Extra Blog: Computer Building

On Februrary 27, 2015, my mentor gave me a new work assignment that seemed quite daunting. This assignment was to build a whole new computer from individual parts for both of our use. My mentor gave me a list of general spaces she wanted and I was required to find compatible parts to those specs of balanced value and quality. I was also required to research how to build it, what each part does what, and how to install the Operating Software and drivers. The website I used, as well as the website my mentor recommended me to look at, was http://lifehacker.com/5828747/how-to-build-a-computer-from-scratch-the-complete-guide. She stated that when dealing with IT, it is important to not only learned the software side of a computer, but also the hardware side of it. Building a computer deals with the hardware side and allows for a better understanding of the computer as an entire whole. The following is the assignment sheet in writing:

I sat down with my mentor on the 6th of March to review the additional and specific parts that I found such as the case and we ordered it online. Once all the parts arrived we made sure everything was there and decided to start building the computer on the 13th of March.

Before building the actual computer, we set up and got everything read to ensure that finding parts and protecting them would be easy. We went over the part list again to make sure we had everything we needed (which we did.) We then set up and anti-static mat (tin foil connected to wires plugged into the ground) to make sure that the parts were protected from static shock that may occur. We also unboxed everything and got prepared to assemble everything together.

The next day, we started to build the computer itself. It was a length process that took up most of the day. We first opened the case and, upon inspection, we took note on different areas where we would place stuff such as the drive bays and the motherboard mounting area. We then decided to test the main components first to check to see if anything was faulty from the start. We mounted the motherboard and mounted the power supply (twice because the 1st time was upside down.) In addition, we installed the CPU, its cooler, and the RAM. After connecting the power supply to the motherboard and the outlet to the power supply, we turned it on and it displayed a green LED indicating it was in standby mode, ready to be powered on.

After this initial test, we mounted the HDD, SSD, and Optical Drive in their corresponding places. We then ran cables from the motherboard and the power supply to these drive in the 'back' of the motherboard to reduce air blockage inside the main area of the case itself. We then ran the power cables from the power supply to the drives as well in the same direction. The same was done for the fan to their location. After this, the video card was installed. We had to remove some of the back panels so that the ports at the end of the card could come through. Once these were installed, we ran cables to it from the power supply through the back. We read the user manual for the motherboard and case to make sure everything was done correctly. It was a good thing that we did because we almost damaged the motherboard by plugging in a 1394 cable into a USB port. After checking, we hooked up a monitor and keyboard for these tests so we could actually see things.

The first test worked fine and the boot menu came up stating to pres F2 or DEL to get to the BIOS setup. It work the first time, but after that nothing would show. We went through the process of looking up solutions and trying them out, finally finding that resetting the BIOS was the solution (and turning on the monitor.) Once the system was able to boot again, we prepared everything for Windows to be installed. After inserting the disk, the OS installed easily.

Afterwards, we installed the final drivers for certain parts such as the GPU and the motherboard. In addition, data was transferred from another computer, the layout was changed, and various software was installed to finish the computer.

At the end of all this, the computer was a success. Not only was the computer built by myself with some help, but everything worked fine and as planned in the end. This experience has inspired me. It showed me that even though certain things in life might be overly complicated or too far for a regular person to go to, persistence and determination will allow a person to accomplish those tasks.

Fourth Interview Questions

1. What is your name, job title, the place where you work at, and the amount of time you have been in this field?
2. What would you say is most important to learn before coming into this field of work?
3. Have you ever needed to learn any new things since you started working in this field? If so, what did you learn and why did you need to learn it?
4. How much does the change of technology over time affect your work?
5. What do you consider to be the most influential factor in determining success in this field of work?
6. What kind of database do you use, how often do you use database, and what do you use it for?
7. How is the database structured/organized?
8. What is SQL and what do you use it for?
9. What are the benefits of using a database, particularly in what you work on?
10. How do you retrieve information from databases from a program?
11. How do you receive a service request and who do you receive them from?
12. How do you ensure that you understand a customer's service request completely?
13. How important is it to understand who your customer is?
14. What do you do to ensure that you complete the service request?
15. Do some projects or service requests require multiple people to complete? Why or why not?
16. How often do you meet with your customer, co-workers, and managers?
17. What kinds of service requests do you receive?
18. Do you keep in contact with your customer after completing a service request? If so, why?
19. How can an individual become a successful computer programmer in general?
20. How can a software developer create applications that best meet customers' needs?

Blog 17: Third Answer

1. EQ 

How can a software developer create applications that best me customers' needs?

2. Answer #3 (Write in a complete sentence like a thesis statement)

A software developer can best create applications that best meet customers' need by actively keeping up to date with technology and continually learning new technological subjects.

3. Details to support the answer (a detail is a fact and an example)

• "Technology changes fast. Don’t get left behind."; A quote from Clint Shank, an author of programming and technology topics. Technology changes constantly and new platforms and internet browser versions are constantly becoming apparent in use. Therefore, in order to to best make an application for a customer, one should learn what the latest technology is and whether one should learn previous versions of software. Either way, the developer must continually learning new subjects, new or old, regardless of past experience to design something catered directly towards customer's needs.
• Software being updated at a steady rate; From my research, I have found that the languages change quite often and certain things from earlier versions become less applicable or unusable in new versions. For example HTML5 being updated recently and the change from C++ to C#. These differences should be known in order to know what can, and cannot, be created.
• Knowing how to use software that is new to you; One example of this is my experience from mentorship where I was learning how to create Oracle database tables and use the PL/SQL Developer to retrieve, delete, add, and update data in the tables. In addition, I learned how to use ColdFusion programs to work with databases as well. I found that learning databases as well as the tool is very important. In the future, ideas and concepts such as these should be learned, if previously unknown to the developer.

4. The research source(s) to support your details and answer

Boehm, Anne and Delamater, Mary. Murach's ASP.NET 4.5 Web Programming with C# 2012 5th Edition. Fresno, CA: Mike Murach & Associates, Inc., 2012. Print. 14 Feb., 2015.

Carr, James R. "Computer Programming in the 21st Century: Quo Vadis?" University of Nevada Reno. Web. Aug. 8, 2014. <http://www.uh.edu/~jbutler/anon/carr.html>

Jollymore, Amy. "7 Ways to Become a Better Programmer in 2014." O'reilly Radar, Jan. 1, 2014. Web. Aug. 25, 2014. <http://radar.oreilly.com/2014/01/7-ways-to-be-a-better-programmer-in-2014.html>

5. Concluding Sentence

 Technology is always changing and it is a developer's responsibility to keep up with technology to best carter to the changing market and medium in which they make applications. Continuous learning of these new pieces of information will not only help to optimize the application in the best way possible for all users, but it will also help to manage and organize data and code. Therefore, keeping up to date with technology is a way that software developers can best meet customer's needs.