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The Internet and Email For The Over 50s: Simple word processing and spreadsheets

by Bob Reeves

Two of the most common uses of computers are word-processing and spreadsheets. Word-processing is what you do when you want to produce something that is mainly text-based such as typing a letter, story or an essay. Spreadsheets are for working with numbers.

One of the most common programs for word-processing is called Microsoft Word. This is a good place to start if you have not used a computer much before. This is because you will start to learn many basic computing skills such as using the keyboard and mouse. When you use Word the main part of the screen is a big white space. You should think of this as a piece of paper onto which you are going to type your words. Once you have finished typing you can get it to check your spelling before you print out.

The most common spreadsheet program is called Microsoft Excel. This is used where you want to work with numbers and carry out calculations. Excel is particularly useful if you want to work on your finances. You can type in all of the figures and then set it up to do any calculations that are needed. When you update the numbers, the calculations are re-done automatically. For example, if you were recording your weekly expenses you type them in each week and it will automatically show you how much you are spending.




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