, Research Paper
Why You Should Purchase A PC
Computers are capable of doing more things every year. There are many
advantages to knowing how to use a computer, and it is important that everyone
know how to use them properly. Using the information I have gathered, and my own
knowledge from my 12 years of computer experience, I will explain the many
advantages of owning a computer and knowing how to use a PC and I will attempt
to explain why you should purchase a computer and learn how to use one properly.
Webster’s New World Compact Dictionary defines a computer as “an electronic
machine that performs rapid, complex calculations or compiles and correlates
data” (”Computer.”). While this definition gives one a very narrow view of what
a computer is capable of doing, it does describe the basic ideas of what I will
expand upon. We have been living through an age of computers for a short while
now and there are already many people world wide that are computer literate.
According to Using Computers: A Gateway to Information World Wide Web Edition,
over 250 million Personal Computers (PC’s) were in use by 1995, and one out of
every three homes had a PC (Shelly, Cashman,& Waggoner, 138).
Computers are easy to use when you know how they work and what the parts
are. All computers perform the four basic operations of the information
processing cycle: input, process, output, and storage. Data, any kind of raw
facts, is required for the processing cycle to occur. Data is processed into
useful information by the computer hardware. Most computer systems consist of a
monitor, a system unit which contains the Central Processing Unit (CPU), a
floppy-disk drive, a CD-ROM drive, speakers, a keyboard, a mouse, and a printer.
Each component takes a part in one of the four operations.
The keyboard and mouse are input devices that a person uses to enter data
into the computer. From there the data goes to the system unit where it is
processed into useful information the computer can understand and work with.
Next the processed data can be sent to storage devices or to output devices.
Normally output is sent to the monitor and stored on the hard-disk or to a
floppy-disk located internal of the system unit. Output can also be printed out
through the printer, or can be played through the speakers as sound depending on
the form it takes after it is processed.
Once you have grasped a basic understanding of the basic parts and
operations of a computer, you can soon discover what you can do with computers
to make life easier and more enjoyable. Being computer literate allows you to
use many powerful software applications and utilities to do work for school,
business, or pleasure. Microsoft is the current leading producer of many of
these applications and utilities.
Microsoft produces software called operating systems that manage and
regulate the information processing cycle. The oldest of these is MS-DOS, a
single user system that uses typed commands to initiate tasks. Currently
Microsoft has available operating systems that use visual cues such as icons to
help enter data and run programs. These operating systems are ran under an
environment called a Graphical User Interface (GUI’s). Such operating systems
include Windows 3.xx, Windows 95, and Windows NT Workstation. Windows 95 is
geared more for use in the home for productivity and game playing whereas
Windows NT is more business orientated. The article entitled “Mine, All Mine” in
the June 5, 1995 issue of Time stated that 8 out of 10 PC’s worldwide would not
be able to start or run if it were not for Microsoft’s operating systems like
MS-DOS, Windows 95, and Windows NT (Elmer-Dewitt, 1995, p. 50).
By no means has Microsoft limited itself to operating systems alone.
Microsoft has also produced a software package called Microsoft Office that is
very useful in creating reports, data bases, spreadsheets, presentations, and
other documents for school and work. Microsoft Office: Introductory Concepts and
Techniques provides a detailed, step-by-step approach to the four programs
included in Microsoft Office.
Included in this package are Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft
Access, and Microsoft PowerPoint. Microsoft Word is a word processing program
that makes creating professional looking documents such as announcements,
resumes, letters, address books, and reports easy to do. Microsoft Excel, a
spreadsheet program, has features for data organization, calculations, decision
making, and graphing. It is very useful in making professional looking reports.
Microsoft Access, a powerful database management system, is useful in creating
and processing data in a database. Microsoft PowerPoint is “. . a complete
presentation graphics program that allows you to produce professional looking
presentations” (Shelly, Cashman, & Vermaat, 2). PowerPoint is flexible enough so
that you can create electronic presentations, overhead transparencies, or even
35mm slides.
