What I Want To Get From This Class

Being a Computer Science major, I have studied the principles and use of computers. In this principle I must be adept at modeling and analyzing problems. I am studying the ability to design solutions and verify that they are correct. So far, most of the areas I have covered are the introductions to some programing languages and gaining proficiency in them. These include Python, C++, Java, Ruby, PHP, and C. My use of these languages have mainly been for huge data processing, design and implement, document and debug a medium complexity program with an object hierarchy that includes interfaces and/or abstract classes and a graphical user interface given some guidance on the design. Also, I design and implement unit tests for medium complexity programs with an object hierarchy that includes interfaces and/or abstract classes, utilize modern software engineering tools (e.g. IDEs, static checkers, unit testing frameworks, revision control systems) during the implementation of a medium complexity program. I do all these through correctly employing programming language features by reading and interpreting the associated published API documentation.

Although I have a fairly strong background in computing, I haven't studied the foundation of the Internet and the World Wide Web. This has not been my focus but after becoming a victim of identity theft and also having a professor's talk about cyber security last quarter, I have gotten a keen interest in learning how the Internet and the World Wide Web all started, the geniuses behind it, etc. I have appreciated how much technology has given to this world and where it is taking us. But as it is in everything, there are always pros and cons. My number one intention is to be able to be a very good software developer so that I can produce great software to make life easy for people of this world. But not everybody has such good intentions. Others live in the world of doing the opposite of everything, especially if they're going to be making easy money off it or could be hurting other people in some sort of way, be it revenge or retaliation for something they did to them. Because of this, my main focus in this class and what I want to gain out of it is to be able to identify the virtual community and explore the methods used to maintain it as well as understanding and appreciating internet security capabilities and vulnerabilities and the appropriate methods to protect the internet's information so that only the right people will get to access what they keep on there etc.