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Computers have a jargon all their own – it’s a truly huge specialist vocabulary, and it can feel like an alien language if you’re not used to it. If you’re buying a computer, though, it helps to have a handle on at least the basics, so let’s see if we can breeze through them for you quickly.

OK, let’s start with the fundamentals. What’s inside your computer? There’s the CPU (central processing unit, often called the processor), which is the brain of the computer, performing its key functions. There’s RAM (random access memory, or just ‘memory’), which is where the computer stores what it’s doing while it’s switched on. And then there’s the hard disk, which is a more permanent store of information and files that survives when the computer is turned off.

Some computers have good CPUs, RAM and hard disks, and some don’t, so it’s important that you know what to look for. CPU speed is measured in gigahertz (Ghz), which is how many billion instructions the computer can process each second. Similarly, RAM and hard disk space are measured in megabytes (MB) and gigabytes (GB), with a megabyte being a million bytes and a gigabyte being a billion – each one representing one letter of the alphabet, or another character. This article is about 1,500 bytes long – but a single picture or mp3 song file can easily take up as much as 5 million bytes.

On top of these essentials, computers can have all sorts of additional components. One of the most popular is a graphics card, which is used for gaming and other graphically-intensive software. It is basically like an additional CPU and RAM dedicated especially to graphics, taking the weight of those heavy calculations off the main computer. Disc drives are another very useful add-on, allowing you to play CDs and DVDs, and even to write to them if you get an ‘RW’ (re-writing) drive.

The ‘70s and the ‘80s could be easily described as the ‘computer war’. Every company had a new kind of computer, better than the last that they wanted to change the world. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before one was adopted as the standard, with all the advantages for software compatibility this would bring – and they were desperate for it to be their model that made the big time.

In the ‘70s, two computers nearly became dominant: the Apple II and the Commodore 64. Both of these computers sold in the millions, inspiring a whole generation – they were used for everything from office tasks to games.

It was in 1980, however, that IBM launched its IBM PC, and things really went crazy. IBM’s PC wasn’t patented. IBM went to a small company named Microsoft to get an operating system for this computer, and ended up with DOS, but Microsoft was willing to license DOS to anyone else who paid their fee. By 1984, ‘IBM PC compatible’ computers were available, and a de facto standard was born. Software makers could finally write their programs for one operating system and one hardware configuration – and anyone computer that didn’t follow the specification to the letter was quickly left with no programs to run.

In 1990, Microsoft released Windows 3.0 (the first version of Windows to be really successful), and the PC’s lock on the marketplace was set in stone. The release of the Pentium and Windows 95 made it finally the fastest, cheapest and easiest system around, and it quickly stopped making sense to develop software for anything else.

From then on, the PC was the dominant computer – today, it is estimated to have between 95% and 98% of the market, with almost all the rest being held by Apple Macintosh computers.

Even over the last decade, the advances in computer technology have been immense. Computers can do more today than ever before, faster and at a better value price. Unfortunately, this also means that shopping for a computer can be confusing, as it is hard to know what you actually need and what is just an extra that’s nice to have. Hopefully this article can clear up a few of the mysteries for you.

First of all, let’s look at processors. The two main companies producing processors today are Intel (Pentium processors) and AMD (Athlon processors). Although fanatics on each side swear otherwise, there is little difference between them, performance-wise. In almost all cases, more expensive processors will simply run faster.

However, it is important to consider that the performance of your processor can be limited by how much memory (RAM) your computer has. For high-end processors, you should make sure to get at least a gigabyte of RAM, although lower-end systems will be fine with less. RAM is especially important if you plan to use the system for gaming or other graphics-intensive applications.

Hard disk space, at this point, probably isn’t worth caring too much about. Even the cheapest computers now come with ridiculous amounts of hard disk space, far more than you are ever likely to use. It is much better to upgrade to a DVD re-writer drive than to upgrade your hard disk space. DVDs hold so much data that however big your hard drive is, it is unlikely to hold more than a cheap spindle of DVD-RW discs – and they’re re-writable, so you only need to buy them once.

The only other thing you really need to worry about is the graphics card (sound cards are all the same these days). Again, if you’re going to be doing anything graphically-intensive, then research this further and get a good one (be warned that it can be expensive). For the average user, though, the graphics card that comes with the processor is likely to be fine, even for many less-demanding or older games.

You go to work every day at the store you own, and one morning, your key to the door doesn't work. You look in the window, and the display items have changed. A stranger is behind the counter. But when you call the police, they can't do anything because the company papers now indicate that the store belongs to the stranger.

