Understanding The Business of Software

Stephenson, Neal. “In the Beginning was the Command Line.” Harper Collins. 9 November 1999. Web. 24 February 2010 .

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In late 1999, Neal Stephenson published his informative, yet extensive essay discussing the technological world of computer operating systems. He titled his essay, “In the beginning…was the command line” to illustrate that computers operate by the production companies typing specific in depth codes into particular command lines. This allows the user to simply click on an icon or a menu to make the computer perform the task they need it to. However, Stephenson believes that the user population as a whole would be much more empowered if we had the slightest comprehension of what we were actually doing. Throughout the article, he goes into a deep discussion on the history, overall purpose, and his hypothesis of the future of operating systems. He goes into great detail about the major computer corporations, such as Microsoft and Macintosh, and the software they produce. He discusses the manner in which each company goes about selling their products and the new forms of computers they produce. He also discusses the production of the free software companies such as GUI and Linux. In Stephenson’s opinion, the free software companies have the potential of overtaking the major corporations and controlling the world of operating systems.

After reading and analyzing the article, the author’s point of view, purpose, and values are clearly evident. Stephenson commends the free software companies for what they are doing and fully agrees with their overall message. All of the computer users around the world should have some say in what exactly their software does, and truly understand what exactly it does. His point of view is clearly important because he is making a bold statement and opinion about the future of technology and what its’ overall purpose should be. To allow the reader to get a better understanding of his overall message, he uses countless metaphors effectively throughout the article. These metaphors also allow the reader to understand what it is that computers really do. The reader is capable of seeing that the production companies do all the technological work, and install codes so that the user can easily do anything they need to. By the conclusion of the article, Stephenson hopes to have influenced the reader to desire to grasp a better understand of their computer, and have a greater understanding of the free software that is available for them.

Extra Credit: Rise of the Machines

Manjoo, Farhad. “Hey, Robot Ref! Are You Blind?.” Slate Magazine. 2 September 2008. Web. 10 November 2009 .

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Farhad Manjoo, the author of the Slate Magazine article entitled “Hey Robot Ref! Are You Blind?” believes that technology should be incorporated into every aspect of each of the Major League Sports. Throughout the article he explains how the use of computers and advanced technology should replace umpires and referees as the means of regulating sports. Manjoo states, “If video can help an ump determine whether a ball went over the fence, why can't it help with every other call a baseball umpire has to make? That's the lure of video—it promises a measure of certainty in an otherwise uncertain endeavor. Place enough high-speed, high-resolution cameras at enough points around the field of play and you'll eventually get at the absolute truth of any play” (Manjoo). In supporting his technological opinion, he offers the Hawk-Eye example of regulating high-profile tennis matches to ensure that every call is correct. The system is a kind of computerized official that uses video footage obtained from several different cameras to produce a 3-D simulation of the ball and the boundaries of the court. As the match is played, the system is displayed on a wide-screen TV above the court for the fans and officials to view.

After reading the article and dwelling on the topic, Manjoo’s standpoint, purpose, and point of view are clearly perceptible. He believes that the sport’s world should fully adapt and evolve to incorporate the advanced technology that is available. His point of view is unquestionably important seeing that the sports’ world has run into a major debacle on whether or not to evolve or not. Many critics believe that sport’s should be centered around the humanistic element it was designed around and technology should not play a role, but Manjoo is fully prepared with an in depth argument to counter-act them. In order to illustrate his seriousness on the matter, he speaks in the first person and uses effective illusions throughout the article. This emphasizes that the sports world as a whole is affected by the technology debate and there is no way around it. He uses detailed examples and illusions to allow the reader to visualize the assistance that technology truly can offer. His use of detailed analysis challenges even the most defiantly opinionated opposition to reconsider their opinion and fight for technology to become a primary aspect of sports.

Football and Dog Fighting: A Similar Mindset

Gladwell, Malcolm. "Offensive Play: How different are dog fighting and football?" The New Yorker. The New Yorker, October 2009. Web. 3 February 2010.

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In October of 2009, Malcolm Gladwell published his feature article entitled, “Offensive play: How different are dog fighting and football “in The New Yorker. Throughout the informative, yet somewhat controversial article, the author discusses two primary problems with twenty-first century football. According to Gladwell, the mindset and determination of modern day football players and the dreadful activity of dog fighting are fundamentally not that much different from each other. He states that the “gameness” and willingness of both football players and dogs to continue to compete no matter what the case are exactly the same. His primary examples used in the article are Kyle Turley, who received a dangerous concussion yet persevered through the pain and continued to play at a high level, and Michael Vick’s dogs that battled for their lives every fight. The connection is clearly portrayed in this manner seeing that both the player and dog will do whatever it takes for their team, coach, or owner. According to the author, this dog mindset was instilled in the players due to the evolution of the game and the fans appreciation for certain aspects of the game, such as hard hits and dramatic injuries. He relates this troubling aspect of modern football to “Dogmen and Dogfights,” by Evans and Forsyth.

After reading and analyzing the article, Malcolm Gladwell’s purpose, point of view, and values are clearly perceptible. The author is desperately worried about the future of football and the health of the athletes. His point of view is clearly important seeing that he is considering the overall well being of athletes as a whole and sports as a whole. In order to illustrate his seriousness about the manner, he speaks in a worried, yet compassionate tone throughout the article. This tone emphasizes that the matter truly is a serious issue and the proper changes need to be made to the league. Gladwell’s effective use of transitions from a dog fighting incident to the compelling story of an injured player periodically throughout the article allows the reader to clearly see the similarities. His descriptive analysis and use of heavy details allows the reader to see how truly wrong dog fighting is, and relate the story to actual football injuries. By the conclusion of the article, the author hopes to have influenced not only the reader, but also the athletic world as a whole to change sports before the injuries get even more serious than they currently are.