Whats So Hard About Hardware?

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It doesn�t take a super computer to connect to the Web, but your computer needs a few features before you can bring your Web dreams to life. Many Internet users get on the World Wide Web to do research and aren�t interested in viewing the fancy graphics at the Dr. Seuss WWW site or hearing a scene from the next Voyager episode at the Star Trek Web site. These users want fast connections and no frills. They�re content to use the character-based World Wide Web browsers, like Lynx. For the basic user, you can get by with the hardware features listed in the following table.


Hardware for the No Frills Internet User:






Other users want to take their Web surfing to the maximum. They want high speed and a lot of images. If that�s you, you�ll need a computer that meets the hardware specifications listed in the following table.


Hardware for Web Surfing:






If you�ve got the cash, go ahead and buy a computer with muscle, since computer technicians have their stop watches on an even faster computer every day. But don�t let the competition swallow you. Just because you�ve bought a 160 MHz computer doesn�t mean that you�ll be the next jet airplane flying by Web sites. Your Internet connection, more than any other feature, makes the difference between a fast flight or a nose dive.

Internet users connect either through telephone lines or through a local area network at school or work. If you plan to use a telephone line to dial-up to the Internet from home, the next section is for you. The connection process may seem as delicate as cracking an egg, but there�s a recipe for making the right choices and following the tips can help make your connection a piece of cake.