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8 Things You Should Know Before You Get Started
1. Your inexperience with a PC is not an indication
of your intelligence.
2. You don't have to know a lot about a PC to use one.
3. There are no keys you can press that will destroy
the machine or your files.
4. The mouse is tough: you don't need to treat it as
if it were fragile.
5. It helps to know how to type, but it's not necessary.
6. Know how to take care of your PC and diskettes, and
do it.
7. Learn in your spare time, not just before a deadline.
8. Master the basics before trying the fancy stuff.
What is a PC?
We're using the term PC, which stands for "Personal
Computer" as a catch-all for non-Mac computers.
Some people call them IBMs, but that's a misnomer, because
not all non-Macs are made by IBM. But, since Big Blue
set the standard, many people call these machines "IBM
clones." PCs have this in common: they all need
a program called DOS to get up and running. DOS stands
for "Disk Operating System", and it's the
main program needed to run all other programs on the
machine. So, there are a number of terms you may hear,
all referring to the same kind of computer: PC, IBM-PC,
IBM-clone, or a DOS-based machine.
How To Get Help Help Screens
Most programs (a.k.a. "applications") come
with built-in Help that contains a list of topics, common
errors, and solutions. This is the best way to get help
without spending too much time flipping through manuals
or asking coworkers. And, unlike your coworkers, the
computer doesn't keep track of how many times you ask
for help!
Manuals
In the past, some frustrated users have found software
manuals to be as intimidating as the computers. Thankfully,
manuals are becoming a more accessible tool, even for
the beginner. The answers to your questions are in there.
The best software manuals are not the ones written by
the software manufacturer, (which can be too technical),
but the ones written by independent publishers and writers.
Next time you go to a book store, flip through some
of the software manuals. They'll be easy to use if the
style is light, not too technical, and if the topics
are well indexed and easy to pinpoint. Nothing is worse
than flipping endlessly through a complicated manual
looking for something as simple as setting a margin.
Technical Support Phone Numbers
Many software companies provide technical support
for their products, and their support phone numbers
are listed in their manuals. When you call it's a good
idea to find out whether or not you're being charged
for the support. Most software companies provide free
support for a certain period of time, and start charging
you when that time has expired. You will need to know
the software's version number, the serial number off
the box, and what you were doing when the problem occurred.
At the other end is a real human being (!) who is highly
experienced in the use of whatever computer and application
you are using. Normally, your support contact will try
to duplicate your difficulty on her or his own computer
in order to suggest a fix.
Inside your computer: an overview
When you turn on your computer, many things happen
before you actually start working. Electric current
flows into the computer's power supply, which feeds
the current to other components attached to a flat green
circuit board at the base of the computer called the
mother board. One of those components is called "the
chip" (a.k.a. "the processor" or the
"Central Processing Unit", or the "CPU").
This is a silicon chip containing extremely complicated
circuits. It operates as the "brains" of the
computer, processing all electronic messages, both those
coming in from a device such as your keyboard or mouse,
and those going out to a device such as your monitor
or printer.
When you first turn on your computer, electronic messages
are sent to the chip, telling it to wake up and start
a program called DOS or Disk Operating System. Where
are these electronic messages stored? Some are on the
hard drive or on a floppy drive and some are on other
silicon chips attached to the mother board. When we
say that a program is "stored" on a hard drive
or on a silicon chip, that is similar to saying it's
recorded on a CD. Information is transferred onto the
device, and it remains there until another device attempts
to retrieve it or "play" it. So, you can think
of the DOS program as a song that the hard drive "plays"
for you. The output is directed to your monitor where
you see it and interact with it by entering commands
from your keyboard. These commands, in the form of electronic
messages, are sent to your mother board, processed by
the chip, and then carried out.
Now, we also said that some of the electronic messages
are stored on other silicon chips. These chips are collectively
called Random Access Memory (RAM) or just memory for
short. In order to fully understand this concept, imagine
that your computer is an office. The hard drive and
the floppy drive are two places where you can permanently
store programs and documents or "files", so
these are the file cabinets. Usually the hard drive
is the c: drive and the floppy drive is the a: drive.
