edition download

https://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-computing-
essentials-2021-28th-edition/

Download more ebook from https://ebooksecure.com

We believe these products will be a great fit for you. Click
the link to download now, or visit ebooksecure.com
to discover even more!

Computing Essentials 2019 27th Edition (eBook PDF)

http://ebooksecure.com/product/computing-essentials-2019-27th-
edition-ebook-pdf/

Computing Essentials 2017 26th Edition (eBook PDF)

http://ebooksecure.com/product/computing-essentials-2017-26th-
edition-ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) Computing Essentials 2017 Complete 26th by

O'Leary

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-computing-
essentials-2017-complete-26th-by-oleary/

(Original PDF) Computing Essentials 2019 27th Edition

by Timothy O'Leary

http://ebooksecure.com/product/original-pdf-computing-
essentials-2019-27th-edition-by-timothy-oleary/
Computing Essentials 2023: Making IT Work for You -
eBook PDF

https://ebooksecure.com/download/computing-
essentials-2023-making-it-work-for-you-ebook-pdf/

Progress in Heterocyclic Chemistry Volume 29 1st

Edition - eBook PDF

https://ebooksecure.com/download/progress-in-heterocyclic-
chemistry-ebook-pdf/

(eBook PDF) Translational Medicine in CNS Drug

Development, Volume 29

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-translational-medicine-
in-cns-drug-development-volume-29/

(eBook PDF) Accounting 28th Edition by Carl Warren

http://ebooksecure.com/product/ebook-pdf-accounting-28th-edition-
by-carl-warren/

Clinical Neuroanatomy 28th Edition Stephen G. Waxman -

eBook PDF

https://ebooksecure.com/download/clinical-neuroanatomy-ebook-pdf/
 Computing Essentials
Making IT work for you
INTRODUCTORY 2021

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 1 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 Contents

Communication 34
1 Social Networking 34
Blogs, Microblogs, Podcasts, and Wikis 35
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, Messaging 36
THE INTERNET, AND YOU 2 E-mail 37
Search Tools 39
Introduction 4 Search Engines 39
Information Systems 4 Content Evaluation 39
People 6 Electronic Commerce 40
Software 7 Security 41
System Software 7 Cloud Computing 42
Application Software 8 The Internet of Things 43
Making IT work for you: Careers in IT 44
A Look to the Future:
Free Antivirus Program 9
Home Smart Home 45
Hardware 10
Types of Computers 10
Visual Summary 46
Cell Phones 11
Key Terms 50
Personal Computer Hardware 11
Multiple Choice 51
Data 13 Matching 52
Connectivity and the Mobile Internet 14 Open-Ended 52
Careers in IT 15 Discussion 53
A Look to the Future: Using and Understanding
Information Technology 16

Visual Summary 17 3
Key Terms 20
Multiple Choice 21
APPLICATION SOFTWARE 54
Matching 22 Introduction 56
Open-Ended 22 Application Software 56
Discussion 23 User Interface 56
Common Features 58
General-Purpose Applications 58
2 Word Processors 58
Spreadsheets 61
THE INTERNET, THE WEB, AND Presentation Software 63
Database Management Systems 64
ELECTRONIC COMMERCE 24 Specialized Applications 65
Introduction 26 Graphics Programs 65
The Internet and the Web 26 Video Game Design Software 66
Web Authoring Programs 67
Making IT work for you: Other Specialized Applications 68
Online Entertainment 28 Mobile Apps 68
Apps 68
Internet Access 30 App Stores 69
Providers 30 Software Suites 70
Browsers 30 Office Suites 70
Web Utilities 32 Cloud Computing 70
Filters 32 Specialized and Utility Suites 70
File Transfer Utilities 32 Careers in IT 71
Internet Security Suites 33

viii

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 8 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 Making IT work for you: Making IT work for you:
Cloud Office Suites 72 Gaming 110
A Look to the Future: VR and AR Applications in Wearable Computers 112
the Workplace 74 Components 112
System Board 113
Visual Summary 75 Microprocessor 114
Key Terms 78 Microprocessor Chips 115
Multiple Choice 79 Specialty Processors 115
Matching 80 Memory 116
Open-Ended 80 RAM 116
Discussion 81 ROM 116
Flash Memory 116
Expansion Cards and Slots 117
Bus Lines 118
4 Expansion Buses 118
SYSTEM SOFTWARE 82 Ports 119
Standard Ports 119
Introduction 84 Specialized Ports 119
System Software 84 Cables 120
Operating Systems 85 Power Supply 120
Functions 85 Electronic Data and
Features 86 Instructions 121
Categories 87 Numeric Representation 121
Mobile Operating Systems 88 Character Encoding 122
Desktop Operating Systems 89 Careers in IT 123
Windows 89 A Look to the Future: Brain–Computer
macOS 89 Interfaces 124
UNIX and Linux 90
Virtualization 90
Visual Summary 125
Utilities 91 Key Terms 128
Multiple Choice 129
Making IT work for you:
Matching 130
Virtual Assistant 92 Open-Ended 130
Discussion 131
Operating System Utilities 94
Utility Suites 97
Careers in IT 97
A Look to the Future: Making Better Computers 6
by Making Them More Human 98
INPUT AND OUTPUT 132
Visual Summary 99 Introduction 134
Key Terms 102 What Is Input? 134
Multiple Choice 103 Keyboard Entry 134
Matching 104 Keyboards 135
Open-Ended 104 Pointing Devices 136
Discussion 105 Touch Screen 136
Mouse 136
Game Controllers 136
5 Scanning Devices 137
Optical Scanners 137
THE SYSTEM UNIT 106 Card Readers 138
Bar Code Readers 138
Introduction 108 RFID Readers 138
System Unit 108 Character and Mark Recognition
Smartphones 108 Devices 139
Tablets 108 Image Capturing Devices 139
Laptops 109 Digital Cameras 139
Desktops 109 Webcams 140

CONTENTS ix

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 9 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 Audio-Input Devices 140
Making IT work for you:
Voice Recognition Systems 140
What Is Output? 141 Cloud Storage 172
Monitors 141
Mass Storage Devices 174
Features 141
Enterprise Storage System 174
Flat-Panel Monitors 142
Storage Area Network 175
E-book Readers 142
Other Monitors 143
Careers in IT 175
Printers 144 A Look to the Future:
Features 144 Next-Generation Storage 176
Inkjet Printers 145
Laser Printers 145 Visual Summary 177
3D Printers 145 Key Terms 180
Other Printers 145 Multiple Choice 180
Audio-Output Devices 146 Matching 181
Combination Input and Output Open-Ended 182
Devices 146 Discussion 182
Headsets 146
Multifunctional Devices 147
Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays
and Controllers 147
Drones 147
8
COMMUNICATIONS
Making IT work for you: AND NETWORKS 184
Headphones 148 Introduction 186
Robots 150 Communications 186
Ergonomics 150 Connectivity 186
Portable Computers 152 The Wireless Revolution 187
Careers in IT 152 Communication Systems 187
A Look to the Future: The Internet of
Communication Channels 188
Wireless Connections 188
Things 153
Physical Connections 189
Connection Devices 190
Visual Summary 154 Modems 190
Key Terms 158 Connection Service 190
Multiple Choice 159
Matching 160 Making IT work for you:
Open-Ended 160
Discussion 161 The Mobile Office 192
Data Transmission 194
Bandwidth 194
Protocols 194
7 Networks 195
Terms 195
SECONDARY STORAGE 162
Network Types 197
Introduction 164 Local Area Networks 197
Storage 164 Home Networks 197
Solid-State Storage 165 Wireless LAN 198
Solid-State Drives 165 Personal Area Network 198
Flash Memory Cards 166 Metropolitan Area Networks 198
USB Drives 166 Wide Area Networks 199
Hard Disks 167 Network Architecture 199
Internal Hard Disks 167 Topologies 200
External Hard Disks 167 Strategies 201
Network Drives 167 Organizational Networks 201
Performance Enhancements 168 Internet Technologies 201
Optical Discs 169 Network Security 202
Cloud Storage 170 Careers in IT 203

x CONTENTS

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 10 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 A Look to the Future: Telepresence Lets You Be Management Levels 246
There without Actually Being There 204 Information Flow 247
Computer-Based Information
Systems 248
Visual Summary 205 Transaction Processing Systems 249
Key Terms 208 Management Information Systems 251
Multiple Choice 209 Decision Support Systems 252
Matching 210
Executive Support Systems 253
Open-Ended 210
Other Information Systems 255
Discussion 211
Expert Systems 256
Careers in IT 256
A Look to the Future: IBM’s Watson:
9 The Ultimate Information-Finding Machine 257

PRIVACY, SECURITY, Visual Summary 258

AND ETHICS 212 Key Terms 260
Multiple Choice 261
Introduction 214 Matching 262
People 214 Open-Ended 262
Privacy 214 Discussion 263
Big Data 215
Private Networks 217
The Internet and the Web 217
Online Identity 220 11
Major Laws on Privacy 221
Security 221 DATABASES 264
Cybercrime 221 Introduction 266
Social Engineering 223
Data 266
Malicious Software 223
Data Organization 267
Malicious Hardware 223
Key Field 268
Measures to Protect Computer
Batch versus Real-Time Processing 268
Security 224
Databases 269
Making IT work for you: Need for Databases 270
Database Management 270
Security and Technology 229 DBMS Structure 272
Ethics 230 Hierarchical Database 272
Cyberbullying 230 Network Database 273
Copyright and Digital Rights Relational Database 273
Management 230 Multidimensional Database 274
Plagiarism 231 Object-Oriented Database 275
Careers in IT 232 Types of Databases 276
Individual 276
A Look to the Future: End of Anonymity 233 Company 276
Distributed 277
Visual Summary 234 Commercial 277
Key Terms 237 Database Uses and Issues 278
Multiple Choice 238 Strategic Uses 278
Matching 239 Security 278
Open-Ended 239 Careers in IT 279
Discussion 240 A Look to the Future: The Future
of Crime Databases 280

10 Visual Summary 281

Key Terms 284
INFORMATION SYSTEMS 242 Multiple Choice 285
Matching 286
Introduction 244 Open-Ended 286
Organizational Information Flow 244 Discussion 287
Functions 244

CONTENTS xi

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 11 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 Desired Output 316
Input Data 316
12 Processing Requirements 317
Program Specifications Document 317
SYSTEMS ANALYSIS Step 2: Program Design 318
Top-Down Program Design 318
AND DESIGN 288 Pseudocode 319
Introduction 290 Flowcharts 319
Systems Analysis and Design 290 Logic Structures 321
Phase 1: Preliminary Investigation 292 Step 3: Program Code 322
Defining the Problem 292 The Good Program 322
Suggesting Alternative Systems 293 Coding 322
Preparing a Short Report 293 Step 4: Program Test 324
Phase 2: Systems Analysis 294 Syntax Errors 324
Gathering Data 294 Logic Errors 324
Analyzing the Data 294 Testing Process 324
Documenting Systems Analysis 296 Step 5: Program Documentation 326
Phase 3: Systems Design 296 Step 6: Program Maintenance 327
Designing Alternative Systems 296 Operations 327
Selecting the Best System 297 Changing Needs 327
Writing the Systems Design Report 297 CASE and OOP 328
Phase 4: Systems Development 298 CASE Tools 328
Acquiring Software 298 Object-Oriented Software Develop-
Acquiring Hardware 298 ment 329
Testing the New System 299 Generations of Programming
Phase 5: Systems Implementation 299 Languages 330
Types of Conversion 299 Machine Languages: The First
Training 300 Generation 330
Phase 6: Systems Maintenance 300 Assembly Languages: The Second
Prototyping and Rapid Applications Generation 330
Development 301 High-Level Procedural Languages:
Prototyping 301 The Third Generation 330
Rapid Applications Development 301 Task-Oriented Languages: The Fourth
Careers in IT 302 Generation 331
Problem and Constraint Languages:
A Look to the Future: The Challenge of The Fifth Generation 332
Keeping Pace 303
Careers in IT 333
A Look to the Future:
Visual Summary 304 Your Own Programmable Robot 334
Key Terms 308
Multiple Choice 309
Matching 310 Visual Summary 335
Open-Ended 310 Key Terms 339
Discussion 311 Multiple Choice 340
Matching 341
Open-Ended 341
Discussion 342
13
PROGRAMMING The Evolution of the Computer
AND LANGUAGES 312
Age 343