Microsoft also produces entertainment and reference programs. “Microsoft’s
Flight Simulator is one of the best selling PC games of all time” (Elmer-Dewitt,
50). Microsoft’s Encarta is an electronic CD-ROM encyclopedia that makes for a
fantastic alternative to 20 plus volume book encyclopedias. In fact, it is so
popular, it outsells the Encyclopedia Britannica. These powerful business,
productivity, and entertainment applications are just the beginning of what you
can do with a PC.
Knowing how to use the Internet will allow you access to a vast resource of
facts, knowledge, information, and entertainment that can help you do work and
have fun. According to Netscape Navigator 2 running under Windows 3.1, “the
Internet is a collection of networks, each of which is composed of a collection
of smaller networks” (Shelly, Cashman, & Jordan, N2). Information can be sent
over the Internet through communication lines in the form of graphics, sound,
video, animation, and text. These forms of computer media are known as
hypermedia. Hypermedia is accessed through hypertext links, which are pointers
to the computer where the hypermedia is stored. The World Wide Web (WWW) is the
collection of these hypertext links throughout the Internet. Each computer that
contains hypermedia on the WWW is known as a Web site and has Web pages set up
for users to access the hypermedia. Browsers such as Netscape allow people to
“surf the net” and search for the hypermedia of their choice.
There are millions of examples of hypermedia on the Internet. You can find
art, photos, information on business, the government, and colleges, television
schedules, movie reviews, music lyrics, online news and magazines, sport sights
of all kinds, games, books, and thousands of other hypermedia on the WWW. You
can send electronic mail (E-Mail), chat with other users around the world, buy
airline, sports, and music tickets, and shop for a house or a car. All of this,
and more, provides one with a limitless supply of information for research,
business, entertainment, or other personal use. Online services such as America
Online, Prodigy, or CompuServe make it even easier to access the power of the
Internet. The Internet alone is almost reason enough to become computer literate,
but there is still much more that computers can do.
Knowing how to use a computer allows you to do a variety of things in
several different ways. One of the most popular use for computers today is for
playing video games. With a PC you can play card games, simulation games, sport
games, strategy games, fighting games, and adventure games. Today’s technology
provides the ultimate experiences in color, graphics, sound, music, full motion
video, animation, and 3D effects. Computers have also become increasingly useful
in the music, film, and television industry. Computers can be used to compose
music, create sound effects, create special effects, create 3D life-like
animation, and add previous existing movie and TV footage into new programs, as
seen in the movie Forrest Gump. All this and more can be done with computers.
There is truly no time like the present to become computer literate.
Computers will be doing even more things in the future and will become
unavoidable. Purchasing and learning about a new PC now will help put PC’s into
the other two-thirds of the homes worldwide and make the transition into a
computer age easier.
Works Cited
“Computer.” Webster’s New World Compact School and Office Dictionary. 1995.
Elmer-Dewitt, P. “Mine, All Mine.” Time Jun. 1995: 46-54.
Shelly, G., T. Cashman, and K. Jordan. Netscape Navigator 2 Running Under
Windows 3.1.
Danvers: Boyd & Fraser Publishing Co., 1996.
Shelly, G., T. Cashman, and M. Vermaat. Microsoft Office Introductory Concepts
and
Techniques. Danvers: Boyd & Fraser Publishing Co., 1995.
Shelly, G., T. Cashman, G. Waggoner, and W. Waggoner. Using Computers: A Gateway
to
Information World Wide Web Edition. Danvers: Boyd & Fraser Publishing Co.,
1996.
Другие работы по теме:
Law Of Demand Essay Research Paper There
Law Of Demand Essay, Research Paper There are many different products that are in demand for teenagers today. Normally at different times there are different products that are high
Consumer Dept Essay Research Paper The reasons
Consumer Dept Essay, Research Paper The reasons we as Americans buy on credit varies, but without it most of us would probably never be able to purchase necessities such as a home or automobile. The nation’s
How To Wash A CarProcess Essay Research
Paper We all know that we can pay to get our car washed, but why pay the expensive price of a professional when you can get the same results doing it yourself? You will save money and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself.
Gun Control Essay Research Paper gun controlDraw
Gun Control Essay, Research Paper gun controlDraw!!! Gun control, as I understand it, consists of the government restricting the ability of individual citizens to purchase weapons. The different types of gun control vary from waiting periods between when you purchase the gun and when you actually get it, background checks so that high-risk people can’t purchase guns through legal channels, and completely banning certain types of guns.
