There are three different types of computers and computer applications that we encounter in daily life. One, those machines which are dedicated to a limited set of tasks. Familiar domestic appliances like washing machines or microwave oven are operated by an electronic device embedded inside these gadgets. Two, those that are used for specific and limited number of activities, like playing games and other forms of entertainment. The third category includes versatile machines capable of doing a multitude of tasks, including surfing the Internet.
In our day-to-day life, we use various electrical and electronic devices such as computers, digital watches, audio systems, CD and DVD players, washing machines and so on.
Outside home we use lifts, metro trains, coin collection systems in public telephone booths, coffee and tea vending machines and so on. These are mostly computer controlled devices. We do not see the ‘computers’; they are embedded inside these devices.
Computers have brought in changes in art and music, photography and animation, editing and publishing. Digital home theatre systems, DVD players, digital music devices of which the computer forms an integral part, makes entertainment low cost and of high quality. The Internet has emerged as a convenient means of global communication, information sharing and services. The commonest mode of the Internet use includes e-mail, chat, surfing information, banking, reservations and many more. A huge network of millions of computer networks constitutes the Internet. These networks are connected by telephones, underwater cables and satellites.
