I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are many
of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without a
correct answer?

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>IAS? Whassat?

Immediate Access Store.

All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>IAS? Whassat?

Immediate Access Store.

All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
> 2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
> uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
> marikano es bono tan el:

>>IAS? Whassat?

> Immediate Access Store.

> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...

"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

:)

What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

Must say, I've noticed a lot of anomalies like that when flicking through
Key stage IT books. Why can't they get some IT pros in to set curricula?
People who know what should be taught.
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "ARSE! GERLS!! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!!!"          |
|            in            | "THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMENICAL MATTER!...FECK!!!! |
|     Computer Science     | - Father Jack in "Father Ted"                   |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sun, 27 May
2007 07:44:49 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

Exactly.  It is taught for the sole purpose that the exam might have a
question on it.

>What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

RAM or ROM, basically.

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>IAS? Whassat?

Immediate Access Store.

All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
> 2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
> uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
> marikano es bono tan el:

>>IAS? Whassat?

> Immediate Access Store.

> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...

"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

:)

What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

Must say, I've noticed a lot of anomalies like that when flicking through
Key stage IT books. Why can't they get some IT pros in to set curricula?
People who know what should be taught.
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "ARSE! GERLS!! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!!!"          |
|            in            | "THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMENICAL MATTER!...FECK!!!! |
|     Computer Science     | - Father Jack in "Father Ted"                   |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sun, 27 May
2007 07:44:49 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

Exactly.  It is taught for the sole purpose that the exam might have a
question on it.

>What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

RAM or ROM, basically.

Message-ID:  from
spike1@freenet.co.uk contained the following:

>>>IAS? Whassat?
>
>> Immediate Access Store.
>
>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
information that they really should know.  

OCR can't even run a mailing list efficiently, produce material riddled
with mistakes and anomalies and don't seem to even test their units
before release.  They still think 'software tools' are the answer to
everything and CSS is a complete mystery to them.  I could go on.

Get out now while you have a chance.  You won't regret it.

-- 
black-dog

"Always spellcheck your wok to avoid mistakes"

black-dog  did eloquently scribble:
>>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

> It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
> garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
> date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
> information that they really should know.  

Or, I could teach them what they really should know anyway and just tell
them what the crap stuff is for the exam requirements.

I can't see myself being one of those teachers who only teaches for the
exams. One who teaches for the future is what I aim to be.

No, I don't think I'll get out while I can. I've been trying long enough to
get on a PGCE, I'm not quitting before I start.
-- 
|                          |What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack|
|  spike1@freenet.co.uk    |in the ground beneath a giant boulder, which you|
|                          |can't move, with no hope of rescue.             |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)|Consider how lucky you are that life has been   |
|           in             |good to you so far...                           |
|    Computer Science      |   -The BOOK, Hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy.|

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>IAS? Whassat?

Immediate Access Store.

All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
> 2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
> uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
> marikano es bono tan el:

>>IAS? Whassat?

> Immediate Access Store.

> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...

"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

:)

What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

Must say, I've noticed a lot of anomalies like that when flicking through
Key stage IT books. Why can't they get some IT pros in to set curricula?
People who know what should be taught.
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "ARSE! GERLS!! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!!!"          |
|            in            | "THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMENICAL MATTER!...FECK!!!! |
|     Computer Science     | - Father Jack in "Father Ted"                   |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sun, 27 May
2007 07:44:49 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

Exactly.  It is taught for the sole purpose that the exam might have a
question on it.

>What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

RAM or ROM, basically.

Message-ID:  from
spike1@freenet.co.uk contained the following:

>>>IAS? Whassat?
>
>> Immediate Access Store.
>
>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
information that they really should know.  

OCR can't even run a mailing list efficiently, produce material riddled
with mistakes and anomalies and don't seem to even test their units
before release.  They still think 'software tools' are the answer to
everything and CSS is a complete mystery to them.  I could go on.

