基于新信息技术的计算机英语（第二版）课件 Unit 1 An Overview of Computers

Section1SituationalDialogue

Section2ReadingMaterial

Section3ExtendedReadingSection1SituationalDialogueComputerDebateMarion:Hey,Todd,youareexactlythepersonIamlookingfor.Ihaveafavortoaskyou.Todd:Sure.Marion:Well,thethingis,I'mthinkingofbuyingacomputer.ButIreallydon'tknowmuchaboutcomputers,youknowthat,soIwanttoknow,whichoneisbetter,alaptoporadesktop?WhichdoyouthinkIshouldbuy?Todd:Ah,that'sagoodquestion.Well,I'mnotacomputerpro,but,Iguessthere'salotofadvantagesifyougetadesktopcomputerforyourhouse.Ithasmorememoryandpower.Youcangetabiggermonitorforwatchingmoviesorthingslikethat,andIthinkthenumberonereasonthatIlikedesktopisitdoesn'tbreak.Andyouknow,itcan'tbestolen.Marion:Aseasily,yeah.Todd:Right,ifyouhavealaptop,youcantakeitandcarryiteverywhere.Thatmeansit'seasiertobreak,youknowyoumaydropit(yeah)orit'seasytobestolen.Ontheotherhand,ifyoujustwanttobemobilewithyourcomputer,obviouslyyouwantalaptopbecauseyoucantakeiteverywhere,andyoucanuseitindifferentplaces,sothat'sactuallywhyIhavethebothtwo.Ihaveadesktopandalaptop.Marion:Soyouhavethebestofbothworlds,really.Todd:Sowhatdoyouwanttouseyourcomputerfor?Marion:Well,mainlyIwanttouseittokeepintouchwithmyfamiliesandfriends.That'smynumberonereason.I'dalsoliketouseitforwork,tomakeworksheetsandthatkindofthingforschool,andtheotherthingis,Iwanttouseittostoremyphotosfrommydigitalcamera.It'sreallyimportanttomebecauseI'mafraidthatI'mgoingtoloseoneoftheCD'sandallofthosephotosorsomethinglikethat.Todd:Well,howoftendoyouthinkyou'llbetakingacomputerwithyou,toworkorsomewhere?Marion:Idon'tknowreally.Imean,IsupposeIcouldjustbuyalaptopandleaveitathome,couldn'tI?Todd:Sure.Sure.Yeah,Iguessifyou'rejustgoingtouseforbasicstuffthenmaybe,alaptopisgoodforyou.Marion:Yeah.Yeah,maybe.It'ssoconfusing.It'ssuchabigdecisionforme.Idon'tknowwhattodo.Thanksforyouradvice.Todd:Sure.Section2ReadingMaterialInstructiontotheDevelopmentofComputersModerndevelopmentincomputerswasstartedinCambridge,England,byCharlesBabbage,amathematicsprofessor.Hebegantodesignanautomaticmechanicalcalculatingmachinecalledadifferenceengine,butin1833helostinterestbecausehethoughthehadabetteridea－theconstructionofafullyprogram-controlledautomaticmechanicaldigitalcomputer.BabbagecalledthisideaanAnalyticalEngine.Theideaofthisdesignshowedalotofforesight,althoughthiscouldn'tbeappreciateduntilafullcenturylater.ThefirstgenerationThefirstgenerationofcomputersisgenerallyconsideredtoincludemachinesbuiltbetween1946and1959,ofwhichtheENIAC(theElectronicNumericalIntegratorandComputer)wastheprototype.ENIACwasbuiltbytwoprofessorsattheUniversityofPennsylvaniain1946.Itincluded18,000vacuumtubes,weighedmorethan30tons,occupied15,000squarefeetoffloorspace,andconsumedabout180,000wattsofelectricalpower.TheENIACcouldperform5,000additionsor500multiplicationsperminute.Intheearly1950s,thefirstmass-producedmachinesbecameavailable.TheIBM650,introducedin1954,wasthefirstcommerciallysuccessfulcomputer.Thefirstgenerationofcomputerswascharacterizedbytheuseofvacuumtubesandregenerativecapacitormemories.Theseexpensiveandbulkycomputersusedmachinelanguageforcomputingandcouldsolvejustoneproblematatime.Theydidnotsupportmultitasking.ThesecondgenerationThesecondgenerationcomputersemployedanewtechnologicalinnovation － thetransistor.In1956,thetransistorswerefirstusedinthebuildingofcomputers.Inthe1960s,transistor-basedcomputersreplacedvacuumtubes.Transistorshadnumerousadvantagesovervacuumtubes.Theyweresmaller,cheaper,andgaveofflessheat.Thesecondgenerationcomputersusedmagneticcoresastheirprimarymemory.Theyusedpunchedcardsforinputandassemblylanguage.Thesecomputersgaveusersasignificantincreaseinavailablememory(about20x).And,calculationspeedsalsoincreased.IBMdominatedthemarketofthesecondgeneration.TwoofIBM'sproductlineswereespeciallysuccessful:thelarge7,000-series,andthesmall1,400-series.ThethirdgenerationOnApril7th,1964,IBMreleaseditsSystem/360lineofcomputers.TheSystem/360'sreleasemarkedthebeginningofthethirdgenerationofcomputers.TheSystem/360computersusedintegratedcircuitsratherthanindividualtransistors.Thisincreasedthespeedandefficiencyofcomputers.Operatingsystemswerethehumaninterfacetocomputingoperations,keyboardsandmonitorsbecametheinput-outputdevices.Magneticcorememorywasreplacedwithsemiconductormemories.Thenotionofupwardcompatibilitywasintroducedduringthethirdgeneration.Thismeansthatapplicationsmadeforagivencomputer/systemwillworkwiththenextmodel,justlikeanExcel97spreadsheetwillworkwithExcel2000.Sophisticatedoperatingsystemswereintroduced,givingusedunprecedentedcontroloverthecomputer.IBM'sSystem/360andSystem/370dominatedthethirdgenerationcomputermarketthroughthe1970s.ThefourthgenerationChangesaftertheIBMSystem/360wereevolutionary,buildingonexistingtechnologyratherthancompletelyreplacingexistingtechnology.Introductionofthemicroprocessors(thousandsofintegratedcircuitsplacedontoasiliconchip)wasthehallmarkofthefourthgenerationcomputers.Inthe1980's,VeryLargeScaleIntegration(VLSI),inwhichhundredsofthousandsoftransistorswereplacedonasinglechip,becamemoreandmorecommon.Manycompanies,somenewtothecomputerfield,introducedprogrammableminicomputerssuppliedwithsoftwarepackagesinthe1970s.The"shrinking"trendcontinuedwiththeintroductionofPersonalComputers(PCs),whichareprogrammablemachinessmallenoughandinexpensiveenoughtobepurchasedandusedbyindividuals.Onesignificantinnovationofthefourthgenerationistheplacementofmultipleprocessorsonasinglemachine.Othersignificantinnovationsincludecommunicationsbetweenterminalsandcomputers,andcommunicationsoverextendednetworks.ClassificationofComputerSystemsAnyclassificationofcomputersystemsisanephemeralthing.Itwillbeatleastayearfromthetimethislessonwasfirsttypedtothetimeyouarereadingitinclass.Inthattime,someofthephysicalclassificationsthatwehavedevisedwillbeoutdated.However,wewillreviewsomeoftheclassificationsthatarecommonlyusedandtrytoincorporatethemintoanoverallscheme.Atrendthatseemstohavebeenfollowedsincetheveryearlydaysofdataandinformationprocessingisthatthecostofthelargestcomputingsystemshasstayedrelativelyconstant.Thesesystemsgrewincomplexityandpower,butnotsignificantlyincost.MainframesThetermmostcommonlyusedforthelargestgeneralpurposecomputingsystemisamainframecomputer.Thecostrangesfromseveralhundredthousandtoseveralmilliondollars.Thiscosthasstayedrelativelyconstantsincetheearly1950s.However,thepowerofthemainframehasincreaseddramatically.Mainframesystemsaredesignedforlarge-scalescientificandcommercialapplications.Theirscientificapplicationsrangefromlong-rangeweatherforecastingtotheanalysisofcomplexdatafromhighenergynuclearphysicsexperiments.Typicalcommercialapplicationsaretheverycomplexairlinereservationsystemsandmassivebankingsystems.Mainframesystemshaveveryfastprocessortimesandextremelylargememories.UsuallytheCPUiscomprisedofmanyspecialpurposelogicunitsthatpermitthemainframetohandlemanytasksconcurrently.Howthisisaccomplishedwillbeexplainedlater.Itisnotunusualtohaveseveralhundredpeopleusingasinglemainframeatonce.Inadditiontothesizeofmemoryandspeedofprocessing,thesesystemshaveaccesstovastamountsofsecondarystorage.AmongthebestknownofthemainframemanufacturersareIBM,UNISYS,Honeywell,andControlDataCorporation(CDC).BurroughsandSperrymergedin1986toformUNISYS.DigitalEquipmentCorporation(DEC)hasrecentlybeguntocompetedirectlyinthismarket.Mainframesarefoundinalmostalllargeorganizations.Althoughmanyapplicationsthatwereonceexecutedexclusivelyonthesesystemshavemigratedtosmallersystems,therearestillmanyapplicationsthatrequirethelargecapacitywhichonlyamainframecanoffer.Acentralsystemalsohelpsenforcestandardsandallowsmanagementbettercontrolofthecorporateinformationresource.MinicomputersInthe1960s,asthecostofcomputingcontinuedtodecrease,anothertypeofcomputingsystemappeared.Itscostistypicallyfromaboutthirtythousanddollarstoseveralhundredthousanddollars.Thesesystemsareusuallycalledminicomputers.Althoughthetermmaybemisleadingtoday,aminioftenisfounddoingtheworkofamainframe.Originally,theminihadverylimitedmemoryandasinglelogicunit.Themostattractivethingaboutitwasitscost.Relativelyinexpensivecomputingcapacitycouldbepurchasedwithamini,somanagementwaswillingtobuythesesystemsforspecializedpurposessuchasprocesscontrol.Todaymanyofthecapacityoftheminisfoundinindustryrivalsthemainframesofafewyearsago.Manyoftheapplicationsthatwereexclusivelyrunonthemainframesarebeingdoneonminisandthedistinctionbetweenthetwosystems,mainframeandmini.Theonlydistinctionthatseemstoremainistherelativecost.Amongthebest-knownminicomputermanufacturersareDigitalEquipmentCorporation,HewlettPackard,SUNandSiliconGraphics.MicrocomputersInthe1970s,oneofthemostsignificantthingsthatoccurredintheevolutionofcomputingsystemswasthedevelopmentof“aprocessoronachip”.ScientistsdevelopedthetechniquesthatallowedallofthefunctionsoftheALUtobeplacedonasinglewaferofsiliconandthesizeisafingernail.Thisledtotheintroductionofthethirdgeneralcategoryofcomputingsystemscalledthemicrocomputer,orpersonalcomputer.Earlymicroshadverylimitedprocessingcapabilities,butashashappenedwithallothercomputerdevelopments,theyhaverapidlygrowninpoweranddecreasedincost.Atypicalsystemwillcostfromunderonehundreddollarstoapproximatelythousandsofdollars.Microcomputersarewidelyusedaspersonalworkstationsinalmostallaspectsofbusiness,industry,andgovernment.Theyarefoundextensivelyinthehomeandeducationalinstitutions.Althoughtherearemicrocomputersystemsthatarecapableofservingseveralusersatonce,mostareusedbyoneperson.ThishasledtothetermPersonalComputer(PC),whichisusedinterchangeablywiththetermmicro.AmongthemostpopularmicrocomputersarethoseproducedbyIBM,AppleandTandy-RadioShack.AnentireindustryhasdevelopedmanufacturingPCsthatfunctionidenticallytotheIBMPC.ThesemachinesareoftencalledPCclones.In1987,IBMintroduceditsnextgenerationofPCs,thePersonalSystem2.Itisafamilyofproductsthatsignificantlyincreasesthepoweroftheearliermachines.Thetypicalpersonalcomputerhasatypewriterlikekeyboardforinput,atelevisiontypescreen,aseparateprinterforoutput,andaharddiskforsecondarystorage.Largersystemsaddmoresecondarystoragewithlargerdiskdrivesorre-writableCDs.Manyofthesystemshavetheabilitytocommunicatewithotherpersonalcomputersorminisandmainframes.Thismakesthemextremelyversatiletools.Theapplicationsavailableonmicrosareasvariedasonthelargersystems;theonlyrestrictionsareduetotheirrelativelyslowspeedandmemorysize.SupercomputersOneadditionalcategoryofcomputingsystemswehavenotdiscussediscommonlyreferredtoasthesupercomputer.Thesesystemshaveextremelylargememoriesandfastspeed.Theycostintherangeofmillionsofdollars.Theyaremostcommonlyusedforverylargecomputationalproblems.Thesesystemsaresocomplexthattheyusuallyhaveamainframecomputerwhichfunctionsastheinputandoutputdeviceforthesupercomputer.Agooddefinitionofsupercomputerissimplythelargestandmostpowerfulcomputerthatisavailableatthepresenttime.Supercomputershavefoundapplicationinlong-rangeweatherforecastingandotherverycomplexproblemsthatrequireenormousamountsofcomputation.ManufacturersofthelargestsupercomputersareCrayResearchandControlDataCorporation.Section3ExtendedReadingWhatAretheBenefitsofComputersinSchool?Technologygetsabadrapthesedays.Teensarespendingmoretimeonlinethaneverandbecomingdepressedintheprocess.Youngchildrenlearntotypebeforetheycanwrite,askillthatissaidtobeessentialforbraindevelopment.They'reallshamedforbeingaddictedtodevices,andtechcompaniesareblamedforcreatingaddictivetools.Inthisdystopianpicture,it'seasytotakeforgrantedtheimportanceofcomputersinsocietyandtoforgetthegoodthattechnologybringspeopletoday.Thebenefitsofcomputerandothertechgadgetsinteachingandlearningarenumerous.AdvantagesofcomputerinteachingandlearningTheadvantagesofcomputerinteachingandlearningarenumerous.Variousonlinecollaborationplatformsallowstudentsandteacherstocollaborateonprojectsonline,insideandoutsidetheclassroomonacomputerinschool,aswellasaskingquestions,sharingideasandclassdiscussionsbeyondtheclassroom.Easyaccesstotheinternetmeansinstantaccesstoinformation,allowingstudentstoconductindependentresearchrightintheclassroom.Lecturecapturingtoolsallowinstructorstocapturetheirlecturesonvideoforstudentstoreviewlater.Similarly,notetakingsoftwareallowsstudentstoeasilytake,storeandaccesslecturenotes.Coursemanagementplatformsallowteacherstoorganizecourseresourcesandstudentstoaccesstheirgradesonline.Asharedonlineclasscalendarhelpsstudentsbebetterorganized.PresentationsoftwaressuchasPowerpointandKeynoteallowteacherstopresentlecturematerialinaninteractiveway,aswellasallowingstudentstocreatetheirownpresentations.Technologyhasgreatlyenhancedtestingandstudentself-assessment.Usingtechnologycangreatlyenhancestudents'learningabouttheconceptsofmathandscience.Withtechnology,studentscanvisitanylocationontheearthbyusingsoftwarelikeGoogleEarthwithoutleavingclassroom.Technologyallowsstudentstobecomecontentcreatorsthemselves.TheycancreateWikipagescollaboratively,writestudentblogs,createvideos,webpagesandotheronlinecontent.AdvantagesofnetworkingTechnologyprovidesnumerouswaystonetworkwithintheclasswhenone-on-oneinteractionisnotpossibleorpractical,aswellasconnectingwithschoolsandexpertsaroundtheworld.Forexample,Twitterhashtagscanbeusedtoaskquestionsbyteachers,whichwouldencouragetheparticipationofshystudentswhootherwisewouldbetooself-conscioustoraisetheirhandandspeak.Byusingalivevideoservice,aclasscanconnectwithanotherschoolacrosstheglobe,chatwithafamousastronaut,scientistoranothercelebrity,orbringanexpertasaguestlecturerintoyourclassroom.WhatAretheAdvantagesofComputersinBusiness?Computershavetremendouslyimprovedthewaybusinessesoperateintheirrespectiveindustries.Technologyhasadvancedsoremarkablythatthosewhoarenotusingcomputersintheirbusinessareatamajordisadvantageagainsttheircompetitors.Inparticular,thereareseveralimportantadvantagesthatcomputerscanprovidetothesmallbusinesses.OrganizationComputersallowtheapplicationofdifferenttypesofsoftwarethatcanhelpbusinesseskeeptrackoftheirfiles,documents,schedulesanddeadlines.Computersalsoallowbusinessestoorganizealloftheirinformationinaveryaccessiblemanner.Theabilitytostorelargeamountsofdataonacomputerisconvenientandinexpensive,andspace-saving.Acomputer'sabilitytoallowacompanytoorganizeitsfilesefficientlyleadstobettertimemanagementandproductivity.Self-sufficiencyComputershavemadestaffandcompaniesmoreself-sufficientbyallowingthemtodotasksthatpreviouslyhadtobeoutsourced.Forexample,officesoftwarecanbeusedtocreatetrainingmaterial.Desktoppublishingsoftwarecanbeusedtocreatemarketingmaterials.Onlinetaxandaccountingprogramsallowcompaniestopreparetheirowntaxes.Thisallowsthedominantoperationsofacompanytoremainin-houseandempowersthecompanytobecomemoreindependentandlesssusceptibletoerrorscommittedbyoutsideparties.Cost-effectiveEmergingtechnologymakesnewtoolsandservicesmoreaffordable,andallowscompaniestosaveontheirstaffpayrollandofficeequipment.Becausecomputersallowworktobedonefasterandmoreefficiently,itispossibleforacompanytohirefewerstaff.Inaddition,withnetworkedandrelativelyinexpensivecomputers,companiescanstoredatamoreeasily,savethecostofoutsidefilestorage,andcanavoidhavingtopurchasemanycopiers,faxmachines,typewriters,andothersuchitemsthatwereusedbeforecomputersbecamepopular.Correspondingly,potentiallyprofitablebusinessescanbestartedwithasmalleroverheadcost.Emailcapabilitiesdecreasepostagecosts;softwareapplicationsreducetheneedforlargeaccountingdepartments,whilevideoconferencingreducestheneedfortravel.Allresourcessavedwilltrickledowntotheconsumers,whoarethenprovidedwithmuchmoreaffordableproductsandservice.SpeedComputershelpspeedupotherbusinessoperations.Thecollectingofconsumerfeedback,orderingofrawmaterials,andinspectionofproductsaremadequickerthroughtheuseofcomputers,allowingcompaniestooperatemuchfasterandtoproducebetterqualityresults.CheaperresearchanddevelopmentResearchanddevelopment'scostwillalsodecreasewiththehelpofcomputers.ScientificresearchcannowbedonebyusingtheInternetandcomputersoftwareapplicationsdesignedtodevelopandproducenewproductsandservices.Forexample,insteadofhavingtodoin-personfocusgroupsonapotentialnewproductortodeterminetheirtargetmarket,thecompanycanconductawidespreadonlinesurveyforafarlowercost.Inaddition,newmodelsofaproductcanbecreatedonlineusingvirtualpicturesanddrawingsinsteadofhavingtobehand-drawn.Theseinteractivemodelscreatedusingsoftwareprogramscanhelpbringtheproductanditsfeaturestolifeforafarlowercostthancreatinganactualphysicalmodelofthegivenproduct.SalesComputerscanhelpgeneratehighersalesandprofitsforbusinessesviaacompanywebsite.Manybusinessesnowoperateonlineandaroundtheclocktoallowcustomersfromaroundtheworldtoshopfortheirproductsandservices.CommencementSpeechatStanfordGivenbySteveJobsIamhonoredtobewithyoutodayatyourcommencementfromoneofthefinestuniversitiesintheworld.Inevergraduatedfromcollege.Truthbetold,thisistheclosestI'veevergottentoacollegegraduation.TodayIwanttotellyouthreestoriesfrommylife.That'sit.Nobigdeal.Justthreestories.Thefirststoryisaboutconnectingthedots.IdroppedoutofReedCollegeafterthefirst6months,butthenstayedaroundasadrop-inforanother18monthsorsobeforeIreallyquit.SowhydidIdropout?ItstartedbeforeIwasborn.Mybiologicalmotherwasayoung,unwedcollegegraduatestudent,andshedecidedtoputmeupforadoption.ShefeltverystronglythatIshouldbeadoptedbycollegegraduates,soeverythingwasallsetformetobeadoptedatbirthbyalawyerandhiswife.ExceptthatwhenIpoppedouttheydecidedatthelastminutethattheyreallywantedagirl.Somyparents,whowereonawaitinglist,gotacallinthemiddleofthenightasking,“Wehaveanunexpectedbabyboy;doyouwanthim?”Theysaid,“Ofcourse.”Mybiologicalmotherlaterfoundoutthatmymotherhadnevergraduatedfromcollegeandthatmyfatherhadnevergraduatedfromhighschool.Sherefusedtosignthefinaladoptionpapers.SheonlyrelentedafewmonthslaterwhenmyparentspromisedthatIwouldsomedaygotocollege.And17yearslaterIdidgotocollege.ButInaivelychoseacollegethatwasalmostasexpensiveasStanford,andallofmyworking-classparents'savingswerebeingspentonmycollegetuition.Aftersixmonths,Icouldn'tseethevalueinit.IhadnoideawhatIwantedtodowithmylifeandnoideahowcollegewasgoingtohelpmefigureitout.AndhereIwasspendingallofthemoneywhichmyparentshadsavedontheirentirelife.SoIdecidedtodropoutandtrustthatitwouldallworkoutOK.Itwasprettyscaryatthetime,butlookingbackitwasoneofthebestdecisionsIevermade.TheminuteIdroppedout,Icouldstoptakingtherequiredclassesthatdidn'tinterestme,andbegindroppinginontheonesthatlookedinteresting.Itwasn'tallromantic.Ididn'thaveadormroom,soIsleptonthefloorinfriends'rooms,Ireturnedcokebottlesforthe5¢depositstobuyfoodwith,andIwouldwalkthe7milesacrosstowneverySundaynighttogetonegoodmealaweekattheHareKrishnatemple.Ilovedit.AndmuchofwhatIstumbledintobyfollowingmycuriosityandintuitionturnedouttobepricelesslateron.Letmegiveyouoneexample.ReedCollegeatthattimeofferedperhapsthebestcalligraphyinstructioninthecountry.Throughoutthecampuseveryposter,everylabeloneverydrawer,wasbeautifulhandcalligraphed.BecauseIhaddroppedoutanddidn'thavetotakethenormalclasses,Idecidedtotakeacalligraphyclasstolearnhowtodothis.Ilearnedaboutserifandsanseriftypefaces,knewaboutvaryingtheamountofspacebetweendifferentlettercombinations,andwhatmakesgreattypographygreater.Itwasbeautiful,historical,artisticallysubtleinawaythatsciencecan'tcapture,andIfounditfascinating.Noneofthishadevenahopeofanypracticalapplicationinmylife.Buttenyearslater,whenweweredesigningthefirstMacintoshcomputer,itallcamebacktome.AndwedesigneditallintotheMac.Itwasthefirstcomputerwithbeautifultypography.IfIhadneverdroppedinonthatsinglecourseincollege,theMacwouldhaveneverhadmultipletypefacesorproportionallyspacedfonts.AndsinceWindowsjustcopiedtheMac,itslikelythatnopersonalcomputerwouldhavethem.IfIhadneverdroppedout,Iwouldhaveneverdroppedinonthiscalligraphyclass,andpersonalcomputersmightnothavethewonderfultypographythattheydo.Ofcourse,itwasimpossibletoconnectthedotslookingforwardwhenIwasincollege.Butitwasvery,veryclearlookingbackwardstenyearslater.Again,youcan'tconnectthedotslookingforward,youcanonlyconnectthemlookingbackwards.Soyouhavetotrustthatthedotswillsomehowconnectinyourfuture.Youhavetotrustinsomething－yourgut,destiny,life,karma,whatever.Thisapproachhasneverletmedown,andithasmadeallthedifferenceinmylife.Mysecondstoryisaboutloveandloss.Iwaslucky－IfoundwhatIlovedtodoearlyinlife.WozandIstartedAppleinmyparentsgaragewhenIwas20.Weworkedhard,andin10yearsApplehadgrownfromjustthetwoofusinagarageintoa$2billioncompanywithover4000employees.Wehadjustreleasedourfinestcreation－theMacintosh－ayearearlier,andIhadjustturned30.AndthenIgotfired.Howcanyougetfiredfromacompanyyoustarted?Well,asApplegrewwehiredsomeonewhoIthoughtwasverytalentedtorunthecompanywithme,andforthefirstyearorsothingswentwell.Butthenourvisionsofthefuturebegantodivergeandeventuallywehadafallingout.Whenwedid,ourBoardofDirectorssidedwithhim.Soat30yearsold,Iwasout,andverypubliclyout.Whathadbeenthefocusofmyentireadultlifewasgone,anditwasdevastating.Ireallydidn'tknowwhattodoforafewmonths.IfeltthatIhadletthepreviousgenerationofentrepreneursdown―thatIhaddroppedthebatonasitwasbeingpassedtome.ImetwithDavidPackardandBobNoyceandtriedtoapologizeforscrewingupsobadly.Iwasaverypublicfailure,andIeventhoughtaboutrunningawayfromthevalley.Butsomethingslowlybegantodawnonme－IstilllovedwhatIdid.TheturnofeventsatApplehadnotchangedthatonebit.Ihadbeenrejected,butIwasstillinlove.AndsoIdecidedtostartover.Ididn'tseeitthen,butitturnedoutthatgettingfiredfromApplewasthebestthingthatcouldhaveeverhappenedtome.Theheavinessofbeingasuccessorwasreplacedbythelightnessofbeingabeginneragain,lesssureabouteverything.Itfreedmetoenteroneofthemostcreativeperiodsofmylife.Duringthenextfiveyears,IstartedacompanynamedNeXT,anothercompanynamedPixar,andfellinlovewithanamazingwomanwhowouldbecomemywife.Pixarwentontocreatetheworldsfirstcomputeranimatedfeaturefilm,ToyStory,andisnowthemostsuccessfulanimationstudiointheworld.Inaremarkableturnofevents,AppleboughtNeXT,IreturnedtoApple,andthetechnologywedevelopedatNeXTisattheheartofApple'scurrentrenaissance.AndLaureneandIhaveawonderfulfamilytogether.I'mprettysurenoneofthiswouldhavehappenedifIhadn'tbeenfiredfromApple.Itwasawfultastingmedicine,butIguessthepatientneededit.Sometimeslifehitsyouintheheadwithabrick.Don'tlosefaith.I'mconvincedthattheonlythingthatkeptmegoingonwasthatIlovedwhatIdid.You'vegottofindwhatyoulove.Andthatisastrueforyourworkasitisforyourlovers.Yourworkisgoingtofillalargepartofyourlife,andtheonlywaytobetrulysatisfiedistodowhatyoubelieveisgreatwork.Andtheonlywaytodogreatworkistolovewhatyoudo.Ifyouhaven'tfoundityet,keeplooking.Don'tsettle.Aswithallmattersoftheheart,you'llknowwhenyoufindit.And,likeanygreatrelationship,itjustgetsbetterandbetterastheyearsrollon.Sokeeplookinguntilyoufindit.Don'tsettle.Mythirdstoryisaboutdeath.WhenIwas17,Ireadaquotethatwentsomethingl