The above scenario isn't likely to happen with a bricks-and-mortar store. Because of insecurities in the domain registration system, however, information highwaymen could take over your online business.

As with identity theft, domain thieves steal your identity -- the identity used to register and configure your domain name. After that, your website, your email, your online business, and possibly your reputation are theirs.

Domain names at risk of theft

While theft is a risk with all domain names, domains most at risk are more valuable ones. Domains with dot com extensions have a higher resale value than domains with other extensions, and domains with high traffic or valuable keywords are also more likely to be targets.

The motive behind domain hijacking is usually monetary, but it may be personal. If anyone wants to attack you, stealing your domain name is one way to do it.

How domain theft happens

When domain hijackers steal your domain, they gain access to the domain's Whois records. They can modify the domain's nameservers so that the domain points to a different server. They can also transfer the domain to a different registrar.

Either way, site visitors will find themselves at the website of the domain hijacker instead of at your site. All domain email will go to or through the other server instead of to you. All you'll have left is a website without public access because your domain isn't pointing to it any more.

How can this happen?

Domain hijacking methods
- Domain hijackers send forged faxes to the domain registrar, impersonating the registrants.
- Domain hijackers hack into the accounts of free email addresses listed in Whois records and use those addresses to obtain domain account information.
- Domain hijackers send out fraudulent email renewal notices, and registrants unknowingly transfer their domains to the thieves.

Registrar non-action

- The gaining registrar (the registrar that the domain is transferred to) doesn't obtain approval from the domain name registrant or administrative contact as required by ICANN Inter-Registrar Transfer Policy.
- The losing registrar (that the domain is transferred from) doesn't notify the registrant of the transfer during the five-day pending transfer period. During this period, the registrant can cancel or deny approval of the domain transfer --- if the registrar notifies the registrant of it.

Registrant carelessness
- The registrant forgets to update Whois details or to renew the account.
- Someone with access to the registrant's records steals the information.

Domain name disputes

If you discover that your domain has been hijacked, contact your registrar immediately. If your registrar is unable to resolve the situation, the ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) Transfer Dispute Resolution Policy (TDRP) applies.

By going the above arbitration route, you don't have to argue your case in person. On the other hand, all you can get back in the process is your domain (and not necessarily that). For a lot more money, you can take your case to court, where you can seek compensation for damages in addition to the return of your domain. This process takes more time, however.

You may be able to proceed both ways – get your domain back via ICANN domain dispute resolution procedures and then go to court to collect damages. You can also appeal a domain arbitrator's decision in court.

How to protect your domain name

Protecting a domain name is similar to protecting a bricks-and-mortar store from burglary. With a combination of precautions in place, thieves will find it difficult or impossible to gain access.

Your domain account information
- List your name for the administrative contact, and use your full name.
- Create a complex password with letters (both upper case and lower case) and numbers. Don't use any real words or personal information in it. Make it long. Make it unique – don't use the same password for anything else. Change it periodically.
- Keep your domain login name, account number, and password in a place where only trusted people can access it.
- Use a valid contact email address that doesn't use the domain it's for. Be sure that this email account also has a complex password. If you're going to be offline for more than a few days, have someone else check the email for this account.
- Don't use a free email address such as a Hotmail or Yahoo address. Domain hijackers target domains with free email addresses in the Whois records. After they've cracked your email account password, the support you need to get your email account back will probably be slow, giving the hijackers plenty of time to take over your domain.
- Update your Whois record whenever the information in it changes.

Your domain account features
- Choose a domain registrar that sends registrants transfer pending notifications when a domain transfer is taking place.
- Consider protecting your Whois details with a registrar that offers a private domain name record. With this feature, your registrar's data appears with your Whois record rather than your data. The downside of using this feature is that your business may have less credibility because you're hiding who you are.
- Register your domain for a long time period, and set up calendar reminders to renew it before it expires.
- Set up your domain to be renewed automatically if your registrar offers this feature.
- Use the Registrar-lock mechanism if it's available through your registrar. When a domain is locked, it cannot be modified or transferred unless the registrant unlocks it or follows the domain transfer process.

Other domain security measures
- Set up a free Whois monitoring alert email service and add your domain to your monitoring list. You will receive email notifications whenever the expiration date, registrar, or status of a monitored domain changes. (Whois does not have data on all domain extensions.)
- Make sure that someone checks your website every few days, preferably daily.