Introduction 314 The Computer Buyer’s Guide 354

Programs and Programming 314
What Is a Program? 314 Glossary 358
What Is Programming? 314
Step 1: Program Specification 316 Index 00
Program Objectives 316 379

xii CONTENTS

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 12 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 New to Computing Essentials 2021
To increase student motivation and engagement, a focus on smartphones has been added by increasing content and
­providing marginal tips offering practical advice for efficient smartphone use. While the coverage of other topics has not
been reduced, this change offers a gateway to demonstrate the relevance of all types of computers to their lives.
­Additionally, every chapter’s Making IT Work for You, Privacy, Ethics, and Environment features have been carefully
revaluated, enhanced, and/or replaced. Also, every chapter’s Look to the Future has been revised to show that the
expected breakthroughs of tomorrow are rooted in today’s advances. More specific new coverage includes the following:
Chapter 1: Expanded discussion of smartphones and cell phones
Chapter 2: Added coverage of Web 4.0
Expanded coverage of Twitter
Expanded coverage of mobile browsers
Expanded coverage of web utilities and filters
Expanded discussion of social networks, including LinkedIn and Facebook
Expanded coverage of podcasts
Added coverage of fake news and deepfakes
Chapter 3: Added coverage of features including Find and Replace
Enhanced layout of figures
Reorganized topics to increase emphasis of video editors
Expanded coverage of mobile apps
Chapter 4: Added coverage of voice assist tools
Added coverage of macOS Mojave and Dark Mode
Added comparison of search programs for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS
Added comparison of storage management programs for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS
Added comparison of backup programs for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS
Chapter 5: Reorganized sequence of topics to better compare different types of system units
Enhanced figures comparing different types of system units
Increased coverage of coprocessors and GPU (graphics processing units)
Chapter 6: Updated and expanded coverage of stylus, handwriting recognition software, and touch screens
Updated features of monitors including specifics regarding dot (pixel) pitch
Added coverage of flexible screens
Added features of printers including connectivity
Expanded coverage of 3D printers
Chapter 7: Added coverage of network and hybrid drives
Expanded coverage of SSDs (solid-state drives)
Added coverage of Ultra HD Blu-ray (UHD BD)
Chapter 8: Updated salary range for network administrators in Careers in IT
Chapter 9: Expanded coverage of privacy concerns specifically related to smartphone use
Added coverage of big data and digital footprints
Expanded coverage of deep web and dark web
Added comparison of viewing and deleting browser histories using Android Chrome and iOS Safari
Expanded coverage of spyware for smartphones including Pegasus
Added coverage of two-factor authentication and two-step authentication
Chapter 11: Added coverage of NoSQL

xiii

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 13 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 Preface

T
he 20th century brought us the dawn of the digital information
age and unprecedented changes in information technology. In
fact, the rate of change is clearly increasing. As we begin the
21st century, computer literacy is undoubtedly becoming a prerequisite
in whatever career you choose.

The goal of Computing Essentials is to provide you with the basis for
understanding the concepts necessary for success. Computing Essentials
also endeavors to instill an appreciation for the effect of information
technology on people, privacy, ethics, and our environment and to give
you a basis for building the necessary skill set to succeed in the
21st century.

Times are changing, technology is changing, and this text is changing

too. As students of today, you are different from those of yesterday. You
put much effort toward the things that interest you and the things that
are relevant to you. Your efforts directed at learning application pro-
grams and exploring the web seem, at times, limitless. On the other
hand, it is sometimes difficult to engage in other equally important
­topics such as personal privacy and technological advances.

At the beginning of each chapter, we carefully lay out why and how the
chapter’s content is relevant to your life today and critical to your future.
Within each chapter, we present practical tips related to key concepts
through the demonstration of interesting applications that are relevant
to your lives. Topics presented focus first on outputs rather than pro-
cesses. Then, we discuss the concepts and processes.

Motivation and relevance are the keys. This text has several features
specifically designed to engage and demonstrate the relevance of tech-
nology in your lives. These elements are combined with a thorough
­coverage of the concepts and sound pedagogical devices.

xiv

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 14 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 Visual Learning
VISUAL CHAPTER OPENERS

chapter 2 The Internet, the Web,

and Electronic Commerce
Each chapter begins with a Why
Why should I read this chapter? Should I Read This? feature that
presents a visually engaging and
The Internet has changed the world, and will continue to have an
amazing impact on our day-to-day lives. For example, Internet-con-
nected homes of the future hold the promise of sorting our recycling,
adjusting our thermostats, and even monitoring our health.

concise presentation of the chap-

This chapter covers the things you need to know to be prepared
for this ever-changing digital world, including
• Impact—how Internet technology is changing your world.
MyCreative/Shutterstock • Hardware—how to connect your life to the Internet, including
Wi-Fi, cell phones, and tablets.
• Applications—how to get ahead using social networking, stream-
ing technology, and cloud computing. ter’s relevance to the reader’s cur-
Learning Objectives rent and future life in the digital
world. Then a list of chapter
After you have read this chapter, you should be able to:
1 Explain the origins of the Internet and the web.
2 Explain how to access the web using providers and browsers.

learning objectives is presented

3 Compare different web utilities, including filters, file transfer utilities, and Internet security suites.
4 Compare different Internet communications, including social networking, blogs, microblogs, podcasts,
wikis, text messaging, instant messaging, and e-mail.
5 Describe search tools, including search engines.
6 Describe how to evaluate the accuracy of information presented on the web.
7 Identify electronic commerce, including B2C, C2C, B2B, and security issues.
8 Describe cloud computing, including the three-way interaction of clients, Internet, and service providers.
providing a brief introduction to
9 Discuss the Internet of Things (IoT) and the continuing development of the Internet to allow everyday
objects to send and receive data.
what will be covered in the
­chapter.
WAYHOME studio/Shutterstock

25

oLe23994_ch02_024-053.indd 25 10/30/19 5:15 PM

oLe23994_ch02_024-053.indd 24 10/30/19 5:15 PM

VISUAL SUMMARIES
To efficiently and effectively use computers, you need to be aware of resources available on the Internet and web, to be
able to access these resources, to effectively communicate electronically, to efficiently locate information, to understand

VISUAL SUMMARY The Internet, the Web, and Electronic Commerce

electronic commerce, and to use web utilities.

Visual summaries appear at the end WEB UTILITIES COMMUNICATION

INTERNET and WEB INTERNET ACCESS

of every chapter and summarize
major concepts covered
throughout the chapter. Like the Source: Circle Media Labs, Inc.
Source: ImageBROKER/Mara Brandl/Newscom

chapter openers, these summaries

Web utilities are specialized utility programs that make Social networking
using the Internet and the web easier and safer. Social networking sites connect people and organizations
Source: indiaforte/Alamy Stock Photo
that share a common interest or activity. Common fea-
Source: Piotr Swat/Shutterstock
Filters tures include profiles, pages, groups, friends, news feeds,

use graphics to reinforce key

Filters are used by parents and organizations to block cer- and share settings. Two well-known sites are LinkedIn
tain sites and to monitor use of the Internet and the web. and Facebook.
Internet blogs, microblogs, podcasts, and Wikis
Launched in 1969 with ARPANET, the Internet consists of
Once connected to the Internet, your computer seemingly File Transfer Utilities
becomes an extension of a giant computer that branches Other sites that help individuals communicate across the
File transfer utilities copy files to (downloading) and from

concepts in an engaging and

the actual physical network. web are blogs, microblogs, podcasts, and wikis.
all over the world. (uploading) your computer. There are three types
• Blogs are typically personal websites to keep in touch
Web • File transfer protocol (FTP) and secure file transfer with friends and family. Some are like online diaries.
providers protocol (SFTP) allow you to efficiently copy files
Introduced in 1991, the web (World Wide Web, WWW) pro- Businesses, newspapers, and others also use blogs as a
Internet service providers connected to the Internet pro- across the Internet.
vides a multimedia interface to Internet resources. Four gen-

meaningful way.
vide a path to access the Internet. Connection technolo- quick publishing method.
erations: Web 1.0 (links existing information, search • BitTorrent distributes file transfers across many differ-
gies include DSL, cable, and wireless modems. • Microblogs use short sentences. Twitter allows 280
engines), Web 2.0 (creates dynamic content and social inter- ent computers.
characters per tweet. Instagram is primarily used to
action, social media sites) Web 3.0 (identifies relationships • Web-based file transfer services make use of a web share images and videos.
between data), and Web 4.0 (futurists predict connecting
browsers browser to upload and download files.
Browsers (mobile and desktop) provide access to web • Podcasts are audio programs delivered over the Inter-
data and devices to physical life.
resources. Some related terms are net. Typically, a podcast is one audio program in a
Internet Security Suite series of related podcasts.
Common Uses • URLs—locations or addresses to web resources; two An Internet security suite is a collection of utility pro-
parts are protocol and domain name; top-level domain grams designed to protect your privacy and security on
• A wiki is a website designed to allow visitors to use
The most common uses of the Internet and the web
(TLD) or web suffix identifies type of organization. their browsers to add, edit, or delete the site’s content.
include the Internet.
• HTML—commands to display web pages; hyperlinks Wikipedia is one of the most popular wikis.
• Communication—the most popular Internet activity.
(links) are connections.
• Shopping—one of the fastest-growing Internet activi-
ties. Technologies providing interactive, animated websites
include JavaScript (executes on the user’s computer to
• Searching—access libraries and local, national, and
trigger interactive features); PHP (operates within HTML
international news.
to trigger interactive features and check online forms);
• Education—e-learning or taking online courses. and CSS (controls the appearance of web pages).
• Online entertainment—movies, news, music, and
video games.

46 ChApTEr 2 ThE InTErnET, ThE WEb, And ELECTrOnIC COmmErCE 47

oLe23994_ch02_024-053.indd 46 10/30/19 5:21 PM oLe23994_ch02_024-053.indd 47 10/30/19 5:21 PM

xv

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 15 11/13/19 9:07 PM

 Unique Content
MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU

Making It work for you

Special-interest topics are presented in the Making
IT Work for You section found within nearly
CLOUD STORAGE
Do you find that you take a lot of photos and videos on your phone, and your storage space is running low? every chapter. These topics include Online Enter-
Are you working on a group project and finding it difficult to keep everyone updated with the most recent
version of documents and files? Are you looking for a safe, secure location to store backups and important
files? If so, cloud storage may be the solution you are looking for. Here are some things to consider when tainment, Gaming, Virtual Assistants, and the
choosing a cloud storage option.

1 • What will you store? Mobile Office.

The types of files that you store can have a big
impact on determining the best cloud storage
service for you. The following suggests the best
file service for you based on the types of files you
typically store.
• If you primarily store photos, then consider the
cloud services of Flickr and Adobe Creative
Cloud. They feature online tools to edit, share,
and search photos.
• If you primarily store music, then consider the
cloud services of Google Play Music and iTunes
Match. They feature online tools to listen to
music and create customizable playlists.
• If you primarily store documents, then consider Cloud storage service Flickr is designed to store and dis-
the cloud services Adobe Document Cloud and play digital photos.
Microsoft’s One Drive. They feature online tools
Source: dolphfyn/Alamy Stock Photo
to view and edit documents.
• If you primarily need storage to back up your
system programs, consider the cloud services
of Carbonite and iDrive. They have apps that
back up your devices’ data, making backups
seamless and easy.
Also, what you store will impact how much
storage you need. If you are only looking to store
documents and text files, you will not need much
storage space; however, videos and photo albums
can take up a lot more storage. Different services
offer different pricing plans and have special offers
depending on what types of files you store—the
best cloud storage plan for you will tailor itself to
your storage needs.

2 • What tools will you use?

