naiman-1984-introduction-to-the-lisa

2 The Lisa's Software
and How It's Different
from Other Computers'
The Lisa comes with one of two standard software packages-the
Development System, designed for expert
computer programmers who want to write new software
for the Lisa, and the Office System, designed for
people like you and me who want to use already-written
programs for specific tasks like word processing, graphics
and financial analysis. Since virtually all Lisa users
fall into the second group, I'll only discuss the Office
System in this chapter.
The best way to give you a sense of what's innovative
about the Lisa's software is simply to walk you
through its basic concepts. I'll make it a reasonably detailed
walk-through-although much less than you need
to know to actually use the Lisa with any grace-so
you can begin to get a sense of whether the Lisa's approach
is what you're looking for, or at least so you
can sit down and play with a Lisa in a store without
having to go through a lengthy and confusing orientation.
This chapter will also be useful to you if you already
own a Lisa (or have definitely decided to get one), because
it will get you started using the machine with
less anguish than diving right into the Lisa's introductory
training program, LisaGuide. Although LisaGuide
is better than most training programs, and the Lisa Owner's
Guide is better than most computer manuals, they
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