How To Walk In High Heels: The Girl's Guide To Everything (25 page)

How to buy the right computer for you

The key thing to remember when buying is why are you buying? What do you want it to do and where will you have the computer? Is it an object of desire or an object of work?

There are essentially two different types of computer: the desktop and the laptop. Desktops tend to have a bigger screen, or flat monitor, and keyboard. Laptops have a plasma screen and keyboard that can fold into one.

The computer is made up of various parts that work together to perform the data processing. Three of the most important parts are: the
processor chip
(which does all the main processing of the data), the
memory
(which stores the data for the tasks that are currently being performed by your computer), and the
hard drive
(which stores all the data files on your computer).

Various things affect the performance of your computer, but two of the most standard factors are the amount of memory and the speed of the processor chip. Logically the more memory you have available the more tasks your computer can do. If you have a faster processor chip, then your computer can process these tasks more quickly.

You need to buy a computer that matches your use, and the best way to do this is to get the right software, i.e. the memory and information
package
that will suit you. Then decide on the outer shell. The most popular types are: Personal Computers (known as PCs), or Apple Macintosh (Macs).

Both the software that runs on your computer, and the data referred to as
files,
are stored in
folders
. Hence the slightly antiquated phrase
desktop publishing
as it was originally designed to be – like an all-in-one desktop with electronic paper, its folders and all the stuff you need, just tidier.

In terms of hardware PCs and Macs are very similar; where they differ is in terms of their software or
operating system
. PCs use the Windows operating system, made by Microsoft, the latest version being Windows XP. Macs use the Macintosh OS operating system, made by Apple, the latest version being OS X (operating system no. 10 – in Roman numerals).

Both PCs and Macs have very similar
types
of software for word processing, browsing the internet, listening to music, watching DVDs. However, they run differently because the operating systems are different. You can also have Mac and PC versions of the same-name software; for example a Mac version of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser, or a PC version of Apple’s iTunes Music software.

If fully charged, laptops can run without electrical leads, but desktops do need the power supply to function. Obviously the final decision depends on your usage. If you want to take it everywhere with you, note to self: think of the handbag and travel/car situation. Can you manage this? Or are happy to have it as an ornament on your desk?

Note: laptops are usually more expensive than desktops. Also there are significantly fewer Mac users than there are PC users, despite what the advertising tells you. Check who you are going to be contacting/working with and whether your computers will be on compatible systems before purchasing.

How to make it do what you want it to do

Once you have purchased your computer, plugged it in and found the On button, you need to know what packages to select to help you proceed. A computer without its software is like a model without any clothes, except a lot less sexy.

How to make your computer tick means understanding and installing the essentials.

Microsoft Office is the real star of this section. It contains the programs Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook. The perfect all-in-one package. More specialist or advanced versions of Office (Microsoft Professional) contain:

Microsoft Access for databases.

Microsoft Project for project planning.

Microsoft Publishing for publishing projects.

Microsoft is now the universal software choice, so you would be crazy to get a machine without this application.

This is an operating system that provides a layer between the computer hardware and the application you want to apply. In the early 1990s there was an unofficial truce and it was accepted that everyone would use Windows as the standard system. On the Mac the operating system is OS X which is Apple’s variant of Windows, but the real McCoy works as well. With one operating system it is easier to set a standard and for everyone to be able to communicate, from programmers to the average punter. What is so clever about Windows is that it lets you have more than one application open at a time. For example, in Windows you can write a document in Word, and then cut and paste it into an Excel table. You can chop and change your mind as you go along. Before Windows was invented this would have been impossible. Now you can jiggle everything together and have several items to play with.

Every time you type a piece of devastating prose, a high-powered memo, or a love letter, this is most likely to be done in Word. It is basically the most common, easy to use system for writing. Thanks, Bill. It has different fonts, colours, layouts and, best of all, spelling and grammar checks. It can cut and paste and wiggle stuff about on the screen to make sense of your scribbles.

Word Perfect was a package that tried to compete, but Word tweaked itself and, as yet, has failed to be toppled. Not using the Word package would be like writing in Cyrillic when the rest of the world has moved on to the Roman alphabet. Basically you would not be understood.

Turning on your computer

Check you don’t have to put the plug in and turn on the mains first. If you do, have you?

Press the On button – this is usually easily identified as a large circular button with a symbol of a nearly closed circle and a vertical line cutting through it. Best way to remember this is to look for the key that is usually slightly isolated, and has what could be a cheap-looking graphic of a diamond ring.

Got it? Phew. Press it and you’re in action.

Using a mouse with no squeak

One of the most useful devices on a computer and nothing to do with the rodent. Either incorporated into a machine, if a laptop, or an extra plugged in as part of a desktop.

The mouse was invented by Douglas Engelbart in 1964, and it changed the use of computers for ever. It was the first user-friendly, non-scary addition to the hardware. It originally had a wooden shell and two metal wheels, and was nicknamed ‘mouse’ as it had a ‘tail’ that came out of the end. Engelbart also came up with an early version of Windows, but he didn’t patent this so he couldn’t cash in. Doh.

Mac mice respond with one click, and only have one button. But holding down the CNTL button and clicking the mouse is the equivalent to a right click on a PC mouse. The rest of the mice in the hardware industry have two clicks, left and right buttons, to action a command.

Moving the mouse around you can wiggle and twist your arrow or cursor to any part of the screen – a bit like a sparkler – and click on the option you require. Left click is to select and right click will offer you extra/refined choices within that group.

