Purpose The first thing I wanted to do for this project was to determine how the computer system I chose was going to be used. I wanted to purchase a personal computer system, with monitor and printer that I could use to do Web-based research. The research will be done out of my house. It will be primarily based on comparing different start-up companies to determine investments for the future. Since I determined that all my research was going to be over the Internet, it was important to find a system that would be fast in downloading different sites and capturing information. I will be running my new system off a cable modem with Internet service provided by Time Warner's Road Runner. This is important because it will determine some of the software I choose for the new system. The Operating System Windows The first operating system to be considered was, obviously, Windows. Windows 2000 is being launched on February 17th. Windows 2000 is being called "the next generation of business computing-. It was designed on Windows NT technology, which should make it more reliable than Windows 95 or 98. Windows was designed to make it easier for organizations to work with the Internet. It has Internet Explorer built-in to provide users with a faster and more efficient Internet experience. It also has support for DHTML and XML. This offers a powerful platform for the development of highly scalable end-to-end e-commerce and line-of-business Web applications. The reason I would like Windows 2000 rather than 98 is because it is geared directly toward the Internet. Windows 98 would actually be more for a home computer. It was developed for easy use and setup in the home. However, since I will be using my PC strictly for Web research, I think 2000 would be the best choice in the Windows environment. Of course, the other Windows operating system to consider would be Windows NT. Windows NT Workstation 4.
