This article was written in February 2008. Some computer specs may be out of date.

Technology often gets a bad rap for being hard to understand or being far too complicated to use. While there are aspects of technology that are complicated, there are many “common” terms that people will often glaze over because they don’t think they can understand what is being talked about.

Take computer specifications, for example. When companies are trying to sell computers they will plaster their boxes and pamphlets with processor speed, amount of RAM, hard drive space, graphics processor trying to get consumers interested in their product. Many of the consumers, however, have no idea what any of those things mean and the second they see words like “2.6 Ghz” their eyes glaze over and they stop paying attention.

In this article I want to explain some of these computer terms to help build a better understanding of the computer and how it works. It is can be relatively simple when looked at from the correct light; my goal is to get the correct lighting.

The computer processor, also referred to as the CPU (Central Processing Unit) of the computer is the most predominant term used when describing a computer. The computer processor is the engine of the computer, it is the small little chip that does all the calculations. Today processors speed is measured in “Gigahertz” (Ghz). The larger the Ghz, the faster the computer is able to process things. Most computers today are between 2 and 3 Ghz in speed.

For the processor to function at optimum speed it needs to have enough RAM. RAM, which stands for Random Access Memory (no, you don’t need to remember that), is another term that is thrown around quite regularly. RAM, also called ‘memory’ at times, is like basket that holds information about what the computer is doing. The processor then takes the information from the basket and processes it as it needs too. RAM is measured in MB (Megabytes) and GB (Gigabytes). Today it is recommended that a computer has at least 512 MB of RAM and now even 1 GB (1024 MB) of RAM is almost standard. If a computer seems to be running really slowly it is often because it does not have enough RAM and adding more RAM would speed the computer up.

A computer’s hard drive might also affect the computer’s performance. Hard drives store the computer’s data on metallic disks for safe keeping. Hard drives are measured by their storage capacity. Today hard drive capacity ranges from 40 GB (again, measured in Gigabytes, just like RAM is) to 750 GB. Some high end drives are now even talking about having a Terabyte capacity which is the equivalent to 1024 GB. It is easy to see that the more space on the drive, the more room there is for documents, music and pictures.

A hard drive can affect a computer’s performance in a couple different ways the first of which is drive speed. Hard drive disks have a limit of how fast they can spin around, this is known as RPM (revolutions per minute.) The RPM of the hard drive affects how fast data can be read or written to the hard drive, so if the hard drive has a low RPM it will take longer to load the data into the RAM and the processor might have to wait for data to be loaded from the hard drive. Most laptop computer drives have speed of 4800 or 5400 RPM, which is actually considered slow for drives. Most desktop computer drives have a speed of 7200 RPM which is noticeably faster. (A few high end drives offer 10000 RPM drives, but these are usually reserved for special use.)

The second way that a hard drive can affect a computer’s performance is when it is filled with data. Because the programs that the computer runs take more RAM to run then the computer creates something called VRAM which stands for Virtual Random Access Memory or just Virtual Memory. What this means is that the computer sets aside part of the hard drive and pretends like it is RAM. When the computer does this it is using 5-15 GB of space on the hard drive just to keep everything running smoothly. But if there is less than 10 GB of free space on the hard drive the computer will slow down because it won’t be able to give itself enough virtual memory. Freeing up space on the hard drive or getting a second hard drive is a good way to solve this type of slowdown.

Hopefully this helps to shed some light on understanding of these technology issues and maybe even helps to clear up a few problems.

This is a column I wrote for a college newspaper.

Technology is constantly changing. Technology companies are constantly adding new features to their products, but they usually only tout the really exciting ones in their advertising. Many times the instructions for how to use these features is buried in a thick manual or vaguely depicted in a small pamphlet. To use each feature to it’s fullest requires an understanding which is best learned through playing around.

Unfamiliar technology can be scary, but familiarity is gained through exposure, the more someone uses a gadget or a program the more they will understand how it works. However, this is only helps that person if they try something new. Without experimenting or playing around with different features there is no way to learn how to use them (short of reading a manual.)

A similar example can be made for any other activity. To become better at a sport an athlete needs to practice and play that sport. Practice is required to become a better instrumentalist. Homework assignments are given so that students can gain a better understanding of the concepts via repetition.
One thing that scares people with respect to technology is the concept of lost data. Even though horror stories are told of people who lost everything on their computer, there are many methods of saving data or backing up data before playing with it and potentially destroying it.

To give a personal example, I do quite a bit of work with photos in different image editing programs. If I am going to work on an image and I am not sure what I need to do to the image, I’ll often duplicate the image and work on a copy rather than the original. This allows me to completely mutilate the image, and still be able to start over. If I am working with layers in Photoshop, I’ll often duplicate the layer before making any huge changes as an extra precaution.

The important thing to realize is that the world of technology is constantly changing and there are a lot of programs which are readily available and carry a huge potential for creation or automation, but require some time to get use too. It is not that they are hard to use, it is just that they require some playing around first. So take some time to play around.