When your computer tries to retrieve or "play"
data from one of these drives, it takes the information
out of the file cabinet and sends it to the temporary
storage area called memory. That allows the computer
to examine the program or document, manipulate it, and
send portions of it to your screen. Think of this storage
area as a bulletin board on the office wall, and the
computer screen as the desk. The memory or bulletin
board is limited in size and therefore can hold a only
limited number of programs and documents. Generally
speaking, the bigger the capacity of the memory or bulletin
board, the faster your computer will process data. The
computer, by the way, is always swapping data back and
forth between the drives, memory, and the screen. If
you can imagine a very busy office, the documents are
always being transferred from file cabinet to bulletin
board to the desk and back again.
Since the c: drive and the a: drive are similar to
file cabinets, they can be divided up into sections
that resemble folders. First, you can set up your drive
to contain the equivalent of hanging folders, called
directories. These, in turn, may contain the equivalent
of manila folders called sub-directories. For instance,
let's say you had a stack of letters from the last 10
years, and you needed to figure out a way to store them
on your drive (file cabinet). You could start by setting
up two directories: BUSINESS and PERSONAL. The BUSINESS
directory may contain two sub-directories called EPA
and IBM, and the PERSONAL directory might have two sub-directories
for your two friends JOHN and JAMIE.
Windows
Over the years most people who have been forced to
use DOS have become frustrated with such strange and
complicated commands. Many of them converted to Macintosh
computers, which were easier to use because their system
allowed people to use a mouse and point at pictures
on their screen rather than entering in arcane commands.
For example, if you were using a Macintosh computer,
and you wanted to copy a file to the a: drive, you could
just point to a picture of the file on your screen and
"drag" it across the screen to a picture of
the a: drive. That seemed a lot easier to most folks.
Therefore, Microsoft Corporation, which created DOS
in the first place, decided to make a new program that
looked and acted like the Macintosh. The resulting program
was Windows. Now many people have programmed their computers
to start up DOS and immediately run Windows. That way
they don't have to deal with DOS at all. There are no
difficult and clumsy commands to type, and instead a
pretty screen comes up, allowing users to use their
mouse and point to pictures called icons. This is called
a graphic interface, and it has become very popular
over the past couple of years.
Perspective is Everything
*
You are the best judge of your own computing
needs. There are some computer-savvy people
who would have you believe that if you're not
doing all your work on a computer, something
is wrong with you. Don't buy that for a minute.
Computer use is not an all-or-nothing proposition:
learn what you need to know now and save the
rest for later. Only you can accurately gauge
the potential for using your computer in your
daily working and living.
*
People learn at different rates. Just because
your co-workers have mastered the fine points
of PC applications while you're still having
difficulty with the basics doesn't mean they're
smarter than you are. Work at your own pace
and let the rest of the world take care of itself.
*
It is perfectly normal to be intimidated or
uneasy about computers at first. They are indeed
complex devices with enormous potential; still,
they're only machines. With continued practice
and exposure, you will discover that computers
are much less mysterious and scary than you
had originally thought they were.
*
You are smarter than any computer: your brain
at rest is far more powerful than the most advanced
PC working at its capacity. Computers are incapable
of most mental tasks you take for granted, including
intuition, independent learning, associative
memory, creativity, dedication, emotion and
flexibility.
*
Everyone who uses computers was once a raw beginner--including
your instructor.
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What's the next step?
Now that your curiosity has been piqued, you'll probably
want to begin exploring different PC applications to
see what they can do for you. It's best to start with
a simple DOS class, and then Windows, and then move
on from there into a specific word processing program.
CIT recommends that you take DOS: Getting Started if
you are interested in learning DOS. It's not that crucial
to know DOS, but it might help you if your computer
doesn't have Windows. If you would rather jump straight
into Windows, take the Windows: Getting Started class
first.
Parlez-vous computerese?
Just about every profession has its own special terminology,
and computer users are no different. In fact, they generate
more confusing jargon than most other fields. Unfortunately,
specialized terminology can confuse the non-specialist.
Here are several common computer terms that you are
likely to run into again and again:
Application/program--a
specially-created piece of software intended
to do a particular task, such as word-processing,
creating graphics, or number-crunching.