If your storage needs are mostly sharing and
working on documents, your best cloud storage
Apple’s iCloud works with the iWorks office suite.
choice may be determined by the software you
Source: Apple

172

oLe23994_ch07_162-183.indd 172 11/7/19 7:08 PM PRIVACY, ETHICS, AND ENVIRONMENT

Nearly every chapter has an Environment box
located in the margin adjacent to the coverage of
environment Communication
related technologies. Topics include plagiarism of Daily newspapers are an
As previously mentioned, communication is the most popular Internet activity, and
important part of the free press;
its impact cannot be overestimated. At a personal level, friends and family can stay
online materials, editing images to promote a partic- however, the traditional printed
newspaper comes at a cost of
in contact with one another even when separated by thousands of miles. At a busi-
ness level, electronic communication has become a standard way to stay in touch
millions of trees. Many national with suppliers, employees, and customers. Some popular types of Internet commu-
ular message, and the use of monitoring software. and local news organizations
offer a digital version of their
nication are social networking, blogs, microblogs, podcasts, wikis, e-mail, and
messaging.
papers. Using the digital version
instead of the paper version
Social networking
can deliver the news quickly,
cheaply, and sustainably. If you Social networking is one of the fastest-growing and most significant Web 2.0 applica-
want to save a tree, use the tions. Social networking sites focus on connecting people and organizations that share
digital version of your favorite a common interest or activity. These sites typically provide a wide array of tools that
newspaper or magazine. facilitate meeting, communicating, and sharing. There are hundreds of social network-
ing sites, but they share some common features:

Nearly every chapter has a Privacy box located in • Profiles are created by individuals to share information about them. These

privacy
profiles often include photos, personal details, and contact information.
(See Figure 2-10.)

the margin adjacent to the coverage of related tech- Have you ever seen one of
those funny or not-so-funny
• Pages are created by companies to promote their business. These pages often
include hours of operations, upcoming sales, and information about their
products.

nologies. Topics include protecting personal infor-

embarrassing personal videos
on the Internet? Unless you are • Groups are communities of individuals who share a common interest and come
careful, you could be starring in together online to share information and discuss specific topics. Groups are
one of those videos. Without typically organized around topics, events, or ideas. They are popular among clubs
mation when using a free Wi-Fi network or when privacy settings, images and
videos posted to these sites
and organizations to coordinate activities or share information.
• Friends are a list of other members on a social media site that you want to commu-
can be viewed and potentially nicate with.
disposing of an outdated computer. reposted for all to see. If a
social networking friend were
• News feed is the first page you see after logging into a social networking site. It
typically consists of a collection of recent posts from friends, trending topics on
to post an embarrassing video
of you to Facebook, would all the site, people’s responses to your posts, and advertisements.
your friends be able to see it? • Share settings on your social media account determine who can see your posts.
What about parents, teachers, The most common options include sharing with everyone, just your friends, or
or potential employers? To just a subset of your friends.
check your Facebook privacy
settings, go to Facebook and
click on the security lock icon.

Nearly every chapter has an Ethics box located in

the margin adjacent to the coverage of related tech-
nologies. Topics include proper disposal of older
CRT monitors, empty inkjet cartridges, and old
computers. Figure 2-10 Facebook profile
Source: ImageBROKER/Mara Brandl/
Newscom

34 ChApTEr 2

ED: OK that an
xvi
example Ethics oLe23994_ch02_024-053.indd 34 10/30/19 5:17 PM

box isn't shown?

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 16 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 Unique End-of-Chapter
Discussion Materials
MAKING IT WORK FOR YOU
OPEN-ENDED
Making IT Work for You discussion questions are carefully On a separate sheet of paper, respond to each question or statement.

1. Compare primary storage and secondary storage, and discuss the most important

integrated with the chapter’s Making IT Work for You top- characteristics of secondary storage.
2. Discuss solid-state storage, including solid-state drives, flash memory, and USB drives.
3. Discuss hard disks, including density, platters, tracks, sectors, cylinders, internal,
ics. The questions facilitate in-class discussion or written external, and performance enhancements.
4. Discuss optical discs, including pits, lands, CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray, and hi-def.

assignments focusing on applying specific technologies into

5. Discuss cloud computing and cloud storage.
6. Describe mass storage devices, including enterprise storage systems, file servers,
network attached storage, RAID systems, organizational cloud storage, and storage area

a student’s day-to-day life. They are designed to expand a

network systems.

student’s awareness of technology applications. DISCUSSION

Respond to each of the following questions.

1 Making IT Work for You: CLOUD STORAGE

PRIVACY
Have you ever found yourself e-mailing files back and forth between two of your computers or with others
as a way to transport them? Review the Making IT Work for You: Cloud Storage on pages •••–•••. Then
respond to the following: (a) Have you ever used Dropbox or a similar service? If so, what service have you
used, and what do you typically use it for? If you have not used Dropbox or a similar service, describe how
and why you might use one. (b) If you do not have a Dropbox account, set up a free one and create a Drop-
box folder. Use Dropbox to either (1) access a file from another computer or (2) share a file with one of your
classmates. Describe your experience. (c) Try a few of Dropbox’s features, and describe your experience
with these features. (d) Do you see yourself using Dropbox on an everyday basis? Why or why not?

Privacy discussion questions are carefully integrated with

2 Privacy: RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN
the chapter’s marginal Privacy box. The questions facilitate As a generation grows up with social media, a surplus of youthful indiscretions is now stored on the Inter-
net for all to see. Review the privacy box on page ••• and respond to the following: (a) Is there a photo or

in-class discussion or written assignments focusing on video of you on the Internet that you would prefer not be publicly available? Have you said or done things
that, if recorded and posted on social media, could have a negative impact on a job interview? (b) Do you
have the right to decide what photos of you are posted on the Internet by others? Why or why not? (c) Does

critical privacy issues. They are designed to develop a someone else have the right to tell you what to do with the photos you take, even if they are in the photo?
Why or why not? (d) Should Facebook remove photos, videos, or messages if someone is embarrassed by
them? Should Facebook have the right to remove your photos, videos, or messages if someone is embar-

student’s ability to think critically and communicate

rassed by the content? Justify your answer.

effectively.
182 chApter 7

ETHICS
oLe23994_ch07_162-183.indd 182 11/7/19 7:11 PM

DISCUSSION
Respond to each of the following questions.
Ethics discussion questions are carefully integrated with
1 Making IT Work for You the chapter’s marginal Ethics boxes. The questions facili-
Making it a habit of keeping current with technology applications can be a key to your success. Numerous
full-page spreads identified as Making IT Work for You are presented in the following chapters. These
sections address some of today’s most interesting and useful applications. They include online entertain- tate in-class discussion or written assignments focusing on
ment in Chapter 2, online office suites in Chapter 3, and cloud storage in Chapter 7. Select one that you
find the most interesting and then respond to the following: (a) Why did you select this application? (b)
Have you used this application? If so, when and how? If not, do you plan to in the near future? (c) Go to the ethical issues relating to technology. They are designed to
chapter containing your selected application, and locate the application’s Making IT Work for You cover-
age. Review and briefly describe its contents. (d) Did you find the coverage useful? Why or why not?
develop a student’s ability to think critically and communi-
2 Privacy
Privacy is one of the most critical issues facing society today. Numerous Privacy boxes appear in the margins cate effectively.
of the upcoming chapters presenting a variety of privacy issues. These issues include apps that constantly
track your movements without your knowledge or consent in Chapter 3; public Wi-Fi connections that record
all of your personal communications in Chapter 8; and protection of personal privacy while using social
networking sites such as Facebook in Chapter 9. Select one that you find the most interesting, and then
respond to the following: (a) Why did you select this issue? (b) Do you have knowledge of or experience with
the issue? If so, describe your knowledge or experience. If not, do you consider the issue to be important for
protecting your privacy? (c) Go to the chapter containing your selected issue, locate the Privacy box, read it,
and describe its contents. (d) Did you find the coverage thought-provoking? Why or why not?

3 Ethics
Computer ethics are guidelines for the morally acceptable use of computers in our society. Numerous Eth-
ENVIRONMENT
ics boxes appear in the margins of the upcoming chapters presenting a variety of ethical issues. These
issues include image editing in Chapter 3, unauthorized use of webcams in Chapter 6, and unauthorized
monitoring or eavesdropping of Internet activity in Chapter 8. Select one issue that you find the most inter-
esting and then respond to the following: (a) Why did you select this issue? (b) Do you have knowledge of or
experience with the issue? If so, describe your knowledge or experience. If not, do you consider the issue
critical for individuals or organizations? (c) Go to the chapter containing your selected issue, locate the Eth-
ics box, read it, and describe its contents. (d) Did you find the coverage thought-provoking? Why or why not?
Environment discussion questions are carefully integrated
4 Environment with the chapter’s marginal Environment boxes. The ques-
Almost everyone agrees that protecting our environment today is more important than ever before.
Numerous Environment boxes appear in the margins of the upcoming chapters. These boxes present
a variety of environmental topics, including digital media benefits in Chapter 2, operating systems
tions facilitate in-class discussion or written assignments
reducing energy consumption in Chapter 4, and recycling old inkjet cartridges in Chapter 6. Select one
that you find the most interesting and then respond to the following: (a) Why did you select this topic? (b)
Go to the chapter containing your selected topic, locate the Environment box, read it, and describe its
focusing on environmental issues relating to technology.
contents. (c) Did you find the coverage thought-provoking? Why or why not?

Design Elements: Concept Check icons: Dizzle52/Getty Images;

They are designed to develop a student’s ability to think
Making IT Work for You: cifotart/Shutterstock

critically and communicate effectively.

chApTer 1 23

oLe23994_ch01_002-023.indd 23 10/30/19 3:52 PM

xvii

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 17 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 Reinforcing Key Concepts
CONCEPT CHECKS

Located at points throughout each

­chapter, the Concept Check cues you to
concept check
What are the parts of an information system?
note which topics have been covered
What is a program?
and to self-test your understanding of What is the difference between data and information?
the material presented.

environment People
KEY TERMS
Recycling last year reduced our
People are surely the most important part of any information system. Our lives are touched
landfills by over 10 million tons.
This success is largely due to
every day by computers and information systems. Many times the contact is direct and
KEY TERMS <replace screen
voluntary participation of obvious, such as when we
people across the country who create documents using a
address (•••) mobile browser (•••)
Advanced Research Project Agency news feed (•••) shot with final page
have made “reduce, reuse, and word processing program
Network (ARPANET) (•••)
attachment (•••)
online (•••)
pages (•••) recycle” a personal or whenThroughout
we connect to thethe text, the most important terms are
bitcoin (•••) podcast (•••)
including folios>
commitment. This includes Internet. (See Figure 1-2.)
Other times, the contactin
presented is bold and are defined within the text.
BitTorrent (•••) PHP (•••)
blog (•••) profiles (•••) recycling old computers, cell
browser (•••) protocol (•••)
phones, printers, and displays. not as obvious.
You will this also
book find a list of key terms at the end of
business-to-business (B2B) (•••) search engine (•••)
business-to-consumer (B2C) (•••) search service (•••) Your participation in recycling Throughout
cable (•••) secure file transfer protocol (SFTP) (•••)
cascading style sheets (CSS) (•••) share settings (•••) means fewer one-use products,
you will find a variety of
client-based e-mail system (•••)
cloud computing (•••)
signature (•••)
SMS (short messaging service) (•••)
cleaner water, and cleaner air. each chapter
features designed to help
and in the glossary at the end of
consumer-to-consumer (•••) (•••) social networking (•••) But recycling may someday pay
deep fake (•••)
desktop browser (•••)
spam (•••)
spam blocker (•••) off financially too. Many now the book.
you become an efficient
digital cash (•••) spam filter (•••)
see waste as a resource, and and effective end user.
domain name (•••) spider (•••)
downloading (•••) streaming (•••) one that we shouldn’t squander These features include
DSL (•••)
e-commerce (•••)
subject (•••)
texting (•••) by filling up the garbage can Making IT Work for You,
e-learning (•••)
electronic commerce (•••)
text messaging (•••)
top-level domain (TLD) (•••)
instead of the recycling bin. Tips, Privacy, Environ-
electronic mail (•••) tweet (•••) Imagine a future where the ment, Ethics, and Careers figure 1-2 people and computers
e-mail (•••) Twitter (•••)
e-mail client (•••) uniform resource locator (URL) (•••) garbage collector drops off a in IT. goodluz/Shutterstock
Facebook (•••) uploading (•••) check for your contributions to
fake news (•••) virus (•••)
file transfer protocol (FTP) (•••) web (•••) going green. • Making IT Work for You. Throughout this book you will find Making IT Work for
filter (•••)
friend (•••)
Web 1.0 (•••)
Web 2.0 (•••)
You features that present numerous interesting and practical IT applications. For
groups (•••)
header (•••)
Web 3.0 (•••)
Web 4.0 (•••)
just a few of the Making IT Work for You topics, see Figure 1-3.
hyperlink (•••)
Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) (•••)
web auction (•••)
web-based e-mail system (•••)
• Tips. We all can benefit from a few tips or suggestions. Throughout this book you
Instagram (•••) web-based file transfer services (•••) will find numerous tips to make your computing safer, more efficient, and more
instant messaging (IM) (•••) webmail (•••)
Internet (•••) webmail client (•••) effective. These tips range from the basics of keeping your computer system
Internet of Things (IoT) (•••)
Internet security suite (•••)
webmaster (•••)
web page (•••) MULTIPLE CHOICE
Internet service provider (ISP) (•••) web suffix (•••)
JavaScript (•••) web utility (•••) Circle the correct answer.
link (•••) wiki (•••) Application description
LinkedIn (•••) Wikipedia (•••)
1. The network that connects computers all over the world.
location (•••) wireless modem (•••)
message (•••) World Wide Web (•••) Free Antivirus Program Protecta. your computer by installing
ARPANET and using a free antivirus
c. LAN
microblog (•••) WWW (•••) program. See page •••.
b. Internet d. web
MMS (multimedia messaging service) (•••)
2. The rules for exchanging data between computers.
Cloud Office Suites Createa.and
DSLcollaborate with others online to make better
c. web
50 ChApTEr 2 documents and presentations. See
b. protocols page •••.
d. WWW
3. Using file transfer utility software, you can copy files to your computer from specially
Gaming Delve configured
into the world ofthe
servers on video games
Internet. and
This is find the best video game
called:
hardware for you. See page •••. c. blogging
a. downloading
b. filtering d. uploading
oLe23994_ch02_024-053.indd 50 10/30/19 5:23 PM
Cloud Storage Move your files online
4. Communities to synch
of individuals filesa between
who share devices
common interest or create
typically free up
Facebook:

