IF YOU HAVE NEVER USED A COMPUTER BEFORE:

Welcome!  Computers have been around since the Chinese Abacus.
They are here to stay.  There is a certain feel and flow to the
logic which directs their activities.

Electronically all computers work about the same.  The one you
are using is called a MICROcomputer.  This is due to its size.
Larger computers include MINIcomputers and Mainframe computers.

RAM
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Think of a computer as a human brain.  Your brain is a memory sponge.
It contains a lifetime of memories which cause us to act or react
based on inputs.  Inputs come via our 5 senses.  If you see and smell
a steak burning on the grill (inputs) you know how to react based on
previous experiences (memory - go out to eat).

The computer's brain is comprised of a large memory area called Random
Access Memory (RAM).  Each day when we start up the computer one of the
first tasks will be to fill RAM with instructions to give it an ability
to perform work.  This work may be in the creation of documents or
tracking accounting data.

You control which instructions will go into the computer's brain.
You control which sets of experiences you will provide the
computer.  Once in RAM, the computer will evaluate inputs from
many devices and react.  The most typical input device is a
keyboard.  As you type commands, the computer evaluates them and
based on the set of instructions within its RAM, will follow some
action - perhaps print a document, calculate, or send information
over a telephone line.

At some later point you may empty the computer's brain and
install a different set of instructions, thus giving it a
different ability.

Unlike a human, the computer requires electricity to keep the
information within RAM.  Each time the computer is turned off,
all information within RAM is lost.  RAM is a temporary memory.
To save instructions for use at a later date, a storage device is
required.  Computers use many such devices.  Your computer uses a
Floppy Disk and/or a Hard Disk.  Both are similar.

DISKS
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Think of these disks as cassettes.  You can record information on
a cassette which can be replayed indefinitely and if desired,
recorded over.  Floppy and Hard Disks operate in a similar fashion.
We record (Save) something we have created - like a document - onto the
disk.  Then, hours, days, or months later we are able to play back
(Retrieve) the document into the computer to alter or print out.  Just
like cassettes, the Floppy and Hard Disks do not require electricity to
retain their information.

Hard Disks and Floppy Disks are similar.  Hard Drives have a larger
capacity for file storage, are faster and are less likely to fail due
to the protected environment from within which they operate.

RAM is called volatile memory because of the electricity
requirement.  Floppy and Hard Disks are called non-volatile
memory because they will retain their information without the aid
of electricity.

A computer system includes computer hardware, software and
people.  A computer is a device capable of solving problems
or manipulating data by accepting data, performing prescribed
operations on the data, and displaying the results.

HARDWARE versus SOFTWARE
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HARDWARE:  Physical equipment such as electronic,
magnetic, and mechanical devices (monitor, keyboard,
printer, microchip boards,...).  Includes INPUT/OUTPUT
DEVICES which allow the operator to communicate with the
computer and vice versa.

SOFTWARE:  Sets of programs (stored sets of
instructions) that govern the operation of computer system
and make the hardware run.  These programs (instructions)
tell the hardware how to perform a particular task such as
word processing, games, database management, etc.

Software refers to the instructions that are used to enable
an otherwise dead machine to understand your inputs and
transform them into desired outputs.

Computer hardware by itself has no personality; this is
determined by the software.  Word processing software turns
the computer into a word processor, accounting software turns
the computer into an accounting tool, etc.

The computer requires two types of Software:

  DOS - Disk Operating System
  Application Software - Word Processing, Spreadsheet, Games,
                         Database Management, Accounting, Payroll, etc.

DOS (Disk Operating System)
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All computers require an operating system and the one IBM
PC's use is referred to as DOS (sounds like floss).  DOS is
software that allows the terminal, printer, computer and mass
storage systems (floppy disks) to work together as a unit,
and controls the execution of programs.  It also allows you
to perform housekeeping chores in regards to managing disks
and files.

Therefore - DOS: 1. Links Hardware
                 2. Enables File Management


PROPER HANDLING OF DISKS  -  DISKS NEED CARE!
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 - Never touch the mylar surface  - Do not bend the disks
 - Always store in their protective sleeve
 - Hold the disk by its label or any part of the sleeve
 - Avoid bringing disks near magnets (TVs, telephones,..)
 - Do not leave in hot or cold areas (radiators, car-dash, in
   car during winter, etc.)
 - Use felt tip pens if possible when labeling.  Ball points
   can crease the mylar.

Note the write-protect notch on the disk.  If this is covered
by tape or non-existent, data cannot be "written" to the disk.
However, data can still be "read" from the disk.

It is a good idea to always save data and programs on two
separate disks in case one is destroyed.  Even with the most
cautious of care, the delicate Floppy Disks sometimes fail
for no apparent reason.


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