Public Computers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A public computer is any of various computers available in public areas. Some places where public computers may be available are libraries, schools, or facilities run by government.

[edit] Library Computers

These computers are available for free use, though some libraries will keep you timed to allow others to get turns and keep the library less busy. You are almost always allowed to print documents that you have created using these computers, though it is a smart idea to bring a USB flash drive or floppy disk.

[edit] School Computers

The government has given money to many school boards to purchase computers. They are used for school-learning applications. There is internet on these machines but schools will put up a blocking service to limit the websites to mostly research-type ones, such as Wikipedia or Google. Putting up the blocks is a great way to keep the computers safe, too, because students may have downloaded mal-ware or other threats. For instance, a keylogger would let the student get a lot of other kid's personal security information, their homework, or even the computer's administrative password, which would let them change all of the settings. Something that is yet to be stopped is downloads. This is obviously a main threat to schools, for if you find a site that isn't blocked, you can download anything.