1. PC Basics and the Net

2. Our goals... Discover how your hard drive, RAM, and Internet connection actually workDiscover how your hard drive, RAM, and Internet connection actually work Learn what each of these things has to do with the othersLearn what each of these things has to do with the others Find out how you can speed up your Internet connectionFind out how you can speed up your Internet connection DO ALL OF THIS IN ENGLISH!DO ALL OF THIS IN ENGLISH!

3. Your Computer Is Like a Kitchen

4. Three Parts of Your Kitchen 1.Your refrigerator. 2.Your stove. 3.Your sink. You probably have more stuff than this, but almost every kitchen in the world has at least these three things.

5. The Fridge! Where you hold your food until you are ready to cook or eat it... or until the food starts turning into a new life form.Where you hold your food until you are ready to cook or eat it... or until the food starts turning into a new life form. The key measurement of a refrigerator is how much food it can hold... its storage capacity.The key measurement of a refrigerator is how much food it can hold... its storage capacity.

6. Some Refrigerator Questions Will getting a bigger refrigerator increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator?Will getting a bigger refrigerator increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator? Will getting a bigger refrigerator increase the speed at which you can cook that food on your stove?Will getting a bigger refrigerator increase the speed at which you can cook that food on your stove? Will getting a bigger refrigerator increase the speed at which water flows into your kitchen sink?Will getting a bigger refrigerator increase the speed at which water flows into your kitchen sink?

7. The Stove Where you cook your food.Where you cook your food. The key measurement of a stove is how many things it can cook at once... its size.The key measurement of a stove is how many things it can cook at once... its size.

8. Some Stove Questions Will getting a bigger stove – one with more burners – increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator?Will getting a bigger stove – one with more burners – increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator? Will getting a bigger stove increase the speed at which you can cook food on your stove?Will getting a bigger stove increase the speed at which you can cook food on your stove?

9. Why Size Matters How many things can you simultaneously cook on this stove?How many things can you simultaneously cook on this stove? What would happen if you had to cook more than four things at once?What would happen if you had to cook more than four things at once?

10. Law of Diminishing Returns Is a four burner stove twice as good as a two burner stove? (Maybe... it depends on how much you cook).Is a four burner stove twice as good as a two burner stove? (Maybe... it depends on how much you cook). Is a 16 burner stove four times as good as a four burner stove? (Heck no... who needs SIXTEEN burners?).Is a 16 burner stove four times as good as a four burner stove? (Heck no... who needs SIXTEEN burners?). The key is to find a balance between how much you have to cook and how many burners you have.The key is to find a balance between how much you have to cook and how many burners you have.

11. Back to the Stove Questions Will getting a bigger stove – one with more burners – increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator?Will getting a bigger stove – one with more burners – increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator? Will getting a bigger stove increase the speed at which you can cook food on your stove?Will getting a bigger stove increase the speed at which you can cook food on your stove? Will getting a bigger stove increase the speed at which water flows into your kitchen sink?Will getting a bigger stove increase the speed at which water flows into your kitchen sink?

12. ... and the Kitchen Sink! Where water comes into your kitchen for cooking and cleaning.Where water comes into your kitchen for cooking and cleaning. Dish-holding capacity is important, but in this analogy the key measure of a kitchen sink is the speed at which water flows into it... its water pressure.Dish-holding capacity is important, but in this analogy the key measure of a kitchen sink is the speed at which water flows into it... its water pressure.

13. Some Sink Questions Will getting a bigger kitchen sink – one with more dish-holding capacity – increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator?Will getting a bigger kitchen sink – one with more dish-holding capacity – increase the amount of food you can store in your refrigerator? Will getting a bigger kitchen sink increase the speed at which you can cook food on your stove?Will getting a bigger kitchen sink increase the speed at which you can cook food on your stove? Will getting a bigger kitchen sink increase the speed at which water flows into your kitchen sink?Will getting a bigger kitchen sink increase the speed at which water flows into your kitchen sink?

14. So How Can You Increase Your Water Pressure? GET BIGGER PIPES!

15. Three Parts Revisited 1.Your refrigerator, where you store food until you need it 2.Your stove, where you cook your food 3.Your sink, where water flows into your kitchen

16. What on Earth Does This Have to Do with My Computer? A lot, actually... So go ahead and ask……

17. Three Parts of a PC 1.Your hard drive 2.Your RAM 3.Your Internet connection You have more stuff than this, but these are the three most important things to know about... theyre the stuff you can easily change

18. Your Hard Drive Your hard drive is the computer equivalent of your refrigerator.

19. Your Hard Drive Where you hold your programs, folders, files, data, and other stuff until you are ready to use themWhere you hold your programs, folders, files, data, and other stuff until you are ready to use them The key measurement of a hard drive is how much stuff it can hold... its storage capacity.The key measurement of a hard drive is how much stuff it can hold... its storage capacity.

