Computer Tips
This page will have tips for using your computer. Some of these tips will be the actual tips and others will be links to other web sites.
Computers for college students - The first step would be to check with the school that the
student will be attending as some have specific requirements, including are both PCs and Macs
supported? Is Microsoft Office required? If so, look for a student version of Office or see
the tip below on office. It is very important keep the security software up to date. Also
see these articles for more information:
Free Software for Students - Kim Komando
How to Save Big on back-to-school gear - Kim Komando
Do you need compatibility with Microsoft Office? If so, look for a student version of office or
check out the various alternatives to office, such as Open Office
or another free package is IBM's Lotus Symphony.
Also, see:
Microsoft Office Free Alternative - Kim Komando
Looking for Office Software - Kim Komando
PDF Files - PDF stands for portable document format. This format was developed several years ago to allow documents to be used on a variety of computers and systems while maintaining the same format and layouts. It is commonly used for software and hardware documentation. Two other advantages of pdf files are that they are usually smaller than the file they were created from and they need a special program to modify the pdf file. Both of these make them very good for agreements that can not be changed. Most if not all pdf files can be displayed using the free Acrobat Reader from Adobe. In the past, pdf files were created using Adobe Acrobat. Now, many programs are available to change another document into a pdf file, including OpenOffice. There are also "printer driver" programs that when installed allow you to print to a pdf file.
DSL vs Cable Broadband - from an article by Kim Komando: Theoretically, cable broadband is faster than DSL. However, actual speeds are different from theoretical speeds. In reality, cable and DSL speeds are comparable. With DSL, you don't need to worry about others slowing your Internet connection as is the case with cable broadband. However, DSL speeds are distance sensitive, with the distance being that from the distribution center.
How fast is your Internet connection? Are you
know how fast your internet connection really is? Are you getting the speed you are paying for? To find out, click
on one of the following links to test it. After selecting a city to connect to, each web site will test both your
upload and download speeds. Upload speed is how fast a document is sent from your computer and download speed is how
fast a document is received by your computer.
Speedtest
Speakeasy Speedtest