CHAPTER REVIEW The Mobile Office

space a.onclients

Get5.work
your digital devices. See
b. groups
Type done onaccount
of e-mail the road; whether
that does
page •••.
c. pages
d. profiles
a business
not require trip ortoyour
an e-mail program dailyon a
be installed
commute,
user’sthese tools
computer is: will help you make the most of your time.
See page •••.
a. blog-based c. utility-based
b. client-based d. web-based
6. A very popular microblogging site:
Following the Visual Summary, the chapter review includes figure 1-3 making IT Work for You applications
a. LinkedIn c. Twitter
b. Facebook d. Wikipedia
material designed to review and reinforce chapter content. It 7. Using a keyword, a search engine returns a list of related sites known as:
a. blogs c. podcasts
6 the
includes a key terms list that reiterates terms
chApTer 1 presented in b. hits d. strikes
8. This is the Internet’s equivalent to traditional cash.

the chapter, multiple-choice questions to help test your a. digital cash

b. e-commerce
c. ftp
d. Internet dollars

understanding of information presented in the chapter, 9. The continuing Internet development that allows objects to send and receive data over
the Internet.
a. HTML c. search engines
matching exercises to test your recall of terminology pre- oLe23994_ch01_002-023.indd 6
b. IoT d. Web 2.0
10/30/19 3:45 PM
10. Three basic components to cloud computing are clients, Internet, and _____.
sented in the chapter, and open-ended questions or state- a. CSS
b. service providers
c. streaming
d. Web 3.0

ments to help review your understanding of the key concepts

presented in the chapter.

ChApTEr 2 51

xviii
oLe23994_ch02_024-053.indd 51 10/30/19 5:23 PM

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 18 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 The Future of Information Technology
CAREERS IN IT

devices like tablets, cell phones, and wearable devices have led many experts to
predict that wireless applications are just the beginning of the wireless revolu-
tion, a revolution that will dramatically affect the way we communicate and use
computer technology.
• The Internet of Things (IoT) is the continuing development of the Internet that
allows everyday objects embedded with electronic devices to send and receive data
over the Internet. It promises to connect all types of devices, from computers to
cell phones, to watches, to any number of everyday devices.
Wireless communication, cloud computing, and IoT are driving the mobile Inter-

Some of the fastest-growing career opportunities are in

net. They promise to continue to dramatically affect the entire computer industry and
how you and I will interact with computers and other devices. Each will be discussed
in detail in the following chapters. For just a few of these mobile devices, see
Figure 1-17.

information technology. Each chapter highlights one of the

concept check
Define data. List four common types of files.

Define connectivity and networks.

most promising careers in IT by presenting job titles,
What is cloud computing? Wireless revolution? IoT?
responsibilities, educational requirements, and ­salary
Careers in IT ranges. Among the careers covered are webmaster, soft-
“ now that you know the basic outline and
important features of this book, we would like
As mentioned previously, each of the following chapters highlights a
specific career in information technology. Each provides specific job ware engineer, and database administrator. You will learn
to talk about some of the most exciting and descriptions, salary ranges, advancement opportunities, and more. For
well-paid careers in information technology.
” a partial list of these careers, see Figure 1-18.

career description
how the material you are studying relates directly to a
Webmaster Develops and maintains websites and web

Software engineer
resources. See page •••.

Analyzes users’ needs and creates

application software. See page •••.
potential career path.
Computer support specialist Provides technical support to customers
and other users. See page •••.
mapodile/E+/Getty Images Computer technician Repairs and installs computer components
and systems. See page •••.

Technical writer Prepares instruction manuals, technical

reports, and other scientific or technical
documents. See page •••.

Network administrator Creates and maintains computer networks.

See page •••.

figure 1-18 careers in information technology a look to the future

InfOrmATIOn TechnOLOgY, The InTerneT, And YOu 15 using and understanding Information need to know about hardware. For those considering the
purchase of a computer, an appendix—The Computer Buyer’s
Technology
Guide—is provided at the end of this book. This guide pro-
The purpose of this book is to help you use and understand vides a very concise comparison of desktops, laptops, tab-
information technology. We want to help you become profi- lets, and cell phones.
cient and to provide you with a foundation of knowledge so

A LOOK TO THE FUTURE

that you can understand how technology is being used today privacy, Security, and ethics
oLe23994_ch01_002-023.indd 15 10/30/19 3:50 PM
and anticipate how technology will be used in the future. What about people? Experts agree that we as a society
This will enable you to benefit from six important information must be careful about the potential of technology to nega-
technology developments. tively affect our lives. Specifically, we need to be aware of
how technology can affect our personal privacy and our
The Internet and the Web environment. Also, we need to understand the role and the
The Internet and the web are considered to be the two most importance of organizational and personal ethics. These
important technologies for the 21st century. Understanding how critical issues are integrated in every chapter of this book
to efficiently and effectively use as well as extensively cov-
the Internet to browse, commu- ered in Chapter 9.
nicate, and locate information
is an essential skill. These Organizations
issues are presented in Chap- Almost all organizations rely
ter 2, The Internet, the Web, on the quality and flexibility of
and Electronic Commerce.

Each chapter concludes with a brief discussion of a

their information systems to
stay competitive. As a mem-
powerful Software ber or employee of an organi-
The software that is now zation, you will undoubtedly
available can do an be involved in these informa-

recent technological advancement related to the

extraordinary number of tion systems. In order to use,
tasks and help you in an end- develop, modify, and maintain
less number of ways. You can these systems, you need to
create professional-looking understand the basic con-

chapter material, reinforcing the importance of stay-

documents, analyze massive wavebreakmedia/Shutterstock cepts of information systems
amounts of data, create and know how to safely, effi-
dynamic multimedia web pages, and much more. Today’s ciently, and effectively use computers. These concepts are
employers are expecting the people they hire to be able to covered throughout this book.
effectively and efficiently use a variety of different types of

ing informed.
software. General-purpose, specialized, and mobile applica- changing Times
tions are presented in Chapter 3. System software is pre-
Are the times changing any faster now than they ever
sented in Chapter 4.
have? Almost everyone thinks so. Whatever the answer, it
is clear we live in a fast-paced age. The Evolution of the
powerful hardware Computer Age section presented at the end of this book
Personal computers are now much more powerful than they tracks the major developments since computers were first
used to be. Cell phones, tablets, and communication tech- introduced.
nologies such as wireless networks are dramatically chang- After reading this book, you will be in a very favorable
ing the ways to connect to other computers, networks, and position compared with many other people in industry today.
the Internet. However, despite the rapid change of specific You will learn not only the basics of hardware, software,
equipment, their essential features remain unchanged. To connectivity, the Internet, and the web, but also the most
become an efficient and effective end user, you should focus current technology. You will be able to use these tools to
on these features. Chapters 5 through 8 explain what you your advantage.

16

oLe23994_ch01_002-023.indd 16 10/30/19 3:51 PM

Found in Connect for Computing Essentials 2021,

Using IT at MoviesOnline—A Case Study of a fictitious
organization provides an up-close look at what you
might expect to find on the job in the real world. You
will follow Alice, a recent college graduate hired as a
marketing analyst, as she navigates her way through
accounting, marketing, production, human resources,
and research, gathering and processing data to help
manage and accelerate the growth of the three-year-
old company.
John A Rizzo/Pixtal/SuperStock

ED: please confirm Production: Please

ignore this comment -
screen shot is
image is fine.
xix
correct. Text says
Alice but image is
of a male. OK?

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 19 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 ®

FOR INSTRUCTORS

You’re in the driver’s seat.

Want to build your own course? No problem. Prefer to use our turnkey,
prebuilt course? Easy. Want to make changes throughout the semester?
65%
Sure. And you’ll save time with Connect’s auto-grading too. Less Time
Grading

They’ll thank you for it.

Adaptive study resources like SmartBook® 2.0 help
your students be better prepared in less time. You
can transform your class time from dull definitions to
dynamic debates. Find out more about the powerful
personalized learning experience available in
SmartBook 2.0 at www.mheducation.com/highered/
connect/smartbook
Laptop: McGraw-Hill; Woman/dog: George Doyle/Getty Images

Make it simple, Solutions for your

make it affordable. challenges.
Connect makes it easy with seamless A product isn’t a solution. Real
integration using any of the major solutions are affordable, reliable,
Learning Management Systems— and come with training and
Blackboard®, Canvas, and D2L, among ongoing support when you need it
others—to let you organize your course and how you want it. Our Customer
in one convenient location. Give your Experience Group can also help
students access to digital materials at you troubleshoot tech problems—
a discount with our inclusive access although Connect’s 99% uptime
program. Ask your McGraw-Hill means you might not need to call
representative for more information. them. See for yourself at status.
mheducation.com
Padlock: Jobalou/Getty Images Checkmark: Jobalou/Getty Images

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 20 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 FOR STUDENTS

Effective, efficient studying.

Connect helps you be more productive with your study time and get better grades using tools like
SmartBook 2.0, which highlights key concepts and creates a personalized study plan. Connect sets you
up for success, so you walk into class with confidence and walk out with better grades.

Study anytime, anywhere. “I really liked this

Download the free ReadAnywhere app and access your app—it made it easy
online eBook or SmartBook 2.0 assignments when it’s to study when you
convenient, even if you’re offline. And since the app
don't have your text-
automatically syncs with your eBook and SmartBook 2.0
assignments in Connect, all of your work is available book in front of you.”
every time you open it. Find out more at
www.mheducation.com/readanywhere - Jordan Cunningham,
Eastern Washington University

No surprises.
The Connect Calendar and Reports tools keep you on track with the
work you need to get done and your assignment scores. Life gets busy;
Connect tools help you keep learning through it all.

Calendar: owattaphotos/Getty Images

Learning for everyone.

McGraw-Hill works directly with Accessibility Services
Departments and faculty to meet the learning needs
of all students. Please contact your Accessibility
Services office and ask them to email
[email protected], or visit
www.mheducation.com/about/accessibility
for more information.