20. Accessing Your PCs Hard Drive Double-Click on My ComputerDouble-Click on My Computer Use Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E)Use Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) This shows you all the drives, folders, programs, and files on your PC.This shows you all the drives, folders, programs, and files on your PC.

21. Remember... Your hard drive is the computer equivalent of your refrigerator.Your hard drive is the computer equivalent of your refrigerator. It is where you hold your programs, folders, files, data, and other stuff until you are ready to use them.It is where you hold your programs, folders, files, data, and other stuff until you are ready to use them. The key measurement of your hard drive is how much stuff it can hold (usually measured in gigabytes.)The key measurement of your hard drive is how much stuff it can hold (usually measured in gigabytes.)

22. Your Random Access Memory (RAM) Your RAM is the computer equivalent of your stove. Your RAM is the computer equivalent of your stove.

23. Where stuff is held while it is cookedWhere stuff is held while it is cooked The key measurement of RAM is how many things it can cook at once... its size.The key measurement of RAM is how many things it can cook at once... its size. Your Random Access Memory (RAM)

24. Accessing Your PCs RAM You cant really access it.You cant really access it. You can see all the stuff that is running in your RAM by hitting Ctrl + Alt + Delete ONCE.You can see all the stuff that is running in your RAM by hitting Ctrl + Alt + Delete ONCE.

25. Remember... Your RAM is the computer equivalent of your stove.Your RAM is the computer equivalent of your stove. It is where your programs run... where they are cooked.It is where your programs run... where they are cooked.

26. Remember... Your stove is measured by how many things it can cook at once – its size. The same is true for RAM.Your stove is measured by how many things it can cook at once – its size. The same is true for RAM. The key measurement of RAM is how big it is... how many things it can cook at once... its size (measured in megabytes.)The key measurement of RAM is how big it is... how many things it can cook at once... its size (measured in megabytes.)

27. Your Internet Connection Your Internet Connection is the computer equivalent of your kitchen sink (water pressure) Your Internet Connection is the computer equivalent of your kitchen sink (water pressure)

28. Your Internet Connection The key measurement of your Internet connection is how fast you can get stuff off of the Net... its speed (or bandwidth.) The key measurement of your Internet connection is how fast you can get stuff off of the Net... its speed (or bandwidth.)

29. Three Parts of Your PC 1.Your hard drive, which is like your refrigerator (it holds stuff) 2.Your RAM, which is like your stove (it cooks stuff) 3.Your Internet connection, which is like your sink (its your access to the stream)

30. HD Increases Storage? Will getting a bigger hard drive increase the amount of stuff (programs, documents, pictures, and so on) you can store on your computer?Will getting a bigger hard drive increase the amount of stuff (programs, documents, pictures, and so on) you can store on your computer? YepYep

31. Your Hard Drive Is Just Storage Space... A place to keep your stuff until you need it.

32. HD Increases PC Speed? Will getting a bigger hard drive increase the speed at which you can cook stuff on your computer? In other words, will it speed up your computer?Will getting a bigger hard drive increase the speed at which you can cook stuff on your computer? In other words, will it speed up your computer? NO!NO!

33. Getting a Bigger Hard Drive Will NOT Speed Up Your Computer... any more than getting a bigger refrigerator will speed up your cooking times. All your hard drive does is store stuff.

34. HD Increases Net Speed? Will getting a bigger hard drive increase the speed at which you can access, or download stuff off of, the Internet?Will getting a bigger hard drive increase the speed at which you can access, or download stuff off of, the Internet? NO!NO!

35. Getting a Bigger Hard Drive Will NOT Speed Up Your Net Connection... any more than getting a bigger refrigerator will speed up your sink. All your hard drive does is store stuff.

36. Everyone With Me? 1.Your hard drive, which is like your refrigerator (it holds stuff) 2.Your RAM, which is like your stove (it cooks stuff) 3.Your Internet connection, which is like your sink (its your access to the stream)

37. RAM Increases Storage? Will getting more RAM increase the amount of stuff you can store on your hard drive?Will getting more RAM increase the amount of stuff you can store on your hard drive? NO!NO!

38. Getting More RAM Will NOT Help You Store More Files on Your Computer... it will only help you run more computer programs (like Microsoft Word, Solitaire, and so on) simultaneously.

