Questions and Answers.
		Here are some answers to the questions we are most commonly asked.
		What computer should I buy
		First, decide what you want. Computer, multimedia, printer, scanner, digital camera, web cam. Confused... Well all you really need is the computer to begin with. Multimedia and some 'free' software is normally part of the package offered by the majors, but may be chargeable by the smaller players. All the other items can be added later if required.
		Where should I buy it. Mail order is usually cheaper, but expect to wait between 3 and 14 days for delivery, always pay by credit card. Have a look at the large stores and ask questions about the equipment
		What is a...
CPU/Processor Processor speed (MHz)		The 'brain' of the computer, takes in data, processes it and sends it out. Two dominant manufacturers Intel with their Celeron and Pentium III, and AMD with their K6 series and most recently AMD Athlon. Celerons and K6's are cheaper and slower than the Pentium III or Athlon. How fast the CPU runs, higher is generally better and Athlons are quicker than Intel for the same clock speed. That said... Nowadays, anything faster than 400 MHz is a flying machine unless you intend to run some serious applications or games/simulations.
Memory		Continues to cause confusion between RAM and hard disk storage, people often refer to running out of memory when they mean running out of disk storage space. RAM is Random Access Memory - this is electronic memory, it 'forgets' when you turn the power off. Hard disk. This is where your software and data is stored when you install a programme or save your work. It does not 'forget' when you turn the power off.
Which internet provider		We recommend Virgin, Tesco or Bun, the chances of getting a nice email address are much much higher compared to Freeserve. For example, look at Joe.Soap@virgin.net, Joe.Soap@Tesco.net, Joe.Soap@bun.com compared with Joe.Soap@Soap345.freeserve.co.uk
		Techno-babble in Plain English.
		HTML HyperText Markup Language. The code that is used to define a web page. CSS Cascading Style Sheets. The expanded term is probably worse than the abbreviation. It refers to the ability to assign styles to elements on a web page (HTML document). Examples include position, size, color, etc. DHTML Dynamic HTML. Incorporates the ability to change the CSS values in a HTML document after it has been loaded. The results are Animated and Interactive web pages. WYSIWYG What You See Is What You Get. A computer program that displays a reasonably good example of the finished result as it is being constructed. GUI Graphical User Interface. A program that uses a visual interface instead of a command line interface. DOS uses commands, Windows uses a GUI as do Mac - who claim to have invented it first.. Drag and Drop A GUI that allows you to use your mouse to drag elements from one location to another. Anachronisms Big words made up by VIP's (Very Important People) and LITOM's (Legends In Their Own Mind). ISP Internet Service Provider. A company that provides internet services such as web page hosting. Dialup Service Provider. An ISP that provides telephone connection services so that you can connect to the Internet with your modem. Access Service Provider. An ISP that provides any kind of access to the Internet such as Cable modem. Modem MOdulator, DEModulator. A device connected to your computer that goes Brrrr... Beee. Baaa. whenever you try to use it. If you have not figured out the purpose of this one yet you are probably not reading this. Form HTML code to collect information from a visitor. Perl Practical Extraction and Report Language. The most common scripting language for processing Form data. CGI Common Gateway Interface. A protocol for gathering data from a Form and sending it to a program or Script such as Perl. Often used to indicate the entire method for processing a Form but in fact it is only a transfer interface. WWW World Wide Web. (as if you did not know). Is a method for connecting many of the resources available over the Internet using HTML. Often incorrectly used as a synonym for the Internet. Internet Is the physical world wide interconnection between computers and their resources using TCP/IP. TCP/IP Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol. Is a communication protocol between computers that wish to "talk" over a physical connection. It defines the rules on how they communicate. TCP/IP is the method by which all computers talk over the Internet but it works equally as well on a LAN. LAN Local Area Network. A kind of mini Internet between locally connected computers, often in a business. IP Internet Protocol. The protocol that sends packets of data over the Internet. IP Address Internet Protocol Address. Defines were an IP packet is going. Often to somebody's computer over the Internet. Your domain has an IP address. Domain An Internet Web Site identified with an IP address. Domain Name The name of a Web Site that is mapped to an IP address using a URL. URL Universal Resource Locator. Is the address of any resource on the World Wide Web. It often refers to a Web Page but it can include almost any file that can be found on a server connected to the WWW (see above). FTP File Transfer Protocol. The protocol used to transfer files from one computer to another over the Internet. It is what you use to upload your files to your web server. Spam A luncheon meat made famous by Monty Python and now freely distributed over the Internet using TCP/IP on the WWW to your email box as soon as the distributor finds your Domain IP mail box host address. More... you want more... try these. Glossary of Internet Terms Glossary of Internet Terms