What can a computer do for me? At my age, why do I need to learn about the Internet? Answers; a lot, and yes. 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 how they important they are in your everyday life. I hope this helps others understand why computers and the Internet are so important to have access to. .
Webster's New World Compact Dictionary defines a computer as "an electronic machine that performs rapid, complex calculations or compiles and correlates data" (Computer, 1995, p.226). 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 worldwide 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, 1996,p138).
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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. .