The computer is a great invention of this century, which a lot of people use nowadays. The first computer was extremely large, slow, and inefficient. Many things happened between the creation of the ENIAC and now. Among the most interesting and pertinent to us in this course is the development of the microcomputer. The major development of the microcomputer took place in 1970, during a time when most of us were alive to witness it firsthand. During this time we have seen the creation of huge and very profitable corporations including Microsoft, Apple, Dell, Compaq, etc. and the growth and prosperity of pioneering companies like IBM. This are the most important companies in technology.

Using a computer is a very useful tool. It can be use for saving files and not papers which you have to be an organized person if not it would be a disorder, you can earn time searching in a computer than searching in papers because in the computer you write some words an it search in one second.

One of the main advantages that computer has is that you can carry information in your HD (Hard Disk), in CD´s (compact disk), diskettes or the newest one, ZIPS. Also, you can print letters, photographs, grapichs, etc. You will be more tidy writing in and computer that handwriting. It can be use as a fax, and scan evertything you want.

Three years ago, they put TV to the computer, all in one. If you have a modem, you can connect your pc to the internet and visit other countries, study in an university via internet, like the University of Quilmes. It can be used to rent cars, houses, hotels, book flights, taxis, make questions to doctors or to the most important encyclopedias, you can search information instead of going to a public library, call to the USA using the internet price, or you can see someone in other country, in other continent, different culture, language, religion, with a webcam. You can download files, music, pictures, play games, draw, see a house how it is going to be, before building it.

Another useful thing you can use with one of this machines is the e-mail (electronic mail). You can send and receive emails, this is a way of making things faster, easier and cheaper. My father works in an insurance company and he sends the quotation of prices, the photographs of insuranced things, and other documents to the central insurance companies via e-mail.

However, staying behind the screen makes you bad to your eyes, your sight sooner or later will decrease because the screen sends waves that damage our eyes.

Another disadvantage that using computer has is that a virus can infect your machine and you loose everything you have saved before or if a hacker enters to your computer can make bad things inside it or steal information.

Computers are very expensive and not everyone can have one, they should lower prices. If you buy one, you have to know very well the operating system, if not you can make bad things to the OS and it´s going to work in a bad way or you can delete something important. Using a computer makes you to don´t use your brain, you don´t think.

The most important disadvantage is that if there is a light cut, you can´t use it only if you have an UPS, but if you have one, you can use the computer only for 30 minutes.

In my opinion, using a computer is a very useful tool, fast, cheap, easier, and it´s the best tool for organization or earning time. Everyone should have one, internet has to be free, and computer prices must be lower. In this time we are living, the person that not has a computer is out.

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