The concise edition ofComputer Confluencecombines three information sourcesan illustrated book, a multimedia CD-ROM, and an up-to-the-minute Companion Websiteto explore the promises and challenges of information technology, its effect on businesses, people, society, and the future.Topics covered in this edition include Computer Currents, Hardware Basics, Revolution in Writing, and Networking and Communication.For professionals in the information technology field.

Confluence1: acoming or flowing together,meeting, or gathering at one point (a happy confluence of weather and scenery); 2a: the flowing together oftwo or more streams; b: theplace of meetingof two streams; c: thecombined streamformed by conjunction --Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, Electronic EditionWhen powerful forces come together, change is inevitable. As we enter the 21st century, we're standing at the confluence of three powerful technological forces: computers, telecommunications, and electronic entertainment. The computer's digital technology is showing up in everything from telephones to televisions, and the lines that separate these machines are eroding. Thisdigital convergenceis rapidly--and radically--altering the world's economic landscape. Start-up companies and industries are emerging to ride the waves of change. Some thrive; others dive into oblivion. Meanwhile, older organizations reorganize, regroup, and redefine themselves to keep from being washed away.Smaller computers, faster processors, smarter software, larger networks, new communication media--in the world of information technology, it seems like change is the only constant. In less than a human lifetime, this technological cascade has transformed virtually every facet of our society--and the transformation is just beginning. As old technologies merge and new technologies emerge, far-fetched predictions routinely come true. This headlong rush into the high-tech future poses a challenge for all of us: How can we extract the knowledge we need from the deluge of information? What must we understand about information technology to successfully navigate the waters of change that carry us into the future?Computer Confluence: Exploring Tomorrow's Technologyis designed to aid travelers on their journey into that future. What Is Computer Confluence?Computer Confluencepresents computers and information technology on three levels: Explanations:Computer Confluenceclearly explains what a computer is and what it can (and can't) do; it clearly explains the basics of information technology, from multimedia PCs to the Internet and beyond. Applications:Computer Confluenceillustrates how computers and networks can be used as practical tools to solve a wide variety of problems. Implications:Computer Confluenceputs computers in a human context, illustrating how information technology affects our lives, our world, and our future.The book consists of 11 chapters, numbered 0 through 10 in the grand tradition of computer science. Chapter 0,ReadMe,new to this edition, provides an introduction for students who have little or no experience with PCs and the Internet. The chapter also includes an orientation to theComputer Confluencebook, CD-ROM, and Web site.The book's focus flows from the concrete to the controversial and from the present to the future. Individual chapters have a similarly expanding focus. After a brief introduction, each chapter flows from basic concepts toward abstract, future-oriented questions and ideas. About this EditionEven if you're on the right track,you'll get run overif you just sit on it. -- Pat KoppmanThe pace of change threatens to make even the most successful introductory computer classes irrelevant.Computer Confluence Concise,Fifth Edition, helps students and instructors deal with rapid changes by emphasizes big ideas, broad trends, and the human aspects of technolgy--critical concepts that tend to remain constant even while hardware and software change. Every edition ofComputer Confluenceis rewritten to reflect changes in the technological landscape. This edition places new emphasis on the latest Web technologies, electronic commerce, multimedia tr