Get out now while you have a chance.  You won't regret it.

-- 
black-dog

"Always spellcheck your wok to avoid mistakes"

black-dog  did eloquently scribble:
>>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

> It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
> garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
> date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
> information that they really should know.  

Or, I could teach them what they really should know anyway and just tell
them what the crap stuff is for the exam requirements.

I can't see myself being one of those teachers who only teaches for the
exams. One who teaches for the future is what I aim to be.

No, I don't think I'll get out while I can. I've been trying long enough to
get on a PGCE, I'm not quitting before I start.
-- 
|                          |What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack|
|  spike1@freenet.co.uk    |in the ground beneath a giant boulder, which you|
|                          |can't move, with no hope of rescue.             |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)|Consider how lucky you are that life has been   |
|           in             |good to you so far...                           |
|    Computer Science      |   -The BOOK, Hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy.|

wrote in message 
news:4dpni4-35v.ln1@ridcully.ntlworld.com...
> So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
> should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
> "IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
> GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase 
> is
> not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
> and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."
>
While I fully agree that some stuff on some exam specs is either out of date 
or, in some cases wrong, you can't put the term IAS down to the creative 
powers of GCSE examiners.

IAS is a computing term which is probably now falling or fallen out of use. 
It was, I seem to recall, originally used at a time when computer memory was 
based on soundwaves passing through mercury filled tubes - as system that 
provided sequential access. The original IAS was based on Cathode Ray Tube 
storage which allowed Immediate Access. Since all computer memory is now 
Immediate Access there the term tends to be replaced by the single word 
Memory and so could be considered redundant although it could be considered 
useful in highlighting the fact that both RAM and ROM provide immediate 
access - that is access in which the access time is independent of which 
item of data was last read.

My current and definitely  non-GCSE or even A-level dictuionary of computing 
contains a definition for the term and does not indicate that it is no 
longer used.

Steve

steve mcweeney  did eloquently scribble:
> IAS is a computing term which is probably now falling or fallen out of use. 
> It was, I seem to recall, originally used at a time when computer memory was 
> based on soundwaves passing through mercury filled tubes - as system that 
> provided sequential access. 

In other words, something that hasn't been in use for over 40 years.
Total irrelevance to anything computer related and obsolete even back when I
was at school in the 70s and 80s.

> The original IAS was based on Cathode Ray Tube 
> storage which allowed Immediate Access. 

Yes, I believe I've seen a film of that in operation.

Hell, the GCSE sylabus still mentions Minicomputers.
A term that fell out of use as microcomputers exceeded them in power.
Nowadays, terms in use are microcomputer, cluster and supercomputer.

We're supposed to be teaching them about the IT of today and trends leading
to what may be tomorrow, not a time before even many of their parents
were born. (although I suppose a couple of lessons on how we got here might
not hurt)
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 26 May, 15:12, deKay <a...@deleteme.lofi-
gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:
>
> >In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
> >a bus network over a star network,
>
> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.
>
> > but it doesnt mention rin networks
> >at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
> >I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
> >it is looking dated.
>
> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.
>
> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

Doohhh!

Sorry, I typed to quickly and didnt proof read! Interesting that noone
thought I was wrong though!

The spec says we should look at the greater resilience of a STAR
network over a BUS network, not the other way round! They are mainly
refering to the increased level of total system failure with a bus.

Phil

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>IAS? Whassat?

Immediate Access Store.

All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
> 2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
> uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
> marikano es bono tan el:

>>IAS? Whassat?

> Immediate Access Store.

> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...

"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

:)

What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

Must say, I've noticed a lot of anomalies like that when flicking through
Key stage IT books. Why can't they get some IT pros in to set curricula?
People who know what should be taught.
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "ARSE! GERLS!! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!!!"          |
|            in            | "THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMENICAL MATTER!...FECK!!!! |
|     Computer Science     | - Father Jack in "Father Ted"                   |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sun, 27 May
2007 07:44:49 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

Exactly.  It is taught for the sole purpose that the exam might have a
question on it.