Top: Jenner Images/Getty Images, Left: Hero Images/Getty Images, Right: Hero Images/Getty Images

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 21 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 Support Materials in Connect
The Instructor’s Manual offers lecture outlines with teaching notes and figure
­references. It provides definitions of key terms and solutions to the end-of-chapter
material, including multiple-choice and open-ended questions.

The PowerPoint slides are designed to provide instructors with a comprehensive

resource for lecture use. The slides include a review of key terms and topics, as well as
artwork taken from the text to further explain concepts covered in each chapter.

The testbank contains over 2,200 questions categorized by level of learning (definition,
concept, and application). This is the same learning scheme that is introduced in the
text to provide a valuable testing and reinforcement tool. Text page references have
been provided for all questions, including a level-of-difficulty rating.

xxii

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 22 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 SIMNET ONLINE TRAINING AND ASSESSMENT
FOR OFFICE APPLICATIONS

SIMnet™ Online provides a way for you to test students’ software skills in a simu-
lated environment. SIMnet provides flexibility for you in your applications course
by offering:

• Pretesting options
• Posttesting options
• Course placement testing
• Diagnostic capabilities to reinforce skills
• Web delivery of tests
• Learning verification reports

For more information on skills assessment software, please contact your local sales
representative, or visit us at www.simnetkeepitsimple.com.

xxiii

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 23 11/13/19 9:08 PM

 Acknowledgments
A special thank-you goes to the professors who took time Deb LaVergne
out of their busy schedules to provide us with the feed- Mesa Community College
back necessary to develop the 2021 edition of this text. Harold Ramcharan
The following professors offered valuable suggestions on Shaw University
revising the text:
Penny Foster <duplicates>
Penny Foster Anne Arundel Community College
Anne Arundel Community College Mark Jackson
Harold Waterman Columbus State Community College
Anne Arundel Community College Margaret Burke
Taurus Satterwhite Community College of Rhode Island, Warwick
J Sargeant Reynolds Community College Eric Cameron
Marcos Pinto Passaic County Community College
New York City College of Technology Lo-An Tabar-Gaul
Eileen Lichtenthal Mesa Community College
Kingsborough Community College Eric Bothur ED: shouldn't the
Greg Middaugh Midlands Technical College
names be
College of the Ozarks Larry Hitterdale
alphabetical by last
Larry Ray Glendale Community College
Stark State College name?
Junaid Siddiqui
Navin Madras El Camino College
Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Albena Belal
Kungwen Chu Gwinnett Technical College
Purdue University Northwest Robert Van Cleave
Kathryn Miller Laramie County Community College
Kentucky Community & Technical College System Aurelia Smith
Claude Russo Columbus State University
Eastern Florida State College Mark Connell
Mark Marino SUNY Cortland
Erie Community College James Frost
Christie Hovey Idaho State University
Lincoln Land Community College Christie Hovey
Mark Connell Lincoln Land Community College
SUNY Cortland Brent Nabors
Harold Ramcharan Clovis Community College
Shaw University Marti Phillips
Bernice Eng Patrick Henry Community College
Brookdale Community College

xxiv

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 24 11/13/19 9:08 PM

<no apostrophe
needed for plural>
About the Authors
The O’Leary’s live in the American Southwest and spend
much of their time engaging instructors and students in
conversation about learning. In fact, they have been talking
about learning for over 25 years. Something in those early
conversations convinced them to write a book, to bring
their interest in the learning process to the printed page.

The O’Leary’s form a unique team blending youth and

experience. Dan has taught at the University of California at
Santa Cruz, developed energy-related labs at NASA, and
Source: Courtesy of Timothy O’Leary.
worked as a database administrator and as a consultant in
information systems; he is currently a professor at the City College of San
Francisco. Tim has taught courses at Stark Technical College in Canton, Ohio,
and at Rochester Institute of Technology in upstate New York, and is currently
a professor emeritus at Arizona State University. Linda offered her expertise
at ASU for several years as an academic advisor. She also presented and devel-
oped materials for major corporations such as Motorola, Intel, Honeywell, and
AT&T, as well as various community colleges in the Phoenix area.

Tim, Linda, and Dan have talked to and taught numerous students, all of
them with a desire to learn something about computers and applications that
make their lives easier, more interesting, and more productive.

Each new edition of an O’Leary text, supplement, or learning aid has bene-
fited from these students and their instructors who daily stand in front of
them (or over their shoulders).

