In the Beginning: Computer Technology for New Users
Part 1

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If you are like most people, you brought a computer or someone gave you one, and then you found a way for making the computer do something useful. There are much better ways for a new user to begin working with a computer. For those who have not yet received their computer or have not put in their order, you are in a little better shape than most. Before getting a computer, you need to know what you want a computer to do for you. The best way you can do this is by getting a pen and paper, and write down a dream list of the things you would like a computer to do for you. Go all out, put down your fantasies, beliefs, wild ideas, even some crazy ideas you may have thought would be nice for a computer to accomplish. All this little exercise will achieve is to help you establish some goals or directions that you will use toward making a decision about how you will use your computer. If you can think it than put that thought down, no matter how ridicules others may think. Remember, this is your wish list not theirs.

Once you have made this list, put it into some type of order. You want to form three columns; first, one column will indicate what things are very important to you and that you feel you must have; second column, those things that are nice and you would like to have; and third column, if they are available, things you wish you could have but could just as well do without. Now take your wish list and start putting ten of the most important listed items from each column, which you previously wrote, into a new column that you feel would best fit your wants or needs. When this last column is completed, go back to it and list the ten most important things, from one to ten, in that column that you need or cannot do without if you have a computer. Now you are ready to find a computer that can perform what you want done.

This next part will take some time and energy. Most people will not do this part or take enough time to find out that their expectations about computers or computer usage may have a flaw. Here, you will take your list and go to various stores, talk to friends, read books and other written information so that you can find software that will do the things you want accomplished on your list. As long as you can find software that will do the ten most important things, you have written down, you will have met with success. This process may take hours, days, weeks, even months to accomplish. It is important that you match a specific software with a specific need or desire that it can accomplish. You can stop when your first column of items has matching software that accomplices what you want done or at the very least, you have software that will accomplice the ten most important items in the last column you wrote.

Understand, this little exercise is a two fold process. You are trying to find out if a computer can do what you want it to do, and you are finding out realistic and unrealistic expectations about what a computer can do for you. If you cannot find any software that meets at least the ten most important things you have written down on your list than maybe you should think long and hard about what you want a computer to do for you. Maybe you need to change some of your expectations about what you want for your top ten items list or maybe rethink what you want a computer to do for you altogether. Computers and software can do many things, but a computer cannot do everything. If you need something very important accomplished, and there is no software that will do it for you, than maybe you need to have someone write a program that will do what you want or write that program yourself. As you may have already guessed, it is software that tells the computer what to do, and does the work on the computer.

Once you know the software that will do what you want done, you now need to find a computer that will run the software you have just found. Please note, do not buy the software at this time. This will come later once the computer has been determined that will run all or most of your software that you have chosen. All you want to do is find a computer that will run the software you found and does the things you want done. There are many types of computers on the market today such as PC's (personal computers or IBM compatibles), Apple or Macintosh type machines, large IBM, DEC, or SUN type machines (main frames), small handheld units, and many other types of computing devices. Making a selection should be easy to accomplish because you now know the software you will use and on the software package it tells you what machine the software can work on. Well, that is not quite true. We will cover the reasons for this at a later time.

After you decide upon the type of machine you will buy, you will now have to make a decision on how much you will pay for your computer system. Note, it was said computer system not just a computer. If you want the most use out of a computer, you will need more than a big electronics filled box, you will need peripherals that will make it easier for working with and retrieving information from the computer. That big box is the computer itself; you will need a monitor so you can see your information stored within the computer as you work. You will also need a printer for printing out a hard copy of your information. The mouse helps make working on the computer a little bit easier, and a keyboard allows you to input the information into the computer. There are other devices for doing other interesting things with a computer but we will cover only the very basic needs at this time. If you do not have all of the aforementioned items, working with a computer will be very hard, if not impossible. The cost for all of this hardware (the items just mentioned) can be keep to a minimum. The important idea now is for you to decide what you are willing to pay for your system. Actually you should put this amount down on paper so you can see what you are thinking about spending. Do not just pull a figure out of the air. Think hard about all of the items you are going to buy because you want to get the most out of your system and have it do all of the things you listed earlier. As a suggestion, a realistic budget will start from about $500.00 and will go up from there. Never forget, you get what you pay for.