I just saw a commercial for the iPhone, and I wanted to ask you if you own one

No, I do not own an iPhone, but I do own an iPod Touch. (An iPod touch is just like an iPhone, but it doesn’t have a phone and it doesn’t have a camera.) To buy an iPhone you have to have a phone plan with AT&T and we have Sprint as our cell carrier. Some day I hope to have an iPhone, but I really don’t want to switch to AT&T, so I’m hoping that Apple opens up the phone for other carriers.

It a little crazy to me, but it looked like something you would know about. What do you think about it overall?

The iPhone is a really slick piece of technology. For starters it’s absolutely gorgeous. It is very well designed and it looks great. The iPhone has several key features that make it shine above other phones. First off is the interface. The user interface is intuitive and easy to use. It looks good and it works. The interface on my Motorola Razor phone (one of the more popular phones of the day) is mediocre at best. The menus work and it’s not terrible, but compared to the iPhone interface it looks like something you would pull out of a trash can.

The iPhone also is an iPod, and as such, makes for a good MP3 player. Something that no other cell phone seems to do well with. Finally, one of the best parts, the iPhone has wifi capabilities. What’s more, it has a “full feature” web browser on it. With “Mobile Safari” as the app is called you can surf the web just as you would at your computer. You can zoom in and out of the web pages, you can go to any site you want, it’s amazing. (I say “full feature” but in reality it doesn’t allow Flash or Java to be run. The main reason for this is probably memory, as the iPhone only has 128MB of RAM. But I like it because it means that none of those stupid flash banners show up as you surf either!)

The commercial I saw says it changes everything. Is that true or false? Any idea. I’d bet false.

It really depends on how you look at it and how you much “everything” covers. Here are a few things to think about:

The iPhone came out with new features that no one had yet, instantly everyone started to try to copy the iPhone. Now if the iPhone is really good and everyone is trying to copy or even out do the iPhone, this is great for end users.

The iPhone has introduced concepts like “Visual Voicemail” which treats voicemail like email, you can select what you want to hear from a list rather than listening to them sequentially. Why didn’t someone do this before?

A large number of people have purchased the iPhone, which means a large number of people are using their iPhone to surf the internet. Surfing the internet on a small screen is different than using a 24 inch monitor, how will this change the internet? (Apple made a push for “web apps” when the iPhone first came out. These were “applications” that would run on your ipod, but in reality they were just websites that you could point your browser too and use them if you were connected to the internet. These apps included maps, to do lists, games, etc. How do web apps change the internet?)

The iPhone has created a new set of expectations, what effects will this have on consumers?

What about this, “App Store”, where users buy things from other users.

Okay, I feel that in order to write a complete response I have to dive into some history. So here we go:

When the iPhone first came out people were complaining that you couldn’t put applications on it. The phone came with a web browser, a map program, a mail program, a calculator, a calendar, photos viewer, movie viewer, etc… but you couldn’t make your own app and put it on your phone. Apple said that they were working on making it possible for developers to write applications, but they wanted to do it right. Apple wanted to make sure that the end uses would have a good iPhone experience, and if they opened up the phone for all developers they knew that some bad developers would write poor software which would crash or worse, people would write malicious software for the iPhone.

So finally Apple announced their plan: They would release their SDK and developers could use it to write applications. This was great but the developers needed a way to get their apps to users. Apple’s solution to this was that they would set up a section of the iTunes Store for iPhone Applications. A developer write an application, then submits it to Apple and after Apple checks it over to make sure it’s not malicious, and then they put it up in the App Store. Consumers can either use iTunes or their iPhone to go to the App store and buy/download applications.

There are a few clarification points here. There is a one time $99 fee for every person/company who wants to sell their application on the App Store. From what I’ve heard, this is meant to act like a “stupid filter” so that if you want to get your app on the app store, you really have to mean it. Also, developers may give their application away if they like, (that is, some apps are free). If you are selling your app, apple takes a 30% cut of the price, which actually is really good compared to deals with other phone companies.

Any idea what they might sell there? Everything? Junk? Anything else worth noting about it?

I think that many people are disappointed with the offerings available at the app store. When Apple launched the app store they touted that they had 500 applications.

In the words of Mike Lee: “When people started talking about 500 apps on the store for launch, I counted all the developers I knew. Then I wondered where the other 450 apps were going to come from. This lower 90% seemed like it might be unpleasant, and oh my sweet chocolate lord did that turn out to be so.”

That being said there were some amazing applications that made it into the app store. There was a version of Super Monkey Ball along with a number of other really fun games. There’s a huge selection of ToDo list applications. They have everything: tip calculators, eBooks, photo applications, chat programs, drawing programs, weather apps, etc. They have lots.

Most of the stuff in the app store is free. Most of the paid apps are under $10. Some higher end applications can cost $20-40, depending on what it does and the target audience.

For my money, I have only found a few (under 5) apps that I have found worth paying for. The quality of many of the apps are sub standard. They need to be debugged and tested, but since it’s really hard to give out your app without going through the app store, it’s hard to test and debug your program. User feedback in the reviews tends to be be rather unhelpful for the developers.