xxv

oLe23994_fm_i-xxv.indd 25 11/13/19 9:09 PM

 Another Random Document on
Scribd Without Any Related Topics
with a pitcher of water in her hand, he must have drunk before he
could utter a syllable in reply.
The girl watched him, while he emptied the vessel, with such tender
interest as women take in the physical needs of one to whom they
render aid, and refilled it forthwith, showing, perhaps not
unconsciously, a lithe and graceful figure as she bent over the
fountain.
"Thanks, maiden," said he. "You have put new life into a fainting
man; for I have galloped over many a weary league of sand, and
scarce drawn bridle since yesterday at noon."
"The poor horse!" answered the girl, laying a slender hand on
Merodach's swelling neck. "But my lord comes doubtless from the
camp, and has joyful tidings to bring, or he had never ridden so far
and fast. What of the Great King? and O! what of Arbaces? Is he
safe? Is he unhurt? Is he well?"
There was a tremble in her voice that denoted intense anxiety, and
the pitcher in her hand shook till it overflowed.
Sarchedon marked her agitation with a sense of displeasure,
unaccountable as it was unjust.
"The Great King," he answered, raising his right hand quickly to
mouth and eyes while he named him—"the Great King has
triumphed, as he must ever triumph when he mounts his war-
chariot. The captain of the host is well in health, unwounded,
though foremost in battle;—trusted by his lord, feared by the enemy,
and honoured of all."
She clasped her pretty hands together in delight, while the pitcher,
escaping from her grasp, poured its contents into the thirsty soil and
rolled under Merodach's hoofs, eliciting from the horse a prolonged
snort of astonishment and disgust.
"You are indeed a messenger of the gods!" said she—"welcome as
the breeze at sundown; welcome as the rains of spring; welcome to
the Great Queen and her people yonder in the city; but to none so
welcome as you have been to me!"
"Indeed!" he answered in a cold, measured voice. "Have I then
brought tidings of one so very dear to you?"
"None can ever be so dear," she exclaimed with a light laugh,
musical and pleasant as the whisper of the rippling fountain—"none
will ever love me so well—none shall I ever love half so dearly in
return! Arbaces is my father, and every day since he mounted his
chariot at the head of the Great King's captains have I watched here
with my maidens, to catch the first gleam of his armour when he
returns, to learn good tidings of him by the first messenger who
rides hither from the camp. Not one has yet arrived but yourself, my
lord. I say again, may all the host of heaven befriend you, for to me
you are welcome as the dawn!"
It was unaccountable that his heart should have bounded so lightly
at her speech, that his tone should have been so much softer while
he replied:
"I am bearing tidings from a king to his queen,—from the conqueror
of nations to his people in the greatest city of the earth. I have to
relate how we slew and spared not, crushing and trampling down
the enemy as an ox treads out the ripened corn; breaking their
chariots of iron; taking their fenced cities by assault; capturing and
bringing away men, women, and children by thousands and tens of
thousands. All that I have to tell is of honour, glory, and victory. Yet I
speak truth when I swear to you, maiden, by the light of morning,
that whatever recompense it may please the Great Queen to bestow
on the lowest of her servants, to have met you here to-day at the
Well of Palms, and to have gladdened you with assurance of my lord
your father's welfare, is to me the richest and brightest reward of
all."
"You have noble triumphs to report," she answered hurriedly, and
drawing her veil closer, as if he could see the blood rushing to her
cheek behind its folds. "Great victories, but not without fierce
warfare—many a broken shield and shivered spear, and deadly arrow
quivering in its mark! And you, my lord—have you escaped
scathless? Has this good horse borne you always unhurt and
triumphant in the press of chariots?—Yes, I know it, in the hottest
fore-front of the battle? O, it is dreadful to think of!—the wounded,
the dying, the fallen steed, the pitiless conqueror—those we love, it
may be, gasping out their lives on the trampled plain, and then to
watch on the walls of the city, or here by the Well of Palms, for the
horseman that never comes! Pardon me, my lord: I speak too freely.
Let me give you to drink once more from the fountain; then will I
gather my maidens about me, and depart in peace."
He took her hand in his own, nor did she withdraw it.
"You are not alone?" he asked. "The daughter of Arbaces does not
travel unattended so much as a bowshot from the city walls?"
"My damsels are in those tents," she answered, "my camels are
kneeling in the shade. I have no need of guards nor horsemen. Over
many a league without the ramparts of Babylon her father's fame is
a tower of defence for the daughter of Arbaces."
"The daughter of Arbaces!" he repeated. "Maiden, so long as I eat
bread and drink water I will remember her by that name."
"And by her own," she added hurriedly. "The servant of my lord is
called Ishtar. It was my mother's name, and Arbaces loved her well."
"Ishtar!" he murmured—and his rich low voice dwelt softly on the
syllables—"Ishtar, the fair pure queen of night! 'twas well chosen, in
good truth; for the moon shines ever gentle, mild, and gracious, like
a true goddess."
"And changes, my lord, like a true woman!" laughed the girl; but
continued in a graver and more respectful tone: "The day wears on
—he who carries a king's tidings must be diligent on the way. I thank
my lord for his favourable notice of his servant, and I bid him
farewell."
Then she gathered her dress about her, recovered the pitcher, and
walked away towards her tents, modest, stately, and graceful—a
goddess in gesture, as in name.
She turned once, nevertheless, when he was busied adjusting the
bridle in his horse's mouth, and drew her veil aside while he might
have counted ten. The large serious eyes, the perfect oval, the pale
delicate beauty of that young face haunted him, even to the towers
and ramparts of haughty Babylon, even amidst the shouting crowds
who thronged her brazen gates.
There is a spirit that, whether for good or evil, when it takes
possession of the heart of man, must needs tear and rend, stanch
and soothe, torture and perplex, or elevate and encourage, each and
all in turn; but, be it a blessing or a curse, it fills the tenement,
occupies the whole temple, and when it vanishes, leaves but bare
walls and a riven altar to mark the sacred spot that it has scathed
and blasted ere it passed away.
Merodach galloped on, swift, mettlesome, untiring, regardless of the
many leagues he had traversed, as he was unconscious of the
double burden that he bore.
Nearing the city, Sarchedon could not but admire the stupendous
walls that frowned over him as he rode at a slower pace through
scores of tents and lodges of wood or sun-dried bricks scattered
through the richly cultivated garden-grounds without the rampart
walls, that, rising to forty cubits in height, were yet so wide as to
admit of three chariots being driven abreast along their summits,
flanked with lofty towers standing out in pairs, bluff and bold, like
defiant warriors, and utterly impregnable to assault. Between every
two of these, large gates of brass, worked in fantastic ornaments
representing gods, men, and animals, amongst which the bull was
the most conspicuous, stood open from sunrise to sunset, while
through their portals passed and repassed a busy crowd, swarming
like bees in and out of the rich and magnificent city, her own
especial residence, which the Great Queen had created to be a
Wonder of the World. What mattered waste of life and treasure,
starving families, fainting peasants, the sinking slave and the task-
master's whip? Each countless brick in all those leagues of building
might be moistened with tears and cemented with blood, every
stone raised on the crushed and mangled corpses of its founders;
masses of marble, slabs of alabaster, roof, tower, and pinnacle, beam
of cedar, and parapet of gold, might tell their separate tales of
famine, disease, misery, and oppression—what matter? The Great
Queen said, "Raise me here a city by the river that shall be worthy
of my name!" and straightway up-sprang, on either bank of the
mighty stream, such structures of pride, splendour, and
magnificence, as were not to be surpassed by that very tower of
man's defiance to his Maker, about which their foundations were
laid.
Passing within the walls, a guard of Assyrian bowmen turned out to
greet with warlike honours the messenger from their monarch's
camp; their exertions were even required to clear a passage for him
as he rode through the crowded streets—men, women, and children
thronging and pressing in as he passed on, shouting a thousand
cheers and acclamations, striving with each other to touch his feet,
his garments, the horn of his bow, the carved sheath of his sword,
the very trappings and accoutrements of his horse. With all his
desire for dispatch, it was necessary to rein Merodach back to a
foot's-pace; and many a dainty flower fell whirling down on the
young warrior, many a charm and amulet was cast with unerring aim
on his knees and saddle-cloth, while he paced forward under stately
palaces, solemn temples, or broad terraces glowing like gardens with
bright-robed Assyrian women, who flung their veils aside to shower
greetings and welcome on the brave.
The watchman at the gate had long expected such a one. With the
first glint of his armour in the distant waste the news spread like
wildfire, and the whole population of the city was astir.
So he rode slowly on, the observed of all; and still, turn which way
he would, above that sea of faces, amidst that mass of triumph,
splendour, and gorgeous colouring, floated like a star shining
through a mist the pale spectral beauty of the gentle girl whom he
had left an hour ago at the Well of Palms—even the shouts that rent
his ear seemed to reëcho from afar in an unearthly whisper, "Ishtar,
Ishtar! pure, sacred, and beautiful queen of night!"
The streets were wider, the buildings more magnificent, the crowd, if
possible, denser, as he proceeded through the city.
Presently, reaching a wide flight of low broad marble steps, flanked
by those colossal bulls with eagles' wings and human heads, that
represented the strength and solidity of the great Assyrian empire,
he halted to dismount; for a cloth of gold and scarlet had been rolled
out from top to bottom, and down these stairs were marching a
body of white-robed priests with slow and solemn gait, their centre
figure walking three paces before the rest, and advancing obviously
to hold conference with the messenger from the camp.
Then the young warrior took a jewelled signet from his breast, and
with a low obeisance pressed it to heart, mouth, and forehead; while
over the eager multitude came unbroken silence, as Sarchedon
tendered to Assarac, high-priest of Baal, his token from the Great
King.
 CHAPTER III
SEMIRAMIS
The silence lasted but a short space. When his lord, ere he
accompanied that priestly escort into the palace, bestowed one
parting caress on Merodach, shouts longer and more deafening than
ever went up into the sunny sky. The good horse, led away by half a
dozen negroes, now seemed to attract universal attention; for
Sarchedon had disappeared between the gigantic bulls of stone that
guarded each entrance to the royal dwelling. His armour, here and
there defaced with sword-stroke or spear-thrust, his dusty, travel-
stained garments, and, notwithstanding bodily strength and warlike
training, the weary gait of one who has seen the sun set twice
without quitting the saddle, were in marked contrast to the glittering
splendour and refined magnificence of all that surrounded him. The
marble steps, skirted by their entablatures of gilding and sculpture
coloured to the life; the broad level terrace, glistening and polished
like a steel breastplate inlaid with gold; the regal front of the costly
palace itself, with its colossal eagle-headed figures, its winged
monsters, couching or erect, its sacred emblems, its strange deities,
its mystic forms, tributes of adoration offered to a host of gods, as
the long succession of lifelike carvings on the walls, brought out in
high relief with boldness of design and brightness of tint, were
memorials of the triumphs won by a line of kings.
Here were represented the pleasures of the chase, the vicissitudes
of war, the lion, the stag, the boar, the wild bull, beasts, landscapes,
rivers, chariots and horsemen, warriors, captives, towers, and towns.
Above rose a hundred stately pillars to support their painted
chambers roofed with cedar and other precious wood, inlaid in
elaborate and fantastic patterns, brilliant with vermilion or other
gaudy colours, and profusely ornamented with gold. Over these lofty
rooms rose yet another story, on ivory columns carved with the
utmost skill that Indian handicraft could produce and Bactrian
triumphs furnish, under a roof of which the very battlements and
parapets were plated with silver and gold.
High above all towered the sacred structure of cedar, which formed
that mysterious retreat, remote from the gaze of man, where none
might enter but the monarch alone when ministering in his holy
office, and combining in his own person the sacred characters of
priest and king.
Assarac left his retinue at the gate of the palace, where stood two
pillars of sardonyx to render poison innocuous should it pass
through, and over which a gigantic carbuncle flashed its lurid rays,
that seemed to shed an angry gleam even in the darkness of night.
He bade Sarchedon follow, and the pair strode swiftly on through a
cool and spacious hall, propped by as many columns as there were
days in the Assyrian year, or furlongs in the circuit of the city walls,
till, having thus traversed the palace at its narrowest part, they
emerged once more on a paradise or garden, where the first object
that met their eyes was a wild stag roused from his lair, and scouring
with all the freedom of his native mountains to the shelter of a
neighbouring thicket.
"She seldom hunts within these gardens now," was the priest's
comment on this startling incident. "She cares for no tamer pastime
than to ride the lion down, and shoot him with bow and arrow when
at bay. There are none left here since my lord the king slew three
with his javelin not a bowshot from where we stand; so she must
away to the desert, or the mountains beyond the great river, for the
sport she loves so well. Follow me close; you might lose yourself in
this pleasant labyrinth, and it is death, my friend—by impalement
too!—for any one caught disturbing the game."
He looked keenly in the other's face while he spoke, and seemed
gratified to observe that the young soldier received this
announcement with perfect unconcern.
Notwithstanding the power of an Assyrian sun, its rays could not
penetrate to the darkling path by which they now threaded a tangled
thicket of verdure—the tender flickering of green leaves above their
heads, the sweet carol of song-birds in their ears, and a carpet of
velvet turf beneath their steps—while they followed the course of a
rippling stream, guiding them by its murmur, rather than its leap and
sparkle, back to the light of day. Emerging from this grateful shade,
they found a broad sheet of water spread at their feet, its surface
dotted with wild fowl, its banks fringed with flowers, reflecting in its
dazzling mirror a temple of silver and ivory raised in honour of
Dagon, the fish-god, and much affected by the Great Queen, who,
leaving her own especial palace, loved to retire here with her women
and wile away the hottest hours of the summer's day.
One of these attendants seemed in expectation of the priest; for,
appearing suddenly in the portico of the temple, she made him a
sign to follow, and led the way, wrapping her veil so carelessly about
her as to afford ample opportunity for contemplation of her charms.
At another time Sarchedon might have observed with greater
interest the jetty locks and rich Southern colouring of this smiling
dame; but besides his new-born taste for beauty of a fairer, paler,
and more gentle type, his heart was beating, as it had never beat in
the hurtle of chariots and press of horsemen, at the thought that he
was about to enter her presence with whose name the whole world
rang.
Immediately within the entrance of this temple hung a curtain of
crimson silk embroidered in lotus-flowers of gold. Assarac raised the
hangings, and stepping quickly aside, gave place while he let them
fall behind his comrade. Sarchedon, prostrating his forehead till it
touched the cool shining floor, found himself alone with the Great
Queen.
The temple was circular, paved, panelled, vaulted, in ivory and silver,
the latter wrought and frosted with exceeding taste and skill, the
former carved into a thousand fantastic patterns, delicate and
elaborate as needlework. In the midst, a fountain threw its jets of
silver to the roof, falling back in silvery showers to an ivory basin, of
which the sparkling waters were thus continually moved with a
