Operating System (OS)

The Operating System (OS) is an integral part of your computer. It acts as an interpreter between the different application software programs and your computer. The OS can understand the data, information and commands used by different programs because those programs are written or coded specifically for that Operating System's interface, using it's standard rules, commands and protocols. It then translates the many commands and information into procedures the computer can understand. Computers are not of much use without an operating system.

Just a quick note on Operating Systems. As I said before, your computer will not work without one. The accepted practice in most stores is to sell computers with operating systems.

Recently, I was buying a computer for a customer and one particular store had prices considerably lower than others. Of course, there were the usual price cutting features, smaller hard drive, cheaper video card, less RAM, etc..., but it would serve the purpose. They offered the choice of Windows98 or 2000, which was really nice of them... considering the fact that you had to buy it off the shelf!

If you wanted an Operating System with your computer, it was going to cost you extra!
Make sure of what you're getting

Tips & Tricks

Tips & Tricks can often be an interesting, fun and fast way of learning a particular software. As far as understanding the computer and its operating system, everybody is at a different level. And everyone is always learning. There's so many different ways of performing the same function in a single operating system that its impossible to know them all. The OS has become so huge and intricate that even a person considered an expert couldn't possibly be aware of all the capabilities of today's Operating Systems (let alone the thousands of applications out there).

Many of the Tips & Tricks presented on this Site may be fairly basic, but as I said before, everyone is at a different level. Other tips may not be so common. I'll continue to add them when I have time or as they come up.

The Tips & Tricks found on this site are gathered from experience, magazine articles, e-zincs, other websites and reader submission. If you have a favorite that you'd like to share with other readers, please send it to us.