39. RAM Increases PC Speed? Will getting more RAM increase the speed at which you can cook stuff on your computer? In other words, will it speed up your computer?Will getting more RAM increase the speed at which you can cook stuff on your computer? In other words, will it speed up your computer? Maybe, but only to a point.Maybe, but only to a point.

40. Remember This? How many things can you cook at once on this stove? (Four)How many things can you cook at once on this stove? (Four) What would happen if you had to cook more than four things at once? (It would take a LOT longer to cook because youd have to constantly swap pots.)What would happen if you had to cook more than four things at once? (It would take a LOT longer to cook because youd have to constantly swap pots.)

41. Law of Diminishing Returns The key is to get enough RAM so that your computer is never swapping pots (programs).The key is to get enough RAM so that your computer is never swapping pots (programs). But, it is possible to get too much RAM... and like a 16 burner stove, too much RAM is just a waste of money.But, it is possible to get too much RAM... and like a 16 burner stove, too much RAM is just a waste of money. How much RAM is enough?How much RAM is enough?

42. The Biggest RAM Secret Even when you think you dont have any programs hogging up your RAM, you have programs hogging up your RAM.

43. Remember You cant really access your RAM.You cant really access your RAM. But you can see all the stuff that is running in your RAM by hitting Ctrl + Alt + Delete ONCE.But you can see all the stuff that is running in your RAM by hitting Ctrl + Alt + Delete ONCE.

44. How Much RAM is Enough? If you have Windows 95, 98, 98SE, or ME, get no less and no more than 128 Megabytes of RAM.If you have Windows 95, 98, 98SE, or ME, get no less and no more than 128 Megabytes of RAM. If you have Windows NT, 2000, or XP, get 256 Megabytes of RAM.If you have Windows NT, 2000, or XP, get 256 Megabytes of RAM. Get more ONLY if you work with videos, pre- press graphics, or advanced games.Get more ONLY if you work with videos, pre- press graphics, or advanced games.

45. Hard Drives v. RAM If you run out of storage space on your hard drive, you need to either delete some files or get a second (or a bigger) hard drive.If you run out of storage space on your hard drive, you need to either delete some files or get a second (or a bigger) hard drive. If you keep getting out of memory errors or want to run a bunch of programs at once, you need to get more RAM.If you keep getting out of memory errors or want to run a bunch of programs at once, you need to get more RAM.

46. RAM Increases Net Speed? Will getting more RAM increase the speed at which you can access, or download stuff off of, the Internet?Will getting more RAM increase the speed at which you can access, or download stuff off of, the Internet? NO!NO!

47. Getting More RAM Will NOT Speed Up Your Net Connection... any more than getting a bigger stove will speed up your sink.

48. What About the Net? Getting a bigger hard drive wont speed up your Internet connection.Getting a bigger hard drive wont speed up your Internet connection. Getting more RAM wont speed up your Internet connection.Getting more RAM wont speed up your Internet connection. So how can you speed up your Internet connection?So how can you speed up your Internet connection?

49. GET BIGGER PIPES!

50. Internet Connections Your connection to the Internet is often called a pipe.Your connection to the Internet is often called a pipe. There are a bunch of different ways to connect to the Internet, some faster than others.There are a bunch of different ways to connect to the Internet, some faster than others.

51. Up and Down and Up and... No matter how you connect to the Internet, your speed will fluctuate – slow one second and fast the next.No matter how you connect to the Internet, your speed will fluctuate – slow one second and fast the next. Fluctuations come from traffic jams on the Internet, power outages in parts of the country, squirrels...Fluctuations come from traffic jams on the Internet, power outages in parts of the country, squirrels... There isnt much you can do about these fluctuations.There isnt much you can do about these fluctuations.

52. Understanding Speeds To make things a little easier to understand, I measured a bunch of connection speeds in miles per hour (a completely FAKE measurement, but one that is easy to understand.)To make things a little easier to understand, I measured a bunch of connection speeds in miles per hour (a completely FAKE measurement, but one that is easy to understand.) I also measured how long it would take to download a floppy, Zip disk, and CD.I also measured how long it would take to download a floppy, Zip disk, and CD. My numbers arent totally accurate (I did a LOT of rounding) but they look pretty.My numbers arent totally accurate (I did a LOT of rounding) but they look pretty.

53. Old Analog Modems You connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or America Online (AOL) over a telephone line.You connect to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) or America Online (AOL) over a telephone line. You can actually hear the modem make noises.You can actually hear the modem make noises. Cost? Usually about US$20 a month.Cost? Usually about US$20 a month. SLOW!SLOW!

