SECTION
IV
VECTOR
4
OVERVIEW
VECTOR 4 USER'S
MANUAL
VECTOR 4 CP
1M
OVERVIEW
To understand and
best
use your Vector 4,
let's
discuss how
it
can
work
for
you. You
or
your company purchased your computer system in order
to
allow
you to work more effectively and
to
turn out more work
in
a
shorter
period
of
time.
Two
different
elements of
the
system, "hardware" and "software",
work together
to
accomplish these goals.
The
hardware,
the
mechanical
and
electrical
devices you have met, perform
physical and electronic functions. The software, or programs
that
have
been
written
for
the
system,
perform logiclH and
mathematical
operations
and
provide instructions
to
tell the computer what
to
do
next.
There
are
two
categories
of
software.
The
first,
acclications
software,
includes
any
data
processing packages you
may
purchase. The second, aystem
softwar~,
provides
instructions
to
the
hardware
so
that
the
computer can
function.
The
combination
of
all
system
software
on
anyone
computer is
called the
QPeratiJ~
system.
What
is
an
OperOtiIC
SJStem!
An
operating
system
is
a
special
kind
of
program which
controls
the
electronics of a computer.
You
give simple commands
to
the operating system,
and
the
operating system carries out complicated tasks to do your job for you.
You
control·
the
operating
system,
by means of
~mmands.
The operating
system directs the hardware to perform four interconnected tasks:
•
incut,
which in most
cases
means
interpreting
the
commands you
enter
at
the keyboard.
•
transfer,
which includes sending instructions from the keyboard
to
the microprocessor, and sending results to the screen.
• Ctocessine-, which
can
range
from simply displaying input
data
to
complicated mathematical calculations.
•
cermanent
stor82'e, recording
and
reading programs
and
data
in your
disk drives.
Using
your
computer
involves
many
of
the
same
operations
as
using
a
pushbutton telephone:
1.
With a
telephone,
you
first
imnl:t.
the number of the party
to
whom
you
wish to speak.
Rev. A -
9-01-82
PIN
7100-0001
IV-1
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