The First 100 Days - Family Computing and K-Power Magazine ...

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FAMILY Get your hands on a copy of FAMILY COMPUTING today! And make yourseli feel at home with home com puters. FAMILY COMPUTING is so sim ple, even an adult can understand it. We promise! 5 Get 12 issues for only ■ $15.97. And a free Com puter Dictionary with your paid Charter Subscription. And once you've helped them through high school, FAMILY COMPUTING can show you how to use a simple program to choose the right college. teacher). How much you should help with computer-assisted homework. more about computing than the learning. What to do for a computerresistant child (or one who knows child's school work for faster, surer ordinate your computer with your In FAMILY COMPUTING, you'll dis cover the most effective way to co from Scholastic—The publisher that has been making learning fun for more than 6O years. subscribe to FAMILY COMPUTING And that's also the best reason to give their kids an educational advantage. Most parents buy a computer to help 4 Help your kids ■ from kindergarten through college. of computers. COMPUTING takes the mystique out aren't computer experts. FAMILY You'll also find hands-on instruction to help parents (and kids) who computer buyers guide...and more. ments, up-to-the-minute news. • A ping, household finances, invest • Database services for family shop puters for entrepreneurial ventures. are using their computers to become more knowledgeable, to make their lives more enjoyable, even to earn more money. As a Charter Subscriber, you'll discover • Foolproof do-it-your self programs for the Apple, Atari. Commodore 64, and Vic-2O. IBM, Texas Instrument, Timex, and Radio Shack TRS-8O. • How kids use com about computers, FAMILY COMPUTING shows you exactly how other families Because there's so much to know 3 Use your home ■ computer for fun and profit. II you already own a computer, we'll help you pick the right add-ons and software to get more out of your investment. Now you can look to FAMILY COMPUTING lor advice on choosing the right system to match your fami ly's needs. With the flexibility to grow with you as your needs change. tomorrow? Most of us feel a little nervous about the first outing to the computer store. Which computer should you buy? How much should you spend? How do you know it won't be obsolete 2 Find out which hard- ■ ware and software make sense for you. computer for the whole family's benefit. magazine for parents. Written in plain English. To help you make the right decisions about buying and using a It's the first non-technical computer computers, but about families like FAMILY COMPUTING isn't just about 1 Start with a ■ Charter Subscription to Family Computing New from Scholastic. How to make your family feel at home with a home computer. yours.
THE PRIMER THE WORDS continued from page 16 to store any information. The word "initialize" is often used to mean the same thing as for mat. Function key A special key on the comput er's keyboard that has been or can be designated to perform a specific task. Graphics Pictorial displays on the CRT. such as charts, graphs, and symbols. Contrasted with text. Graphics tablet A kind of electronic drawing board. With a graphics tablet and a special pen, whatever you draw will appear simulta neously on the CRT. Hard copy Information printed by Ihe computer onto paper. Hardware The physical, nonchanging parts of a computer system. Contrasted with software, or programs, which can change. High-level language A programming language that resembles an ordinary spoken language (e.g.. English). BASIC is a high-level lan guage. Information services Broad-based data bases that offer a variety of services, ranging from airline reserva tion information to stock mar ket quotations. You need a modern to link up with such a service. Input Programs or data entered into the computer. Interface An electronic connector be tween the computer and its peripherals. K Abbreviation for kilo, or 1.000. When used to describe the amount of memory, or storage space, a computer has, it often signifies 1,024. A computer with I6K bytes of memory, for example, can store 16.384 characters of in formation. Keyboard Designed much like that of a standard typewriter, the key board is used to enter infor mation into the computer. Load To enter a program from an external storage device into the computer. LOGO A programming language that allows the user to draw pic- lures on the screen. LOGO is particularly good for teaching young children how to pro gram. Loop A statement in a program that instructs the computer to re peat a certain task. Machine language A binary code consisting of "0"s and "l"s. which is the only language a computer un derstands. Programs written in any other language, such as BASIC, are translated into ma chine language for processing. Membrane A type of computer keyboard with a Hat. smooth surface. Memory The place in a computer where data and programs are stored. Menu A list on a CRT of the opera tional options of a computer program: a list of programs stored on a tape or disk. Microcomputer A small computer designed primarily for home or small business use. The micro can do today what many room- sized mainframe computers did 20 years ago. Microprocessor A tiny processor on a single chip. The "brains" of ail micro computers. iL is also found in many consumer and industri al products. Modem A contraction of Modulator/De modulator. A device thai makes il possible to transmit and receive computer data over telephone lines. Monitor A device for visually displaying a computer program or the re sults of that program on a screen. See CRT. Network A system of linking computers so that users can share re sources and exchange infor- maiion. Operating system A program that controls the operation of a computer sys tem, such as controlling sig nals to the disk drive or prim er. When a computer system is turned on. the operating sys tem is the first program exe cuted. All subsequent pro grams are loaded and supervised by the operating system. Output Computer-generated informa tion that is transferred to a monitor, disk. tape, or printer. PASCAL A programming language that can be used on many micro computers. While it is consid ered more difficult to learn than BASIC, it can generate programs that run faster and use less memory. Peripherals Hardware accessories for a computer, such as a disk drive, printer, or modem. Pixel Stands for "picture element." A single dot of light on a TV screen or