INTRODUCTION
A system, with numerous definitions can be literally seen in a computer way as a collection of the hardware and software components of a computer.
According to Stella C. Chiemeke and Franca A. Egbokdara (2006), a system is set of components that interact to achieve a common goal. In another sense, a system is a group of interrelated or intersecting elements forming a unified whole.
In this modern age, computers have verified the cause of their existence.The advent of computers in our society caused a lot of criticism on the danger it poses on the society. Critics of computer and new techniques express their fear on how computers will displace and replace all human skills thus resulting to mass unemployment but the presence of computer on virtually every field of today’s fast life has proved the critic wrong as the invention of computers and new technologies continues to create additional jobs for those who identify themselves with computers and new technologies. This make computes partner to human beings in any fields of human endeavor.
“Decisions are largely based on principles and experience. In recent times, efforts are being made to build intelligence into computer system, whereby the computer can be used to process large volume of structured and unstructured information for decision making.”Said Uzoka in Hampo, J.A. (2011).
This system, DIGITAL DIARY is a window based system. It is an electronic and computerized means of periodic record keeping, scheduling, and reminder and so on. More than one person can use this personal digital diary, with full privacy and data security. This is in contrast with the manual personal diary that only one person uses it and it is without privacy and data security. Access to this system is simply by password and username.
In this modern age, computers have verified the cause of their existence. From sleeping and eating to exercise and travelling, technologies now allow us to track and analyze every detail of our lives. Due to the presence of advance computing technology and developed minds in the technological of life, almost everything has been digitalized or automated. Notably, the social life of many today has been automated via social network like Facebook, Twitter and TalkDeyGo.
“A diary is a record (originally in the handwritten format) with discrete entries arranged by date, reporting what has happed over the course of a day or a given period”, says Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. From the aforesaid, a diary is a periodic or a daily with discrete entries. Diary is of diverse form/type ranging from personal diary (a diary which may include a person’s experience and/or thoughts or feeling, including daily comment on current events outside the writer’s direct experience) to travel diary, diet diary, dream diary and so on. A diarist is someone with the responsibility of safe keeping a diary. Or simply “someone who keeps a diary”, according to Wikipedia. Samuel Pepy (1633-1703) is the earliest diarist that is well-know today and his diary preserved in Magdalene College, Cambridge were first transcribed and published in 1825.
Diary played a major role in many aspect of human civilization as they are means of record and when review generates a feedback(s) for advance and immediate implementation, notably institutional diaries, government records and business ledgers likewise military records. Diaries have also helped by providing information for a memory, autobiography or biography. According to Wikipedia, “by extension, the term diary is also used to mean a printed publication of a written diary; and may also refer to other terms of journal including electronic formats example blogs, forum and internet diary”
According toMerriam-webster in Wikipedia, “The word diary comes from the Latin word ‘diarium’ which means ‘daily allowances’ from ‘dies’ which means ‘day’, likewise journal from the same root word ‘diurnus’ meaning ‘of the day’.” The work of Marcus Aurelus, a Roman emperior titled ‘To Myself’, written in Greek in the second half of yhe 2nd
century AD displays many character of a diary, but the oldest extant diary came from the Middle East and Asian culture. In the 9th
century AD, a Chinese scholar Li Ao kept a diary of his journey through Southern China.Digitalizing diary has changed the meaning of the term ‘diary’ all together. The advent of computers in our society caused a lot of criticism on the danger it poses on the society. Digital diaries have today had more functions than just storing of data as against the conception of most individuals. The continuous availability of internet services and electronic/technological gadgets has made many people adopt it as a medium to chronicle their lives with the added dimension of an audience.
Below are examples/forms of diaries;
The objective of this research is as follows:
There are diverse forms of digital diary with various features like audio, video, graphics, text and encryption/decryption but this research is streamlined to a personal digital diary with features liketext, graphics and/or audio/video.
The ease of privacy intrusion caused handwritten diary and the frequent lost/theft of manual for the purpose of blacking mailing the diary owner or diarist is a serious threat to individuals and organization.
The advance and tremendous features coupled with data/information security has prompted or motivated this research.
Diaries often contain both good and bad content. The ease at which
Data/information is leaked out from a manual diary resulting to blackmailing of person(s) with the bad/negative content(s) in the diary. This is a big and mind disturbing issue as an individual’s good reputation can be dented with a negative content from his/her diary, denying him/her the good of tomorrow. Hence privacy and confidentiality has become a problem to handwritten or manual diaries. Thanks to technology, as the negative issues of manual diary has been addressed by digital diary.
This research is limited by the availability of time to access resource/materials, the materials reviewed as well as the scope of the study. Though, the available resources and materials are optimized.
The proposed system is designed on .NET frame work. Restricted access to some vital and important data and information is also a limitation to this study.
Relevant literature and authorities were reviewed and a critical study of digital diaries and their features was done.
Software methodology is the set of rules and practices used to create computer software. It is composed of any one of the software development models used together with at least a techniques thus,
METHODOLOGY = SOFTWARE MODEL + TECHNIQUES(S)
An in-depth literature review is done using document review and the internet.
The proposed design will be implemented using MS Visual Studio 2008 tools and Visual Basic (VB.net) as the programming language and MS SQL server 2005 for the database.
The methodology to be adopted for this project is the SSADM (Structured System Analysis and Design Methodology). The SSADM emphasizes on the completing a phase of the software development before proceeding to the next phase and also being able to go back to the other phases in a purely sequential manner. The model used for this project is the RAD (Rapid Application Development model proposed by IBM (International Business Machine) in 1980 and introduced to software community by James Martins through his book Rapid Application Development).
Fig. 1.1 THE SSADM APPROACH
Fig. 1.2 THE RAD MODEL
SSADM and RAD takes a modular approach to this student’s verification system using a best practice guide to ensure the successful implementation of the parts of this project sequentially. The design and testing of the system’s relational database management system (RDBMS) is to confirm the design specification. Therefore the window based graphical user face (GUI) will be integrated to input data into the system’s database. This project starts small and break down the implementation process into modules that are attainable based on the adopted requirement and analysis methodology.