| Essential Computer Security provides the vast home user and small office computer market with the information they must know in order to understand the risks of computing on the Internet and what they can do to protect themselves.
Tony Bradley is the Guide for the About.com site for Internet Network Security. In his role managing the content for a site that has over 600,000 page views per month and a weekly newsletter with 25,000 subscribers, Tony has learned how to talk to people, everyday people, about computer security. Intended for the security illiterate, Essential Computer Security is a source of jargon-less advice everyone needs to operate their computer securely.
When you purchase most home appliances, they come with an owner’s manual. The owner’s manual is the bible of information for that appliance. It tells you what each button does and how to set up and configure your new appliance to get it ready for operation.The owner’s manual also includes the actual steps to operate the appliance, and it often contains information on how and where to obtain service and parts, basic troubleshooting tips, and precautions you should be aware of before using the appliance.
This is true for VCRs, microwaves, toasters and vacuum cleaners. All these appliances are commonly found in an average home, and each has an assigned task.When you buy these items you buy them with their specific tasks in mind, and the owner’s manual provides all the information you need to accomplish the goal.
Most home users treat their personal computers as an appliance as well. For some users, the PC is a fancy calculator that lets them track and manage their finances. For others, it’s a means of communication that lets them send e-mail to their friends and family. For others, it’s a high-end game console that lets them play the latest action games.The list goes on and on.The bottom line is that the computer is an “appliance” that has a variety of functions, and it can be different things to different people—sometimes even different things to the same person—depending on what the user wants the computer to do at that moment. |