>What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

RAM or ROM, basically.

Message-ID:  from
spike1@freenet.co.uk contained the following:

>>>IAS? Whassat?
>
>> Immediate Access Store.
>
>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
information that they really should know.  

OCR can't even run a mailing list efficiently, produce material riddled
with mistakes and anomalies and don't seem to even test their units
before release.  They still think 'software tools' are the answer to
everything and CSS is a complete mystery to them.  I could go on.

Get out now while you have a chance.  You won't regret it.

-- 
black-dog

"Always spellcheck your wok to avoid mistakes"

black-dog  did eloquently scribble:
>>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

> It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
> garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
> date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
> information that they really should know.  

Or, I could teach them what they really should know anyway and just tell
them what the crap stuff is for the exam requirements.

I can't see myself being one of those teachers who only teaches for the
exams. One who teaches for the future is what I aim to be.

No, I don't think I'll get out while I can. I've been trying long enough to
get on a PGCE, I'm not quitting before I start.
-- 
|                          |What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack|
|  spike1@freenet.co.uk    |in the ground beneath a giant boulder, which you|
|                          |can't move, with no hope of rescue.             |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)|Consider how lucky you are that life has been   |
|           in             |good to you so far...                           |
|    Computer Science      |   -The BOOK, Hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy.|

wrote in message 
news:4dpni4-35v.ln1@ridcully.ntlworld.com...
> So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
> should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
> "IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
> GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase 
> is
> not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
> and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."
>
While I fully agree that some stuff on some exam specs is either out of date 
or, in some cases wrong, you can't put the term IAS down to the creative 
powers of GCSE examiners.

IAS is a computing term which is probably now falling or fallen out of use. 
It was, I seem to recall, originally used at a time when computer memory was 
based on soundwaves passing through mercury filled tubes - as system that 
provided sequential access. The original IAS was based on Cathode Ray Tube 
storage which allowed Immediate Access. Since all computer memory is now 
Immediate Access there the term tends to be replaced by the single word 
Memory and so could be considered redundant although it could be considered 
useful in highlighting the fact that both RAM and ROM provide immediate 
access - that is access in which the access time is independent of which 
item of data was last read.

My current and definitely  non-GCSE or even A-level dictuionary of computing 
contains a definition for the term and does not indicate that it is no 
longer used.

Steve

steve mcweeney  did eloquently scribble:
> IAS is a computing term which is probably now falling or fallen out of use. 
> It was, I seem to recall, originally used at a time when computer memory was 
> based on soundwaves passing through mercury filled tubes - as system that 
> provided sequential access. 

In other words, something that hasn't been in use for over 40 years.
Total irrelevance to anything computer related and obsolete even back when I
was at school in the 70s and 80s.

> The original IAS was based on Cathode Ray Tube 
> storage which allowed Immediate Access. 

Yes, I believe I've seen a film of that in operation.

Hell, the GCSE sylabus still mentions Minicomputers.
A term that fell out of use as microcomputers exceeded them in power.
Nowadays, terms in use are microcomputer, cluster and supercomputer.

We're supposed to be teaching them about the IT of today and trends leading
to what may be tomorrow, not a time before even many of their parents
were born. (although I suppose a couple of lessons on how we got here might
not hurt)
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 26 May, 15:12, deKay <a...@deleteme.lofi-
gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:
>
> >In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
> >a bus network over a star network,
>
> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.
>
> > but it doesnt mention rin networks
> >at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
> >I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
> >it is looking dated.
>
> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.
>
> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

Doohhh!

Sorry, I typed to quickly and didnt proof read! Interesting that noone
thought I was wrong though!

The spec says we should look at the greater resilience of a STAR
network over a BUS network, not the other way round! They are mainly
refering to the increased level of total system failure with a bus.

