Asked and answered - Google Search's popular questions involving ICT
Type in just about anything in Google's search engine and you'll often see a list of top questions that "people often ask", even if they're worded poorly or if Google can't answer it accurately. It is a search engine more than a capable AI and even more than a tech sage. Some are amusing while some are depressingly loaded questions which would generate biased results. This article nevertheless attempts to set the facts straight.
Q: "What it is the Internet?"
A: "What is the Internet? The Internet is a vast network that connects computers all over the world. Through the Internet, people can share information and communicate from anywhere with an Internet connection." - Britannica (Correct! But the question "what it is the" is grammatically wrong, so the intended meaning may be lost.)
Q: "What are the 3 types of internet?"
A: "Internet Connection Types: WiFi, Broadband, DSL, Cable." - Xfinity (Incorrect, incomplete and not relevant to the question. The question's too vague and there isn't really "3 types" of internet. There's "public" and "private", Local Area Network and global or "internet" and "intranet". Then there's technologies like cabled and wireless. The Internet Protocol has two in use, but they function almost the same and can and often do run over the same infrastructure. That's about as "type" as one gets and there're more than three kinds of network connections, such as WiFi, VDSL/ADSL (which is broadband), fibre (of various kinds), dial-up, mobile/cellular such as GSM and 5G, etc. The given answer, in respect to the latter, is misleading.)
Q: "How do I fix my Internet connection problem?"
A: (Too long to list) The answer is ok-ish but without much more information, any answer would be a shot-in-the-dark at best. This is because internet connections and the devices in-between are more complex than we tend to think and there're a lot of things that can go wrong. "Updating everything" is not usually the solution and should be considered last or when one, for example, has put in a new WiFi adapter in (or other hardware or program) which their device is not recognising or using properly.
Q: "When did internet become popular?"
A: "The growth of the internet, 1985–95" - Science and Media Museum (Mostly correct. Usage continued to explode for about 15 years after 1995 and both usage and traffic grew greatly throughout 2010 to 2023, though not as proportionately in the most recent years, except perhaps 2020 mainly due to the pandemic lockdowns. The boom in the 90's and 2000's was mainly catalysed by the web, being an increasingly easy-to-use and capable method for learning, communicating, entertaining, etc.)
Q: "Which type of internet is best?"
A: "The best type of internet is fiber-optic internet because it's extremely efficient, reliable, and fast. In most cases, fiber tops out at 1,000 Mbps for both download and upload speeds." - Highspeedinternet (Mostly correct. Assuming the vague question meant "connections" of course. Fibre-optic links are currently the best medium for reliably transporting high data rates over great distances. But such a connection is not all that makes up a good service. One's ISP also needs to perform well, have good redundant links to others, implement good security, policy and practices, etc. Also, fibre-optics don't top out at 1 Gbps - we haven't reached the limit yet but 800 Gbps is now a standard which could easily be exchanged over a single fibre link. Domestic fibre connections often use a semi "shared" GPON or XG-PON network which uses multi-gigabit speeds.)
These popular queries are oddly similar to the "internet" section above. It's not clear whether Google or popular behaviour/habit is mostly to blame.
Q: "Whats is a computer?"
A: "A computer is an electronic device that manipulates information, or data. It has the ability to store, retrieve, and process data. You may already know that you can use a computer to type documents, send email, play games, and browse the Web." - GCFGlobal (Correct! Although not all computers are electronic. This is a pretty simple and easy to understand answer, though people are more likely to be asking for the key technical definition and perhaps mistakenly what sets PC's apart from other devices that aren't often called "computers".)
Q: "What are the 4 types of computer?"
A: "There are four types in the classifications of the computer by size: Supercomputer, Mainframe computer, Minicomputer, and Micro Computer." - testbook (Outdated or obsolete, but not incorrect. The "types" is open to interpretation - it's too vague to answer properly. There are many distinct kinds of computers - quantum computers are perhaps the most unusual, Electronic Personal Computers are the most common (which include smartphones!) and then there are (or was) mechanical computers. Computers throughout history have come in all shapes and especially sizes, with a large range of capabilities and purposes.)
Q: "What are the main functions of a computer?"
A: "There are four main equipment functions of a computer system: Input, Processing, Storage and Output." - mathbits (Correct! This is more of a concept though. Computers basically are for the processing though, complete with input and output which requires interfaces for external storage.)
Q: "What are the five main parts of a computer?"
A: "These are the 5 major components of a computer that you need to know about: Motherboard. Central Processing Unit (CPU) Graphical Processing Unit (GPU) Random Access Memory (RAM) Storage device." - hp (Misleading and inaccurate. The main parts of just about any computer include processor(s), memory and input/output systems or interfaces. Not all computers need GPU's nor do all have "storage devices" or even "RAM". Not all computers are desktops or laptops.)