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Some
of our clients have requested information about updating their computers,
so we have produced this guide in plain English.
Our business is to design and maintain your website, and not to sell you
a computer - so you can be assured that the following information is unbiased.
We do not aim to have all the answers, but we do aim to do our best to
simplify the matter of buying and running your business computer - by
explaining the process in simple layman's terms, and in plain English.
Buying a computer
We recommend
that if you are running a small business you should be using an up-to-date
computer (typically less than 2 or 3 years old), preferably using Windows
XP. Your computer should have a minimum screen size of 15" - the
larger the better.
Typically, most systems now come with either a 17" monitor, or a
15" lcd flat screen. Both have their benefits, and you can only decide
which is best for you by trying them out in the shop - don't be afraid
to walk around somewhere like PCWorld or Comet to see what suits you best.
You will
need a program to view web pages on the Internet - most people will use
Microsoft Internet Explorer.
You will need an e-mail program - most computers come with Outlook Express,
and this is ideal.
One word of caution - AOL comes with its own e-mail facility & browser
which makes it ideal for the absolute beginner/amateur home user - but
these can cause complications when you try to integrate it for business
use.
Most small
businesses need an office package - typically a minimum requirement would
be to use the Microsoft Works (which now includes Microsoft Word). If
you can afford it choose the more expensive Microsoft Office package including
MS Word (for typing letters etc.) & MS Excel (for spreadsheets &
accounts etc.).
Buying a
computer needn't be an expensive outlay - shops such as Staples or Comet
sell entry-level HP Pavilion computers at £499 or less (August 2004),
and this usually comes complete with Microsoft Internet
Explorer, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, and Microsoft Works - everything
you need to get started.
What else do I need
- Broadband / Firewalls / Anti-Virus programs
You should
have broadband access to the Internet, usually via your BT telephone line.
Until a few years ago everyone connected to the Internet using an ordinary
telephone line. When you used the computer to connect to the Internet
it took over the telephone line, and no-one could use the phone at the
same time.
Nowadays, everyone is moving across to broadband. Broadband still uses
your BT phone line, but effectively splits the line into two parts - one
part still allows you to use the telephone, while the other part of the
line is used by the computer. Broadband also allows you to access the
Internet at typically 10 times the speed of the old-fashioned telephone
line speed.
You don't need to look at the expensive broadband packages - a small business
will find that the slowest broadband connection is plenty fast
enough to meet their needs.
As soon as
you access the Internet, or use e-mail, your computer becomes vulnerable
to viruses & attacks from the outside world.
You need to ensure that your computer is protected against these vulnerabilities
by installing suitable Firewall & Anti-Virus programs.
In layman's terms, these can be compared to the front door of your house.
The front door stops anyone walking in to your house from the world outside,
looking around, and taking away your TV & Hi-fi. It also provides
a letterbox, to collect any post that arrives - and you will look at any
suspicious packages before you open them.
Your computer usually accesses the outside world by means of your telephone
line (e.g. to the broadband connection) A Firewall is a protection at
the equivalent of your computers front door, and helps to protect from
an outside attack in which an attacker could look around the files on
your computer, and copy information away from your computer.
An anti-virus package is the equivalent of the letterbox-in your front-door.
It collects any incoming "e-mails" & vets them to see if
it recognises them as harmful - in the same way that you look at your
mornings post to see what is safe to open, and what goes straight in the
rubbish-bin!
There are plenty of good quality Anti-Virus programs around, which aren't
too expensive.
If you are looking for a cheap alternative, then try the AVG
website who offer a free anti-virus program for home-users.
There are
also plenty of good Firewall programs available.
If you are looking for a cheap alternative, then try the Zone
Alarm Website who offer a free trial version for home-users.
Alternatively, if you are considering changing over to broadband in the
near future you should consider getting a Firewall combined with the broadband
modem - this will usually be called a "router". These are slightly
more expensive than a simple router, but they allow your computer to hide
quite safely behind the firewall.
Some
interesting statistics
Screen sizes
Computer
screen sizes are measured diagonally across the screen, from corner to
corner
The minimum screen size that most people find comfortable is 15"
Screen resolution refers to the number of dots (or pixels) on the screen.
Over 50% of people in the UK use screen resolution settings of 1024x768
(i.e. 1024 pixels wide by 768 pixels high)
The majority of the remainder use screen settings of 800x600 if they have
an older monitor (typically 14" or less), or 1280x1084 if they have
a newer 17" or 19" monitor.
For this reason we make websites which are best viewed on a 1024x768 screen,
but then we put a margin down both sides so that anyone using an 800x600
screen can still see the full width of your web pages.
This information is based on 2003 statistics - updated November 2006
Who uses the Internet
64% of UK adults have
a PC at home
53% of UK adults have Internet access at home (equivalent to around 13
million homes)
68% of small businesses have Internet access
30% of UK home Internet
access is by broadband connection (equivalent to around 3.99 million homes)
This percentage
is rising very quickly as broadband availability, and prices, have dropped
It is expected that
by the end of this year 50% of home Internet access will be via broadband
This information
is provided by UK Ofcom (Ofcom is the regulator for the UK communications
industries, with responsibilities across television, radio, telecommunications
and wireless communications services) in their Internet and Broadband
Update - April 2004. The information is already out-of-date, as more and
more people are using computers at home, and more and more people are
converting to broadband
BT are well underway
with plans to expand broadband availability
Broadband is currently available to people living up to 5½ kms
from their telephone exchange, and BT are currently trialing equipment
to allow customers living up to 10 km from the exchange to use broadband
By 2008 it is anticipated that every house in the UK will have broadband
installed to their home, and that telephone services will be provided
using broadband lines !!
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