Using the computer

The types of computers available are as varied as the types of musical instruments. Trying to teach someone to use a computer requires that ⁵ both the instructor and the student have access to the same type of computer. It would be senseless for a piano teacher to try to teach someone to play a trombone.

There is another similarity between trying to learn to play a musical instrument and trying to learn to use a computer: in order to learn to use either a specific computer or a specific musical instrument properly, you must practise on a daily basis.⁶ One strength of this book is thal il explains some of the differ­ences likely to be found in computers⁷ and in computer applications and teaches some of the techniques necessary to help you more easily learn to use a computer.

The biggest flaw in most computer systems is the instruction book. The instruction book for a computer system is primarily a reference document; when the user gets into trouble, he can dis­cover by reading the book what he is doing wrong and what needs

hard or soft sectoring — жесткая или гибкая разбивка на секторы

totally enclosed and sealed in a chamber — помещенный в камеру и

герметизированный

floating read/write head — плавающая головка считывания и записи

resulting in —приводящий к

Trying to teach someone to use a computer requires that—При обучении

пользованию компьютером необходимо, чтобы

on a daily basis — ежедневно

likely to be found in computers — которые, вероятно, обнаружатся в ЭВМ

to be done to get the comp.uter operating properly.' An instruction book can also be a manual that instructs a new user, in a step-by-step manner, how to run a computer system.² Unfortunately, most computer system instruction books take either one approach or the other. They are either excellent reference books, leaving much to be desired by the first-time user who simply wants to get the computer working,³ or are written to be how-to-slart-the-computer cookbooks⁴ with glaring deficiencies that become apparent when the user experiences trouble with the system-Most users of a computer system routinely use only a very small part of the total features available to them. For example, one may have purchased a computer system that can compose music, write payroll checks, and trap burglars as they try to sneak in through the skylight. Although the computer can do all of these things if you buy the proper accessories for it, most users are interested'in only one thing, such as having the computer only write payroll checks. Therefore they have not purchased the ac­cessories necessary to perform the other functions. The result is that the instruction books will go into great detail about areas that are of no interest⁰ to the user.

Here are several suggestions to make using a new computer system easier:

/. Make your own condensed instruction book.

The first recommendation is that you get a second set of in­struction manuals⁶ and cut Uiem apart and put the pages that interest you into a three-ring binder.' As an alternative, you could take the computer instruction manual to a copy machine and copy the pertinent pages — those that you will be using often — and keep those pages in a three-ring binder where you work. 2. Formulate step-by'step instructions.

The second recommendation is that you make a recipe-like list⁸ of the steps necessary to operate the computer while you are learning what those steps are. Some people like to make these lists

' what needs to be done to get the computer operating properly— что необходимо сделать, чтобы ЭВМ работала должным образом

² how to run a computer system —как пустить в ход ЭВМ

³ leaving much to be desired by the first-time user who simply wants to get the

computer working — оставляющие желать много лучшего для тех- кто в первый

раз пользуется компьютером и яочет, чтобы он просто работал '' are written to be how-to-start-the-computer cookbooks — написаны наподобие

поваренной книгн: “Как запустить компьютер” ⁵ go into great detail about areas that are of no interest -- вдаваться в подробности

r тех областях, которые не представляют интереса ^fi set of instruction manuals—набор эксплуатационных руководств ' three-ring binder — скоросшиватель ^я recipe-like list — список, подобный кулинарному рецепту

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on three-hole notebook paper and put them into protective plastic covers in a three-hole notebook- Others prefer to put them on in­dex cards' in a recipe box. Any method that suits you is fine, so long as the "recipe" is clearly written and always handy.

Be assured that if you do not do these two things, you will waste hours, days, weeks, and even months of time trying to find what you are looking for in the fifteen-volume set of instruction manuals on your computer system. It is very easy, once you are in trouble, to spend hours looking through instruction manuals to find out w-'here you went wrong Save yourself from ending up, hours later, muttering, "I know I read that some place a week ago!" If you find the information useful, make a note of it.

3. Make your own index to the instruction manuals.

Take a look at your instruction manuals and check to see³ how complete the index is. If the index is not complete, you might want to put another page in your three-ring binder that gives a one- or two-word description for your own index and the volume and page number where it can be found.

More than one computer company⁴ put information into what these authors think is the wrong volume of the instruction book. Information that every user should know might be located in the system manager's guide. And information that only a system's manager could possibly use might be contained in a user's guide. Similarly, a programmer's .manual could contain general user information. If you keep your own mini-index of some of the commonly used procedures near where you work and constantly update that book as you need to find more things in the manual, you will find that you waste much less time finding a solution when you are in trouble.⁵

Start some kind of an organizational system and start making notes now.

4. Learn with actual data.⁶

Use real data when first learning about a computer system.⁷ When you are trying to type information into a program and learn how that program works, do not just make up data and type it in. If you make up data and put it into a computer program, you will. not really have any idea of whether the computer's results are

index cards — алфавитные (каталоговые) карточки where you went wrong — где вы допустили ошибку " check to see — проверьте

⁴ More than one— company — Многие... фирмы

⁵ in trouble—в затруднительном положении

" Learn with actual data,— При обучении используйте подлинные данные.

⁷ when first learning about a computer system — на первых порах обучения

работе с ЭВМ ^к to make up data — придумывать данные

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correct or incorrect. It is much easier to spot an error' when you are using test data that is real than when the data is invented. This same type of problem is the case with computer test data² that is furnished by the computer manufacturers or the people who wrote the programs. You can be sure that a computer program wilt work with data that has been supplied by the manufacturer. Whether it works with their data or not should mean relatively little to you. What is important to you is whether or not the computer works with your data. To find that out. you must use your own real data when learning about a computer system. 5- Read the instruction book.

Last but not least³ in the learning of a computer system is the realization that the manufacturer of the computer system has spent a tremendous amount of time and money producing what is usually a very accurate document about how the computer system performs. It will tell you not only what to do to ensure that the computer will work right, but what to do to recover from an error if something goes wrong. Read the instruction book on a regular basis,⁴ even before you need the information. You can save a lot of trouble if you already know what is in the book.