Question

A friend of yours is new to computing, and he has learned that you are pursuing a CIS degree. He asked you about the meaning of a program, the key differences between the generations of programming, and how the open-source software (OSS) comes into play. How would you answer these questions?

Answer 1

1) Computer programs are written instructions or procedures designed to perform a particular task. These instructions tell the computer what is to be done and how exactly to do it.
For ex: To add two number
In a program we store the number in something called a variable
num1 = 5
num2 = 7
Here num1 and num2 can be any user defined name (it can be 'a' and 'b')
To add we write
sum = a + b
We store the result in a variable called sum. This is a very basic program. In more complex program there will many more variables and instructions.

2) There are 5 generations of computer and here are the differences
Generation 1 (1946-1959):
   These used vacuum tubes
   They could store only a small amount of information, since they used magnetic drums.
  
Generation 2 (1959-1965):
   These used transistors instead of vacuum tubes
   Assembly language and punch cards were used for input.

Generation 3 (1965-1971):
   They used Integrated Circuits(IC). IC was a single component containing number of transistors.
   Instead of punch cards, mouse and keyboard are used for input.
   Usage of Operating systems(OS)

Generation 4 (1971-1980):
   This generation started using Microprocessors.
   User friendly GUI(Graphical User Interfaces) were developed
   Usage of highlevel languages like c++

Generation 5 (1980-present):
   This generation is based on Artificial Intelligence(AI)
   ULSI(Ultra Large Scale Integration) technology made microprocessor chips having ten million electronic component which computers a lot faster
  

3) Open source software(OSS) are those whose source code is available for the public to see. These source codes can be manipulated by anyone to create their own software or a new version of the OOS. User can then share their code with others. This enables collaboration between developers and programmers all across the world. These software come free of cost to anyone.