Next, you will need a plan for a workspace where you will use your computer. Do you have enough space to keep the computer out in the open? Will you have to constantly take the computer out and put it up after each use? Will you need to move about with your computer system because it cannot stay in the same place all the time? All of these questions need asking because it will determine how much and often you will use your computer, and if you need to decide upon adding some furniture to your computer system's budget. It is very important that a computer user have a workable workspace that will help them get their work done easily and comfortably. The better or more at ease you are with working on the computer the more you get done, and the better you feel about your computer and yourself.

What was just covered is the proper way for acquiring a computer and for getting the most use from your computer. This, of course, is not the only way you can buy your computer, and depending upon your circumstances may not necessarily be the best way. Certainly, it will eliminate your having a computer that becomes a dust collector or a big paperweight that one slightly or never uses. One more point needs covering before you purchase your computer, and that is, if you are truly new to computers, you still will have a problem when buying the right computer for your needs. This is because you still do not have some basic concepts about the computer and its uses.

Are you surprised to learn that maybe you still, after going through the foregoing exercise, will not have enough information to buy a computer? Not to worry, the reason for this and other articles is to help you become computer literate. You become computer literate when you have a certain expertise about computers, that is, you can understand what a computer is and does, as well as how to get the most from using a computer. In other words, you gain the ability for making the computer become a tool whereby your life becomes easier to live and you gain more enjoyment in living that life.

Let us start on this path for computer literacy by learning what a computer really is. The vast majority of computers in use today use John Von Neumann's architecture, which means a stored program controls the device. Therefore, the current definition for an electronic computer today would be any electronic device that has an input, some means for manipulating that input, an output for generating the manipulated input, and a means for storing the instructions used in manipulating the input alone with the other information used in generating the output. Usually a computer's input is in the form of raw unprocessed symbols or figures called data. When data becomes organized, meaningful, and achieves a usable form it is called information. The process of manipulating data into useful information is the main reason we uses computers, and a computer will work most effectively when its data is highly repetitive and needs constant manipulation. Something or someone communicating with the computer now becomes the user of the computer to generate the needed informational output.

There is more to a computer or more rightly a computer system than data, information, and outputs. Not only is the user an important part of the computer system, but so is the hardware and software that makes the computer system function as desired. Hardware is the physical equipment used in the process for getting raw data into and out of the system. Software is the instruction that tells the hardware what to do and how to go about processing the raw data. Without those instructions, the hardware could not function in such a useful manner as changing the raw input into a usable output.

When we talk of input, we are only speaking of whatever the user sends to the computer system. This could be raw data, pictures, information, or even other processed data that we want stored or change into another form. Output therefore represents manipulated input that comes out into a form we desire or can use as information. Usually the user will obtain their output in some type of useful representation for human use, that is, printed on paper, sound or audio for hearing, or viewed on a screen. The computer hardware handles the computing process by storing the input and the instructions used to manipulate the input somewhere in the system. Output is sometimes stored also for later use in the system. Altogether inputting, storing, processing, and outputting forms what one calls the cycle of information processing.

What are the devices used for input, processing, and output? The user does not need to know much about the central processing unit (CPU) that does the processing within the computer. The only element that you really need to know about when talking about the CPU is how fast the CPU runs and what is its optimum speed for getting the work you want done. The author will cover this in more detail at a later date. On the other hand you do need to know a few things about the input and output devices needed to make your computer system function at its best. An input device is any hardware component used to enter raw data or instructions into the computer system. Several input devices normally in use are keyboard, mouse, microphone, scanner, camera, and some special types of external drives that plug into your computer case. An output device is any hardware component used to convey the processed information back to the user. Some output devices are monitor, printer, speakers, modem, communication line, and headphones. A storage device is any hardware component that will hold the raw data, instructions, and processed information for later use. Some types of storage devices are CD drives, DVD drives, ZIP drives, hard disks, floppy disks, memory sticks, Flash Memory, and memory chips some of which can be usable as special input devices.