Phil

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>IAS? Whassat?

Immediate Access Store.

All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
> 2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
> uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
> marikano es bono tan el:

>>IAS? Whassat?

> Immediate Access Store.

> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.

So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...

"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

:)

What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

Must say, I've noticed a lot of anomalies like that when flicking through
Key stage IT books. Why can't they get some IT pros in to set curricula?
People who know what should be taught.
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "ARSE! GERLS!! DRINK! DRINK! DRINK!!!"          |
|            in            | "THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMENICAL MATTER!...FECK!!!! |
|     Computer Science     | - Father Jack in "Father Ted"                   |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sun, 27 May
2007 07:44:49 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet.co.uk fornis do
marikano es bono tan el:

>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

Exactly.  It is taught for the sole purpose that the exam might have a
question on it.

>What is IAS? swap? memory? plain old hard disk/flash/tape storage?

RAM or ROM, basically.

Message-ID:  from
spike1@freenet.co.uk contained the following:

>>>IAS? Whassat?
>
>> Immediate Access Store.
>
>> All references to it on the internet seem to be on GCSE ICT revision sites.
>
>So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
>should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
information that they really should know.  

OCR can't even run a mailing list efficiently, produce material riddled
with mistakes and anomalies and don't seem to even test their units
before release.  They still think 'software tools' are the answer to
everything and CSS is a complete mystery to them.  I could go on.

Get out now while you have a chance.  You won't regret it.

-- 
black-dog

"Always spellcheck your wok to avoid mistakes"

black-dog  did eloquently scribble:
>>"IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
>>GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase is
>>not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
>>and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."

> It's worse than that.  As well as teaching a load of inconsequential
> garbage that they don't need to know, you'll be teaching them out of
> date information and missing out some really crucial up to date
> information that they really should know.  

Or, I could teach them what they really should know anyway and just tell
them what the crap stuff is for the exam requirements.

I can't see myself being one of those teachers who only teaches for the
exams. One who teaches for the future is what I aim to be.

No, I don't think I'll get out while I can. I've been trying long enough to
get on a PGCE, I'm not quitting before I start.
-- 
|                          |What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack|
|  spike1@freenet.co.uk    |in the ground beneath a giant boulder, which you|
|                          |can't move, with no hope of rescue.             |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)|Consider how lucky you are that life has been   |
|           in             |good to you so far...                           |
|    Computer Science      |   -The BOOK, Hitch-hiker's guide to the galaxy.|

wrote in message 
news:4dpni4-35v.ln1@ridcully.ntlworld.com...
> So, if and when I begin teaching, I tell the kids that the answer they
> should put on the exam paper when it asks what IAS is... would be...
>
> "IAS stands for immediate access store. A meaningless phrase invented by
> GCSE exam writers because they don't know what they're doing. The phrase 
> is
> not in use anywhere in the outside world. Not even wikipedia has an entry
> and cannot be found anywhere on the internet unrelated to GCSE IT."
>
While I fully agree that some stuff on some exam specs is either out of date 
or, in some cases wrong, you can't put the term IAS down to the creative 
powers of GCSE examiners.

IAS is a computing term which is probably now falling or fallen out of use. 
It was, I seem to recall, originally used at a time when computer memory was 
based on soundwaves passing through mercury filled tubes - as system that 
provided sequential access. The original IAS was based on Cathode Ray Tube 
storage which allowed Immediate Access. Since all computer memory is now 
Immediate Access there the term tends to be replaced by the single word 
Memory and so could be considered redundant although it could be considered 
useful in highlighting the fact that both RAM and ROM provide immediate 
access - that is access in which the access time is independent of which 
item of data was last read.

My current and definitely  non-GCSE or even A-level dictuionary of computing 
contains a definition for the term and does not indicate that it is no 
longer used.

