1. Input Devices
2. The Display
3. Software Applications
4. The Operating System
5. The File System
6. Memory
7. The Network Environment
8. The Internet
9. Search Skills
10. Computer Specifications (Hardware Overview)

"The network environment" is the collective world of computers around yours, connected by some form of communications networking. Historically, networked communications for PCs have been limited to telephone data networks (such as through a modem), and to hard-wired "ethernet" networks which are connected to through a cable, such as DSL or cable-modem. More recently, wireless ethernet has become common, and there will surely be new forms of networking in the future.

The purpose of networking is to allow communications to flow from one computer to another. This communications process is necessary to for many functions we think of as essential, for example: email, instant messaging, file sharing, and printing to remote printers, all depend on networked communications.

Among the primary things to understand about network computing is that it depends on a hardware interface (historically known as a "network" card), which must be present in some fashion for the network to work. This "card" appears on the network around it through a unique "network address", typically this is known as an "IP" address, which exactly like a phone number, allows communications with other parties on the network (who each have their own IP address).

The use of computer networks also depends on a software and operating system "layer" which are part of how networks are used. The software layer are the applications which make use of networks, for example email, web browser, and instant messenger. In the world of networking, among the primary responsibilities of the operating system is to allow authorized access and prevent unauthorized access to resources. Because networks are the vehicle of communication to and from remote computers, networking computers together -- even just for file sharing and simple communcations -- has always carried with it certain risks, specifically viruses and hackers.

Viruses are software that do bad things to your computer's operating system, software, or your data. Hackers are people who exploit weaknesses in network security to illegally gain access to networked computers for a range of purposes (from banal to sinister).

Minimizing the risk associated with networking has driven it to evolve a great deal in a very short amount of time. For novice uses, networking has often been among the most complicated and challenging learning curves. And since advances in networking and network security are evolving in response to new threats (i.e. viruses and hackers), this has often required users to make changes and adjustments from day-to-day. In short, networking has driven changes in the user-experience more than perhaps any other part of the world of personal computers.

To put this in perspective, many (if not most) of the benefits of personal computers have depended on networking and evolved directly from granting users access to the interconnected network of computers across the globe known as "the internet".