computer monitor. These tiny elements are used to create electronic pictures, or graphics. Plotter A machine, attached to a com puter, that prints lines or graphs on paper. Printer A machine that transfers in formation stored in the com puter onto paper. Two of the most commonly used printers are: dot matrix—a printer that forms text or graphics using a group of individual points (dots); and letter quality—a printer that prints fully formed characters [like a type writer), using a type element called a "daisy wheel" Program A set of step-by-step instruc tions that tells a computer how to solve a given problem. Also, to prepare such a set of instructions. Programming language A language, with clearly de fined rules, that can be used to express a computer pro gram. RAM Random Access Memory. An area in the computer where information is stored. When called into this area, informa tion can be read, changed, or edited. However, it will be lost when the computer's power is turned off. unless you first save the information. Read The process of copying Infor mation from a storage device (such as floppy dis/c or tape) into the computer's memory. Reading only copies: it does nol erase the data from where it is stored. Resolution The sharpness of a picture on a CRT. usually described as "high" or "low." The higher the resolution, the sharper the picture. Resolution i.s ex pressed by the number of pix els in the display. For exam ple. 560x720 is much sharper than 275x400. ROM Read Only Memory. Perma nent memory built into a com puter by a manufacturer. The information stored here gives the computer operating in structions when it is first turned on. The user cannot change this memory, but "only read" il. Save To store information from memory on tape or disk so that it can be used again. Software Computer programs. Also, tapes and disks. Stringy floppy A computer storage device that holds a magnetic tape. called a wafer. The enclosed wafer tape is thinner, narrow er, and faster Lhan conven tional cassette tapes. Terminal A computer user's work station. Also refers to the com puter screen where informa tion is displayed. Text Words, letters, and numbers that appear on a CRT. Con trasted with graphics, which are lines, shapes, and sym bols. Winchester A type of hard disk that is sealed in an air-tight, dust- free container. See disk. Word processor A program that allows the user to write, edit, or rewrite text. The text can be saved on a storage device and printed out. A word processor allows the user to make changes in the same text without retyping the whole page. Write The opposite of read. To transfer information from the computer's memory to a stor age device such as a floppy dis/c. Write-protcct is a proce dure for preventing a disk from being written to. SEHTEMEJKK 1983 19
Page 1 and 2: DO-IT-YOb^< A PROGRAMS FOR THE APPL
Page 3 and 4: I
Page 5 and 6: PREMIER ISSUE SEPTEMBER 1983 PUBLIS
Page 7 and 8: With over 2,000 programs like these
Page 9 and 10: WOULD YOU SHELL OUT $1000 TO MATCH
Page 11 and 12: Apple*, Commodore*, Timex/Sinclair*
Page 13 and 14: WHILE OTHER COMPUTER COMPANIES ARE
Page 15 and 16: VvV The Direct Connection is Here .
Page 17 and 18: THE SYSTEM MODEM ILLUSTRATIONS BV R
Page 19: BOX 550, BARRINGTON, ILLINOIS 60010
Page 23 and 24: 11 SEETEMHER 1983 21
Page 25 and 26: Ed-u-ware Cej'66 war)/?. The first
Page 27 and 28: SMITHWRITER JUMPS OVER ^ THEQUICK B
Page 29 and 30: ONE TOU ELLER. Time was, Billy woul
Page 31 and 32: HOME SCHOOL CONNECTION continued fr
Page 33 and 34: COMPATIBLE -I . . . The popular cho
Page 35 and 36: THERE'S A COMPUTER BORN EVERY MINUT
Page 37 and 38: And it's happening again with our I
Page 39 and 40: time I saw it, it was a symbol of m
Page 41 and 42: wp, Finally, computer games you wan
Page 43 and 44: FmaUy, computer games you want your
Page 45 and 46: PREHISTORIC SEA CREATURE ? No, it's
Page 47 and 48: Scholastic. You know the name. You
Page 49 and 50: other hand assumes responsibility f
Page 51 and 52: TIC-TAC-TOE The favorite of ati Mor
Page 53 and 54: ■ -■ '.yi-..d ,
Page 55 and 56: innovation that made all the differ
Page 57 and 58: ntOTOGHAl'IIS IIV LWGDOS CLAY What
Page 59 and 60: soon. Eric, more of a technician, w
Page 61 and 62: Step 2. Draw two guidelines on each
Page 63 and 64: vision. That put the Conningtons in
Page 65 and 66: SHOPPING DOs AND DON'Ts 1. Figure o
Page 67 and 68: COMPUTER BUYER'S GUIDE: A LOOK AT T
Page 69 and 70: ATARI 600XL Memory: 16K RAM, expand
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TI-99/4A Memory: 16K RAM standard,
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When Kerrie Holton Talks, Atari Lis
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"IT'S GREAT FUN HAVING SOMEONE LIST
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CONNECTIONS Krelt's Connections is
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BEGINNER PROGRAMS PAGE 76 TO 81 Pre
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SEPTEMBER 1983 77 PRESS THE ENTER K
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TI-99 4A Rod Rhymer 20 CALL CLEAR 3
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TI-99/4 A/Learn Names Quicker! 10 D
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Lets see if you can per form the co
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ARE YOUR HEATING DOLLARS GOING OUT
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the unit cost. (The INT statement i
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WHAT'S IN STORE SOFTWARE GUIDE EDUC
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WHAT'S IN STORE SOFTWARE REVIEWS ED
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due l hm teaches, too? i no I Book
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WHAT'S IN STORE SOFTWARE REVIEWS HO
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The Way 1b KEYBOARDING Success Anim
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ITia ■! ii|iin Eucni ■vniimv Yo
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DISKETTES OF DISTINCTION Some wear
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ADVERTISER Amdek Atari Commodore AD
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Tl FUN? rid will our children do th
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4 •WHAT WILL THE FIRST YEAR OF MI
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Make your family feel at home with
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REFINED LUBRICANT THE STANDAR You c
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