La283:  Midterm Study Guide
                           Spring 1995


Warning!  The following contents are not meant to replace class attendance,  hours of
          practice on the computer doing projects,  and the readings and assignments in the
          text. Rather,  this study guide is intended to help each student focus their study
          time, refresh their memories, and review computer skills which may have otherwise
          been overlooked in the stress of preparing for an exam.

     Any skills needed to complete either of the two projects or any textbook exercises are
     FAIR GAME for a question on the exam!  [Even if you do not see it specifically referred
     to in this study guide.]

     Note: The word UNDERSTAND in this guide does not stand for an intellectual ascension
     of the truth. Instead, it means know the nuts and bolts to include, "I can explain this to my
     roommate."

Some suggestions for studying:
1. Review all class notes and lecture notes on the LA283 gopher server.
2. Review the steps and processes necessary to complete Projects 1 & 2.
3. Review the assigned readings in the Shelly Cashman series. Test your knowledge with the      
   exercises at the end of each unit.
4. Examine this guide and make sure that you understand all points in it. If not, make sure you
   clarify  any questions with your instructor.
5. The guide is split into modules (similar to the text).  Other than the Internet section, it may be    
   time efficient to work with the guide, your textbook, and  the lecture notes on a module-by-     
   module basis.

Computer Fundamentals

     -understand hardware and related components
     -understand the different types of software
     -understand the general functions of a computer
     -describe the four functions of a computer; provide examples of devices for each
     -understand how data and information are represented and stored; be able to identify     
      various units of measurements (i.e., bits, bytes, kilobytes, etc)
     -be able to explain the difference between an ASCII text and binary file 

Operating Systems (DOS) & Environments (Windows)

     -understand similarities & differences between DOS and Windows
     -understand the functions of an operating system
     -understand the components of a DOS command, and a DOS filename (be able to work    
      with combinations and options for both)
     -be familiar with the DOS commands used in the textbook and demonstrated in class;
     -understand the DOS hierarchial file structure- (DOS tree)
     -be especially familiar with commands that are commonly used to organize files
     -be able to explain why DOS is  important
     -be able to explain why Windows is important
     -be familiar with the available input devices in Windows (WIN 39)
     -be able to identify the various components of Windows (exercise on WIN 42)
     -understand the concept of multi-tasking and associated techniques

Access Clients and Internet Services

     -for Trumpet News, Eudora, Gopher, and Netscape, explain how each of these work
      within a client/server environment.  Be careful to identify the client and the server  in each 
      instance.
     -understand the functions of each of the mailboxes in Eudora
     -understand the tools Eudora provides for organizing mail
     -understand the parts of an email address

**Usenet News (Trumpet)

     -be able to explain how to post an article, reply and follow(up)
     -understand the nature and  time-related issues of the posted articles in the various
      newsgroups

**Gopher & the WWW

     -understand the similarities and differences between gopher and the WWW
     -be familiar with the WWW browsers and their functions  
     -be familiar with search engines