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2 Start the application
Double-click on the application's icon. It will
appear on the icon bar, ready for you to use.
For example, double click on !Edit. Its icon will
appear on the icon bar, indicating that it has been
loaded into the computer's memory, and is
waiting for you to use it.
Some applications or games (like !Puzzle in App2) open a window as soon as you
double click on their icon, instead of appearing on the icon bar.
Using applications
Once you have started an application, you can usually begin using it by clicking on its
icon on the icon bar. An application window will open on the desktop.
For example, to use Edit, click on its icon on the
icon bar: an empty Edit window will appear, ready
for you to start writing.
Type in some text. Any text you type using the
keyboard appears in the window. Text appears to
the left of the vertical bar — the caret. The caret
moves to the right, to make room for the text.
Press Return to start a new line, and press it
again to leave a blank line.
Once you have typed a few lines of text, move the
caret around the text by moving the pointer with
the mouse and clicking Select — the caret will
jump to the position of the pointer. You can insert (
or delete) text at the new position.
If you aren't sure what the different keys on the
keyboard are for, refer to Using the keyboard on
page 39. A couple of points to note:
•
•
After you've finished using an application, you will need to save any work you've done
in a file on a disc (otherwise your work will be lost when you switch the computer off).
The next chapter, Files and directories, tells you how to save the Edit file you've just
created, so you can leave its window on the screen for now.
The CapsLock key light may be on when you start, indicating that all letters you
type will be capitals. Press CapsLock to turn the light off and get all lower-case
letters.
When the CapsLock is off, hold down Shift to type an upper-case letter (or one
of the upper characters on the number keys).
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