What is a USB Flash Drive – Computer Terms in Plain English
In this audio lesson & transcript, I’m going to take a question from Mark. He writes and asks, “What’s a flash drive?”
Transcript of computer lesson begins:
A flash drive is a type of storage device for a computer. A storage device is the broad or general term for anything that is used to store data or files.
A hard drive in your computer is a storage device. An old floppy disk is a storage device. A CD-ROM or DVD is a storage device, and so is a flash drive.
A lot of people call flash drives by specific brand names. They think that is the correct name for them. Sometimes they’ll refer to them as a thumb drive, jump drive, go drive, key drive or any number of things. These are actually all brand names or partial brand names that people have mistakenly thought was the correct general term for that type of device.
A flash drive is a
Computer Question About Ubuntu and Free Open Source Software
I received a computer question by email from a subscriber named Willa Valdez, who is wondering what I think about Ubuntu and Open Source software in general. Here’s her question:
“Dear Worth,
Mahalo Nui Loa for your Newsletters. Your computer lessons have helped me tremendously.
I am thinking of purchasing a netbook. They both have the operating system Ubuntu (latest version) already installed. I am a newbie when it comes to Linux but I am curious about how how this system works. I installed Ubuntu via WUBI along side VISTA, however, my computer would freeze when I chose to boot with Ubuntu. I was able to boot with Ubuntu a couple of times and liked the Gnome desktop. Unfortunately, some of the applications I use were not supported i.e. Skype. I did not delve into learning the Command Line just yet.
I would appreciate your thoughts on Ubuntu and your general opinion on the Open Source concept.
Again, thank you for expertise and assistance.
Aloha,
Willa Valdez”
Below is a partial transcription of the audio:
What do I think about Ubuntu and open-source? There are a few things. Let’s start with some definitions.
What is a Video Card – Computer Terms Explained in Plain English
Video Lesson Transcription Begins Here:
I want to explain the computer term “video card.” I’m answering a newsletter subscriber’s question about what a video card is. I’m going to explain to you what a video card is and what it basically does. I’m also going to give you a few suggestions on choosing the right video card for your computer.
I will not be going into specific makes and models of video cards because things change very rapidly. One of the fastest changing components in a computer is the video card because computers are putting greater and greater demands on it. Anything I could talk about that is specific to a particular make or model will be obsolete soon, so I’m not even going to get into that.
What I will do is give you the general ideas and principles that will always apply.
What Does the Computer Term Default Mean in Plain English
In this audio computer training lesson I answer a question from Vasilis who writes wanting to know just what the computer term “default” means. Click the triangle play button below to listen to this computer question and my Plain English answer:
Computer Question: Why is This Hard Drive So Cheap?
The following is a computer question I was sent by ‘AlainAiso’ who wrote with a question about why a new hard drive they bought was so cheap and whether this was because there was a problem with the drive. Click the player below to listen to this computer question and my Plain English answer:
Computer Question What Is a Torrent Site and Are They Dangerous?
In this article I’ll answer a question sent in by a student named Daniel McClutchy who writes:
“Hi Worth: Your CDs have helped a great deal to understand the internet and computer basics.
Thanks.
I have a question for you. Can you explain what a torrent site is? I followed a recommendation of a co-worker and logged on to one.
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Worth
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