54. Newer Analog Modems Newer, 56K modems are a little faster, but not much.Newer, 56K modems are a little faster, but not much. Modem connections are great if all you want to do is sip from the Net.Modem connections are great if all you want to do is sip from the Net. Analog modem technology is as fast as it is ever going to get.Analog modem technology is as fast as it is ever going to get.

55. ISDN Integrated Services Digital NetworkIntegrated Services Digital Network Pure, digital telephone linePure, digital telephone line REDICULOUSLY expensive (US$40 to $100 a month or more)REDICULOUSLY expensive (US$40 to $100 a month or more) Not that much faster than the fastest telephone modemsNot that much faster than the fastest telephone modems Mostly for businesses or radio stationsMostly for businesses or radio stations

56. Welcome to Broadband Once we get up to about 500 miles per hour, were in the range of what is called broadband.Once we get up to about 500 miles per hour, were in the range of what is called broadband. BIG pipesBIG pipes FAST downloads (floppies download in at least 23 seconds instead of 7 minutes)FAST downloads (floppies download in at least 23 seconds instead of 7 minutes) US$40 to $50 a monthUS$40 to $50 a month

57. Popular Ways to Get Broadband Cable ModemCable Modem –Offered by your cable company –You share your pipe with your entire neighborhood Digital Subscriber LineDigital Subscriber Line –Offered by your telephone company or a local Internet Service Provider –You have your own pipe... but your home has to be within 15,000 feet of your phone companys central office to be connected.

58. Which is Faster? Cable and DSL speeds range from 300 mph all the way up to 3000 mph or more depending upon where you live and whats available.Cable and DSL speeds range from 300 mph all the way up to 3000 mph or more depending upon where you live and whats available. In San Francisco, California, DSL is faster than cable.In San Francisco, California, DSL is faster than cable. In Tuscaloosa, Alabama, cable is faster than DSLIn Tuscaloosa, Alabama, cable is faster than DSL

59. Average Cable/DSL Speeds The average speeds for both cable and DSL seem to be between 300 and 500 mph.The average speeds for both cable and DSL seem to be between 300 and 500 mph. This chart shows you what you can expect.This chart shows you what you can expect.

60. By Way of Comparison...

61. REALLY Big Pipes If you are extraordinarily lucky, you may get a cable or DSL connection that approaches T1 speeds... or faster.If you are extraordinarily lucky, you may get a cable or DSL connection that approaches T1 speeds... or faster. This is the speed that both cable and DSL providers promise... but few deliver it.This is the speed that both cable and DSL providers promise... but few deliver it.

62. The Macro View

63. Question: Will getting more RAM speed up your Internet connection?

64. So How Can You Speed Up Your Internet Connection? GET BIGGER PIPES!

65. Your Computer is Like a Kitchen 1.Your hard drive is like your refrigerator (it holds stuff) 2.Your RAM is like your stove (it cooks stuff) 3.Your Internet connection is like your sink (its your access to the stream)

66. One Last Thing... Every year in computer design is like 25 years in kitchen design.Every year in computer design is like 25 years in kitchen design. If you have a 25 or 50 year old kitchen (a 1 or 2 year old computer) and want to replace your refrigerator or stove (hard drive or RAM), go for it.If you have a 25 or 50 year old kitchen (a 1 or 2 year old computer) and want to replace your refrigerator or stove (hard drive or RAM), go for it. If you have a 75 year old kitchen (a 3 year year old computer) or older, it is better demolish the entire thing and start from scratch. Fixing it up is a waste of money.If you have a 75 year old kitchen (a 3 year year old computer) or older, it is better demolish the entire thing and start from scratch. Fixing it up is a waste of money.

67. Our goals... Discover how your hard drive, RAM, and Internet connection actually workDiscover how your hard drive, RAM, and Internet connection actually work Learn what each of these things has to do with the othersLearn what each of these things has to do with the others Find out how you can speed up your Internet connectionFind out how you can speed up your Internet connection DO ALL OF THIS IN ENGLISH!DO ALL OF THIS IN ENGLISH!

68. Thanks to Patrick Crispen for this Wonderful Presentation! Youll LOVE the Internet TourbusYoull LOVE the Internet Tourbus Free, semi-weekly email newsletter written by the same guy who created this presentation.Free, semi-weekly email newsletter written by the same guy who created this presentation. Go to tourbus.com to subscribeGo to tourbus.com to subscribe It is absolutely FREE?It is absolutely FREE?