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Delaware Assistive Technology Initiative

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Vol. 5, No. 1 Jan/Feb 1997

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Computer Basics 101:
Demystifying the Jargon

by Donald Erhart, AT Specialist

So, using a computer strikes fear in your heart? You're not alone. Even though computers have become a very commonplace item in many of our lives, many people are not familiar with "computerese." This article will address the components of the personal computer. The personal computer world is divided into two camps, the IBM (PCs) and the Macintosh (Mac) or Apple camp. This article will focus on PCs.

Let's start with some of the jargon, technical terms, and acronyms used in discussing computers. PC hardware includes such things as the keyboard, monitor, printer, central processing unit (CPU), CD-ROM, mouse, and scanners.

The monitor is similar to a small screen television. Monitors come in monochrome (one color) or color. Color monitors have evolved from the Color Graphics Adapter (CGA) to the Extended Color Graphics (EGA) to the Video Graphics Adapter (VGA) and finally to the state-of-the-art Super Video Graphics Adapter (SVGA). Today's monitors display information with very fine detail. Since the monitor allows you to see what the computer is doing with the information you are entering, the size and quality of the monitor is an important consideration when purchasing a computer. Several sizes of monitors are available. For normal word processing, database, and spread sheet applications, 13-15" monitor sizes are adequate. Desktop publishing and some architectural drawing programs may require a monitor with a larger screen. Persons with low vision may also benefit from a larger monitor.

The system unit is the computer case housing all the internal components. Sometimes the monitor sits on it, or it may sit on the floor next to your desk (this type is called a tower or minitower).

The Hard drive or hard disk is an internal or external high-capacity, high-storage medium equivalent to filing cabinets used for long-term storage. The size of a hard drive is measured in megabytes (MB). Today a 500 MB hard drive is not too large, even though it is large by comparison to the early 20 MB hard drives. Hard drives in the 1.6 gigabyte (GB) range are becoming more and more common. One MB is roughly equivalent to one million characters. One gigabyte is roughly equivalent to one hundred million characters. The average page contains 4,000 characters of text. Using this example, a 1.0 GB hard drive could conceivably hold 250,000 pages of text, although text is not what uses up the most hard drive space. Software uses much more of your hard drive storage space. Some software programs can use as much as 10 MB or more of storage space on the hard drive. With the development of Windows and the ever increasing size of software programs, the size of the hard drive has become very critical. As a rule of thumb, when purchasing a computer today, buy the system with the largest hard drive you can afford. It is simpler and cheaper to buy a large hard drive when the system is new than to upgrade it later when you run out of storage space.

The floppy drive is a smaller version of the hard drive. In addition to its size, the other important difference between the hard drive and the floppy drive is that the disk used in the floppy drive can be removed from the computer, where the disk in the hard drive is usually installed permanently. You can use the floppy drive to copy or store files to a floppy disk for later use. Floppy disk drives are 3.5" or 5.25" in size and can hold from 350 MB to 1.44 MB of information.

Random-Access Memory (RAM) is computer memory that can be used to store information while a software program is running. RAM is equivalent to your desk top-the larger the desk, the more it can hold.

The system board (motherboard) is the base for the CPU as well as the primary circuit board on which most electronic devices are mounted. The CPU is the integrated circuit chip inside the cabinet that performs the actual computing function of a computer. The power supply is generally rated according to the accessories that will be installed in the CPU. If the power supply is not rated high enough, the CPU will not operate properly when accessories are added. If expansion is anticipated, a 250 watt power supply is recommended.

Software is a program that contains a series of instructions to perform particular tasks. Two major categories are operating system and application software. The operating system is the set of instructions that provides the link between application software/programs and the computer hardware. Without the operating system, a computer would be much like a team of people who do not know each other's language, yet who are trying to work together to complete the task. Without an interpreter to translate information, the task can not be completed. An application software program (WordPerfect, Word, Excel, Lotus) operates under a operating system to perform a specific task.

In the PC world, DOS (disk operating system) requires the computer user to learn a series of commands that tell the computer what you want it to do. These commands must be entered in very specific forms or the computer will not understand. Windows is a software program that makes using the computer easier. Windows eliminates the need to remember involved DOS commands and allows the computer user to control the computer by just pointing and clicking the mouse. A mouse is a pointing device that allows the user to navigate a cursor around the screen. One simply points a cursor on an item and "clicks" the mouse to choose the item.

Many systems offer short cuts to computer control. One of these is a hot key sequence, a shorthand method of entering commands. For example, if you press the "F" key while holding down the "ALT" key in Windows, the computer knows that means you want to see the pull down menu titled "File". A pull down or drop down menu is simply a row or column of keywords which head a series of commands that are hidden until you either use the hot key sequence to access them or click on the words with the mouse. Menu bars can be at the top, bottom or on the sides of the window.

A CD-ROM (Compact Disc, Read-Only Memory) is similar to, but not the same as, the information on audio CDs. You can read this information but you can not change it. Computers purchased with CDs usually offer a Multimedia Package with a sound card. This allows you to record sound to your hard drive and play audio CDs or CD-ROMs with information ranging from computer games to encyclopedias. The primary advantage of a CD-ROM is the amount of information (650 MB) it can store. This is more than many of the hard drives in computers currently hold.

Hopefully, you now have a basic knowledge of the jargon used in conversations about computers. Look for follow-up articles on the Mac and on access methods for people with sensory or physical disabilities who need or want to use a computer.

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