Computer Services Essay, Research Paper
Purchasing or Subscribing to Computer Services
Adam Kamin
Mr. Oberman
Consumer Education
Hour 4
11/20/99
In today’s global society full of computers, the need for computers is defiantly greater than it was 10 years ago. The consistent and constant need for these machines resulted in the reformation of the worlds economy. In fact, the need for computers may have built an entire new economy. With new technology, comes more technology that is new. An example could be the popularization of the personal computer. This was then followed by great amounts of hardware and software. Somewhere later down the line an idea called the Internet was founded. This amazing discovery had the ability to join the whole world by the means of a seven-digit number. In order for this new idea to take effect, it must be offered and proposed to desired clients. The desired clients are every living man and women on the face of the earth. This information just opened the eyes of thousands of people. People ranging from an average Joe on the street to the C.E.O.s of many of todays most popular and growing businesses. Internet providers are in and are here to stay for a long while. I have seen more than one hundred different Internet providers myself. The different types range depending on the class that they are in. An Internet provider is needed in order to log on to the Internet. This is the number that you will call to hook on to the Internet.
Some of the most popular Internet providers are seen advertising on television or are heard on the radio. These advertisements can be misleading. In order to log on to the Internet you will need a computer, a telephone line and a few other components. Just a regular computer for typing won’t do. A computer with a modem is needed, the speed of the modem is also important. Modems are classes by speed ranging from the bare minimum of 9600 bps all the way to ISDN. Bps stands for bytes per second and ISDN stands for; Integrated Services Digital Network. I personally use 56k modem, which is the fastest home modem available at this time. ISDN is only available with digital phone lines that can be installed in your home. 56k do an adequate job of down loading and uploading information to and from the Internet. Other components that can be bought would include; digital cameras, Internet phones, television adapters, scanners and digital video cameras. All of these I do not have and are not needed to be on the Internet, but they can heighten your experience.
Internet Services (commonly known as providers) are abundant and diverse. Some with unlimited access others with limited time a month on the Internet. Many Internet services have local calling numbers in areas so that the phone call to log on the Internet is not long distance. Here is a chart of the most popular Internet services available now. I also included price ranges and other information for comparison.
As you can see from the table above there are many different companies that provide Internet services. Many of these services seem expensive to me because I get my Internet locally. When I say locally I mean an Internet service provider in the general calling area. There are a few of these in almost every town. Here where I live in Wonder Lake, I have a few options. I personally use Main Street Internet Provider in Woodstock. I get unlimited access, 5 E-mail accounts and it costs me $12.95 A month for the Service. Some of the other local choices are Starnet and McHenry Com. Starnet and McHenry charge roughly about the same price as Main Street. The differences between the three different local companies are based on the type of plan that you want. All three of these companies go into great depth in their plans ranging from only paying for 5 hours a month to complete ISDN unlimited access accounts. The changes for space you want for your own web page and the number of E-mail accounts result in endless amounts of different prices.
In conclusion, I would like to state that there could never be a set server for every person. With the many types of Internet services available there is bound to be one for you. My suggestion is to keep it local. Why pay big bucks for a fancy service when you get the same result for cheaper. Yes, it is true that some of the fancy servers do have more features. Then again its all what you’re looking for. America Online does a great job in keeping family and friends all over the world linked together with a special program. Nevertheless, Prodigy provides better graphics and e-mail. I cannot state it enough that these services vary depending on your preferences. My suggestion is to look at the options that I have given you, and then compare them with local providers near your home.
Bibliography
Woldcom (1999) Computer Program
Mc.net (1999) Web site
Adam Kamin (1999) Internet user
David Wenkel (1999) Internet user
Windows 98 net starter (1998) Computer Program