CPU--Central
Processing Unit. This is the heart of the computer.
All input goes into the CPU, where all processing
tasks are actually performed. Any output--printed,
on screen, or on disk--comes out of the CPU.
Cursor-- a visual indicator
on the screen that lets you know where your
mouse is positioned. The cursor allows you to
insert text where you wish, or to select existing
items to be deleted, copied, or modified.
Drive--any part of the computer
where disks reside and operate, temporarily
or permanently. See floppy disk/diskette and
hard disk/hard drive.
File/document--any single item
created with an application, whether it be a
single chart, a five-page paper, or an entire
thesis with graphics and footnotes.
File server--a large computer
to which others are connected in order to share
information and processing ability. For example,
an academic department might have a file server
containing student records and course information,
to which individual computers in other parts
of the same building could connect to access
this information. File servers are often part
of a network.
Floppy disk/diskette--A portable
disk of plastic coated with chromium oxide,
on which information is magnetically written,
and from which that information can be read,
copied, or deleted. The disk is protected by
a shell or cover of some kind. "Floppy"
is now a misnomer; older 5.25" disks are
flexible, while the more common 3.5" disks
are not.
Graphic interface--The standard
commands under which Macintosh computers operate.
Instead of entering commands on the keyboard,
the user manipulates icons and windows, usually
with a mouse.
Hard disk/hard drive--A fixed
permanent storage unit containing a rigid disk
(or disks) made from metal; many computers contain
built-in hard disks. Hard drives are much more
expensive than floppies, and can hold a great
deal more information.
Hardware--The physical components
of a computer, including cables, the keyboard,
the CPU, monitors, etc.
Icons--Pictorial representations
of items like hard drives, floppies, applications,
etc. By manipulating the icons, you get desired
results from the hardware and software they
represent.
Initialize/format--Said of
disks; the terms are synonymous. Initializing
erases all information on a disk (if there is
any) and prepares the disk to receive whatever
information you wish to save on it.
Input-- Any information you
put into the computer, through typing, copying
files, or whatever. Output is what you'd expect:
any results that emerge from the computer, whether
on screen, printed, on disk, etc.
Modem--A device that plugs
into a standard telephone jack and allows a
computer to transmit and receive information
over commercial telephone lines.
Monitor--The screen on which
you see your work, whether in color, grayscale,
or black-and-white.
Mouse--A small tool that duplicates
the movements of your hand on the computer's
screen, allowing you to rearrange items, perform
actions, select things, etc.
Network--A group of computers
spread out over a large area that are connected
with each other, whether by telephone lines,
fiber-optic cables or some other linkage. Once
connected, computers on a network can share
files, send large amounts of information very
quickly, and enable multiple users to communicate
at one time.
Platform--Basically, the type
of computer you use; the term refers to the
operating software, not to the manufacturer.
DOS, Macintosh, NeXT and UNIX are common platforms.
RAM--Random Access Memory,
the computer's "short term" memory
in which all actions are performed. Also called
"active memory," RAM is the memory
your computer uses to run applications. The
amount of RAM in your computer is fixed, although
it can often be increased, and it is one of
the two kinds of memory that dealers will use
to describe a computer's capabilities. (The
other is "storage" memory, or memory
devoted to permanently saving information you
have created. Disks use storage memory.)
ROM--Read-Only Memory, in which
information is saved once and can never be altered.
For example, CD-ROM machines read information
saved on compact disks--users can read that
information, but cannot make changes. Some ROM
is built into your computer to help it get started
when you turn it on.
Software--Any information a
computer uses to perform a task; also, any information
saved on a disk.
System--Specific pieces of
software that your computer needs to run; for
instance, it is the system that converts your
keystrokes into letters and displays them on
the monitor screen.
Windows--This term can be confusing.
It refers to how graphic interface systems display
information on the screen, allowing you to view
the contents of different disks or files as
you would view loose pages on a desk. Windows
can be opened and closed like their namesakes,
but they can also be stacked, sorted, resized,
and moved. Microsoft Corporation also sells
an application called "Windows"reg.
which allows machines running under DOS to show
information in graphic interface format, complete
with icons, mouse cursor, etc.
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