In this section I am going to be talking about the basic procs and cons of ICT. 

 

Lets start off with exploring some of the basic pros of ICT.

Advantages:

Number crunching is easy for a computer.  They are reliable when it comes to performing calculations as they follow precise rules they always calculate brackets first, do addition before subtraction etc.  Because of this, they are fantastic at performing repetitive tasks at speed, such as generating utility bills etc.

 

When it comes to searching for data, they can search large quantities at speed.  The huge amount of data that is now recorded it would take a human many life times to sort through it all.  For a computer a blink of an eye is all that is needed sometimes.

Also, computers are great for controlling devices in unpleasant conditions which, in some cases could be harmful to humans.  Sensors and controls allow humans to work on other (safer) things whilst the computers deal with the more hazardous jobs.

 

Now lets explore some of the basic cons of ICT.

Disadvantages:

A lot of people live in an information rich world. A large majority of people do not (see digital divide). With the wealth of information and services available people want instant results. Hardware limitations can slow this process down. How many times have you got frustrated waiting for a video to buffer before it would start playing.

 

The truth is, much of the hardware we have now still doesn’t manage to keep up with our demands unless you don’t mind paying lots of dosh for it. Even the UK is flagging behind some countries in terms of broadband speeds.

 

In 1975 a bloke called Gordon Moore predicted that the number of semiconductors on a microchip would double roughly every two years. Until now, this prediction remains true. We are reaching the maximum limit for the number of semiconductors per chip which means the way computers are having to work is changing. These days it is fairly common to find multiple processors inside a computer which share workloads.  This is the basic principle under which super computers now work.

 

As we start to build upon communication systems we are finding that we need more and more bandwidth to meet our needs.  Problem is we don’t have the capacity to meet those needs fully. Some countries have the ability to stream 4 HD movies at the same time.  In the UK we struggle to achieve that kind of speed  we simply do not have the infrastructure to do that.