The internet

The Internet is international computer network linking together thousands of individual networks at military and government agencies, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, industrial and Financial corporations of all sizes, and commercial enterprises (called gateways or service providers) that enable individuals to access the network. The most popular features of the Internet include electronic mail (e-mail), discussion groups (called newsgroups or bulletin boards, where users can post messages and look for responses on a system called Usenet), on-line conversations (called chats), adventure and role-playing games, information retrieval, and electronic commerce (e-commerce).

The public information stored in the multitude of computer networks connected to the Internet forms a huge electronic library, but the enormous quantity of data and number of linked computer networks also make it difficult to find where the desired information resides and then to retrieve it. A number of progressively easier-to-use interfaces and tools have been developed to facilitate searching. Among these are search engines, such as Archie, Gopher, and WAIS (Wide Area Information Server), and a number of commercial indexes, which are programs that use a proprietary algorithm to search a large collection of documents for keywords and return a list of documents containing one or more of the keywords.

There is also such a program as Telnet that allows users of one computer to connect with another, distant computer in a different network. The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is used to transfer information between computers in different networks. The greatest impetus to the popularization of the Internet came with the introduction of the World Wide Web (WWW), a hypertext system that makes

MOUSE

In computing, a mouse (plural mice, mouse devices, or mouses) is a pointing device that functions by detecting two-dimensional motion relative to its supporting surface. Physically, a mouse consists of a small case, held under one of the user's hands, with one or more buttons. It sometimes features other elements, such as "wheels", which allow the user to perform various system-dependent operations, or extra buttons or features can add more control or dimensional input. The mouse's motion typically translates into the motion of a pointer on a display, which allows for fine control of a Graphical User Interface.

The name mouse, originated at the Stanford Research Institute, derives from the resemblance of early models (which had a cord attached to the rear part of the device, suggesting the idea of a tail) to the common mouse.

The first marketed integrated mouse — shipped as a part of a computer and intended for personal computer navigation — came with the Xerox 8010 Star Information System in 1981.

Computer monitors

Your computer monitor is perhaps the most important element of your computer setup, other than the CPU itself. Unfortunately, it is also one of the most overlooked, and the monitor is often considered an afterthought when buying a new computer. While you use your keyboard, mouse and other devices to interact with your applications and the internet, you are always looking at your monitor, and an upgraded monitor can greatly enhance your computing experience.

Computer monitors are available in two common formats, CRT and LCD. CRT is yesterday's technology, but this design still provides the best color fidelity, making it a good choice for professionals who deal with color production, including print media, photography and video.

LCD is the most popular format, and for good reason. An LCD monitor at any given size takes up less space, weighs less and uses less energy than an equivalent CRT.

LCD monitors are available in two common formats (aspect ratios). The standard format (4:3) is the most familiar. Widescreen (16:9 or 16:10) monitors mimic the aspect ratio of the HDTV format and are an ideal choice for viewing and editing video. In addition, widescreens can easily display multiple documents side by side, so you can work in two or more applications simultaneously.

Perhaps the two most notable negative attributes of LCD monitors are a reduced viewing angle when compared to CRT, and the inability of some LCD monitors to correctly display fast motion. Because of the relatively slow response time of an LCD panel (i.e., how fast a pixel can turn on and off), fast motion can appear blurred or leave trails. Higher-performance LCD monitors tend to reduce, if not eliminate, this problem, although bargain-basement models are all but guaranteed to suffer from it.