refreshing drip and murmur. White doves flitted about the building,
or cooed their drowsy love-song, perched peacefully on pinnacle and
shaft. An odour of some subtle perfume, like incense mingled with
the scent of flowers, stole on Sarchedon's senses; while he became
aware of a figure reclining on the couch of silver and ivory over
against the entrance. He dared not raise his eyes, and it was but the
hem of her garment that he looked on, while he heard the low
musical tones of that enchantress who was destined to subjugate
the world.
"Rise, trusty messenger," said Semiramis; "fear not to tell me your
tidings for good or evil, and speak with me face to face. He must
needs be welcome who carries a token from my lord the king."
Sarchedon sprang to his feet at her bidding, and stood before the
queen, as fair a specimen of youth, manhood, and warlike grace as
could have been selected from the countless myriads that formed
her husband's hosts. He averted his eyes, nevertheless, and kept his
head bent down while, plucking from his breast the jewel that had
already gained him admission, he replied:
"The light of the queen's countenance dazzles the eyes of her
servant. Let him take courage to look but once, and be blind for
evermore!"
While he spoke he laid the signet on a silken cushion under her feet.
She glanced at it carelessly enough, and bent her eyes on the young
warrior with a smile, half soft, half scornful.
"Am I then so dangerous to look upon?" said she; "the face of a
queen should be gracious to a faithful servant. I say to you, Look
and live!"
A thrill of intense triumph and pleasure shot through him with her
words. He took courage to scan the form and features of that
celebrated woman, whose intellect and beauty had already made her
mistress of the mightiest nation in the East.
She was beautiful no doubt, in the nameless beauty that wins, no
less than in the lofty beauty that compels. Her form was matchless
in symmetry, so that her every gesture, in the saddle or on the
throne, was womanly, dignified, and graceful, while each dress she
wore, from royal robe and jewelled tiara to steel breastplate and
golden headpiece, seemed that in which she looked her best. With a
man's strength of body, she possessed more than a man's power of
mind and force of will. A shrewd observer would have detected in
those bright eyes, despite their thick lashes and loving glance, the
genius that can command an army and found an empire; in that
delicate, exquisitely chiselled face, the lines that tell of tameless
pride and unbending resolution; in the full curves of that rosy
mouth, in the clean-cut jaw and prominence of the beautifully-
moulded chin, a cold recklessness that could harden on occasion to
pitiless cruelty—stern, impracticable, immovable as fate.
But Sarchedon only saw a lovely woman of queenly bearing,
glancing approval on his glowing face. His Southern nature seemed
to expand like a flower in the sunshine of her smiles.
His looks could not fail to express admiration, and she, who might
have been satiated with homage, seemed well pleased to accept as
much as he had to offer.
Bending towards him with a gesture of condescension, that was
almost a caress, she bade him advance yet nearer to her couch.
"And now," said she, "that you have looked on this terrible face of
mine without perdition, tell me your tidings from the camp. What of
the war? what of the host? what of my lord the king?"
"The war is ended," he answered briefly; "the host is victorious. My
lord the king will return in triumph ere another day be past."
She started, but controlled herself with an effort.
"Enough," she answered haughtily and coldly; "you have done your
duty—you are dismissed!"
Then she clapped her hands, and from behind the silken hangings
appeared the woman who had guided Sarchedon into the temple.
"Kalmim," said the queen, still in the same constrained voice, "take
this messenger to Assarac without delay; bid the priest report to me,
at sunset, all the details he can learn from him regarding the host.
But stay"—her tone changed to one of winning sweetness, soft, sad,
and irresistible—"not till he has had food and rest. You have ridden
day and night through the desert; you have looked on your queen's
face and lived. Take courage, you may live to look on it again."
With the last words she turned on him one of her rare intoxicating
smiles, and the strong soldier left her presence helpless, confused,
staggering like a man who wakes out of a dream.
Within the gardens, or paradise, belonging to the royal palace stood
a vast pile of building, dedicated to the worship of Baal, and
surrounding the lofty tower of Belus, raised on the same site, and
nearly to the same altitude, as that by which human rebellion
presumed to offend after the Flood. Here, at the head of a thousand
priests, dwelt Assarac in solemn state and splendour, officiating daily
in sacrifices offered to the gods of Assyria, and their numerous
satellites—Assarac, who combined in his own person the leadership
of religion and of politics; for, during the absence of Ninus on his
Egyptian expedition, it had been the ambitious eunuch's aim to
share, if he could not guide, the queen's counsels, and, as far as he
dared, to centre in his own person the executive of government.
Sarchedon found himself, therefore, again threading the shady paths
by which he had come, but on this occasion under the conduct of a
guide less swift of foot than the priest but, as became her sex, more
nimble of tongue. Kalmim made no scruple of unveiling, to afford her
companion the whole benefit of her charms.
"A good beginning indeed," said this saucy dame, with a smile that
did justice to the reddest lips and wickedest eyes in Babylon; "you
are in favour, my young lord, I can tell you. To have seen her face to
face is no small boast; but that she should take thought of your food
and rest, and bid me charge myself with your guidance through this
deserted wilderness! why, I cannot remember her so gracious to any
one since—well—since the last of them—there, you needn't look so
bold at an unveiled woman—I ought never to have brought you here
alone!"
It was almost a challenge; but he was busy with his own thoughts,
and made no reply. Kalmim, unaccustomed to neglect, attributed his
silence, not unnaturally, to exhaustion and fatigue.
"You are weary," said she kindly; "faint, doubtless, from lack of food,
and would not confess it to save your life? O, you men, how your
pride keeps you up! and why are you only ashamed of those things
in which there is no disgrace?"
He compelled himself to answer, though his thoughts were far away.
"I am not ashamed to be faint and athirst. I have ridden two nights
and a day, and drank water but once—at the Well of Palms."
"The Well of Palms!" she repeated, her woman's wit marking his
abstraction, and assigning to it a woman's cause. "It is the sweetest
water in all the land of Shinar. It would taste none the worse when
drawn for you by the daughter of Arbaces."
"Ishtar!" he exclaimed, while his whole face brightened. "You have
seen her—you know her! Is she not beautiful?"
Kalmim laughed scornfully.
"Beautiful!" she echoed, "with a poor thin face, white as ivory, and
solemn as Dagon's yonder, in the fishing-temple! Well, well! then she
is beautiful, if you like; and we shall learn next that she is good as
well as fair!"
"What do you mean?" he asked, stopping short to look his
companion in the face.
Kalmim burst into another laugh.
"I mean nothing, innocent youth!—for strangely innocent you are,
though the beard is budding on your chin. And a modest maiden
means nothing, I suppose, who frequents the well at which every
traveller from the desert must needs halt—who draws water for
warriors to drink, and unveils for a stranger she never saw before!
Yes, I am unveiled too, I know; but it is different here. The queen's
palace has its privileges; and, believe me, they are sometimes sadly
abused!"
"Not by one who has just left the light of her presence," answered
Sarchedon, angered to the core, though he scarce knew why. "I
have never been taught to offend against the majesty of a king's
house—to believe a fenced city taken because a bank is cast against
it, nor a woman my lawful prize because she lifts her veil."
Next to making love, Kalmim enjoyed quarrelling. To tease, irritate,
and perplex a man, was sport only second to that of seeing him at
her feet. She clapped her hands mischievously, and exclaimed,
"You are bewitched, my lord! Confess, now. She unveiled to turn her
eyes on you before you got to horse and went your way. Is it
possible you do not know who and what she is?"
"Good or evil," he answered, "tell me the truth."
"She bears her mother's name," replied Kalmim; "and, like her
mother, the blood that flows in her veins is mingled with the fire that
glitters in the stars of heaven—a fire affording neither light nor heat,
serving only to dazzle and bewilder the children of earth. Arbaces
took a wife from that race whom, far off in the northern mountains,
the daughters of men bare to the spirits of the stars, tempting them
down from their golden thrones with song and spell and all the wiles
of grosser earth-born beauty;—deceiving, debasing the Sons of
Light, to be by them deceived and deserted in turn, left to sorrow
through long years of hopeless solitude and remorse. Old people yet
speak of some who had themselves heard the voice of mourning on
those mountains in the still sad night—the shriek of woman wailing
for the lost lover, in whose bright face she might never look again!
Ishtar, the wife of Arbaces, possessed her share of the unearthly
influence hereditary in her race. Her husband became a slave. He
loved the very print of her feet on the sand. Travelling here from
Nineveh, while this great city was building, he halted in the desert,
and Ishtar walked out from her tent into the cool starlight night.
They say he followed a few paces off. Suddenly she stopped, and
stretched her hands towards the sky, like one in distress or pain.
Rushing forward to take her in his arms, she vanished out of his very
grasp. At sunrise a camel-driver found Arbaces senseless on the
plain, and Ishtar was seen no more in tent or palace. But all the love
he bore the mother seemed henceforth transferred to the child.
Doubtless she has bewitched him too. Beware, my lord—beware! I
have heard of men leaving real springs in the desert for shining
rivers and broad glittering lakes, that faded always before them into
the hot interminable waste. I am but a woman; yet, had I your
chance of fortune, I would think twice before I bartered it away for a
draught of water and an empty dream!"
He seemed very sad and thoughtful, but they had now reached the
temple, and he made no reply. A white-robed priest received the
young warrior at its portal with every mark of respect, and ushered
him into the cool and lofty building, where bath, raiment, food, and
wine, he said, were already prepared, casting a look of intelligence
at Kalmim, who answered with as meaning a glance, and one of her
brightest smiles. Then dropping her veil, since nobody was there to
see her handsome face, she tripped back a good deal faster than
she had come to her duties about the person of the Great Queen.
 CHAPTER IV
THE TEMPLE OF HIS GOD
In the hierarchy of Baal, as in other religious orders, false and true,
it was deemed but right that the priests should want for nothing,
while the altar was well supplied with offerings. To one who had
dismounted from a two nights' ride, such luxuries as were scattered
profusely about the temple of the great Assyrian god formed a
pleasing contrast to camp lodging and camp fare.
If Sarchedon, weary and travel-stained, was yet of so comely and
fair a countenance as to extort approval from the queen herself,
Sarchedon, bathed, refreshed, unarmed, clad in silken garments,
and with a cup of gold in his hand, was simply beautiful. Assarac the
priest, sitting over against him, could not but triumph in the sparkle
of that bauble by which he hoped to divert and dull the only intellect
in the Eastern world that he believed could rival his own.
The servant of Ninus and the servant of Baal sat together on the
roof of a lower story of the temple; below them the pillars and
porticoes of the outer court, behind them vast piles of building,
vague, gloomy, and imposing in the shades of coming night. High
over their heads rose the tower of Belus, pointing to the sky, and
many a fathom down beneath their feet the stir and turmoil of the
great city came up, terrace by terrace, till it died to a faint drowsy
murmur like the hum of bees in a bed of flowers. The sun was
sinking in uninterrupted splendour behind the level sky-line of the
desert, and already a cool breeze stole over the plains from the hills
beyond the marshes, to stir the priest's white garments and lift the
locks on Sarchedon's glossy head, while for each it enhanced the
flavour and fragrance of their rich Damascus wine, bubbling and
blushing in its vase of gold. Between them stood a table, also of
gold, studded with amethysts, while the liquor in their golden cups
was yet more precious than the metal and brighter than the gem.
Something to this effect said Sarchedon, after a draught almost as
welcome and invigorating as that which he had drained in the
morning at the Well of Palms; while, with a sigh of extreme repose
and content, he turned his handsome face to the breeze.
"It is so," answered Assarac; "and who more worthy to drink it than
the warrior whose bow and spear keep for us sheep-fold and
vineyard—who watches under arms by night, and bears his life in his
hand by day, that our oxen may tread the threshing-floor, and our
peasants press out their grapes in peace? I empty this cup to Ninus,
the Great King, yonder in the camp, in love, fear, and reverence, as I
would pour out a drink-offering from the summit of that tower to
Ashtaroth, Queen of Heaven."
"And the Great King would dip his royal beard in it willingly enough,
were it set before him," answered the light-hearted warrior. "I saw
him myself come down from his chariot when we crossed the Nile,
and drink from the hollow of his buckler mouthful after mouthful of
the sweet vapid water; but he swore by the Seven Stars he would
have given his best horse had it been the roughest of country wine;
and he bade us ever spare the vineyards, though we were ordered
to lay waste cornland and millet-ground, to level fruit-trees, break
down water-sluices, burn, spoil, ravage, and destroy. Who is like the
Great King—so fierce, so terrible? Most terrible, I think, when he
smiles and pulls his long white beard; for then our captains know
that his wrath is kindled, and can only be appeased with blood. I
had rather turn my naked breast to all Pharaoh's bowmen than face
the Great King's smile."
Assarac was deep in thought, though his countenance wore but the
expression of a courteous host.
"He is the king of warriors," said the priest carelessly—"drink, I pray
you, yet once more to his captains—and beloved, no doubt, as he is
feared among the host."
"Nay, nay," answered the other laughing, for the good wine had
somewhat loosened his tongue, while it removed the traces of
fatigue from his frame. "Feared, if you will. Is he not descended
from Nimrod and the Thirteen Gods? Brave, indeed, as his mighty
ancestors, but pitiless and unsparing as Ashur himself."
"Hush!" exclaimed the priest, looking round. "What mean you?"
"I have not counted twenty sunsets," answered the other, "since I
saw the Great King's arrow fly through buckler and breastplate, aye,
and a brave Assyrian heart too, ere it stuck in the ground a spear's
length farther on. He has a strong arm, I can bear witness, and the
man fell dead under his very chariot; but it should not have been
one of his own royal guard that he thus slew in the mere
wantonness of wrath. Sataspes, the son of Sargon, had better have
died in Egypt, where he fought so bravely, than here, under an
Assyrian sky, within a few days' march of home."
"Sataspes!" repeated the other; "and what said his father? It is not
Sargon's nature to be patient under injury or insult."
"His dark face grew black as night," answered Sarchedon, "and the
javelin he held splintered in his grasp; but he bowed himself to the
ground, and said only, 'My lord draws a stiff bow, and the king's
arrow never yet missed its mark.'"
"It was a heavy punishment," observed Assarac thoughtfully.
"And for a light offence," answered the other. "Sataspes did but lift
her veil to look on the face of a virgin in a drove of captives who had
not yet defiled by the Great King's chariot. She cried out, half in
wrath, half in fear; and ere the veil fell back on her bosom, the
offender was a dead man."
"Did the Great King look favourably on the virgin?" asked Assarac. "A
woman must needs be fair to warrant the taking of a brave man's
life."
"I scarce heeded her," answered Sarchedon. "She came of a captive
race, whom the Egyptians hold in bondage down yonder, imposing
on them servile offices and many hard tasks—a race that seem to
mix neither with their conquerors nor with strangers. They have
peculiar laws and customs in their houses and families, giving their
daughters in marriage only to their kindred, and arraying their whole
