| A modern personal computer is a powerful tool
that can be used in countless ways, if you can tap into its potential.
Unfortunately, for years computers have been intimidating and difficult for the average
person to use. In recent years, however, computer developers have concluded that
since most people learn, work and think visually, it would be best to present computer
functions visually. With this in mind a number of companies experimented with
various Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) most of which make use of a mouse or another pointing device. This has simplified computer
usage and has thus opened up the potential of using computers to a much larger audience. A computer is two fold. First you have the physical machine which has
various components referred to as hardware and then you have software which is made up of recorded instructions and information
which makes the hardware useful. The fundamental piece of software that is critical
to using a computer is the operating system. Windows is an operating system.
You could think of Windows as the "floor" for the
computer. A floor gives you a consistent, useable platform on which to work -
everything resting on or building up from that point. Along those same lines,
everything you do on your computer depends on Windows. Similar to the way a floor
serves as a layer between your workplace and the infrastructure of a building, Windows
serves as a layer between your computer work and the hardware of the computer. (Your
computer programs "talk" to Windows and Windows in turn "talks" to the
hardware.) That is why Windows is sometimes referred to as a work environment.
In fact, Windows actually sets the tone for the way everything on your computer
looks and operates. That is why learning Windows is a key to learning any Windows
application.
It is best not to think of Windows in the same terms in
which you think of an application like Word or Outlook. Rather we should think of
Windows as the environment in which those programs operate. Like a floor, it is
critical since it supports everything else but it is not where we generally focus our
attention. Windows doesn't produce documents or other files but rather it works in
the background. Nevertheless, Windows does provide a number of tools that you will
occasionally want to give attention to for file management, system customization, and
other functions that would affect the computer. For more information please see the
section "Using Windows" by clicking the
hypertext. |
