After N-tangle, AQ in plagiarism row

[Xeric]

just for the sake of it iam posting the original article


Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Dr A Q Khan

It is very gratifying to get literally hundreds of emails from young students at home and abroad with suggestions and requests to write on various topics, mostly on engineering disciplines. This column is in response to such requests and is meant for the student community and not for experts and trained professionals in this field who definitely know much more than I do. I hope this information will be useful to future computer engineers and scientists. Since many foreign universities teach artificial intelligence (AI) in computer science, I am also briefly touching this topic. It should be realised that computer technology is one of the most fundamental disciplines of engineering and, together with mechanical engineering, metallurgical engineering, electronic engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering and bio-engineering, forms the basis of the industrial development of a country. I am thankful to my old colleague, Eng Nasim Khan, for invaluable input for this column.

The computer is an essential part of 21st century life. Computer science is a fast-moving subject that gives rise to a range of interesting and often challenging problems. The implementation of today's complex computer systems requires the skills of a knowledgeable and versatile computer scientist. Artificial intelligence – the study of intelligent behaviour – is having an increasing reference on computer system design. Distributed systems, networks and the internet are now central to the study of computing, presenting both technical and social challenges.

How do we understand, reason, plan, cooperate, converse, read and communicate? What are the roles of language and logic? What is the structure of the brain? How does vision work? These are all questions as fundamental as the sub-atomic structure of matter. These are also questions where the science of computing plays an important role in our attempts to provide answers. The computer scientist can expect to come face-to-face with problems of great depth and complexity and, together with scientists, engineers and experts in other fields, may help to solve them. Computing is not just about the big questions; it is also about engineering – making things work. Computing is unique in offering both the challenge of science and the satisfaction of engineering.

Computer science is an inter-disciplinary subject. It is firmly rooted in engineering and mathematics, with links to linguistics, psychology and other fields. Computer science is concerned with constructing hardware and software systems, digital electronics, compiler design, programming languages, operation systems, networks and graphics. Theoretical computer science addresses fundamental issues: the motion of computable function, proving the correctness of hardware and software and the theory of communicating systems.

Computer science includes the study of computers, but there is more to it than this alone as it is generally also concerned with information management and the process of information. Only a small part of the discipline is devoted to making the computers' elaborate numerical calculations. By far the largest part is concerned with those general computing techniques that are useful, whether the data is numerical or non-numerical. Computer science is based on electronics, physics and mathematics and needs a thorough understanding of these disciplines.

Long ago foreign universities realised the importance of computer science and set up independent departments. The critical requirement was curriculum guidelines and procedures for accreditation of degrees. This task was undertaken by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), founded in 1948 as a scientific and professional organisation concerned with the development and sharing of new knowledge about all aspects of computing. The ACM began publishing curriculum recommendations for computer science (CS) and for information systems (IS).

Later, three more professional bodies were formed:

1. The Association for Information Systems (generally called 'AIS') was founded in 1994. It is a global organisation serving academia that specialises in information systems. Most academic members of the AIS are affiliated with schools/colleges of business or management. The AIS began providing curriculum recommendations for IS in cooperation with the ACM and the AITP (see below) in 1997.

2. The Association for Information Technology Professionals (AITP) was founded in 1951 as the National Machine Accountants Association. In 1962 it became the Data Processing Management Association (DPMA). It adopted its present name in 1996. The AITP focuses on the professional side of computing, serving those who use computing technology to meet the needs of business and other organisations. It first provided curriculum recommendations for IS in 1985.

3. The Computer Society of the Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (often referred to as IEEE-CS or the Computer Society) originated in 1946. This is a technical society within the IEEE that is focussed on computing from the engineering perspective.

Prior to the 1990s, each society produced its own curriculum recommendations. Over time, the advantages of cooperation among them became obvious. Today they cooperate in creating curriculum standards and, in this way, send a single message to the computing community.

This discipline developed a considerable body of research, knowledge and innovation that spanned the range from theory to practice and the initial controversy about its legitimacy soon died down. Also during the 1990s, industrial needs for qualified computer science graduates exceeded supply by a large factor. Consequently, enrolment in CS programmes grew very dramatically.

Software engineering: it has emerged as an area within computer science that focuses on rigorous methods for designing and building things that reliably do what they are expected to do. In addition to its computer science foundations, software engineering also involves human processes that, by their very nature, are harder to formalise than are the logical abstractions of computer science.

Information systems: it had to address a growing sphere of challenges like accounting systems, payroll systems, inventory systems, etc. By the end of the 1990s networked personal computers had become basic commodities. Computers had become an integral part of the work environment used by people at all levels of the organisation. Organisations had more information available than ever before and organisational processes were increasingly enabled by computing technology. The problems of managing information became extremely complex and the challenges of making proper use of information and technology to support organisational efficiency and effectiveness became crucial issues.

