Encyclopedia of Computer Science and Technology

finite-state machine 195Masson, Terrence, ed. CG 101: A Computer Graphics Industry Reference.2nd ed. Williamstown, Mass.: Digital Fauxtography,2007.McKernan, Brian. Digital Cinema: The Revolution in Cinematography,Post-Production, and Distribution. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2005.“Milestones in Film History: Greatest Visual and Special Effects.”Available online. URL: http://www.filmsite.org/visualeffects.html. Accessed August 4, 2007.Sawicki, Mark. Filming the Fantastic: A Guide to Visual Effects Cinematography.Burlington, Mass.: Focal Press, 2007.Slone, Michael. Special Effects: How to Create a Hollywood Film ona Home Studio Budget. Studio City, Calif.: Michael Wiese Productions,2007.Swartz, Charles S, ed. Understanding Digital Cinema: A ProfessionalHandbook. Burlington, Mass.: Focal Press, 2005.Willis, Holly. New Digital Cinema: Reinventing the Moving Image.London: Wallflower Press, 2005.financial softwareLarge businesses use complex database systems, spreadsheets,and other applications for activities such as accounting,planning/forecasting, and market research (seebusiness applications of computers). Here we will considerthe variety of consumer and small business softwareapplications that are available to help with the planningand management of financial activities, such as• home budgeting and money management• investment and retirement planning• college financing• tax planning and filing• home buying or selling• basic accounting, inventory, and other activities forsmall businessBasic home money management programs (such as the popularQuicken) handle the budgeting and recording of dailyand monthly expenses. The program can usually also interfacewith on-line banking services (see banking and computers)as well as exporting data to tax filing software.For small or home-based businesses, programs such asQuickBooks can provide basic management of inventory,sales, taxes, expenses, and other functions. There are alsoniche programs for applications such as managing on-lineauctions or Web-based sales.For financial planning, there are a variety of programs(ranging from small free or shareware utilities available onlineto full commercial packages) that offer special calculators,graphs, and other aids for planning for the future. Forexample, the future value of a savings account at variouspoints can be calculated given the interest rate, or the fullcost of a loan or mortgage similarly calculated. Full-featuredprograms usually include helpful explanations of thevarious types of financial instruments. Some programs conductan “interview” where the program asks the user abouthis or her objectives, priorities, or tolerance for risk, andthen recommends a course of action. Such programs can behelpful even though they lack the experience and breadthof knowledge available to a human financial planner.Tax preparation software is perhaps the fastest-growingconsumer financial application. Programs normally mustbe purchased each year to incorporate the latest changesin tax law. An important incentive has been created by theInternal Revenue Service encouraging electronic filing oftax returns by promising speedier refunds to “e-filers.”TrendsPublishers of respected guidebooks (such as for collegeadmissions and financial aid) are creating electronic versionsthat can be easier to use and more up to date thanthe printed counterpart. Meanwhile, many Web sites areoffering utilities such as financial calculators, implementedin Java and run on-line without any software having tobe downloaded by the user. The services can be offeredto attract users for paid services or simply to acquire e-mail addresses for solicitation. Users should be cautiousabout revealing sensitive identification or financial data tounknown on-line sites.The growth in small and home-based businesses islikely to continue in an economy that continues to offernew opportunities while reducing job security. While startinga small business is always an uncertain enterprise, easyto-useaccounting software offers the budding entrepreneura better chance of being able to stay on top of expenses duringthe crucial first months of business.The growing complexity of financial choices availableto average consumers and the need for more people totake responsibility for their retirement planning is likelyto increase the range and capability of financial planningapplications in the future.Further ReadingFinancial Software Reviews—Personal Finance Software. Availableonline. URL: http://financialsoft.about.com/od/reviewsfinancesoftware/Software_Reviews_Personal_Finance_Software.htm. Accessed August 4, 2007.Heady, Robert K., Christy Heady, and Hugo Ottolenghi. The CompleteIdiot’s Guide to Managing Your Money. 4th ed. Indianapolis:Alpha Books, 2005.Ivens, Kathy. Quickbooks 2007: The Official Guide. Berkeley, Calif.:Osborne/McGraw-Hill, 2007.Nelson, Stephen L. Quicken 2007 for Dummies. Hoboken, N.J.:Wiley, 2007.finite-state machineThere are many calculations or other processes that can bedescribed using a specific series of states or conditions. Forexample, the state of a combination lock depends not onlyon what numeral is being dialed or punched at the moment,but on the numbers that have been previously entered. Aneven simpler example is a counter (such as a car odometer),whose next output is equal to one increment plus its currentsetting. In other words, a state-based device has aninherent “memory” of previous steps.In computing, a program can be set up so that eachpossible input, when combined with the current state, will