You don’t need to be a computer scientist to coexist with computers and networks. But your encounters with digital technology will make more sense if you understand a few basic concepts. Computers hardware and software details change every few years. And the Internet is evolving even faster; some suggest that one normal year is equal to several “Internet years,” a phrase coined by Intel co-founder Andy Grove. But most of the underlying concepts remain constant as computers and networks evolve. If you understand the basics, you’ll find that it’s a lot easier to keep up with the changes.