ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Computer Networks: The Heralds of Resource Sharing

Think about your toy box at home with all your toys inside. Each toy is like a resource, something you can use to play with. Now imagine you have a friend at a different house who also has a toy box with toys you've never seen before.

Computer networks are kind of like a toy box that connects to other toy boxes, but instead of toys, they connect to things like computers, printers, and other devices. This allows people to access resources they might not have at their own house, like a friend's new toy.

By using a computer network, you can share resources like printers or files, which means you don't have to buy your own printer or keep a copy of a file on every device. It's like borrowing a toy from your friend instead of buying it yourself.

And just like how you have to follow the rules when playing with your friends, computer networks also have rules called protocols, which make sure everything works smoothly for everyone.

So, computer networks allow people to share resources and connect with each other, just like how friends share their toys and connect with each other to play together.