Move files with a touch of a button

In Windows it is more than simple to move a file. Using your mouse you can drag the file to its new location; or you can click and highlight desired section, and then let it go, not forgetting to save the file in its new position. To drag, you place the pointer (arrow) over the item you want to move, click down and hold down the left button. Then you move the pointer to the new position. When you release the button the item will be moved to this place. Easy.

PowerPoint

This was another of Bill Gates’s brilliant ideas. It is the software for presentations. Gone are the days of clumsy slide shows and overhead projectors, now people opt for the Microsoft package PowerPoint to do their work justice.

You can download and compile text, images and add graphs. These can then be presented using portable projectors, or printed, on acetate for projections, onto paper to bind into booklets, or emailed directly to the client.

PowerPoint is useful because it is compatible with other Windows packages so the relative novice can insert pictures and text and compile professional-looking pitches, without having to hold hands with IT for the duration.

Some people also use the application DRAW, which is a basic, caveman computer-drawing package that allows you to put basic diagrams into PowerPoint, Excel and Word with which you can build your online collage.

Use the printer

Well, you don’t want to be sitting staring at a screen all day long, you’ll end up with a crashing headache and feeling very cross-eyed.

The best thing to do is to print off your powerful prose and documents. To use a coloured pen or highlighter is as effective and speedy as it is to edit on screen, if not more so.

First you need to purchase the appropriate printer. Make sure that you get one that is compatible with your computer; your dealer will be able to recommend what model to go for. Ink jet printers are best for the home as they are nice and compact, while laser jets tend to be favoured for the office.

Plug in the printer and then attach to your computer, using a USB lead. You may need to load driver instructions onto your PC with a CD or some software, but, just like building a Lego castle, the instructions should be fairly self-explanatory.

Once your printer is up and running make sure that you keep the head clean and that your printer has a full colour and a full black cartridge. You also want to get a good wad of paper that is the correct size and insert it into the feeder tray.

Do not ram too much paper into the machine; it will cause the printer to freak out and freeze on you. Also, do not click on too many jobs for it to do at one point; showing its human side, it will go into information overload and have a meltdown.

Instead calmly select the required document you want printed, check paper and cartridges and all connections, and click print.

You can print words and pictures, in colour and black and white depending on your printer’s capability. Many new models also have the option to scan and photocopy.

Scan a picture

My, how we have embraced the age of technology if you have got this far. Scanners are affordable, easy enough to operate and now are compact enough that you can have them in your home.

Like a printer, a scanner is usually a separate piece of equipment that you plug into your computer. It can indeed be combined with your printer, but let’s not complicate things too much initially.

First, ensure scanner is plugged in at the mains and connected to the computer. Place the image to be scanned face down. It’s similar to photocopying, but with this method you don’t get a print-out, you get the image straight on the screen of the computer.

Click on run and the scanner will start to make a grinding noise as it scans a copy of the said paper. You need to stick with 2-D paper images – it will have trouble reading solid objects. So no sitting on the scanner.

Once your image is scanned you have an option to view and an option to save.

If it is an image you want you should save it first as a jpeg. That way your computer will be able to recognise it as an image file. The jpeg can be saved into your hard-drive memory and be ready for you to access or send.

Scanners can read colour as well as black and white but black and white images use up less memory. In addition to creating jpegs or tiff image files, scanners are handy for transferring documents and signatures on to screen.

Open a jpeg

Compressing the data into a jpeg basically reduces the number of megabytes (i.e. file size), making it easier to send and easier to download. Jpegs are the best form of sending a picture. The bit map will display on the screen what has been sent, using a simple application to decipher the digital information and translate what colours go where over the fine matrix mesh.

File extensions, which tell you what software data they are for, are only three letters long – so remember JPG, like Jean Paul Gaultier, is for images.

RGB (Red Green Blue) are the three colours that the computer can understand and mix to form any shade or tone required.

A screen is approximately 1,000 by 800 points. The jpeg goes to your computer, via the internet, compressing 2.5Mbytes (1,000 x 800 x 3 points) – crikey – that can then explode onto the screen when you open it. It’s a bit like cramming far too much stuff into a suitcase, getting it through customs and when you open it up the other end, after all the creases have fallen out, you have double what your companion managed to fit in theirs. Result.

Zip files on PCs are similar to the jpeg suitcase theory. These compress files, mainly text and PowerPoint files, into more manageable sending sizes. You simply drag the file, and drop it into the zip file icon; it’s a bit like all the ingredients condensed into one of Willy Wonka’s Everlasting Gobstoppers. Macs use Stuffit, a rather disgusting name, so for that we try not to use it.

To attach a jpeg to an email simply click on the Add Attachment icon, open the appropriate folder and scroll down to the images/jpeg option, select and send.

As jpegs compress images, MP3 compresses music so you can download or email it, but more of this later.

Another little beaut is Adobe Acrobat

This is something you will stumble on fairly quickly. You can be sent attachments that are ‘.pdf’. Acrobat’s main characteristic is it can be used to send attachments you cannot modify, making it popular for government documents or legal databases. You can’t tamper with the file, you can only view it. PDF is great for documents that you want people to read, view layout and not fiddle with. To view Adobe attachments download Adobe Acrobat Reader, which comes free on the internet. The only way you can modify the files is if you purchase the Adobe Acrobat software for yourself. Shrewd.