Your Computing Requirements
At the low end of the scale is a smartphone, which, although a computing device, is intended primarily for communication, not for data management. Since most people need a phone but few use it for data operations, we will not consider phones as alternatives to computers.
A tablet is in the middle between a phone and a computer. The primary advantage of a tablet over a phone is the display size. Many tablets double as phones, but they share the same limitations as cell phones: they are very small and have limited storage and performance. These small devices are much more susceptible to damage, loss, and theft, making them very poor choices for long-term storage.
Laptop computers are among the most powerful portable computing devices, making them the preferred choice of many students and working professionals who need on-the-job network access or software applications.
The personal computer or desktop computer is at the high end of the scale. These can be custom built to handle most applications and updated or serviced easily making them the most cost-effective computer solutions. Today, most households have at least one personal computer responsible for:
- Home Office
- Shopping
- Research & Education
- Electronic Mail
- Gaming
- Creative Work
- Financial Management
- Photo, Video, or Sound management
Other than console games, for many people, a cellphone is their first computing device. Others may have had access to a personal computer at one time but, in recent years, have not had access to a computer or have found their phones enough to manage their computing workloads, with or without the use of cloud services.
Data Privacy
The most vulnerable aspect of portable computing is data security and privacy. There are no guarantees with online communications and cloud services. If a data center is breached, your private data may be exposed to scammers, hackers, or other nefarious parties looking to profit at your expense.
Cloud Storage does not mean Secure Storage; it means convenience.
If for no other reason, a home computer can be used to back up your phone data, handle email, and browse the internet safely on a flat rate as opposed to the data charges associated with cellphone traffic.
Home Networks
At a growing level, computers are becoming more integrated with household operations. As smart homes become more popular, personal computers act more as household operations centers than workstations. At the top of home computer usage, we see home computer networks such as the following.
Home Network Applications
As technology advances, more and more household devices are becoming 'SMART' which means they use wireless connectivity to perform many operations. Many of these devices charge a fee for Value Added Services, which can range from monitoring to reactive operations or notifications, and they charge a monthly fee to provide that service. It's here to stay, the Subscription business, and unless you use your own computer to manage your own network, you will be paying it for the rest of your life.
How can a computer manage my home network?
Most of these devices communicate over your wireless network to your modem, and home to their service provider. For many of these services, you can operate the devices through your home computer with no outside communication, which may save you money by avoiding the paid service.
Typical smart-home computer connections
- Printer - shared across all computers/devices on the net.
- NAS - Network Attached Storage as master storage and backup for all devices.
- UPS - Uninterruptible Power Supply - battery backup in case of power failure.
- Router - master controller for sharing a single internet connection by many devices.
- Computers - one or more computers that can share data between them or access the net.
- Entertainment Center - your photos, movies, sound or other media selectable from your players.
- Gaming - where the more power you have, the better your experience.
- Security - connect to cameras, motion sensors, or monitors from remote locations through your phone.
If you have not yet considered a home computer, there has never been a better time to dive in and get started. Most of the software for home and office management, internet communications, mail, and many other applications is available at no charge to you (Open Source).
I'll be covering more specific topics in the future. For now, I'm organizing the scope and coverage of the topics I intend to focus on. Check back soon; new content is constantly being developed.
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