Comparison Contrast Essay Research Paper When one
Comparison Contrast Essay, Research Paper When one is deciding to purchase new furniture there are many options that one can take. One can buy furniture unassembled and assemble it themselves, or you can buy it pre-assembled. But which way is the most efficient way? I feel that buying pre-assembled furniture is a much more efficient method.
Health Care Economics Essay Research Paper People
Health Care Economics Essay, Research Paper People place various levels of price on their lives and the lives of their loved ones. People take drastic measures in an attempt to increase and improve one’s life. Unfortunately, money and economics have a great influence on the value of life. As presented in the text, the Jones-Lee Approach, the relationship between wages and risk, and the study with the smoke detectors, all show that even with health, as with material consumer products, people will purchase more when the price is cheaper.
An Abused Freedom Essay Research Paper An
An Abused Freedom Essay, Research Paper An Abused Freedom The Second Amendment, I believe, has been over-stretched and misrepresented by gun lobbyists such as the National Rifle Association (NRA) for years. They always hide behind the Second Amendment saying that this freedom is what our country was built upon.
Goodwill Essay Research Paper The definition of
Goodwill Essay, Research Paper The definition of an intangible asset is an asset that lacks physical substance and usually has a high degree of uncertainty concerning their future benefits, and they are unable to be touched (they are not physical objects). Patens, copyrights franchises, and goodwill are all examples of intangible assets.
A Consumers Buyer Behaviour Is Influenced By
Four Major Factors; Cultural, Social, Personal, And Psychological Essay, Research Paper A Consumers Buyer Behaviour Is Influenced By Four Major Factors; Cultural, Social, Personal, And Psychological
Cadillac Essay Research Paper IntroductionNow that we
Cadillac Essay, Research Paper Introduction Now that we have looked at the Cadillac Escalade?s environment and target markets, lets look at the marketing mix to show what cadillac does to influence the demand of the Escalade.
My Over 1000000 Purchase Essay Research Paper
I have given some thought to a big purchase after I get out of college. It will probably be a new car. I have always loved Volkswagens , and I think I would like to purchase a New Beetle.
Women In Politics Essay Research Paper During
Women In Politics Essay, Research Paper During the revolutionary era, American leaders decided to use economic boycotts in their struggle against Britain. The goal of these boycotts was to stop the purchase of imported goods
Shopping Online Essay Research Paper Enormous selections
Shopping Online Essay, Research Paper Enormous selections, great prices, convenience and service are all just one click away with the latest innovation of online shopping. Today, people all over the world can buy almost anything without leaving their homes. Online shopping allows people to purchase anything from plane tickets, to apparel, to cars, to groceries, to stocks and shares and the list continues.
Benificial Insects Essay Research Paper Beneficial Insects
Benificial Insects Essay, Research Paper Beneficial Insects Insects have been roaming the earth for millions of years. They have adapted to every climate and terrain on earth. No matter what we do they will always be amongst us. This is not necessarily a bad thing; insects are actually beneficial to us. Insects help pollinate our crops each year.
Gun Control Legislation Essay Research Paper The
Gun Control Legislation Essay, Research Paper The question of weather or not to have tougher gun control laws is a major issue for the American society. Violence with guns in the United States seems to be ever growing. Gun violence claims the lives of an estimated 34,000 Americans each year. It is evident that some people should just not have the right, or privilege to own a gun.
Boundaries Essay Research Paper This article tells
Boundaries Essay, Research Paper his article tells us the early conflicts, fears, vagueness and historical backgrounds over territorial expansion. The United States had been established with obscure concept of national boundaries. The constitution itself did not articulate geographic limit of the states, partly because the members of the constitutional convention were unsure of their territorial limit and expansion.
American Expansion Essay Research Paper In a
American Expansion Essay, Research Paper In a sense, the United States has been “expansionistic” from its very beginning. The 13 English colonies, clinging to the eastern seaboard, were determined to push westward despite all natural and political obstacles. Once established as a nation, the United States went about acquiring even more land, including Florida, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Mexican Cession.