I don’t want to beat down the app store too much though. There are a few applications that are solid gold. I have a few that I use and they are indispensable. It will be interesting to watch the App Store as well as the apps in it evolve and get better.

Mac vs PC

Both the Mac OS and Windows software offer Keyboard Shortcuts, they differ though, on how they display them. In Mac software the key symbols are shown, which will not always appear on they keyboard keys.

Example:

On Windows the key abbreviation is shown followed by a “+” (plus symbol) and then the appropriate letter.

Example:

The Symbols (For Mac OS X):
The most confusing thing about keyboard shortcuts are the symbols listed in the menu. Even a tech-savy user like myself can have trouble deciphering what keys need to be pushed. It is not necessary to remember which symbol is which, but it is good to know what possible buttons the symbol could be referring too. This will at least allow you to try different key combos if you ever need too. (For times when choosing the menu item is not an option.)
Shift:
Control:
Option/Alt:
Command:
Function/fn:
Keypad directions:

Example:
In most applications there is a menu labeled “Edit”. Clicking on the “Edit” menu will offer choices such as “Copy” and “Paste”. The Keyboard shortcut for Copy is “” on Mac and “” on Windows. Pressing this button combo will copy any selected text (and or images) to the clipboard.

Windows Keyboard Tip:
When using a Windows App, pressing the Alt (or Option) Key will Underline specific letters in the program menu or in a drop down menu. Pressing these key corresponding with the underlined letter will either open the menu or activate the menu item. In effect, Windows is underlining the appropriate letter to push for each keyboard command.

Related Links:
Keyboard Shortcuts for Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/126449

Mac OS X Keyboard Shortcuts
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1343

List of the keyboard shortcuts that are available in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/301583

Usernames are usually public. This allows people to find each other and interact with people they know online. Passwords, on the other hand, are private and provide security for the account.

How secure is your password?
Most people choose passwords that are easy for them to remember, rather than passwords that are secure. Often times people choose the first thing that comes to mind, sometimes that’s a password they are already using. (See Convenience vs Security.) If it’s possible to figure out your password then it is possible to get into your account. To make a password secure, keep these things in mind:

Password Length
The longer the password is, the harder it is to guess. That means the more secure it is.

Randomness
If the password is or contains common english words it will be easier to guess. To create a more secure password it is good to use letters and numbers as well as symbols and punctuation. If the service differentiates between upper and lower case it is good to use both as well. The more the password looks like gibberish the more secure it is. (But, it’s harder to remember.)

Use Different Passwords
Many people use the same password for everything. This is a very insecure practice. What it means is that if someone finds out your password for one account they essentially have your password for every account you have.

Creating “Perfect” Passwords
The perfect password would be a long string of completely random characters. For even more security, every different account a user has should have a different password. That is why experts such as Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte suggest having a Personal Password Policy. Using a Personal Password Policy allows for the easy creation of random-esque passwords.

Personal Password Policy
The concept of a Personal Password Policy is simply having a method of creating a random looking password that can both be easy to remember and very secure. The purpose of having a Personal Password Policy is to know exactly what your password will be, even before you sign up for an account somewhere.

Creating a Personal Password Policy is simply creating an algorithm or method that can be used to create a password at any given time. Here are two example algorithms: (Since these are examples, it is advised that you do not use these for your actual algorithm.)

Take the letters of the website name or service and intersperse them with a specific date.
Example: Site: Amazon.com, Date: 6/7/08
Password: A6m7z0o8n

Shift letters of a word or phrase one letter to the left on keyboard.
Example: Phrase: Green-Tea
Password: Fewwn0Rw’

There is no limit extent of the algorithm. The important thing is to have one in place so that it can be used when a new password must be created. For more information on Personal Password Policies, I would highly suggest listening to Episodes 4 and 5 of Security Now (links below.)

Password Links:
Perfect Passwords from GRC
https://www.grc.com/passwords.htm

Security Now Episodes:
Personal Password Policy (Episode #4) Security Now Homepage
http://media.grc.com/sn/SN-004.mp3
“Everyone who uses web-based services such as eBay, Amazon, and Yahoo, needs to authenticate their identity with passwords. Password quality is important since easily guessable passwords can be easily defeated. Leo and I recap a bit from last week’s program, then discuss passwords. We suggest an approach that anyone can use to easily create unbreakable passwords.”

Personal Password Policy -Part 2 (Episode #5) Security Now Homepage
http://media.grc.com/sn/SN-005.mp3
“Our previous episode (#4), which discussed personal password policies, generated so much great listener feedback, thoughts, ideas, and reminders about things we didn’t mention, that we decided to wrap up this important topic with a final episode to share listeners’ ideas and to clarify some things we left unsaid.”

Example:
It is very convenient to leave your car keys in the ignition and never lock your car doors. You can always get into your car when you need too and you always know where you car keys are: the only place you would ever need them. However, this is not secure, because anyone is then able to get into your car and take it for a drive, whether you want them to or not.