Basic Computer Information

Things You Need to Know

When working with computers, it is important to have some basic computer literacy. This can help you understand the terms you may come across as you purchase, set up, or use a computer. If you are looking to purchase a computer, a store like Best Buy can educate you about the different computers available. Decide if you would like to purchase a laptop or a desktop. You cannot take a desktop with you, or move it about your house, but it may have a larger screen and the mouse may be easier to use.

You will want to find an internet service provider (ISP) who is available in your area. You can find this information by googling it. There are two types of internet access, broadband and dial-up. Broadband is wireless, it is always on and available. You will want to look for a provider who offers cable, satellite, DSL (digital subscriber line), or fiber optic services when looking for a broadband connection. Broadband is faster than dial-up which is slow and unreliable. Dial-up is also not wireless so you are tied to a phone line when using dial-up internet. Only go with a dial-up internet service if you have no other options. Try to get the fastest speed available at a price you are willing to pay.

There are a number of different web browsers available. A web browser allows you to access information on the internet, particularly the world wide web. Some of the most popular ones are Internet Explorer, this is good for a pc; Google Chrome, which is good for a pc or an Apple product; or Safari which is only for Apple products. You will use a search engine through your browser to search for information. Some examples of search engines are Yahoo, Google, and Bing.

It is important to have plenty of RAM (Random Access Memory) on your computer. RAM is the main memory your computer programs can use. When the computer doesn't have enough RAM, it runs slowly. Often we try to run multiple programs on our computers at once, this also takes more RAM and causes our computers to run more slowly.

One amazing thing about computers of today is their ability to store things on the cloud. The cloud gives you the ability to store something on an internet server rather than on your computer hard drive. It is like having an additional hard drive. Using the cloud makes it easy for your care provider to look at your information in your health portal. You can pull up the information for him on your phone or tablet in his office rather than just having it at home on your computer.