Information technology: it began to emerge in the late 1990s. By that time computers and networked computer systems became the information backbone of organisations. While this improved productivity, it also created new workplace dependencies, as problems in the computing infrastructure can limit employees' ability to do their work. IT departments with corporations and other organisations took on the new job of ensuring that the organisation's computing infrastructure was suitable, that it worked reliably and that people in the organisation had their computing-related needs met, problems solved, etc.

The information given above has been taken from the ACM website. Detailed information on the above programs can be viewed on the ACM website Educational Activities — Association for Computing Machinery
Science of computers Part I

Now that's trouble some!

i dont know if he had given the bibliography in the end!!

----

BTW, this says it ALL, chapter closed: The information given above has been taken from the ACM website. Detailed information on the above programs can be viewed on the ACM website Educational Activities — Association for Computing Machinery

 

[agastya]

actually he has just mentioned about acm and not the others

 

[agastya]

Lollzz... ya, that's what i call plagiarism in classic sense

thats why i am sayin its a thin line between attribution an plagiarism

 

[Xeric]

actually he has just mentioned about acm and not the others

You have a catch there, but then what about this:

4. The second half of Dr Khan’s article (paragraph 7 onwards) can be found in ACM’s Computing Curricula 2009. Although he credits ACM but doesn’t clarify that he is directly copying sentences from a document. (this is just BS-he credits and that;s simple, copying directly, indirectly, inversely, intentionally, unintentionally etc etc is NOT the point in concern )Also, in the beginning of his piece he does acknowledge one of his former colleagues, an Engineer Nasim Khan, for input for the article

 

[Xeric]

thats why i am sayin its a thin line between attribution an plagiarism

Lolzz.. No sir it;s not a thin line, it's a thick boulevard!!

 

[agastya]

ha ha thank god you didint tell it to be 12 lane highway..
so lets site an example
suppose i wrote a book and you copied from it or took an idea from it
if you copied the whole book then it piracy if you took an idea from my book to write yours its plagiarism
what can be attribution for you(just because you copied from me)
is plagiarism for me(because it was from me you copied from).because you didnt seek my permission...even if you wrote my name (which you didnt) you didnt pay me my due monetarily because me or the publisher (as per the agreement) has the sole right for it..as it is called intellectual property....

 

[agastya]

Also, in the beginning of his piece he does acknowledge one of his former colleagues, an Engineer Nasim Khan, for input for the article

but who is nasim khan he is not the propreiter of the previous article form where its plagiarised..or rather attributed from..

 

[Awesome]

I'm no fan of AQ Khan, but if he cited his sources... that's not plagiarism.

It's like how we post articles here from different news websites... But we cite our source.

When you're writing for a Newspaper you just mention from whom you've picked up the material, you don't give links on a newspaper.

Also the method of citation was the job of The News' editors, especially after he mentions he got the material from so and so. He did his job.

 

[agastya]

yep i agree with you

if he cited his sources... that's not plagiarism.

but that i not the end of the story a person cant interpret other persons work without his or her permission (even if his name is mentioned in the bibliography), as the work is his intellectual property..and he is the sole guardian of it,,unless the publication is kept on the open source for interpretation

i do think the editor is to responsible in the case pertaining,,as hope there is something called proof reading in media circle.

 

[Xeric]

ha ha thank god you didint tell it to be 12 lane highway..
so lets site an example
suppose i wrote a book and you copied from it or took an idea from it
if you copied the whole book then it piracy if you took an idea from my book to write yours its plagiarism
what can be attribution for you(just because you copied from me)
is plagiarism for me(because it was from me you copied from).because you didnt seek my permission...even if you wrote my name (which you didnt) you didnt pay me my due monetarily because me or the publisher (as per the agreement) has the sole right for it..as it is called intellectual property....

Well now it is becoming clear that you still are confused about the definitions of plagiarism and piracy, try to get them straight first, then we may talk further.

As a hint, the article you quoted on this thread that defined plagiarism was quite guud enough to put your brains straight, but perhaps not.

 

[agastya]

sir i got my brain straight ..
but you seem to be in a preconceived notion of tag lining the article as attribution..well if it suits thee ,be happy to live in that matrix..

 

[agastya]

This article is continuation to the first article he plagiarised. But this time he mentions "(The information in this article is based on the available syllabuses of famous British universities.)"
Though he says he copy-pasted from syllabuses of British universities, a lot of them are actually from US websites.

What kind of nuclear scientist he is?

Part II Random thoughts

Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Dr A Q Khan

In Part I last week on the importance of computer technology I discussed the subject in general and gave a few useful related web sites. In this second part I would like to discuss artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, the professional scope for computer engineers and what is expected professionally from them. In addition to the disciplines mentioned in Part I, emerging technologies, applications and curriculum recommendations have appeared, which need to be mentioned as well.

