Computers come in all shapes and sizes. These days they are available both as general purpose "personal computers" as well as being used inside mobile phones, gaming consoles, central heating system and many other devices.
Terminology
First, some terminology! On these pages we're talking about "personal computers", which includes:
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Desktops that need a fair amount of space and remain in one place, but can be very powerful and flexible.
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Laptops which contain a battery so don't need to be plugged in all the time, and are small and light enough to carry while being capable of doing almost everything a desktop can.
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Netbooks which are ultra-small and light laptops, used mainly for the web.
The three types of computer above generally all come with a keyboard and a mouse or trackpad. There's a new breed of computers that are quite different:
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Tablets, even smaller and lighter than netbooks, with a touchscreen instead of a keyboard and mouse, and running "apps" rather than the full-blown applications that desktops run. We've got a whole lot of information about tablet devices!
If you want to get to grips with more technology terminology, we recommend that you read our glossary of technology terms.
New to computers?
If you are completely new to computers, you should start with our Beginner's guide to computers, which explains some of the differences between the different types of computers and the jargon you'll come across. It also has some links to other resources that you might find useful.
Accessibility
Making computers accessible talks about changes you may need to make to your computer to make it usable. This means making use of the accessibility features it contains, or getting hold of additional software or pieces of kit.
The whole point of using a computer is that you can use it to run programs, and many people find keyboard shortcuts a quick way to get things done. We've collected some Shortcuts for popular programs that you might want to check out to see if it covers the programs you intend to use.
Sadly, many web pages aren't designed with visually impaired people in mind, you may be interested in Fix the Web, which is a way you can try and improve such pages.