VTech PreComputer 2000 Manual page 17

WHY SHOULD I LEARN TO USE A COMPUTER?
The future belongs to the people who understand how to use computers.
Computers can do many things if they are given instructions. For a particular job
to be done, by a person or a machine , we must specify the steps which must
be done to do the job. The computer becomes an extension of our capabilities .
To do this requires us to learn how to talk to our computer.
This book will help you to get started. All you need is your PRECOMPUTER 2000
and some time.
WHAT IS THIS BOOK FOR?
The PRECOMPUTER 2000 manual is a step-by-step guide for understanding
programs and learning to use the computer language called BASIC . Not everyone
wants to write your own programs that are similar to the ones in this book.
WHO'S THIS BOOK FOR?
This guide is written for students and adults who haven't used a computer before.
With a little time and effort you will discover that there is nothing difficult about
learning to talk to a computer.
WHAT IF
I
MAKE A MISTAKE?
Don't worry about making a mistake. The more mistakes you make the more you
will learn. This is called discovery! The computer doesn't care how many mistakes
you make. There is nothing you can do to damage the computer - except
smashing it. Experimenting is a very good way to make your programs do exactly
what you want.
THE KEYBOARD
1. The numeric (top row) keys are used for entering numbers. The letter keys
are used for entering letters.
2. The cursor is a special symbol on the display that indicates where the next
character that is pressed on the keyboard will be entered in the computer.
The character used on the PRECOMPUTER 2000 is the blinking block symbol,
" I".
3. The SHIFT key is used with another key to enter a character into the computer.
For example to enter the "+" character, you must press SHIFT and the key
marked
"+
=". If you just press the
"+
=" key then the "=" character will be
entered.
4. The LEFT-ARROW key and the RIGHT-ARROW key are used to position the
cursor left or right, respectively. They do not erase any character that is
displayed, but you can type over anything in their positions.
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