Information Technolgy : The Chinese Food

Om Sai ram,

The term Information technology has become a Chinese food in the sense that every body gives his own version/interpretation of this term. Last week, I gave an invited talk on Hidden web at a conference. A dignitary who spoke earlier then me, said that " Information Technology is hardware" whereas the general perception, though naive, in the minds of the people is just reverse i.e. Computer Engg. deals with hardware and the Information Technology deals with software. Surprisingly, the curriculum for both CE and IT is almost 95% same in the Engg. colleges indicating as if there is no difference between the two.

Today's writing is prompted by the above confusion. Let us remove the haze and see clearly that :
The computer Engg is - the study of designing, developing, and building of computer systems. Where the computer system comprises of both hardware and software.

The Information technology, on the other hand, is an umbrella term, larger than the computers. In fact IT comprises of the following:

1. Computers
2. Communication networks
3. Know-how to solve the problems.

The computers generate, store, interpret the information. Communication Technologies transport the information. And the designer uses his know- how, computers and communication technologies to solve a given problem

A. K. Sharma

Thought to ponder...

A ladder has to be at least as tall as the height you want to reach; your sadhana has to be as long as the time taken to reach the goal.

Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba

The software layer around the machine

Om Sai Ram

We know that a Computer system is an extremely popular system and very easy to use device. The reason behind this user friendly computing device is that around the basic hardware machine, a layer of software is added that removes the user away from the actual machine. The user interacts with the virtual machine offered by the software.

The software can be comfortably divided into two types: Application Software and the system software.

Application Software : it is the third party software brought by the user and loaded on the system for his own personal/ professional needs. Examples: Autocad, a DBMS package (Oracle etc), Kundli package for casting horoscopes, Maya for multimedia.

System software: it is the software that occupies a place between the application software and the machine. In fact, the System software provides services to the application program on one side and harnesses the powers of the machine on the other. Examples: Operating system, Compilers, Assemblers, linkers, loaders, emulators etc.

The system software that provides services to a user, are called Utility software. Examples: Virus scanners, disk defragmenters, disk managers etc.

A. K. Sharma


Thought to ponder...

Love is the most important; there is nothing beyond Love. Be happy; serve and worship God, then you will gain Eternal Bliss... Smile, because Baba likes to see smiling faces.

(Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba)

The Bhranti

OM Sai ram
In my previous post, I talked about Deha Bharanti (देहा भरांति), the body identification with the self. I have personally experienced this delusion and suffered. It is easier said than to practice i.e. to witness yourself as separate from the body.

I know that I am not the body. However, whatever that happens to the body does not remain limited to the body but is also felt by me. This feeling consequently attaches me to the body and hence the delusion, the Bhranti.

I do not know as to when and how the body becomes transparent and the ego takes over. The fame/shame thrown at this body called Ashok, is taken by me and accordingly I react in terms of joy and sorrow.

May be the answer lies in global identification i.e. to consider the thrower of shame /fame at you as your own- part of the same global Brahmin, to which you also belong. This global identification shall bring the feeling of love towards all and may not leave room for feeling of separateness. I am trying this but this task is even more difficult.

As ever, Baba will help me.

A. K. Sharma

निश्चय प्रेम प्रतीति ते
विनय करे सन्मान
तेही के कारज सकल सुभ
सिध्ह करें हनुमान

Thought to Ponder

Help Ever, Hurt Never
Love All

(Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba)

This unreal world

Om Sai Ram


We perceive the world around us through our senses. The senses are capable of identifying objects around us. If a sense organ is faulty or weak then accordingly the world perceived through such a sense organ would definitely be different. For instance if a person is deaf then there is no music in this world for him. Similarly, for a person who can't see green colour, all trees would be colourless. On the contrary, with a strong sixth sense, one can see the spirits, ghosts and similar objects dangling in the surrounding space.

I find that the world is not absolute rather it is unreal. (मिथ्या)

Baba says that it is because of delusion of "Body identification with the self". (देहा भ्रांती ) This delusion is the basic cause of the serpent called ego। It is this serpent that surfaces time and again to delude you to believe the material objects around you to be real. The shame and fame inflicted upon your body is taken by this serpent to your inner self and brings about momentary grief or joy.

Whereas the body is only a vehicle to take you across this sea of life. Therefore baba gave the following simple advice:

मानस भज रे गुरु चरणं. दुस्तर भव सागर तरणं

Thought to ponder….

Whoever the individual, however scholarly, he cannot escape delusion and so he is subject to grief, which acts upon as a break upon activity. Arjuna, the great hero, capable of great renunciation and great wisdom, is deluded by the awful needs of war, and his grief handicaps his activity too. He confuses the body and the self; he starts identifying the two. He imposes on the real self (the Atma - ever untouched by the characteristics of the moving, changing world) the unreal and ephemeral nature of the world and takes this delusion to be true. This is the tragedy not only of Arjuna alone but of all humanity.

(Bhagwan Sri Sataya Sai Baba)

Positive forces are far more stronger than negative

Today reminds us about the bloody, horrific, suicidal attack, by foreigners on simple, unarmed people. It took place on this day exactly an year back. I kept glued to the TV screen for almost a week till the media found some other scintillating news to divert the attention of the people.

Generally, the memory of an ordinary person is very short and with time the pain goes, the wounds heel and the civic society goes back to work. Somehow this incidence refuses to go. In fact it haunts me.

