Kopec Explains Software

PowerPoint has completely changed the way that we communicate. But where did it come from? In this episode we discuss the origins and impact of PowerPoint. We go through the product's history including what it displaced, its development by a startup company, and its evolution under Microsoft. Then we go into some of its criticisms and provide some tips for making great slides in the age of online presentations.

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What is cybersecurity? This week we are joined by Professor Duane Dunston of Champlain College, an expert in cybersecurity. Duane explains the field from multiple perspectives. He helps us understand the threats, how they are mitigated, and the roles of practitioners in the field. He differentiates between the scale of threats to organizations versus individuals and leaves us with some tips to improve on the security of our systems.

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The original Apple Macintosh, often referred to as the Macintosh 128K, was a revolutionary device because it brought the Graphical User Interface (GUI) and the mouse to the general public. Released in 1984, the Macintosh 128K was not the first computer with a GUI and a mouse, but it was the first to be priced within the realm of possibility for regular users. Despite its significance, the original incarnation of the machine did not sell well due to several design and technical limitations. In this episode we discuss the significance of the original Macintosh, its ethos, and its limitations.

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Each week we make a software-related technical topic intelligible. We aim to help you develop an intuitive understanding of each subject, instead of emphasizing formal definitions. Join us as we learn about the wide world of software.

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Are you thinking about learning computer programming? In this episode we provide some tips for aspiring programmers. What programming language should you choose? What learning resources should you use? How should you setup your environment? What are some good habits as you learn? What kind of mindset should you have? All of this and more tips for overcoming some early hurdles.

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When software gets sufficiently complex it needs a database management system to store, structure, and query its records. In this episode we talk about what a database is, the models behind the most common kinds of databases, and some of the different use cases for each. We concentrate on relational databases, but we also discuss some so-called "NoSQL" databases including document-oriented databases, key-value stores, and graph databases. Along the way we learn a little history and about some of the concepts underlying relational databases including SQL and relational algebra.

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Napster was the first popular peer-to-peer file sharing service. It introduced a generation to MP3 files and digitally swapping music. Created in 1999 by two teenagers, Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker, Napster would go on to upend the music industry and kickstart the online music revolution. But its success would be short lived. The first incarnation of Napster was forced into bankruptcy by legal challenges just a couple of years after its birth. In this episode we discuss Napster's origin, its importance, and the technologies that enabled it to work.

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We take spreadsheets for granted, but they were actually an incredible innovation that transformed small business. In this episode we talk about the history of spreadsheets and why they are so important. We cover the first popular spreadsheet program, VisiCalc, which was the "killer app" for the Apple II. Then we talk about Lotus 1-2-3 and why it displaced VisiCalc. We finish with Microsoft Excel and areas where spreadsheets are being stretched too thin.

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Throughout the three decade history of the Web various browsers have battled for supremacy. In the 1990s it was Netscape Navigator versus Microsoft Internet Explorer. More recently, Google Chrome has dominated Mozilla Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Apple's Safari. In this episode we dive into the history of the browser wars. We look at the various periods of web browser development, and identify how one browser's success or failure led to the rise of another. Ultimately we find connections that link every popular browser to every other.

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Apple is transitioning the Mac from Intel's X86-64 based microprocessors to its own Apple Silicon built on the ARM64 instruction set. But the Mac has already been through two other similar transitions! In this episode we discuss the transitions and how they affect software. We delve into the 1994 transition from the Motorola 68K line to the Motorola/IBM PowerPC, and the 2006 transition from PowerPC to Intel. Finally, we talk about going from Intel to Apple Silicon. Along the way we discuss mitigation strategies for software developers like universal binaries and emulation.

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Find out more at http://kopec.live