E-mail works in a very similar way to web sites. In fact to send an e-mail no more hardware is required than what it takes to view a web page.

Let's take apart a simple e-mail address: name@example.com, and work backwards!

When you send an e-mail to name@example.com, the first steps involved are identical to how a web site works. Your computer goes through the same steps to find example.com as it would say, google.ie

Have you ever wondered what goes on in the background when you type in, lets say google.ie? There are many steps and processes involved in converting that small .ie address into a web page for you to view and use.

Your Input

First you open your web browser and type in google.ie, in less than a second, computers all over the world talk and share information to get the web page back to you.

HAVE you ever wondered what's inside that purring box on your floor? Some people think it's little fairies that make the magic on your screen, personally I like that idea better, but sadly it's not the truth. There's quite a lot that makes your computer tick over. Let's break it down.

Motherboard

This is the foundation of the inside of your computer, every component either sits on, or is connected to the motherboard. You could look at it as the road system of your computer, there are connections to every component on this. That's how they all communicate.

Computer mice first came on the public scene in 1984, with the release of the Apple Mac, and since then I don't think anyone can imagine using a computer without one! So how do they work? And what makes them so important to the user?