Vocabulary Notes

Software. Its Definition, Evolution and Possible Future.

Applet['aplɪt]; [æ̱plɪt]	Аплет- (прикладная программа, запускаемая при каждом обращении к веб-странице, в исходный текст которой она встроена) 2) апплет (переносимая программа на Java в форме байт-кода, распространяемая через веб-страницы);
Applications software	Прикладное программное обеспечение
Desktop publishing system	Настольная редакционно-издательская система
Graphical interface	Графический интерфейс
Hypermedia	Гипермедиа
Hypertext	Гипертекст
Network software	Сетевое программное обеспечение
Paint software	Программа раскраски
Print manager	Блок управления печатью
Resident software	Резидентная программа
Software	Программное изделие, Программное обеспечение, Программные средства
Software documentation	Программная документация
Software engineer	Системный инженер
Software interrupt	Прерывание прикладной программы
Software piracy	Незаконное копирование программных средств
Software tools	Инструментальные программные средства
Softwired	Программный
Spelling checker	Блок орфографического контроля
Spreadsheet	Электронная таблица
System software	Системное программное обеспечение
Text editor	Текстовый редактор
To create software	Создавать программное обеспечение
To devise software	Разрабатывать программное обеспечение
To extend software	Расширять программное обеспечение
To meet the needs	Удовлетворять нужды
To provide support	Обеспечивать поддержку
Word processing	Подготовка текстов

Ex. I. Read the definitions of some terms and give their Russian equivalents.

Software

Any program or group of programs which instructs the hardware on how it should perform, including operating systems, word processors and applications programs.

NOTE: no plural for software; for the plural say pieces of software

Applet

Utility application program; a computer program which is contained within a page on the World Wide Web, and which transfers itself to your computer and runs automatically while you are looking at that Web page.

Hypermedia

Hypertext document that is also capable of displaying images and sounds.

Hypertext

System of organizing information; certain words in a document link to other documents and display the text when the word is selected.

Desktop publishing- the production of printed matter by means of a printer linked to a desktop computer, with special software. The system enables reports, advertising matter, etc., to be produced cheaply with a layout and print quality similar to that of typeset books...>

text editor - system or program that allows a user to edit text

Ex. II. A. Match the terms in the left column with their definitions in the right column.

1) applications software	a) illegal copy of a software package
2) bundled software	b) useful routines that can be used by any program
3) common software	c) programs which direct the basic functions, input-output control, etc., of a computer
4) network software	d) programs which are used by the user to perform a certain task
5) pirate software	e) programs which are easy for a non-expert to use and interact with
6) system software	f) software which is used to establish the link between a users’ program and a network
7) user- friendly software	g) program that is started from the command line, then loads itself into memory, ready to be activated by an action, and passes control back to the command line
8) resident software	h) software which is included in the price of the system

B. Choose one of the terms and give its explanation.

Ex. III.. Complete the following text using the words and phrases from the box.

Software

Once upon a time the term _1__ described iron fittings, tools, and other things created by the village blacksmith. Military jargon then expanded the definition to include machines and, still later, __2___. In 1962, someone used this precedent to coin a new term to describe __3___, procedures, and related documentation associated with computers – software. No doubt the definition of software will change as much as hardware in the coming years, but in both cases many underlying concepts will probably ___4 the same. Computer users know that software turns the computer into _5___.

a) the programs b) hardware c) remain d) the user’s tool e) computer equipment

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Ex. IV. Complete the text using the words and phrases from the box.

Windows

Welcome to the Microsoft Windows operating system, ___1___ that makes your computer easier and more fun __2___. Windows is easy _3___ because its _4____ is consistent from one __5___ to the next. When you have learned to use one application with Windows, such as _6__, you have learned _7____ for using any other application with Windows. You can __8___ your existing MS-DOS-based __9__ and share information between them. This software includes _10___, __11__ and others.

A) to use b) applications c) the essentials d) graphical interface e) to learn

f) file manager g) application h) run i) print manager j) software k)write

Ex.V. Make up the word- combinations and use them in sentences of your own.

To create	software
To devise
To extend
To design
To sell
To provide

Ex. IV. Read the article Just the FAQs, ma’am and match the boxes with the titles. Use a dictionary when necessary.

a) different types of software;

b) pattern-matching type;

c) existing chatterbot software;

d) functioning procedure;

e) case-reasoning type.

Just the FAQs, ma’am

Getting a chatterbot to answer people’s questions, in a typed conversation, has a number of advantages. Once the right questions and responses have been programmed into the system, it is easy to add more capacity as the volume of inquiries increases. And bots don’t get tired, so they can answer queries around the clock.

Existing chatterbot software is more than qualified for such menial work. Most bots are limited to chatting about a handful of well-defined topics anyway, so rejigging them to talk about printer problems (instead of old “Star Trek” episodes, say, or Bill Clinton) is a doddle. And the question of whether a particular bot can pass the Turing test is, in this context, irrelevant- since customers are well aware that they are not dealing with a human being in the first place.

Admittedly, bots cannot answer every question satisfactorily. But bot proponents point out that most technical-support staff spend much of their time dealing with the same small set of easily answered inquiries (known in the jargon as FAQs, or frequently asked questions). According to Dean Norman of Neuromedia, a software company based in San Francisco, 70-80 % of inquiries are FAQs. A suitably configured chatterbot system can be programmed to handle most of these, passing customers on to human support staff only when it encounters a problem that it cannot solve. Neuromedia claims that installing a bot on a website can reduce the volume of e-mail queries by as much as 80 %.

