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The readers of this column will forgive
me if they find the title of this week’s article somewhat obvious. Of
course, we all know that computers are about numbers, but we often
forget it, says Jean-Claude Elias, Jordan Times.
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| Photo: jscreationzs at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
Does it really matter? Is there any point in keeping in mind
this trait of the devices?
It
is understood that we do not have to be mathematicians to use computers;
thank God for
However, like driving a car and just knowing that
there is an engine under the bonnet without being yourself a mechanic,
it is good from time to time to remember that everything we see, hear,
read or write while using a computer is a matter of zeroes and ones in
the end, deep inside the guts of the machine.
What
happens between the “zeroes and ones” stage and the one that shows us
photos, plays music, takes us to the Internet, or processes text is
another story. It is actually what makes computers truly magical digital
devices, though we tend to forget it.
Remembering
that it is all about numbers has advantages. To start with it allows
you to better communicate with parties who do need to talk numbers.
These can be your Internet service provider, the salesperson trying to
recommend this or that model of laptop, or the IT technician who is
trying to repair your computer. You really need to talk gigabytes and
such numbers with them. For instance many consumers still make the
confusion between megabyte and megabit when referring to an
Internet
connection speed. The first unit being eight times higher than the
second.
People working at
helpdesks often find it hard to communicate with users and solve their
problems, precisely because of a general lack in technical knowledge at
the users’ end...
Understanding numbers is also very helpful when
processing images and making decisions about the resolution or the pixel
count, or compressing the image before emailing it. Let is not forget
the fringe benefit that also comes from being able to talk numbers: it
is a social one and it lets you better discuss computers and IT matters
with your friends in the evening.
Source: Jordan Times