people like an army, in hosts and companies. I used to see them at
work for their task-masters, moving with as much order and
precision as the archers and spearmen of the Great King."
"I have heard of them," said Assarac; "I have heard too that their
increasing numbers gave no small disquiet to the last Pharaoh, who
was wiser than his successor. Will they not rise at some future time,
and cast off the Egyptian yoke?"
"Never!" answered the warrior scornfully. "It presses hard and heavy,
but this people will never strike a blow in self-defence: they are a
nation of slaves, of shepherds and herdsmen. Not a man have I seen
amongst them who could draw a bow, nor so much as sling a stone.
Where are they to find a leader? If such a one rose up, how are they
to follow him? They are utterly unwarlike and weak of heart; they
have no arms, no horses, and scarcely any gods."
Assarac smiled with the good-humoured superiority of an adept
condescending to the crude intelligence of a neophyte. Did he not
believe that through the very exercise of his profession he had
sounded the depths of all faith, here and hereafter—in the earth, in
the skies, in the infinite—above all, in himself and his own destiny?
"Their worship is not so unlike our own as you, who are outside the
temple, might believe," said he, pointing upwards to the glowing
spark on the summit of the tower of Belus, which was never
extinguished night or day. "I have learned in our traditions, handed
down, word for word, from priest to priest, since the first family of
man peopled the earth after the subsiding of the waters, that they
too worship the sacred element which constitutes the essence and
spirit of the universe. If they have no images, nor outward symbols
of their faith, it is because their deity is impalpable, invisible, as the
principle of heat which generates flame. If they turn from the Seven
Stars with scorn, if they pour out no drink-offering, make no
obeisance to the Queen of Heaven, it is because they look yet
higher, to that mystic property from which Baalim and Ashtaroth
draw light and life and dominion over us poor children of darkness
down here below. Their great patriarch and leader came out of this
very land; and there is Assyrian blood, though I think shame to
confess it, in the veins of that captive people subject now to our
hereditary enemies in the South."
"The men are well enough to look on," answered Sarchedon, "but,
to my thinking, their women are not so fair as the women of the
plain between the rivers; not to be spoken of with the Great Queen's
retinue here, nor the mountain maids who come down from the
north to gladden old Nineveh like sweet herbs and wild flowers
growing in the crevices of a ruined wall. If this people are of our
lineage, they have fallen away sadly from the parent stock."
"What I tell you is truth," replied Assarac; "and I, sitting by you here
to-night, have spoken with men whose fathers remembered those
that in their boyhood had seen the great founder of our nation—old,
wrinkled, with a white beard descending to his feet, but lofty still,
and mighty as the tower of defiance he reared to heaven, though
suffering daily from torment unendurable; and why? Because of the
patriarch and chief of the nation you despise."
Through all the Assyrian people, but especially amongst the hosts of
the Great King, to believe in Nimrod was to believe in Baal, in Ashur,
in their religion, their national existence, their very identity.
The colour rose to Sarchedon's brow as he passed his hand over his
lips, scarcely yet darkened with a beard, while he answered
haughtily,
"Nimrod was lord of earth by right of bow and spear. No man living,
backed by all the gods of all the stars in heaven, would have dared
to dispute his word, nor so much as look him in his lion-like face!"
"And yet did this old man, lord only in his own family—chief of a
tribe scarce numbering a thousand bowmen—beard the lion-king in
the city he had founded, in the palace where he reigned, in the very
temple of his worship. The patriarch reasoned with him on the
multitude of his gods; and Nimrod answered proudly, he could make
as many as he would, but that while they emanated from himself
they had supreme dominion on earth and over all in heaven, save
only the Seven Stars and the Twenty-four Judges of the World. Then
the patriarch took the king's molten images out of the temple,
kindled a great furnace in the centre of the city, and in the presence
of all Nineveh, cast them into the midst."
Sarchedon started to his feet.
"And the king did not hew him in pieces with his own hand where he
stood!" exclaimed he. "It is impossible! It is contrary to all reason
and experience!"
"The king could scarce believe his eyes," continued Assarac,
smothering a smile, "when he saw his sacred images crumbling
down and stealing away in streams of molten gold. It is even said
that he uttered a great cry of lamentation and sat on the ground a
whole night, with his garments rent, fasting, and in sore distress.
This I scarcely think was the fashion of the mighty hunter: what I do
believe is, that he sent a company of bowmen after the offender
with orders to bring him back into his presence, alive or dead. They
pursued the patriarch through the Valley of Siddim, till they came to
the bitter waters; and here"—Assarac put his goblet with something
of embarrassment to his lips—"here the stars in their courses must
have fought against Assyria; for our warriors turned and fled in some
confusion, so that the daring son of Terah escaped. Then it is said
that he prayed to his God for vengeance against our lion-king,
entreating that he who had been conqueror of the mightiest men
and slayer of the fiercest beasts on earth, should be punished by the
smallest and humblest of that animal creation it had been his chief
pleasure to persecute and destroy. His God answered his prayer,
though he raised no temples, made no golden images of man, beast,
bird, nor monster, and sacrificed but a lamb or a kid in burnt-offering
on the altar of unhewn stones in the plain.
"A tiny gnat was sent to plague great Nimrod, as the sand-fly of the
wilderness maddens the lion in his lair. Under helm or diadem—in
purple robe or steel harness—at board and bed—in saddle, bath, or
war chariot, the lord of all the earth was goaded into a ceaseless
encounter where there was no adversary, and exhausted by
perpetual flight where none pursued.
"Then he sent for cunning artificers, who made for him a chamber of
glass, impervious even to the air of heaven, so that the king entered
it well pleased; for he said, 'Now shall I have ease from my
tormentor, to eat bread and drink wine, and be refreshed with sleep.'
"But while he spoke the gnat was in his ear, and soon it ascended,
and began to feed on his brain. Then the king's agony was greater
than he could bear, and he cried aloud to his servants, bidding them
beat on his head with a hammer, to ease the pain. So he endured for
four hundred years; and then he—then he went home to his father
Ashur; and when the Seven Stars shine out in the Northern sky, he
looks down, well pleased, from his throne of light, on the city that
his children have built, and the statue of gold they have raised to his
name."
"And this is true?" exclaimed Sarchedon, whose love of the
marvellous could not but be gratified by the priest's narrative.
"True as our traditions," answered Assarac, with something like a
sneer; "true as our worship, true as our reason and intellect, true as
the lessons we have learned to read in the stars themselves. What
can be truer? except labour, sorrow, pain, and the insufficiency of
man!"
"Every one to his own duty," replied the young warrior. "Slingers and
bowmen in advance, spears and chariots in the centre, horsemen on
the wings. It is your business to guess where the shaft falls; mine is
but to fit the arrow and draw the bow. I am glad of it. I never could
see much in the stars but a scatter of lamps to help a night march,
when no brighter light was to be had. The moon has been a better
friend to me ere now than all the host of heaven. Tell me, Assarac,
can you not read on her fair open face when I shall be made captain
of the guard to the Great King?"
"What you ask in jest," said the other, smiling, "I will hereafter
answer in sober earnest. I go hence to the summit of that high
tower, and all night long must I read on those scrolls of fire above us
a future which they alone can tell—the destiny of nations, the fate of
a line of kings, nay, the fortunes of a young warrior whom the queen
delighteth to honour, and who may well deserve to sleep to-night
while others take their turn to watch."
Thus speaking, he spread his mantle over a heap of silken cushions,
disposed at the foot of the stairs leading to the tower of Belus so as
to form a tempting couch, in the cool night air, for one who had
ridden so far through the heat of an Assyrian day.
He had not ascended three steps towards the tower, ere Sarchedon,
overcome with fatigue, excitement, and Damascus wine, laid his
head amongst the cushions and fell into a deep sound sleep.
 CHAPTER V
THE STARS IN THEIR COURSES
Casting his eye on the fire of fragrant wood that burned in its brazen
tripod at the summit of the tower, passing his fingers, as it seemed,
mechanically through its flame, and with the same unconscious
gesture touching his right eyebrow, Assarac leaned his massive
figure against the parapet, plunged in a train of deep engrossing
thought.
The tapering structure he had ascended was built, as his traditions
taught him to believe, for purposes of astral worship and
observation. It afforded, therefore, a standing-point from which, on
all sides, an uninterrupted view of the heavens could be obtained
down to the horizon; yet the eyes of Assarac were fixed steadfastly
on the great city sleeping at his feet, and it was of earthly interests,
earthly destinies, that he pondered, rather than those spheres of
light, hanging unmarked above him in the golden-studded sky.
A soft but measured step, the rustle of a woman's garment, caused
him to turn with a start. He prostrated himself till his brow touched
the brickwork at her feet, and then, resuming an erect position,
looked his visitor proudly in the face, like a teacher with his pupil,
rather than a subject before his queen.
"Assarac," said Semiramis, "I have trusted you with a royal and
unreserved confidence to-night. I do not say, deserve it, because
your life is in my hand, but because our wishes, our interests, and
the very object we aim at, are the same. Many have served me in
slavish subjection through fear. Do you serve me with loyal regard as
a friend?"
She laid her white hand frankly on his arm, and he, priest, man of
science, as he was, ambitious, isolated, above and below the
strongest impulses of humanity, felt the blood mount to his brain,
the colour to his cheek, at that thrilling touch.
"Your servant's life," he answered, "and the lives of a thousand
priests of Baal, are in the queen's hand to-night; for doth she not
hold the signet of my lord the king, sent with Sarchedon from the
camp in token of victory? And more than my life,—my art, my skill,
the lore by which I have learned to compel those gods above us, are
but precious in my sight so far as they can advantage the Great
Queen."
"You will unfold the mysteries of the sky," she replied eagerly. "You
will bid Baalim, Ashtaroth, and all the host of heaven speak with me
face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. If you will answer for
the gods up yonder," she added with a touch of sarcasm on her
sweet proud lip, "I will take upon myself to order the actions of men
below."
"Something of this I can do," said he gravely, "or I have watched
here night by night, and fasted, and prayed, and cut myself with
knives before the altar of Baal, in vain. But, first, I must ask of the
queen, doth she believe in the power of the gods? Doth she trust
her servant to interpret truly the characters of fire engraved by them
on the dark tablets of night?"
She scanned him with a searching look. "I believe," she said, "thus
far—that man makes for himself the destiny to which hereafter he
must submit. I believe the gods can foretell that destiny, and I would
fain believe, if I had proof, that you, Assarac, their faithful servant,
possess power to read up yonder the counsels of the Thirteen, and
all their satellites."
"What proof does my queen desire?" asked the priest. "Shall I read
off to her from those shining tables the plastic mouldings of the
future, or the deep indelible engravings of the past?"
The queen pondered. "Of the future," she replied, "I cannot judge
whether they speak true or false. Were they to tell me of a past
known only to myself and one long since gone from earth"—she
sighed while she spoke—"I might give credit to their intelligence,
and shape my course by those silent witnesses, as men do in the
desert or at sea."
"Look upward, my queen," answered Assarac, "and mark where the
belt of the Great Hunter points to that distant cluster of stars, like
the diamonds on your own royal tiara. Faintest and farthest shines
one that records her past history, as yonder golden planet, glowing
low down by the horizon, foretells her future destiny."
He stopped, and from a vase of wine that stood near the sacred fire,
sprinkled a few drops to the four quarters of the sky. "I pour this
drink-offering," he said, "to Ashtaroth, Queen of Heaven! Shall I tell
the Queen of Earth a tale I read in those stars forming the symbol
which, rightly interpreted, contains the name of Semiramis?"
The queen nodded assent, turning her beautiful face upward to the
sky.
"Could it all be true?" was the wild thought that fleeted for an
instant through his brain, "and had not Ashtaroth herself come down
from heaven to look on her adoring votary?"
With a glance almost of awe into the queen's upturned countenance,
Assarac proceeded: "I read there of a city in the South, a city
beyond the desert, pleasant and beautiful in the waving of palms,
the music of rushing waters, built on the margin of a lake, where
leaping fish at sundown dot the glistening surface, countless as rain-
drops in a shower. On its bank stands a temple to that goddess who,
like Dagon, bears half a human form, terminating in the scales and
body of a fish. Very fair is Derceta to the girdle, and, womanlike,
fanciful as she is fair. Near her temple dwelt a young fisherman,
comely, ruddy, of exceeding beauty and manhood, so that the
goddess did not scorn to love him with all the ardour of her double
nature, only too well.
"Yet it shamed her of her human attributes when she gave birth to a
child, though the stars tell me, O queen, that never was seen so
beautiful a babe, even amongst those borne by the daughters of
men to the host of heaven.
"Nevertheless, a foul wound festers equally beneath silk and
sackcloth; so that the goddess, in wrath and shame, carried her
infant into the wilderness, and left it there to die.
"Behold how Ashtaroth glows and brightens in the darkening night.
Surely it was the Queen of Heaven who sent fair doves to pity,
succour, and preserve that child of light, tender as a flower, and
beautiful as a star. Day by day the fond birds brought her fruits and
sustenance, till certain peasants, observing their continual flight in
the same direction, followed their guidance, and found by a rill of
water the laughing infant, bearing even then a promise of beauty to
be unequalled hereafter in the whole world."
There was pride and sorrow in the queen's deep eyes as she fixed
them on the seer, and whispered,
"Ask, then, if it had not been better to have left the child there to
die."
"The stars acknowledge no pity," was his answer. "It is the first of
human weaknesses cast off by those who rule in earth or heaven.
Had they not written the destiny of that babe by the desert spring in
the same characters I read up there to-night? They tell me how, in
her earliest womanhood, she was seen by Menon, governor of ten
provinces under my lord the king. They tell me how Menon made
her his wife. They tell me, too, of an amulet graven with a dove on
the wing, which that maiden wore hidden in her bosom when she
came veiled into the presence of her lord."
The queen started.
Welcome to Our Bookstore - The Ultimate Destination for Book Lovers
Are you passionate about testbank and eager to explore new worlds of
knowledge? At our website, we offer a vast collection of books that
cater to every interest and age group. From classic literature to
specialized publications, self-help books, and children’s stories, we
have it all! Each book is a gateway to new adventures, helping you
expand your knowledge and nourish your soul
Experience Convenient and Enjoyable Book Shopping Our website is more
than just an online bookstore—it’s a bridge connecting readers to the
timeless values of culture and wisdom. With a sleek and user-friendly
interface and a smart search system, you can find your favorite books
quickly and easily. Enjoy special promotions, fast home delivery, and
a seamless shopping experience that saves you time and enhances your
love for reading.
Let us accompany you on the journey of exploring knowledge and
personal growth!

ebooksecure.com