What do you need?
You need three things to start cruising the information superhighway:
- a computer
- an account with an Internet Service Provider (ISP)
- internet software
Computer
Pretty much any computer will do. While you can dust off any old cast-off computer, you will find that you will enjoy your internet experience with one that is not more than a few years old. If all you are interested in using your computer for is the internet, even the cheapest computer you can find at your local computer store will work just fine. I prefer desktop computers but laptops can be cheaper. Equip it with the largest monitor (computer screen) that you can afford. The weaker processing power of older machines will likely cause frustration with internet browsing and video playback.
Before you start spending any money on upgrades and repairs, you might find that it's cheaper to buy a new computer than to repair or upgrade your old one. I've built several computers already and, for a cheap, internet-use machine, it is very hard to beat a new budget desktop computer. Laptop computer a bit cheaper than desktops but have smaller screens and are typically more expensive to repair. Have a look at Getting Gouged by Geeks before you spend a nickel on repairs or an upgrade. It really pays to learn how to make your own repairs and upgrades. It might be a bit time-consuming (there's tons of information on the internet) but at least you get to work inside and you don't get your hands dirty.
The main choices between computer operating systems (the OS) depends upon whether you have an Apple machine or a PC (personal computer) machine. If you have an Apple, your only real option is to run Apple OS, which is a pretty good system. PCs have more variety but most software requires Microsoft Windows as the OS. If you're up for more adventure with the prospect of saving some money, Linux is another popular OS for PC machines. Google Chrome OS is another operating system and was originally designed for netbooks. Whatever type of operating system on which you settle, make sure that you use the latest version. All operating systems work better (faster) with more memory (RAM) so get the maximum amount of RAM you can afford.