Steve

steve mcweeney  did eloquently scribble:
> IAS is a computing term which is probably now falling or fallen out of use. 
> It was, I seem to recall, originally used at a time when computer memory was 
> based on soundwaves passing through mercury filled tubes - as system that 
> provided sequential access. 

In other words, something that hasn't been in use for over 40 years.
Total irrelevance to anything computer related and obsolete even back when I
was at school in the 70s and 80s.

> The original IAS was based on Cathode Ray Tube 
> storage which allowed Immediate Access. 

Yes, I believe I've seen a film of that in operation.

Hell, the GCSE sylabus still mentions Minicomputers.
A term that fell out of use as microcomputers exceeded them in power.
Nowadays, terms in use are microcomputer, cluster and supercomputer.

We're supposed to be teaching them about the IT of today and trends leading
to what may be tomorrow, not a time before even many of their parents
were born. (although I suppose a couple of lessons on how we got here might
not hurt)
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 26 May, 15:12, deKay <a...@deleteme.lofi-
gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> wrote:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:
>
> >In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
> >a bus network over a star network,
>
> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.
>
> > but it doesnt mention rin networks
> >at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
> >I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
> >it is looking dated.
>
> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.
>
> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

Doohhh!

Sorry, I typed to quickly and didnt proof read! Interesting that noone
thought I was wrong though!

The spec says we should look at the greater resilience of a STAR
network over a BUS network, not the other way round! They are mainly
refering to the increased level of total system failure with a bus.

Phil

Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the 
higher end of the paper I thought.

Steve


"deKay"  wrote in message 
news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
> I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are 
> many
> of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without 
> a
> correct answer?

On 25 May, 16:07, "Steve Walker" 
wrote:
> Would so agree - mine came away very sad. Access was difficult for the
> higher end of the paper I thought.
>
> Steve
>
> "deKay"  wrote in message
>
> news:pipd53lt8h49u3c1kv69vui7qbg0prho1n@4ax.com...
>
> > I've been looking though the higher paper today, and is it just me or are
> > many
> > of the questions not only ambiguous, but some are just completely without
> > a
> > correct answer?


We thought this too, the first few multi-guess questions were very off
putting and (as always) some of the questions could be taken more than
one way.

In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
a bus network over a star network, but it doesnt mention rin networks
at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?

I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
it is looking dated.

Phil

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
tan el:

>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>a bus network over a star network,

I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>
>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>it is looking dated.

Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
they can be "emulated" on star networks.

And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

deKay <andyk@deleteme.lofi-gaming.nospam.org.uk.invalid> did eloquently scribble:
> Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des 26 May 2007
> 03:05:03 -0700, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do uk.education.schools-it,
> yawatina tan reek esk Phipper  fornis do marikano es bono
> tan el:

>>In the spec it says that we should consider the greater resilience of
>>a bus network over a star network,

> I'd disagree there is greater resilience.

So would I, what with all the collisions on a bus. If a cable breaks on a
bus the entire network falls over (10baseT at least). 

OK, you still get the collisions with a hub based star, but with a switch...


>> but it doesnt mention rin networks
>>at all. How come there was such a large question on all three?
>>
>>I think the time when the spec will be revised must be very close now,
>>it is looking dated.

> Indeed.  Virtually nowhere uses ring and bus networks now, especially since
> they can be "emulated" on star networks.

> And IAS: I know what it is, but nowhere outside of the exam is that term ever
> used.  Even Wikipedia knows nothing of it.

IAS? Whassat?
-- 
______________________________________________________________________________
|   spike1@freenet.co.uk   |                                                 |
|Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons)| "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't |
|            in            |  suck is probably the day they start making     |
|     Computer science     |  vacuum cleaners" - Ernst Jan Plugge            |
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soni tempori elseu romani yeof helsforo nisson ol sefini ill des Sat, 26 May
2007 20:40:02 GMT, sefini jorgo geanyet des mani yeof do
uk.education.schools-it, yawatina tan reek esk spike1@freenet