What Else Should You Have?
When you finally get on the internet, there are a few other things to get to make your experience even more enjoyable. Computer stuff is generally put in two categories: hardware and software. Hardware are the physical things that are a part of your computer or are attached to your computer. Software are the programs that run on your computer.
Hardware
Printers
Besides the computer itself, a few more items will make your internet use more enjoyable. A printer is the first thing you should get. This allows you to put onto paper an email you want to discuss with others or the directions to a car you just bought on eBay.
Scanners
Scanners are quite handy and these devices are like cameras that take a digital photo of a piece of paper. Often, a printer and a scanner is built into one machine to do the work of a printer, a scanner, a photocopier, and a fax machine.
Digital Cameras
A digital camera is the next item to get. Besides often taking better pictures than film cameras, the digital camera allows you to share photos on the internet. You can scan a paper photo into a digital format but the result will not be nearly as good as a photo taken by a digital camera. Many companies offer internet support for their products and emailing photos to them is an excellent way of communicating your message.
Networking & Firewalls
People who have more than one computer at home can easily connect them together with a hub or a switch to form a home network. The difference between a hub and a switch is too technical to explain here but suffice it to say that they accomplish pretty much the same thing. With modern operating systems (like Windows 2000 and Windows XP), home networks are extremely easy to set up and are an excellent way of sharing one internet account simultaneously. D-Link and Netgear make some excellent economical products for setting up home networks. I can't recommend Link-Sys due to my experience with their poor customer service and unreliable products.
When the hub or switch is equipped with a plug for connecting to an internet modem, the device is often called a router or a residential internet gateway. For internet security purposes, a router shields the home network from internet attacks. A device that does this shielding is known as a hardware firewall. For this reason, it is wise to run a single computer through a router so that it too can be protected by a hardware firewall. Routers are cheap nowadays and are extremely easy to install. The other advantage to including a router in your home computer system is that wireless-routers allows internet access for your WIFI-enabled mobile devices to save on your mobile data costs. Dial-up users would have to also have an external modem for internet access when using a router.
Software
Anti-Virus
All computers should be protected by anti-virus software. Norton and McAfee are two well known anti-virus programs that are available for purchase. A free (for home users) anti-virus program that works extremely well is Avast!. Windows 10 uses Defender by default. All good anti-virus programs regularly update themselves with the latest virus alerts.
Anti-Spyware
Web sites often place small files called cookies on your computer when you visit them. These cookies allow the site to identify you when you visit them again. This is useful for the internet user because this allows you to stay logged into your favorite internet forum without having to enter your username and password every time you visit. However, unscrupulous web sites use these cookies and even install secret programs (obviously without your permission) to monitor your internet usage or worse. Free anti-spyware programs like Spybot - Search & Destroy is a good way of fighting spyware. Webroot SpySweeper is no longer free but it's probably the most effective sweep program out there. The demo version requires a subscription before it will remove anything. Ad-Aware is another very good anti-spyware program which is still free for basic home use but is available with more features for a nominal amount . If you computer seems to be running slow, download and install Ad-Aware or Spybot-S&D and chances are that you will notice a dramatic increase in your computer's speed. If your computer became infected with malware, Malware Bytes can often help you.