Getting Started Requires Study, Self-Confidence

The hardest thing for any newcomer to personal computing to learn is how to get started. What you want are easy answers and simple truths.

I don’t have any, but I will let you in on a few of the secrets of computing that aren’t talked about much.

Reading is helpful in learning the jargon, but books that describe specific computers are quickly obsolete because of the rapid advances in equipment. Magazines are more current but most are slanted toward one kind of computer, so they aren’t much help if you don’t already know what kind of computer you want. If you go to a computer software store or a large bookstore, however, you might find some helpful articles in the magazine collection.

While you are there, you ought to buy a dictionary of computer terms so you can understand what you’re reading.

The best computer to buy is the one that you already are most familiar with because you use it at work, your kids use it at school, your friends use it at their homes or your competitors use it in their businesses.

If you use a computer at work, buy something compatible for home, even if the kids use something else at school. Kids adapt easily and it’s good for them to learn about different computers. Their future success can be enhanced by such flexibility. But if you don’t have a computer at work, you might want to buy what the kids already know how to use and let them teach you.

If you’re buying for your own business, there are several points to consider.

First, do you need a computer? Not everyone does. It improves efficiency most when you or your employees are performing repetitious tasks such as sending numerous form letters, repeatedly filling out invoices for the same group of customers or writing lots of checks to the same creditors. The computer can automate such tasks.

Second, be realistic about what it can do for you. Identify those tasks that are most repetitive and target them for computerization, leaving other tasks to be performed manually. It generally takes a lot of time to get a business application running the way you want it to, and somebody has to be expert at designing and running it.

If you’re going to become the expert, make sure you have the time to do it. If an employee is going to become the expert, make sure you can give him or her the time needed. If you’re going to hire a consultant, budget generously for that cost. One thing worse than no computer is a computer that is little used because no one has the expertise to operate it properly.

Unless you are the sole employee, you have to decide whether to buy separate machines for each employee and share files by swapping diskettes. Or you might buy a system that connects the separate machines into a network of personal computers or one that links terminals into a single minicomputer.

There is nothing cheap or simple about connecting workers’ computer equipment. Expect to spend lots of money, time and anguish getting that job done. And don’t be too disappointed if it doesn’t work quite as well as you had hoped. But if your budget and expectations are realistic and your needs fit what such a system can do, you’ll be glad you did it.

Installing stand-alone personal computers is easiest, and you can keep things simple by not mixing equipment. Decide at the outset whether to go Macintosh or IBM or IBM clone. Buy everything from the same dealer and pay the price to have the dealer set up and install all the pieces. Then it’s the dealer’s problem if something doesn’t work.

Remember that a good dealer who will support you with service, training and technical assistance after your system is installed is worth more than a good discount. Spend some time shopping. Ask for references and check them out. Don’t assume that just because the dealer is part of a well-advertised chain that it is better than one that isn’t.

The price of the hardware is a small part of the cost of computing. The cost in time and lost productivity in learning how to use the equipment can be substantial. The cost of acquiring the data your business requires or converting your paper records into electronic files also can be high.

An even greater danger to your business is becoming too computer-dependent. You probably can rummage through paper files to find the records you need if you lose the employee who maintains those files. But what would happen if you don’t know how to use your computer system and the person who does leaves?

Speaking of paper, expect to buy more after you get a computer, not less. These things print out more reports than you ever imagined possible, some of which actually tell you things you didn’t already know.

You’ll notice that I didn’t indicate a preference between the Apple Macintosh and the market consisting of IBM personal computers and IBM clones, the principal choices for business users. Both systems offer superb software to accomplish virtually any business task.

The Mac tends to be more expensive because you need the LaserWriter to go with it, while cheaper printers are plentiful and generally adequate in the IBM and clone world. But if you want a laser printer anyway, that difference disappears. The Mac is also easier to learn when you’re getting started, but with expert installation and good training, you can’t beat the power and versatility in the IBM and clone world.

As for IBM versus one of the name-brand clones such as Compaq, Tandy or AST, I don’t think it matters. Buy what you feel comfortable buying.

But unless you are a hardware expert or have one working for you, stay away from mail-order purchases. Not that mail-order machines are lower quality, it’s that you are on your own to make sure that all the hardware and software settings are proper. Simple problems that an on-site expert can solve in five minutes loom much larger if you have to ship a malfunctioning computer half a continent away to get it fixed under warranty.

There’s another piece of advice. Don’t be intimidated by computers. They are no more magical than your stereo, TV or VCR or photocopier.

All a computer does is doggedly follow a set of instructions, however complex. It follows wrong instructions just as faithfully as right ones, which can be maddening.

You don’t have to understand how the instructions are followed to learn how to issue them. All it takes is time to learn what they are, sometimes a lot of patience and, mostly, self-confidence.

Now, it’s up to you to decide whether your time, mental energy and money are best spent on a computer.