Earlier we spoke of software you needed for making the computer do what you want it to achieve. Software is nothing more than a predefined set of instructions or programs that tells the computer what to do and how you want the computer to function. By strict definition, a computer program is a series of ordered instructions that a CPU uses to obtain a specific result. There are two main different types of software, system and application. System software controls the computer's operation and all of the devices attached to a computer. Application software will perform a predefined, specific set of instructions as determined by the user.

System software sub-divides into operating systems (OS) and utility programs. Operating systems or the monitor programs are actually a collection of computer programs that control and monitor the overall operation of the computer and its attached hardware devices, as well as coordinates how these devices interact with each other. A key function of the operating system program is the instructions and commands (services) it sends to application software for maintaining a user's files and folders (directories). Some operating system programs are LINUX, UNIX, NOVEL, MS-DOS, VM/CMS, OS/2, WINDOWS, WINDOWS XP, and NT. Utility programs are very specialized programs that perform a specific task such as managing the computer's operation, handling how various devices will function, or how an application program can operate with various computer devices. Utility programs will manage the monitor, disk drives, speakers, printers, and other attached devices.

Application software is a program written for users to perform specific tasks. There are numerous programs on the market some of which are called word processors, database, spreadsheet, presentation, organizer, graphics handler, photographic editor, desktop publisher, computer aided drawing (CAD), multimedia, project manager, video editor, audio editor, personal information manager (PIM), and so many more. Some application software packages are bundled together to form suites. These bundled packages are an integration of different applications into one cohesive group, such that those individual applications will function better as a group, and cost less for the user. Some application software is custom made for individual companies or work best on certain custom-made computers. Some application software is provided at no cost to the user and is called freeware. Some freeware providers have made their programs available to the public, with no copyright restrictions, called public-domain software where all you have to do is just acquire the programs usually from the Internet. Shareware programs have their copyrights in force, but the shareware provider allows the user a trail period, at no cost to the user, so that they can see if the program is one they want to purchase. For the most part, application software is copyrighted and payable at the time of purchase.

Mentioned beforehand is just some of what you need to know in order to become knowledgeable about computers so that you can make an informed decision. One thing we have not mentioned before is how your computer will communicate with others over the world's communication network called the Internet. We will cover the Internet and communications in a later article.

Now, you now need to know what kinds of computers are out there in the world today. There are six major categories of computers today: personal computers, handheld computers, Internet appliances, mid-range servers, mainframe, and supercomputers. As time goes on, the definitions for these computers are blurring and some are less recognizable than others are. Only the first three types of computers should be the ones a new user would want information about. Most likely, you will end up with a personal computer or a handheld computer or both. The personal computer (PC) goes by a few different names some are desktop, notebook, and laptop. Desktop machines fit on top of a desk or under the desk (called a tower) and have all of the processor's functions residing on a single CPU chip. Notebook and laptop computers are similar and are small enough to fit upon a person's lap. Normally a notebook is smaller than a laptop and is much lighter in weight. Laptop and notebook computers are usually more expensive than a desktop computer but prices are getting closer and closer to each other. People usually use a laptop or notebook computer if they do a lot of traveling or moving about.

Handheld computers, known better as palmtop computers, are very small computers that someone can hold in their hand. These computers are similar to notebook computers but are smaller in size than a notebook computer, have smaller screens, and no disk drives. Usually they will use a stylus for input. The software on a handheld computer is usually a special version of the software running on a desktop machine. A handheld computer sometimes called a personal digital assistance (PDA) will use organizer functions such as a calendar, appointment book, address book, calculator, and notepad. A PDA for some people replaces their paper organizers and appointment books.

Internet appliances are limited function computers mainly used for connecting to the Internet. There output screen is usually a television set instead of a monitor. Some Internet appliances have their own priority set up and system. Outside of e-mail and Internet usage, these computers are very limited in there capabilities.

Now you have enough information to make an informed decision about buying a computer. Hopefully, you are now more computer literate than you were before reading this article. This article is only the beginning. Succeeding articles will take us through the very basics of computer knowledge and usage.

Our next article will cover computer usage, setup, and workspaces. If you have any questions or would like a better explanation of what was covered in this article please contact the Vice-president of the NOPCC at vp@nopc.org.

Ashton C. Mouton, Jr.

© 2004 Ashton C. Mouton, Jr.
All Rights Reserved

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