Neuromedia’s chatterbot system, called NeuroServer, works by pattern-matching. It is programmed with a set of answers, along with patterns for the questions that trigger each one. Input from a user is checked against these patterns to decide which answer is most appropriate in each case. The system also remembers a certain amount of context, so that if the user asks "do you know John Smith?", followed by "what is his telephone number?", the bot can respond appropriately. Transcripts of all conversations are stored, and can be searched by human operators to check that the bot is giving the right answers. They can also be used to identify cases where the bot was unable to provide the information required, so that it can be modified to do so in the future.

People who visit Neuromedia’s website (www.neuromedia.com) can chat with its resident bot, Shallow Red, whose name is a sarcastic reference to IBM’s chess-playing computer, Deep Blue. Shallow Red can answer questions about himself and his parent company, and provide names, maps and telephone numbers. Other companies are using Neuromedia’s software to create their own bots. Charles Schwab, an American on-line stockbroker, has developed a prototype bot called Virtual Chuck to dispense investment advice. And Oracle, a software company, and J. P. Morgan, a bank, are testing bots internally as a possible way of delivering computer support.

Another approach is being taken by Inference, a company based in Novato, California. It has entered the chatterbot field by extending the software it sells to help companies run their cell centers. Instead of pattern-matching, Inference’s bot uses a system called case-based reasoning.

Normally, a human support-worker at a call center leads a caller through a series of questions, comparing the answers with a database of known solutions. The probability of each possible solution being the correct one is recalculated after a question is answered. Eventually, enough information is available for the system to suggest a course of action. This technology has been extended to the web by creating a bot to ask questions, collect the answers, interrogate the database, and come up with the solution.

LucasARTS, a games company based in San Rafael, California, has used Inference’s software for a technical-support service on its website (www.lucasarts.com\support\). Visitors are greeted by Yoda, a character from the "Star Wars" films, who asks them to describe their problems, and diagnoses what is wrong by asking further questions. According to LucasArts, Yoda now handles 500-1,000 enquiries a day, and does the work of 33 human "support representatives". The fact that Yoda is available at night and over weekends is particularly important to players of computer games.

Another company pursuing the case-based reasoning approach is Big Science, of Roswell, Georgia. Its bot-building system, known as Klone Server, adds a further refinement called a "goal-stack", which enables bots to keep track of the direction of a conversation. According to the company’s founder, Tom Rearick, bots make good virtual sales clerks, asking customers what they are looking for from a particular product and then making a recommendation. They are also, he says, a good way to answer the last-minute niggling questions customers have before finalizing a purchase ("is it safe to send my credit card details?", "what is your privacy policy?") without leaving the page with the “buy” button on it. Instead, a bot can just pop up in a window.

In both of these cases, the bot needs to be able to handle sudden changes in the direction of the conversation, and then revert to the previous task. The goal-stack works like a pile of paper. A new goal is placed on top. When it has been achieved, it is removed, revealing the previous goal, to which the bot returns. Visitors to the company’s website (www.bigscience.com) can chart with Andrette, a bot with a human face who looks pained when she fails to understand.

No doubt, there is room in the market for several different types of chatterbot. Pattern-matching may prove most useful for dispensing information, while case-based reasoning is better suited to goal-driven inquiries. Either way, it is likely that demand for software to deliver electronic customer-service will increase. Gartner Group, an American technology consultancy, suggests that by 2001,
25 % of customer contacts and inquiries to large American companies will be made on the Internet. Chatterbots might not be able to pass the Turing test, but talking to them could still beat being kept on hold by a human.

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Ex. V. Match the boxes and the titles given above. Discuss your variants.

Ex. VI. Describe:

1) the way the bots function;

2) the advantages of using the bots;

3) the bots which can pass the Turing Test and explain the reasons;

4) the bots which cannot pass the Turing test and explain the reasons;

5) the type of bots you would prefer to use and explain the reasons.

Ex. VII. Explain the meaning of the following statements from the article.

1. Admittedly, bots cannot answer every question satisfactorily.

2. The goal-stack works like a pile of paper.

3. Pattern matching may prove most useful for dispensing information, while case-based reasoning is better suited to goal-driven inquiries.

4. Chatterbots might not be able to pass the Turing test, but talking to them could still beat being kept on hold by a human.

Ex. VIII. Discuss in pairs:

1. The problems software engineers have when they devise the bots.

2. The needs most clients have when they use different software.

Ex. IX. Speak about different types of software. Give their strong and weak points.

DISCUSSING

Ex. I. Discuss the following points:

1. For programmers creating software is a way of getting a bit of recognition and it is a challenge.

2. IT has had and will continue to have profound effects on jobs especially through the knowledge-worker channel.

3. Computing is an agent of revolution in whole organizations. Computers are starting to be used as substitutes for operators.

Ex. II. Look through the following statements and choose the ones you agree with. Explain your reasons.

1. In general, I think users are getting what they want – there are a lot of creative things being done with paint software, word processing, DTP (desktop publishing) systems, and the like. Do users want more? Of course! Users will always want more. The computer is an incredibly powerful tool, and any software that makes it easier, faster, more creative, or more cost – effective will inevitably be in demand. But I’m generally optimistic about the way things are going at the moment. I think most of the major software manufacturers are able to read the market quite well.

2. I think that applications are getting too big, and that they’re trying to do too much. Yes, they’re versatile and powerful, but they’re also often overwhelming. I think what we need are simple little programs that are easy to understand and use, and that work together to accomplish more complex tasks.

3. In my opinion, we need specialized software. Simple little programs just ignore the complex needs of many of today’s software users.

4. I think specialized software is usually so specific that it should be written in-house for businesses. Developers should add features that the customer needs, not what they think customers want. Some effort should be made to get feedback from the users before making an upgrade so that the proper features are added.

Ex. III. Work in pairs

Share your opinion on the following point:

New computer software makes it hard to say which skills the economy is going to need. The new business opportunities have been and are being brought into life. Service industry is changing very fast.

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