When personal computers first came out in the 1980s, there was really only one way to get information into them - with a
keyboard
. Then graphical interfaces came along, and it became important to be able to interact with objects on the screen. The commonest way of doing this is with a
mouse
, but some computers - for example tablet-style computers - have screens you can write on directly, using a touchscreen or a
stylus
. People who use their computers mainly for games will tell you that the most important way of communicating with their computers is with a
joystick
.
It took almost a decade before computers became powerful enough to accept voice commands, but today we can communicate with our computer with a
microphone
. We can also talk to other computer users, and even see them through a
webcam
. The computer has mostly replaced the
fax
machine, but if you do receive a printed page, you can still put a copy into your computer with a
scanner
.
Today, a
wireless
network or bluetooth will let you connect to your computer with almost any electronic device, such as a
mobile
phone.