Our computer basic training for today will be focused on the different types of computers. In our last lesson, we talked about What Is Computer and the history of computers. Computers can be very large or very small. There are super-computers, very large computers with thousands of linked microprocessors that perform extremely complex calculations. Some computers are embedded in cars, TVs, stereo systems, calculators, and even household appliances.

Each computer design is built to perform specific tasks and functions. Desktop or personal computers are made to be used by one person at a time. In our computer basics lesson today, you will learn about different types of personal computers: desktops, laptops, handheld computers, and Tablet PCs.

Desktop computers:

Desktop computers (as the name suggests) are designed for use at a desk or table. They are generally larger and faster than other types of personal computers. Desktop computers are made up of separate components. The system unit is the major or main component in your computer system. Rectangular in shape it can sit on the desk or under. Other components also include the keyboard, mouse, speakers and monitor.

LAPTOP COMPUTERS:

Laptop computers are usually lightweight mobile PCs with an LCD display thin screen. Am sure you must have seen a lot of them, or even using one yourself for your computer basic training. They are sometimes called notebook computers because they can be used instead of a notebook with paper. Laptops can also operate on batteries, so you can take them anywhere you need to work. Unlike desktops, laptops are completely self-contained. The laptop folds and closes like a book. Hence making it easy for you to learn how to use computer faster any where you go.

HANDHELD COMPUTERS:

Handheld computers, also called personal digital assistants (PDAs), are battery-powered computers like Blackberry’s. Handheld computers are not as fast as desktops or laptops, handhelds are handy for making appointments, keeping track of addresses and phone numbers, and playing games.

Some handhelds have more advanced features, like making telephone calls or getting on the Internet. Instead of a keyboard, handheld computers or PDA’s have touch screens that you use with your finger or a stylus, which looks a lot like a pen without ink. So you now know the answer to your question “What Is Computer”? Let’s continue with our computer basics training!

TABLET COMPUTERS

Do you know what tablet computers are? Tablet Personal Computers are mobile PCs that combine features of laptops and handhelds. Like laptop computers, Tablet computers are very powerful, fast and have a screen like a tablet. Like handhelds, Tablets can allow you to make notes or draw pictures directly on the screen, usually with a tablet pen instead of a stylus. Do you know that tablets can also transform your handwriting into typed text? Some Tablet PCs have a screen that swivels and unfolds to reveal a keyboard under the computer.

This concludes our computer basic training lesson for today. I hope you now know what is computer, the history of computers and the different types of computers. You can get more computer basics lesson from my free email newsletter publications available on my website. You can check it out through the resource box bellow, if you are interested. Have a nice day and hopefully see you in my next computer training class, where we’ll start getting into more advanced tricks to help you learn how to use computer faster on your own.

By: Fredrick Ituma

About the Author:

As part of our basic computer training, we also need to know what and what we can use our computer for. In our previous computer basics lessons, we talked about “what is computer”, the history of computers and types of computers. In our today’s lesson, let’s take a look at just few of the things you could be using your computer for, once you learn how to use computer very well.

In the workplace, many people use computers to keep records, analyze data, do research, and manage projects. At home, you can use computers to find information, store pictures and music, track finances, play games, and communicate with others and those are just a few of the possibilities.

You can also use your computer to connect to the Internet, a network that links computers around the world. Internet access is available for a monthly fee in most urban areas, and increasingly, in less populated areas. With Internet access, you can communicate with people all over the world and find a vast amount of information. Here are some of the most popular things to do with computers:

THE INTERNET – THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB (WWW)

The World Wide Web (usually called the Web, or web) is a tremendous warehouse for digital information. The Internet is the most popular part of the web, in part because it displays most information in a visually appealing format. Headlines, text, and pictures can appear on a single web page-much like a page in a magazine-along with familiar sounds and animation. A web site is a collection of interconnected web pages. Do you know that the Internet contains millions of web sites and billions of web pages? Now that you know what is computer and I assume that you are already getting your basic computer training to enable you learn how to use computer properly, you’ll soon be having more fun on the internet.

Searching or surfing the Internet means exploring it. You can find information on the Internet on any subject. You can read news online and stories, research movie reviews, check airport schedules, view street maps, get the weather for any city in the world. Almost every company, government agencies, museums, and libraries have web sites with information about their products, services, or collections.

Important reference material, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias, are also widely available for anyone to use. The Internet is also a shopping paradise you and me. You can search and purchase jewelry, art, music, toys, furniture, real estate, and much more, at the web sites of international retailers.

E-MAIL

One of the first things you must learn about in your basic computer training is how to send and receive emails. Email is short for electronic mail and is an extremely convenient way to communicate with anyone with a computer or e-mail access. When you send an e mail message, it arrives almost instantly in the recipient’s e mail inbox.

Do you know how to send e mail to many people at the same time, and how to save, print, and forward e mail to others at the same time? If you don’t, you can sign up for my free computer basic training newsletter publications from my website, after reading this article today. In this way, you’ll quickly start to master how to use computer faster; only if you are interested. You can send almost any type of digital file in an e mail message, including documents, videos, photos and music files. Forget the stamp when you send e-mail.

THE INSTANT MESSAGE

Instant messaging is like having a real-time conversation with another person or a group of people online when you are connected to the Internet. When you type and send an instant message, the message is instantly visible to all recipients. Unlike e mail, all participants have to be online (connected to the Internet) and in front of their computers at the same time. Communicating by means of instant messaging is called chatting

INTERNET OR COMPUTER GAMES

For people that like to play games, personal computers are great. There are thousands of computer games of every type. Some games are free and can be downloaded from the Internet. Some computer games let you feel like you are behind the wheel of a fast speeding racecar, fighting mean creatures or Pac men. There are some web sites where people play from all over the world direct from the Internet. Windows Vista and XP include a wide variety of various card games, easy puzzle games, and fun strategy games.

