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Choosing a computer is much like buying shoes: you have to know what you want them for. You're going to be very uncomfortable trying to dance in running shoes, for example, or go long-distance hiking in your office brogues.

Computers aren't quite as specific, luckily, so you don't need a collection of them. Also, you can usually add versatility by adding money. It is possible to find just one that will meet your specific needs without breaking the bank, provided you know what to look for.

Computers come in three basic flavours: Windows, Macintosh and Linux. These flavours are way more important than how fast the computer is, how much memory it has, or how big the hard drive is, because they determine what programs will run on the system. And you're buying the computer to run programs.

Currently, Windows dominates the market. Macintosh has a reputation for being arty, and Linux for being geeky. However, recent developments have changed the status quo, giving you much better options than you had even three years ago.

BASIC OFFICE WORK
Typing up documents or letters, preparing budgets, possibly even putting together a talk with illustrative slides? Your most cost-effective solution here is Linux. It's a lean, mean operating system that's as fast as lightning even on low-budget hardware. More and more shops are selling computers with Linux and Open Office ready installed for the average user, moving it out of the realm of geeks. All you're paying for is the hardware and installation, because Linux itself is free. So is Open Office. And there are many free Linux programs that do much the same as their very expensive Windows counterparts. Browse http://www.osalt.com/ for examples.

The other advantage of Linux is that nobody bothers to write viruses for it, so your email and Internet surfing is considerably safer!

DESKTOP PUBLISHING
Traditionally, newspapers and magazines have standardised on Macintosh. If you're publishing professionally, then Macintosh is your system of choice. However, all the Macintosh publishing programs have Windows equivalents, if you need Windows for some other reason. A large monitor is nice to have, and you need extra memory as well as a good but not excellent graphics card. If you're looking at home publishing, for example a regular club newsletter, there is software for Linux which has many of the features offered by industry standard software.

THE LATEST GAMES
All computers come with games and there are also a number that you can play in your browser

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