Information Science and Computing

This page is about how I chose and use my personal computer. I had to help my friends getting their IBM, Apple, Atari, Sun HP, Apollo or whatsoever computers up and running again so often, that I think it is a clever idea to write some rules down. A system crash can be prevented if you follow some simple rules.
The main reason for the system to crash was almost never a hardware failure but the user who didn't know how to use it. The worst user is the "professional amateur" the one who assumes to have knowledge, but really does not know what he's doing and talking about. When a person like this searches for a failure he'll for sure draw the wrong conclusions and will make things even worse.
Some people asked me what computer to buy and how I chose my equipment. Well here it is. You may draw different conclusions depending on your prerequisites. You may want your computer to be used exclusively for computer games. If so you'll for sure may want to use another system. I use my computer for mixed business and home applications. Some of it is security relevant.

What to use

Using your computer at home has some differences to business use, although one may take profit of some of the mechanisms developed for business applications. I collected some ideas here, that should clarify why I chose my equipment and how I use it.

Laptop vs. Desktop PC

I decided to go for laptop (LT) computing for several reasons. One and perhaps the most important is that they better fit into a living room. They are not that loud, one can stow them away, means they do not need a separate working place for the exclusive use with a PC.
They include a rechargeable cell, which has the advantage that they've got a built-in UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply).
One can take them outside using all the features of home computing. If you do it right, it really can be your mobile office including remote connectivity.

Desktop, Palmtop, Cellular Phone vs. Cellular and Laptop

For mobile computing I prefer the combination of a LT and a mobile phone. I use the mobile phone to store my PC address book and calendar. That includes addresses phone/fax numbers and e-mail-addresses. I synchronise it with my LT using a software delivered with the phone via the IRDA port. That is the most convenient method, because I do not have to use and carry a specialised cable for that. The main advantage of this combination is that I normally only have to carry the phone. Most of the time I do not use the LT. The mobile phone is capable of reading and sending emails (using SMS or WAP). Due to my cellular network provider I always receive an SMS including the subject line of an e-mail that arrives on my normal e-mail account. I can then decide if it is really necessary to immediately read it (via phone WAP) or if it can wait until I can use the cheaper home internet connection
When I'm not at home and I need full access to the internet, I can use the mobile phone as a modem via the IRDA port. Using HSCDS/GPRS one almost reaches the speed of a modern modem. Palmtops are more versatile than a cellular phone, when it comes to use them for project planning but not as versatile as a LT computer. You'll still need a cellular phone (to connect it to the internet) and a desktop computer for more complex tasks. So instead of paying for a palmtop and desktop computer I think it's better to buy a LT.

Stability

If your PC creates trouble, does not work anymore at all or simply does not react like you think it should, it is most likely that you're the problem not your computer. It is unlikely that a working system breaks down, without you having changed something that causes the problem, may it either be hardware or software changes.

Games and PC

One has to say that currently laptop computers are a lot more expensive than a comparable desktop computer. There are LT computer that have got the same speed and graphical power but they are quite expensive. One can make things cheaper (and your computer more stable) if one decides not to run games on your PC but to buy a dedicated game console like Sega Dreamcast, Nintento Game Cube, Sony Playstation 2 or even a Microsoft X-Box.

First: this prevents your computer system from getting damaged by installing and deletion of game software and hardware.
Second: you will not have to buy an expensive LT because speed is not that important anymore.

Never ever install games on a computer that is also used for business as well.

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Preventing your system from crashing is the most important thing to do. It is always a good idea to test every change to your system in a test environment before you apply it to your productive system. Unfortunately only few people have got a separate test and production environment for home usage. This is the main reason why you should take precautions.

know what you're doing
Don't install or remove hardware or software when you're not a 100% sure how this has an effect on your system. If in doubt consult a professional before you do it. "Read the Fucking Manuals"; that means for example: don't ask a friend for help until you've read and checked the troubleshooting pages of your computer and software manuals.
backup your files
It sounds stupid, to repeat this again and again but this really is important. Use a backup media, that is widespread, for example CD, floppy disks or DVD. Don't even think about using a backup software that uses proprietary backup formats or for example a seldom used streamer tape.
cleanup the system
If your operating system supports automatic cleanup of temporary files, knows how to reorganise your harddisk or check for failures, use it. Again, if you're not sure what this does to your system or your system does not have this feature, consult a professional. Some software components have got their own databases that need maintenance, although they are supposed to be "maintenance free".
reinstall or buy a new system
Normal use of a computer system degrades it's stability. The installation of software leaves traces in your system that sometimes can not be completely removed anymore. After some time (normally two to four years) it is a good idea to reinstall your computer to start with a fresh system. One can even think about buying a new system.
But never trust a new tool or bugfix. Let other specialists discover the failures of a new system. It's most of the time better not to use up-to-date techniques but to use an older one.
keep the system small
Modern computer and operating systems are complex environments. Even without extensions they are quite complex systems and it is difficult to keep them running stable. But if you run several applications in background you'll increase the probability that some of the extensions do not work together and create problems. They will increase the start-up (boot) time and the decrease systems performance. Remove (or even better do not install) system tools that need to run in background or work as TSR (terminate and stay resident) modules.
protect it
Never ever read or open a an email with an executable attachment. I use rules in my email client to move every email whose sender I know to specialised folders. That leaves the unknown sender in my inbox. Usually I delete them if they include an executable attachment. Sometimes I export them and use a virus detection software to check them for (known) viruses. But a virus detection can only be as good as up-to-date it's database is. It's a good idea not to open the files immediately but to wait a week or two, update your virus detection software and check the files later with a new database. The same is true with disks or CD's. Always check them.

The essence of it all and the key to a stable computer system is: "never ever change a running system". The choice of the operating system is another key. For home usage it may be worth looking for alternatives to the widespread used ones or to the one delivered with the system.

Security

Because I store some security relevant files on my LT and it is a portable device, I have to protect my data. My LT can easily be stolen when I use it as a portable device. My security relevant files must be protected from a second party to be read. There is nothing like an 100% security. One can only make it as difficult as possible for an attacker to gain access to your data. Communcation must be protected as well. Sending and retreiving emails must be protected as well as file transfer and every online access to data (internal and external data). Unfortunately this depends on the provider as well as the third party you're communicating with. So what can you do?

Don't connect your computer to another computer, neither directly (online) nor via media (disk) transfer
Never ever leave your computer unattended

Okay, sounds stupid and (of course) cannot be done but it is a save method. The other solution is to use a secure service provider, software (like encoder/decoder) and a firewall that tells you if something strange happens in the communication while being online. Encoder/decoder transform data from the original format into a secure format before it is transferred (and back of course). May it either be stored as a file on your harddisk or sent to another party via internet. There are strong encoders and encoders that use weak encryption, but everthing is better than not to use encryption at all. To protect my email and security relevant files from being read by a third or second party I use the Pretty Good Privacy programs. The source code is available and has been checked by several specialists in the meantime to really implement the quite secure PGP encryption methods. By the way. Never ever trust a system, where the source code is not available! One can not trust a system where the source code is not available to the public! The developers of a proprietary encryptor may have included failures and/or trojan horses without anybody ever being able to detect it.
The same is true for software firewalls.

Personal Computing

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