This gory incident has persisted; it has stayed rather every time it comes back to me with newer questions.

Have you forgotten the cowardly act of those faceless, brainwashed jihadis who mercilessly killed hundreds of Indian citizens and guests from abroad?.
Have you forgotten the sacrifice of men in uniform who gave their lives for your safety?.
Or have you absolved "the responsible" of their callousness towards giving befitting reply to our nasty neighbor.

The negative forces always look to be dangerous but in reality they are weak. The drakula, the vampires, ghosts, demons, pishachs like creatures scare those who are weak otherwise they exist in text only. Had they been strong they would have been ruling the world instead of us.


We must wake up to the call of KAAL (The eternal time). Leave the hypocrisy. Call a spade a spade. It is war against us and only we will have to fight and win at whatever level and from whichever side it comes. All Indians from all quarters, casts, religions, have to unite to fight this menace.

This time do not let this incidence of Mumbai whither away in the dust and become a part of history. This time do not leave this unfinished task for your children. Read the following poem every week, if not everyday:

A. K. Sharma

इस बार नहीं

इस बार जब वोह छोटी सी बच्ची मेरे पास अपनी खरोंच ले कर आएगी
मैं उसे फू फू कर नहीं बहलाऊँगा
पनपने दूँगा उसकी टीस को
इस बार नहीं

इस बार जब मैं चेहरों पर दर्द लेखा देखूँगा
नहीं गाऊंगा गीत पीड़ा भुला देने वाले
दर्द को रसने दूँगा,उतरने दूँगा अंदर गहरे
इस बार नहीं

इस बार मैं न मरहम लगाऊँगा
न ही उठाऊँगा रुई के फाहे
और न ही कहूँगा की तुम आँखें बंद करलो,गर्दन उधर कर लो मैं दवा लगता हूँ
देखने दूँगा सबको हम सबको खुले नंगे घाव
इस बार नहीं

इस बार जब उलझने देखूँगा, छ्त्पताहत देखूँगा
नहीं दौडूंगा उलझी डूर लपेटने
उलझाने दूँगा जब तक उलझ सके
इस बार नहीं

इस बार कर्म का हवाला दे कर नहीं उठाऊँगा औज़ार
नहीं करूंगा फिर से एक नयी शुरुआत
नहीं बनूँगा मिसाल एक कर्मयोगी की
नहीं आने दूँगा ज़िंदगी को आसानी से पटरी पर
उतारने दूँगा उसे कीचड मैं,टेडी मेदे रास्तों पे
नहीं सूखने दूँगा दीवारों पर लगा खून
हल्का नहीं पड़ने दूँगा उसका रंग
इस बार नहीं बनने दूँगा उसे इतना लाचार
की पान की पीक और खून का फर्क ही ख़त्म हो जाए
इस बार नहीं

इस बार घावों को देखना है
गौर से
थोड़ा लंबे वक्त तक
कुछ फैसले
और उसके बाद हौसले
कहीं तोह शुरुआत करनी ही होगी
इस बार यही तय कीया है

... प्रसून जोशी

The Confusion about multitasking

Om Sai Ram

I find that there is lot of confusion among students and teachers as well, about the difference between the terms : Multiprogramming and Multitasking. I attempt to clear the prevalent haze through the discussion given below:

Owing to the high computational speed of the processor, somewhere in 60s, the designers took a decision to allow multiple users to connect to the computer system so that maximum utilization could be obtained. Having decided to build a multi-user system, it became mandatory to bring one program of each user into the main memory of the system. This act of bringing multiple programs into the main memory was called as multiprogramming. The precise definition is given below:

Multiprogramming: concurrent residency of multiple programs, belonging to different users, in main memory is called as multiprogramming.

It may be noted that multiprogramming has nothing to do with as how the programs are executed and in what order. In fact, it is the OS that schedules them for execution. However, Multiprogramming required the designers to answer the following two fundamentals questions:

1. Which program will get the main memory.
2. Out of the resident programs, which program will get the Processor.

Additionally, a program belonging to one user was needed to be protected from programs of other users.

Note: a multiprogramming system has to be necessarily multi-user.

The designers found that even after multiprogramming, the processor was sitting idle. Many times the I/O bound program of a user was repeatedly thrown out of processor for want of completion of I/O and the user had to wait. As the user was allowed to submit only one program at a time, the wait became even more significant.

In the light of the above problem, the designers extended the operating system to allow user to submit more than one jobs. A job was considered as a task and hence the term: multitasking. The precise definition is given below:

Multitasking : the ability of a system to allow a user to submit more than one task, is called as multitasking.

Since the various tasks belong to the same user, They need not be protected from each other as vigorously as in the case of multiprogramming.

When the OS is single User, it is called as - single user multitasking.
Example : Windows OS

When the Os is multi-user(and hence multiprogramming also), the Os is called Multi-user, multiprogramming, and multitasking.
Example : Unix.

A. K. Sharma


Thought to Ponder:

God is Love and can be won only through the cultivation and exercise of Love. He cannot be trapped by any trick. He yields grace only when his commands are followed - commands to love all, to serve all.

(Bhagwan Sri Satya Sai Baba)

In response to Manjit's Query

Om Sai Ram

1.As per Von Neumann convention, the default storage/memory is the online memory, referred to as main memory. This architecture consists of a processor, a store (memory) and a communication channel between the two.
2. The books I am referring to do not show any memory outside the CPU and hence the error.

A. K. Sharma