1. Artificial intelligence (AI): The subfield of computer science that is concerned with understanding the nature of intelligent action and making computer machines, especially intelligent computer programmes, capable of such action is known as artificial intelligence. It can also be described as the performance by computer systems of a task that normally requires human intelligence, such as visual perception or decision-making. artificial intelligence: Definition from Answers.com

Artificial intelligence combines computing with psychology, linguistics and philosophy. It is concerned with the design of intelligent computer systems and the study of intelligence in both people and machines. Using artificial intelligence techniques, computers are being programmed to do things previously done only by people. Artificial intelligence systems are already in use for such tasks as fault diagnosis, mineral prospecting and language translation and are not confined to methods that are biologically observable. (From Univeristy of Washington)

The main emphasis of computer science and artificial intelligence studies is on the principles and practice of software design. Distinctive features include human-centred computer systems, foundations of concurrent systems, networking and distributing systems, vision, national language processing, neural networks and artificial life. These study programmes are supported by powerful computing facilities running a wide range of software. The Stanford University website: http://www-formal.standford.edu/ jmc/whatisai/whatisai/html provides a description and applications of AI.

2. Bioinformatics: Bioinformatics is the application of computer technology to the management of biological information. More information on this can be found on websites like Bioinformatics courses, bioinformatics course, bioinformatics program .

Some universities have added other subjects, like accounting, finance and law to their computer science curriculum.

Computer science and engineering graduates have perhaps the largest spectrum of jobs to select from. Computer architecture, computer-aided design and manufacturing of VLSI/ULSI circuits, intelligent robotic systems, computer-based control systems, telecommunications and computer networking, wireless communication systems, signal and information processing and multimedia systems, solid-state physics and devices, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), electromagnetic and electromechanical systems, data-storage systems, data mining, embedded systems, distributed computing, mobile computing, real-time software, digital signal processing, optical data processing, banking, insurance, healthcare and multinationals, to name but a few common careers. (From Carnegie-Mellon University)

After having followed a good university course in any discipline of computer science and engineering, graduates are normally expected to have learnt two types of skills:

Technical computing skills: Problem-solving ability, recognising levels of abstraction in software, hardware systems and multimedia. Practical skills such as building and using database management systems and other sophisticated software tools. Programming: using existing software libraries to carry out a variety of computing tasks, such as creating a user interface. Being aware of the uses to which computers are put, recognising issues to do with security and safety. Looking at innovative ways of using computers, creating tools, providing tools support, etc. (Association of Computing Maachinery)

General professional skills: Communicating in writing, giving effective presentations and product demonstrations and being a good negotiator (both in traditional environments and electronically). Preparing for a job search; this involves building an impressive curriculum vitae and basing this confidently on technical and other skills. In addition, depending on interests, specialised domain knowledge such as business, medicine and biology will be acquired. Being an effective team member. Understanding the special requirements of a globally distributed project with participants from multiple cultures. Recognising the challenges and opportunities of keeping skills up-to-date and understanding how to do so. Knowledge of fundamental principles and their applications to develop software-based solutions. The ability to apply and implement appropriate theories and techniques to the design and development of computer systems and to use correct criteria and tools for the planning, development, testing and evaluation of software systems. The ability to recognise the capabilities and limitations of computer-based solutions as well as sources of risk. I still vividly remember the large, room-sized configuration of the IBM computer system, which used big stacks of punch cards that had been installed in Sweden at the Oxelosund Steel Mills, which I visited as a graduate student. It was the most modern steel plant in the world at the time, using the newly developed Kaldo Process for the purification of steel (reducing its carbon content). We were visiting educational and industrial institutions in Sweden in July 1964 as a delegation from the Technological University of Delft, Holland. Sweden was a beautiful, clean country – cleaner than any I had seen anywhere before. The people were extremely polite, hospitable and disciplined. At that time Holland was known as the cleanest country, of which the Germans never hesitated to inform me when I praised their cleanliness. They did have a point and I was duly impressed by what I later found in Holland. However, after seeing Sweden, I had to admit that their country was even cleaner.

We visited the Royal Institute of Technology, Uppsala University, Volvo, Husquarna, Scania Vabis, Oxelosund and Sandvik Steel Mills, etc. It was our first exposure to an operational computer system. The IBM computer configuration was the first of its kind and was installed and operated by the Americans for the automatic control of the steel mills. Nowadays a very small unit is more powerful and more efficient than that huge configuration was.

About 25 years after that memorable visit I heard the shocking news that the Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr Olof Palme, had been brutally shot down while walking back to his residence after seeing a film. How could anyone be so callous as to murder such a good human being, a pacifist, was beyond my comprehension. I wrote an obituary in a local English daily and was pleasantly surprised to receive a letter of thanks from Mrs Palme through their embassy in Islamabad.

I was lucky to have a team of experts in theoretical computation (Computational Fluid Dynamics, etc.), computer systems engineering (Control and Automation, etc.), complex process technology (fault-free running of the enrichment plant) and maintenance of these complex systems (hardware engineering) headed by Dr M Alam, Nasim Khan, Dr M Ashraf Atta and Brig. Rafiuddin, respectively. They, together with their other competent and able colleagues, managed to solve all the problems related to the centrifuge plant and the manufacture of nuclear devices and ballistic missiles.

(The information in this article is based on the available syllabuses of famous British universities.)

 

[agastya]

well he is a master of ctrl c and ctrl v