Datasheet

And does it really matter?
The second question is the easy one. When it comes down to it, it’s the software
that gives your computer its personality and the tools you use to do your work.
The hardware is very important, but it is just apparatus.
Let me put it another way: If you’re buying a new laptop, you should determine
what kinds of programs you intend to run on it and then go out and buy hard-
ware that works well with that software.
The software in your laptop includes the following:
 The System BIOS: I’ve no sooner switched the subject from hardware to
software before I must take a half-step back. The
System BIOS is specialized
software that exists in your machine’s hardware; its initial purpose is to
bring the inanimate chips and circuits and other doodads to life when you
press the On button. That is called
booting the machine, as in “lifting your-
self up by your own bootstraps.” Its second purpose is to operate the
lowest level of the interface between hardware and software: interpreting
keystrokes on a keyboard, receiving and moving along clicks from a mouse,
and that sort of thing.
 The operating system: This is the all-encompassing personality of the
machine, determining the look and response of programs and the way they
interact with each other. The most common operating system is one of
another version of Microsoft’s Windows; as this book goes to press most
laptops are delivered with one of the various versions of Windows Vista.
Although Microsoft would prefer otherwise, the older Windows XP operat-
ing system is still very common and popular. As this book goes to press,
Microsoft intends to discontinue support for Windows XP effective April
2009. That does not mean that XP will automatically stop working on that
date or that you won’t find troubleshooting solutions on the Microsoft web
site; it does mean that Microsoft will not create new solutions to new prob-
lems that may crop up after that time.
Nipping away in distant third place is the Linux operating system; Linux has
a small piece of the server market, a smaller chunk of the desktop pie, and
just a few crumbs of laptop cake. (On Apple Macintosh machines, the official
operating system is Apple’s own Mac OS X Leopard, although most current
laptops from Apple can also run Windows as a primary or secondary OS.)
 The applications: Here’s where the work gets done.
• The most popular programs for laptop users include the basic office
functions that are part of the Microsoft Office suite of word process-
ing, spreadsheets, and databases. If you’re going to make presenta-
tions, Microsoft PowerPoint is the tool of choice.
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