Commodore 64 User Manual page 7

WHAT CAN YOU DO WITH YOUR
COMPUTER?
Briefly, computers can do two things: calculate
and make decisions. Of the two, it is decision-
making capabilities that set a true computer
apart from pocket calculators. Let's say you
need something done. Can the computer do
it? To find out, see if you can describe your
chore as a list of actions and decisions. If so,
there is a fair chance that a computer can per
form the task.
Of course, some tasks would take more time
or money than they are worth. But don't let
that stop you from thinking about using a
computer to perform the task, History is full of
people doing the impossible, finding new solu
tions to age-old problems.
YOU CAN BUY PACKAGED SOFTWARE
FOR YOUR COMPUTER FOR
DIFFERENT PURPOSES
Your VIC or 64 computer can do many things
without you having to write the instructions
(programs! yourself. Since Commodore com
puters have been sold to more than a million
people over the past several years, you can
benefit from what others have done with their
computers. When a person figures out a series
of instructions that make the computer do
something interesting or useful, the instruc
tions can be saved on a cassette or a floppy
diskette for later use. You can then buy such a
program, called a software program, for a rea
sonable cost. Thus a program that one person
has developed can benefit thousands of peo
ple, especially newcomers who don't know
how to write complicated programs but still
want to use them. Most of these programs are
easy to use. Many give you instructions for
using the program right on the screen as you
go along, There are programs available for
many different purposes.
You Can Use Planning and Budgeting
Programs
There are software programs available for the
VIC and 64 computers that allow you to make
budgets, perform calculations automatically,
and use spreadsheets right on the screen.
These programs can be used for business pur
poses or simply to figure out the family
budget.
Or Write Letters and Documents
Word processing software programs let you
use your computer as a typewriter—and a lot
more. Word processing lets you type letters,
documents, and reports into the computer.
You can view your work on the screen and
make any changes you want—before printing
anything on paper. You can also save your
work on a cassette or diskette so that you
can use it again and again. By using word
processing software with your computer, you
can easily correct mistakes, move paragraphs,
adjust word spacing. You can give your busi
ness letters or school papers the finished look
of well-printed books. And again, this software
is available at reasonable costs for your VIC or
64 computer.
Or Just Have Fun
There are a variety of games available for your
VIC or 64 computer. You will learn more
about these games, as well as about other
types of software programs available, in Chap
ter 5, "Software."
WHAT IS COMPUTER LITERACY?
Imagine living before there was public educa
tion. Picture yourself unable to read, in a
world where people with power and influence
read well. To make knowledge and skills avail
able to everyone, universal education was
made a national priority. Literacy—knowing
how to read and write—became essential to
most jobs and to everyday living.
Now we need another kind of literacy: com
puter literacy. Not everyone will need to learn
how to program a computer, any more than
everyone has to be a mechanic in order to
drive a car. However, it is becoming essential
for everyone to be at least familiar with com
puters and to be able to use them. The use of
computers has increased dramatically since
World War II, Now there are computers in
cars, coffee pots, and even thermostats, not to
mention computer-like calculators and
watches. Beyond this, computers are assisting
in nearly every line of work, both changing
and eliminating many jobs. As a result, many
people must learn about computers if only out
of necessity—to keep themselves employable.
COMPUTER LITERACY AND YOU
Now that you have your own computer, you
can learn to use it well and join the world of
computer literacy. After some time of using
other people's programs, you may study their
methods and develop new ideas of your own.
Eventually, you may want to write some pro
grams to make your computer do exactly what
you want it to do. You may even be able to
share or sell your ideas, and turn your com
puter into a business, as thousands of other
people have in the past few years.
So what are we waiting for? Let's get startedl