CPU? RAM? Do you think they are just letters of the alphabet or something to do with computers? If you guessed they have something to do with a computer, you are correct. Not understanding these basic computer terms can prevent you from making educated decisions on choosing a notebook or computer. Before you even think about shopping for a notebook or computer, you should understand the basic terms and lingo.

The CPU

A CPU stands for central processing unit, which acts as the brain of the computer. It is important when you look at computers that you purchase one with a name brand CPU with high speed. When you look at CPU brands, you want one with a well known reputation that has been in the market for quite sometime like AMD or Intel. As for the speed of the CPU, CPU speed is measured in GHz. The higher the GHz the faster your computer will run in most cases.

Welcome back to Nathan’s Plain Tech Talk. Last week I gave you a list of some Window’s shortcuts that should prove to be very valuable in saving you lots of time and making you more productive. This week I am going to discuss with you the internet  terminology used by computer geeks everywhere. With an understanding of the terminology used in computer books and articles such as mine, you will be better equipped in your quest for education and better prepared to use the internet for more then just surfing the web.

Browser- A browser is the software (see below) that visitors to your site use to view it. The most popular browser is Microsoft’s Internet Explorer, which comes with Windows.

This week I would like to do things a little different and offer you a list of some shortcuts that should make you a little more productive while on your computer. Since Windows is still the most popular operating system by far and Internet Explorer the most popular web browser (though Firefox is catching up) I will focus on shortcuts for these two only.

Lets start out with shortcuts for your Windows operating system and most Windows based programs…

Open a new document

Ctrl-O

Undo your last command

Ctrl-Z or Alt-Backspace

Undo your last undo

Ctrl-Y

Save the current document

Ctrl-S

Select the whole current document

Ctrl-A

Delete selection and move it to clipboard

Ctrl-X

Copy selection to the clipboard

Ctrl-C

Paste clipboards contents into current document

Ctrl-V

Start programs search or find

To some people, the words Trojan Horse, brings up thoughts of a recent movie…Troy, I believe it was. We have all heard the term Trojan Horse, but what exactly is it? A Trojan Horse is a destructive program that masquerades as a harmless application just like in our history books, when they invaded through what appeared to be a gift. Unlike viruses, Trojan Horses do not replicate themselves, but they can be just as destructive. One of the most dangerous examples of a Trojan is a program that promises to rid your computer of viruses but instead introduces viruses into your computer.