Well that’s it for today’s lesson! I hope you’ve now known just few of the things you can use your computer for? Once you get proper basic computer training, learn how to use computer like a professional, you’ll start having lots of fun with your computer. Do you still want to know “what is computer”? Well we’ve covered all about that that in our previous lessons, or did you miss them? Well not too late yet! There is still a way for you to get all the lessons we deliver to our students. Find out for yourself the best method to master all your computer basics faster on your own bellow. Have a nice day!

By: Fredrick Ituma

About the Author:

With the prices of high quality computer hardware rising, consumers and businesses are seeking wholesale computer hardware at the lowest possible price. In today’s world, wholesalers for computer equipment are very difficult to find. The internet could be utilized to find the best prices for computer related items.

Since the internet is filled with websites offering wholesale equipment, choosing the right wholesale computer hardware supplier may be difficult. The reputation of the seller should be taken into consideration, there are many sites that prioritize making money and do not offer proper customer service.

Wholesale computer hardware sources for the business

Individuals who sell on auction sites must have a wholesale supplier. Who is their supplier and where are the suppliers located?

During a search for wholesale computer hardware I came across a site that offers wholesale prices for products. The site could act as a wholesale hub for products to be purchased at low wholesale prices to fill orders on auction sites like eBay. This is also a very good source for building a website of your own and selling computer hardware to make a profit.

Why buy wholesale from Salehoo.com?

Their store is filled with merchandise from reliable wholesale sources that will drop ship to your customer, manufacturers, and wholesalers to find what you need at lower prices.
Over 5000 suppliers are available to choose from to find wholesale computer hardware at discounted wholesale prices.

International shipping is also available through Salehoo.com. Many suppliers have low minimum orders or none at all. Only buy what you want as much as you want to stay within a budget.

What are the features of Salehoo.com ?

Salehoo.com offers a feedback system that will help to analyze reliability of the sources. High numbers of positive feedback means the supplier is a good source to buy from. The site also has a section dedicated to warning people of suppliers to stay away from. The wholesale supplier source Salehoo.com promotes communication between buyers and sellers before buying wholesale computer hardware as well as thousands of other products.

The website also has a liaison to help resolve issues that occur between buyer and seller and promote favorable outcomes with disputes. Salehoo.com has a forum as well to communicate and possibly find bulk discounts when buying large quantities.

What do I get with the membership?

Salehoo.com offers access to products and suppliers that will help locate the best merchandise at wholesale price. They offer over 80,000 products and over 5000 suppliers to choose from. As a bonus, members will also receive at no charge a manual on how to successfully incorporate drop-shipping into their sales and business. The guide shows how to deal with the drop-shipper and know what to expect.

The second bonus eBook offers information on what products to sell that are growing in popularity. It outlines what niche markets will be profitable this year. Members are also provided with information on how to lower shipping costs and offer free or discounted shipping to purchasers.

These are just a few of the bonuses available at no charge when a membership is purchased.

By: Ben Federick

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We looked at the early digital computer memory, see History of the computer – Core Memory, and mentioned that the present standard RAM (Random Access Memory) is chip memory. This conforms with the commonly quoted application of Moore’s Law (Gordon Moore was one of the founders of Intel). It states that component density on integrated circuits, which can be paraphrased as performance per unit cost, doubles every 18 months. Early core memory had cycle times in microseconds, today we are talking in nanoseconds.

You may be familiar with the term cache, as applied to PCs. It is one of the performance features mentioned when talking about the latest CPU, or Hard Disk. You can have L1 or L2 cache on the processor, and disk cache of various sizes. Some programs have cache too, also known as buffer, for example, when writing data to a CD burner. Early CD burner programs had ‘overruns’. The end result of these was a good supply of coasters!

Mainframe systems have used cache for many years. The concept became popular in the 1970s as a way of speeding up memory access time. This was the time when core memory was being phased out and being replaced with integrated circuits, or chips. Although the chips were much more efficient in terms of physical space, they had other problems of reliability and heat generation. Chips of a certain design were faster, hotter and more expensive than chips of another design, which were cheaper, but slower. Speed has always been one of the most important factors in computer sales, and design engineers have always been on the lookout for ways to improve performance.

The concept of cache memory is based on the fact that a computer is inherently a sequential processing machine. Of course one of the big advantages of the computer program is that it can ‘branch’ or ‘jump’ out of sequence – subject of another article in this series. However, there are still enough times when one instruction follows another to make a buffer or cache a useful addition to the computer.

The basic idea of cache is to predict what data is required from memory to be processed in the CPU. Consider a program, which is made up of a series instructions, each one being stored in a location in memory, say from address 100 upwards. The instruction at location 100 is read out of memory and executed by the CPU, then the next instruction is read from location 101 and executed, then 102, 103 etc.

If the memory in question is core memory, it will take maybe 1 microsecond to read an instruction. If the processor takes, say 100 nanoseconds to execute the instruction, it then has to wait 900 nanoseconds for the next instruction (1 microsecond = 1000 nanoseconds). The effective repeat speed of the CPU is 1 microsecond.. (Times and speeds quoted are typical, but do not refer to any specific hardware, merely give an illustration of the principles involved).

In part 2 we consider what happens when we introduce a cache memory.

By: Tony Stockill

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