Senior Surf Newsletter May 2010

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Hello Everyone,

A wise professor once said, "the three most important tenets of education are Review, Review and Review." Regardless of folks' level of "expertise", we can always use a refresher.

I hear it all the time from clients of mine who are expert in say, digital photography, that they would still like a lesson or two on the "basics" (a relative term, it seems).

So that's what this issue is about. Forward thinking back to the beginning of the basics for advanced intermediates. Or something to that effect.

We will present this in the form of FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions). This will be part one. Part two will be determined by YOU and your questions.

Good day,
Dave






Frequently Asked Questions

What's a browser?
Examples are Internet Explorer, Firefox and Safari. It is the program you use to get on to the internet. You would not be able to get on the web without using your browser. It's like your car to the freeway; your car allows you access to the freeway, and each "exit" is a website. You need to open a browser and type in an address to get on any website. And although each browser may look different (think Chevy vs Ford), they all pretty much accomplish the same thing.

What's a router?
A router, or sometimes referred to as a wireless router, is used to send out internet signals (wirelessly) so you can connect to the internet sans cables (like to your laptop). It usually works in conjunction with your modem (which connects to your wall, where your internet comes from). Popular brands are 2Wire, Linksys, Netgear, and the Apple Airport.

What's an Operating System?
You're using it right now whether you realize it or not. The two main OS (operating systems) that exist are Microsoft's Windows and Apple. And there are varieties of each of these depending on the year you purchased your computer. Your OS is the brains of your computer, essentially. Without your OS, your software applications, your printer, your mouse, etc, would not run. They all depend on your OS for "instructions". Current OS's are Windows 7 and Apple OS 10.6 (Snow Leopard).

How on earth does Google get all of its information?
They just do. That's why. Let Google do what they want. OK, there's more to it than that. Google (and Yahoo and MSN) have special technology called "crawlers" that travel throughout the internet millions of times a day sucking up all the information (words, images, phrases) from websites, then put this information into a vast database for when you search. Read on...

How is Google so good at searching?
Google plays favorites, that's why. Really. Google has a special algorithm that calculates who are the "popular" websites on the block and based on that formula, Google decides which site to show in the top 10 based on that level of popularity on the web. And they are usually right!

How is all this stuff free?
How is so much of TV free? See those pretty looking flashy animations to right, left and above you? That's called advertising: it's paying for your email and a good deal of many websites. Other websites like wikipedia are donation based and/or volunteer-run (bless their hearts).

What is memory and what is storage?
This is the most common misconception I see. In computer speak, memory is NOT storage. Storage is how much space your computer has to hold your photos, videos, document files, etc. These are stored in your hard drive. Your memory, or RAM (Random Access Memory) affects your computer's speed and performance. Think of RAM as short-term memory for your computer allowing it to "juggle" more tasks without having to stall and freeze up. More RAM, usually more speed. Nowadays, you should have at least 2 gigabytes of RAM.

Do my emails take up space on my computer?
That all depends. If you use web mail like hotmail, yahoo, gmail or comcast where you actually have to open a browser and log in, then the answer is NO. Your email is stored on the email provider's server (i.e., their computers far far away). If you use Outlook, Windows Mail, Outlook Express, Mac Mail or Mozilla Thunderbird (even when linked to the email providers mentioned above), then all of your emails are downloaded to your hard drive from your email provider's server and YES, they take up space on your computer.

And finally...Worms, Viruses and Trojan Horses (Oh, my!)

The most common blunder people make when the topic of a computer virus arises is to refer to a
worm or Trojan horse as avirus. While the words Trojan, worm and virus are often used interchangeably, they are not the same. Viruses, worms and Trojan Horses are all malicious programs that can cause damage to yourcomputer, but there are differences among the three, and knowing those differences can help you to better protect your computer from their often damaging effects.

What are Virus?

A computer virus attaches itself to a program or file so it can spread from one computer to another, leaving infections as it travels. Almost all viruses are attached to an executable file, which means the virus may exist on your computer but it cannot infect your computer unless you run or open the malicious program. It is important to note that a virus cannot be spread without a human action, (such as running an infected program) to keep it going. People continue the spread of a computer virus, mostly unknowingly, by sharing infecting files or sending e-mails with viruses as attachments in the e-mail.


What are Worms?

A worm is similar to a virus by its design, and is considered to be a sub-class of a virus. Worms spread from computer to computer, but unlike a virus, it has the capability to travel without any help from a person. A worm takes advantage of file or information transport features on your system, which allows it to travel unaided. The biggest danger with a worm is its capability to replicate itself on your system, so rather than your computer sending out a single worm, it could send out hundreds or thousands of copies of itself, creating a huge devastating effect.


What are Trojan Horses?

The Trojan Horse, at first glance will appear to be useful software but will actually do damage once installed or run on your computer. Those on the receiving end of a Trojan Horse are usually tricked into opening them because they appear to be receiving legitimate software or files from a legitimate source. When a Trojan is activated on your computer, the results can vary. Some Trojans are designed to be more annoying than malicious (like changing your desktop, adding silly active desktop icons) or they can cause serious damage by deleting files and destroying information on your system.


Send me your questions and we will see about answering them in the next installments. Also, review (ha!) any of the previous newsletters to see if any of your questions can be answered!