History Of 1803 Essay Research Paper POLITICAL
History Of 1803 Essay, Research Paper POLITICAL EVENTS: 1803 was probably one of the most important year in the history of the United States. The reason for this is the Louisiana Purchase.
The Louisiana Purchase Essay Research Paper The
The Louisiana Purchase Essay, Research Paper The Louisiana Purchase was the purchase of the French province of Louisiana by the United States in 1803. The province stretched from the Mississippi River westward to the
Are Male Condoms Or Female Condoms A
Better Contraceptive? Essay, Research Paper The male condom is a thin layer made of latex or sheepskin that fits over the erect penis and stops sperm from entering the female’s body when ejaculating. They are the most commonly used contraceptive and you can purchase them at drug stores or supermarkets without a prescription.
Dell Company Essay Research Paper 1 One
Dell Company Essay, Research Paper 1. One force that is driving the strategic direction of Dell is the server market. Dell is currently fourth in server sales. Dell has also moved into the international market, including various web pages for different countries, each with separate languages. Computers are also manufactured in foreign markets to cut cost.
Windows 30 Essay Research Paper Windows 30
Windows 3.0 Essay, Research Paper Windows 3.0 With window’s 3.0, you can unleash the power of your 286 or 386 computer’s protected mode. Unlike earlier releases that made you purchase separate versions
Process Essay 2 Essay Research Paper Process
Process Essay 2 Essay, Research Paper Process Essay People everyday, are suckered into paying too much for their cars. They are also getting conned into buying inferior cars that turn out to be lemons. These cars usually end up braking down shortly after they were bought. Purchasing a pre-owned car can be a difficult and complicated experience.
Todays Economy Essay Research Paper Are Peoples
Todays Economy Essay, Research Paper Are People?s Good and Bad Habits Making Today?s economy? An economy depends upon the production and sale of goods to the consumers. Companies often try to take advantage of their consumer?s weaknesses, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and driving everywhere. Consumer?s bad habits often cause high prices of those goods because they will pay any price to purchase the good, often out of necessity.
Expansionism Essay Research Paper In a sense
Expansionism Essay, Research Paper In a sense, The United States has been “expansionistic” from its very beginning. The 13 English colonies, clinging to the eastern seaboard, were determined to push westward despite all natural and political obstacles. Once established as a nation, the United States went about acquiring even more land, including Florida, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Mexican Cession.
How To Buy A Computer A How
To Essay) Essay, Research Paper HOW TO BUY A NEW COMPUTER Before buying a home computer, the smart shopper must first assess their computer wants and needs, do some basic research and finally, comparison-shop for the best price.
Esquire Radio
& Electronics Essay, Research Paper Abstract Esquire Radio & Electronics, the plaintiff, has filed a law suit against Montgomery Ward, seeking damages for a breach of contract.
Changing Roles Of Women Due To The
Revolution Essay, Research Paper changing roles of women due to the revolution. During the revolutionary era, American leaders decided to use economic boycotts in theirstruggle against Britain. The goal of these boycotts was to stop the purchase of imported goods(which could only be purchased from England).
Thomas Jefferson
’s 3 Main Contributions Essay, Research Paper Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence and third President of the United States, was the nation’s greatest champion of representative democracy and the rights of man. He was a philosopher, educator, naturalist, politician, scientist, architect, inventor, musician, and writer.
Iomega Zip Drives Essay Research Paper Iomega
Iomega Zip Drives Essay, Research Paper Iomega offers a wide range of zip drives which include the USB Port drives, parallel Port drives, SCSI port drives, and Internal drives. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of the four mentioned. Like any other item you wish to purchase you should know what you needs are before you purchase a zip drive, so that you may purchase the right unit.
Gun Control 3 Essay Research Paper Gun
Gun Control 3 Essay, Research Paper Gun Control The government has placed many gun control laws, but some of the laws were made to make the general public feel safer. For instance the government
Guns In Texas Essay Research Paper GUNS
Guns In Texas Essay, Research Paper GUNS IN TEXAS Gun control consists of the government restricting the ability of individual citizens to purchase weapons. In recent years many laws have been passed to assist with keeping guns under control, and this has become a topic of significant interest among politicians and US citizens.