Introduction to Computers
Click on an underlined link below to get lots of pictures and
easy-to-understand explanations, or you can use the fold-out menu above.
General:
Hardware:
| Types of Computers
|
Things to consider when buying a
computer; mini, mainframe, etc. |
| Peripherals
& Connections
|
Peripherals; I/O
(input/output);
parallel, serial, USB |
| Monitors, Mice
& Keyboards
|
Pixels, resolution; also:
links to keyboard shortcuts and mouse info |
| Storage
|
Useful links for
diskettes, hard drives, CDs, DVDs... |
| Printers
|
Pros and cons of dot matrix, inkjet, laser; color considerations |
| Scanners
& Digital Cameras
|
Useful links for both;
explanation of digital images |
| Backup
|
The most boring and most critical topic; useful links |
Communication:
| Modems
|
A picture that makes
it all clear: what a modem does |
| Networks
|
LAN, WAN; Server;
Client-server or peer-to-peer |
Software:
| Word Processing Programs
|
Examples of mail
merge, spell check, format, word wrap... |
| Spreadsheets
|
Demonstration of what
a spreadsheet can do and terminology |
| Graphics Programs
|
Pixels, bit map; BMP,
JPG, GIF formats; demonstration |
| Database Programs
|
Pictures and explanations of
the most important parts of a database |
| Formatting
|
Examples of fonts,
points, bold, alignment , etc. |
|
Operating Systems
|
What the heck is an
operating system anyway? |
The Internet:
| Introduction to the Internet
|
ISP, IP address,
backbone, bandwidth, TCP/IP |
|
The World Wide Web
|
URL, domain name,
secure site, FTP and more |
| Other Internet Services
|
Email, newsgroups,
mailing lists, chat rooms (with links) |
| Connecting to the Internet
|
Pros and cons of DSL,
cable, satellite, and others |
| Searching the
Web
|
How to use Google,
Yahoo, and do a search for images |
| Better
Searches
|
Tips to make your
searches return what you want without irrelevant sites |
Database Concepts:
The following are a bit dry but absolutely essential reading if you have any
critical databases in your company.
|
