Computer Basics for Beginners with Pictures and Stories

Study the basics of computing in a fun way! From rudimentary computer concepts to the history of information technology (IT), choose this book if you want to get things right from the start!

If you want to understand the principles behind everything in this world, it is necessary to begin by understanding the little things of importance in our daily lives. The same is true if you want to understand computers. However, computer books always seem difficult to understand, almost as if they are using a different language. Anyone who has read a computer book packed with hard jargon is likely to have been overwhelmed by the complexity as well as to have blamed themselves for their apparent ignorance. Is there any way to overcome this issue?

Although software is important, it is useless without hardware. This is because depth cannot be added to knowledge concerning software without first knowing about the hardware and network upon which the software runs. Therefore, this book focuses on the story of the software that permeates all aspects of our lives, but at the same time, it also covers the main varieties of hardware and networks.

This book, which is divided into ten handy sections, contains 57 interesting stories that you must know if you want to properly understand computers.

“Chapter 1 The Story of Computers” tells the story of the history and naming of computers. It also explains the differences between personal computers and servers.

In “Chapter 2 The Story of Software In Our Lives,” I will tell you about the software you are likely to encounter in daily life, such as Windows, Android, iOS, and apps. You will also learn the meaning of free and commercial software and the “version,” which indicates the age of the software.

“Chapter 3 The Story of Various Apps” introduces various examples of application software used in daily life. You will find out the background to the word processor and PDF documents, and you will understand the meaning of algorithms and artificial intelligence.

“Chapter 4 The Story of System Software” explains the various roles of the operating system. Furthermore, you will learn about system software such as database management systems and virtual machines.

Hardware includes components such as the central processing unit (CPU), memory, registers, cache, hard disk, graphic card, and network card. When the CPU sends a signal in a similar way to how a conductor conducts an orchestra, these hardware components start working together. “Chapter 5 The Story of Computer Components” tells the detailed story of the components that make up a computer.

Although we learn about the sizes of data in school, we may take some time to understand because the involved units are not something we use often in real life. “Chapter 6 The Story of Digital Data” explains the data sizes, computer bits, and binary and decimal numbers in detail.

“Chapter 7 The Story of the Internet” explains in an easy-to-understand way the concept of the Internet and how it connects the world. It also explains the domain addresses and Internet Protocol (IP) addresses assigned to computers.
“Chapter 8 The Story of Networks” discusses communication technologies such as local networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and near-field communication (NFC).

To give commands to a computer by means of coding, it is necessary to learn the computer’s language. “Chapter 9 The Story of Coding” explains the concept of coding and details how to identify and debug coding errors.

“Chapter 10 The Story of Cyberattacks” discusses the bugs and viruses that can make your computer sick, and it introduces the antivirus software you should use to catch them. You will also learn about the fundamental difference between bugs and malware. I will discuss how cyberattacks damage other people’s computers through the Internet.