2.SOFTWARE

COMPUTER NOTES: SOFTWARE

Software is the interpreter/translator between you and the on/off pulses that control the computer. A computer is really a dumb thing. It just sits there until you tell it to do something. You must load a software program and tell the computer to run it. Then it becomes a brainchild, capable of doing many fantastic things. With software, we are able to accomplish unbelievable tasks: word processors, games, print, view pictures from across the world, build complicated spread sheets, do accounting, draw pictures, translate languages, keep data bases of large amount of data, like an address book, etc. Without software, the computer is an electric nothing.

Most computers are purchased with a set of software already loaded into the hard drive. Microsoft products are on about 90% of all purchased computers. Some of the more complicated Microsoft programs: Word, a word processor; Excel, a spreadsheet; Access, a database; and PowerPoint, a presentation producer. These programs are of the highest caliber. They are very complicated with many powerful components. Instead of these office level programs, Microsoft has a combination program called Works, all of the above in one program. Usually included are many small programs, even games like Solitaire, Free Cell, and Mine Sweeper. Some other useful programs included are a drawing program called Paint, a simple word processor called WordPad, and a calculator.

Of course, you can go out and buy thousands of programs to suit yourself and your tasks. Quicken is a series of accounting programs, set up for the household budget or a small business. You will find you own favorite games to buy and keep busy with. Naturally, you will end up with a browser and an email program. The two most popular browsers right now are Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Netscape’s Communicator. At present, they are FREE! And they are very large and use a lot of memory and computer power. They also have an email program attached to the browser. Netscape even has a built in HTML code writer to produce your own web pages. Once connected to the outside world through the internet, you should have a Virus Checker program.

Each of these software programs take up lots of space on your computer. They have many inter-linked files. Downloading Microsoft’s Internet Explorer from the internet, takes about 20-45 minutes with a good connection, it is over 5 MB of data. Then the program self decompresses and installs all the components and files. It eventually takes up way more than 5 MB of space on your hard drive. My 6 GB hard drive has over 68,000 files on it. Whenever my virus checker cranks up, it goes through every one of them and gives me a report, after about 45 minutes.

When you do buy new software, you have to install it on the computer. Nowadays this is a very easy task. Follow the simple instruction on the box or disc. It is a matter of inserting the CD, waiting until the computer recognizes it, boots it and tells you what to do. The last instruction usually is to reboot the computer. Remove the CD to storage for safekeeping. You might need it to actually run the program, so don’t store it too far away.

Then of course you will want to run the program. Again, simple. Click on START, run your pointer up to PROGRAMS, CLICK, run your pointer to your program, CLICK, and away the program starts. The software will have a HELP program built in if you have questions. Not many programs come with a paper set of instructions anymore. Eventually, you will want to stop playing with the program, so you can stop and eat lunch. One of the menus, usually called FILE, has an item on it: EXIT. Click on EXIT and your are out of the program. Shutting down programs is also accomplished by CLICKing on the X in the top right corner. Most programs have 1 to 3 ways of doing anything you need to do. It is best to find one you like and stick with that.

You hear a lot of info about "Backing Up Your Data". When you back up data, you don’t back up the whole hard disk. Not necessary! You only need to back up data that will be lost such as word processor documents, spreadsheet documents, database documents, pictures, and data that you produce. Not the programs that were installed on the hard drive. If you have a complete failure, you use all your CD’s and discs that you have stored to restore the computer, then add the backed up data back into the programs.

When computers first came out, many people wrote their own programs, usually in BASIC or machine language. Very few people write their own programs anymore. Too complicated! A few people do write web pages with the help of HTML programs. We are now to the point where we just USE programs.

Computers are really dumb! But, with the proper software, and a fairly knowledgeable human, they become mental giants, capable of mammoth and complicated tasks.

This is the code that creates the Town Life Adult Center front page (several revisions ago). I wrote this code with the help of a program that takes what I want on a web page and translates it to this HTML code. Then I make modifications.

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<TITLE>Town Life Adult Center</TITLE>

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<H1 ALIGN=Center><FONT COLOR="#ffffff">The Town Life Adult Center</FONT></H1>

<H3 ALIGN=Center> <FONT COLOR="#ffffff">North Manchester</FONT></H3>

<TR> <TD><P ALIGN=Center><A HREF="tlacweek.html">Weekly Activities</A></TD> </TR>

<TR><TD><P ALIGN=Center> <A HREF="tlaccal/tlaccal.html">Monthly Calendar</A></TD> </TR>

<TR><TD><P ALIGN=Center><A HREF= "tlactune.html">Keeping Fit During Winter</A></TD> </TR>

<TR><TD><A HREF="tlacspns.html">1st Year Adult Center Sponsors</A></TD> </TR>

<TR><TD><P ALIGN=Center><A HREF= "tlaclink.html">Links</A></TD> </TR>

<TR><TD><P ALIGN=Center> <FONT COLOR="#ffffff"><BIG><AHREF="suggest.html">SUGGESTION BOX</A> </BIG> </FONT> </TD> </TR>

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<P ALIGN= Right> <SMALL><SMALL><A HREF="mailto:shepcent1@kconline.com">Send email to the Adult Center</A>

<SMALL><A HREF= "mailto:rfbohn@nmanchester.net">   &nbsp ; Send email to the Web Master</A></SMALL></SMALL></SMALL>

Center</SMALL></SMALL></SMALL></FONT> <P ALIGN=Right> 

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