Issue 32.10
Just a few years ago having a computer in the home was considered a luxury. Now most homes have at least one and many have two or more. This is especially true of homes with children. Computers are almost a necessity for communicating with relatives,teachers and classmates and for doing homework and work preparation.
A lot of people avoid getting a second computer because they are concerned about cost. Your first computer usually costs about $1000 by the time you add a decent printer and other peripheral items like external hard drives and software. What people don’t realize is that it can be very inexpensive to add a second computer because the major needs are already taken care of.
For example,you don’t have to buy internet service separately for the second computer. The only costs are adding a router to split the internet signal and use it with up to 10 additional computers. Good routers are available in the $50-$100 range and it is a one-time investment. The router also makes it possible to share your printer/scanner and other peripherals with all the computers in the house. A wireless router also makes it easy to connect your laptop without wires to the internet,printers,etc.
Add to that the fact that you can pick up reasonably good used computers for between $100 and $300 including the monitor (there are even some available for free if you know where to get them),and additional computers start to look pretty inviting.
We have found at our home,it is a lot easier to have extra computers so the kids don’t fight over who gets to do their homework or research. I also don’t have to choose between waiting until they are finished with their work to do mine and kicking them off and being the “bad guy”. (On a similar note,I have found that I am much more productive since I added a second monitor to my computer. It didn’t cost much and I no longer have to open and close or shuffle windows around to get my work done. I can look at a spreadsheet or article on one screen while I am writing my proposal or article on the other. Very nice. But I’ll elaborate on second monitors another time.)
Remember to be safe – and always have a backup of anything important –but realize that you can back up multiple computers with one external hard drive so it doesn’t need to cost extra.
Shaun McCausland has been in the computer industry for 29 years (locally with Musicomp &Bits ‘N’ Bytes) and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation,service,training and repair. If you have questions,you can reach him at 668-7118.
