Text № 9 languages for other tasks

Some languages are very well suited to tasks that hard to do in BASIC. For example, FORTRAN is a language that is very similar to BASIC, but it’s better for scientific applications. (BASIC is actually a simpler version of FORTRAN.) FORTRAN contains commands that take it easier to do engineering problems. It allows the programmer to program mathematical formulars more easily than BASIC does. FORTRAN is available for some microcomputers.

COBOL is a language that was developed mainly for large computers and may be available on a few microcomputers. It is designed for business uses and is particularly good for report writing. It makes it easy to set up very complicated reports with rows and columns, and to print theses on screen or a printer.

Assembly language

The languages described so far are called high-level languages because they are far removed from the low-level machine language binary commands that a computer can understand directly. Assembly language is not a high-level one. It is much more closer to machine language of the computer.

In assembly language you work with what you might think of as building blocks to create your program. Because you can use these blocks in many ways, you can create commands that don’t exist in BASIC. You can also control the computer directly and control external peripherals like home security systems through the computer. A program that is written in assembly language also runs much faster than a program that is written in BASIC because it doesn’t need to be enterpreted like BASIC.

Assembly language can also be used to write programs that will run on several different computers. Any computer with the same computer chip will use the same assembly language.

Unfortunately, assembly language is very difficult to use. It takes much longer to write a program in as this language than it does in any high-level one. Assembly language is not a structured language, so it is very difficult for someone else to understand your programs.

Черкаський політехнічний технікум

Текст № 9

для студентів III курсу, 6 семестр (ПС)

Викладач Горпинко В.П.

Text № 10 computer trespassing

Breaking to a computer system (using it when you don’t have permission) is a crime. It is called computer trespassing.

People break into computer system for many reasons. They might do it to find out private records, to change or destroy information, to steal money or goods, or simply to show they know how to do it.

Computer trespassing is a serious problem. Important information ranging from medical records to top secret military information is often stored in computer systems. If someone changes, destroys, or steals the information, it might cause great damage.

How to prevent computer trespassing? One way to protect information is to use passwords or number codes. The words or codes are programmed into the computer system. The system will admit only those people who enter the correct code. An alarm alerts a security guard if someone enters an incorrect code more than once.

Some computer systems use cryptography (secret writing) to protect information. Such systems store information in computer in coded or scrambled form. If you don’t know how to unscramble the information, it’s meaningless.

The USA federal and state laws protect information stored in computer system. The Counterfeit Access Device and Computer Fraud and Abuse Act of 1984 prohibits people from using a computer system without permission. It also prohibits the use of a computer system:

1. to steal money or goods worth $ 5,000 or more;

2. to use, change, destroy or reveal restricted information in government files;

3. to obtain financial information and credit records that are protected by other federal laws.

Черкаський політехнічний технікум

Текст № 10

для студентів III курсу, 6 семестр (ПС)

Викладач Горпинко В.П.