The computer industry produces more than its share of mumbo-jumbo, but I was struck by a couple of statistics that floated to the surface last week.
Item 1: Personal computer sales in 1994 were up by almost 27 percent, to 18.6 million machines. And some 36 percent of those PCs were bought for the home, up from 32 percent the year before.
Item 2: In a Gallup poll, almost half of America's white-collar workers described themselves as "cyber-phobic or resistant to new technology."
Conclusion: Never before have we spent so much money on something that scares us so much.
Obviously, for a variety of reasons, we feel that computers are necessary, or at least useful enough to part with two grand in exchange for the privilege of fighting an uphill battle against techno-intimidation.
The question is whether we let those computers master us, or whether we learn to master them.
This issue was on Charles Rubin's mind when he wrote "The Little Book of Computer Wisdom" (Houghton Mifflin, $8.95). This short volume is one of those rarities -- a book for prospective buyers and new users that delivers useful, basic information in plain English without treating the reader like an idiot.
In fact, Rubin believes that new users can reach what he calls the "computer comfort zone." This means more than learning how to turn on the machine and get WordPerfect running. It means becoming comfortable enough to regard your computer as a general purpose tool.
If you use a knife to slice a bagel in the morning and dice onions before dinner, chances are good that you'll realize you can use a knife to slice an avocado, even if you've never seen an avocado before.
Rubin understands that computers are far more complex than knives, but he argues that with an open mind and some perseverance, you can become as comfortable with a PC as you are with other everyday tools.
"When you don't understand computers, buying one is a crapshoot and using one is like walking a tightrope," he writes. "You push this key and that, sticking closely to a particular set of tasks you you've learned and hoping you don't make a mistake and blow the thing up. You learn just enough to get by with the computer, but not enough to enjoy using it. When an unfamiliar screen appears or something unusual happens, you panic.
"When you do understand a computer, it becomes invisible. You're able to see the work, game or information beyond the keys and buttons. You know the limits of what the computer can do, what can and can't happen and why. You can focus on the computing job at hand rather than on the computer you're using to do it. You can solve common problems quickly and without panicking.
"The computing comfort zone isn't just an IBM PC comfort zone or a WordPerfect comfort zone or a Mac comfort zone, either. . . . It allows you to go up to any computer and figure out how to turn it on, run a program and work that program without having seen it before."
To get you on your way, Rubin walks you through the basics of selecting and buying a computer, setting it up and learning how to use it. In nontechnical language he deals with logic boards, video adapters, disk drives, memory, hard disk storage, printers and modems. He discusses operating systems, graphical interfaces, and communications settings. His explanations are clear, concise and logically presented.
What he doesn't provide is specific how-to instructions for handling each chore. Instead, he uses the first half of the book to tell you things you should know and suggests places to find them.
Because the book is aimed at owners of both IBM-compatible and Macintosh computers, Rubin is sometimes a bit vague. And since much of his previous work has involved Macs, a few pieces of advice about IBM-compatibles are questionable. The second half of the book is devoted to the basics of word processing, spreadsheet, database and communications programs. For his model, he uses Microsoft Works, an integrated program that ships with most IBM-compatibles designed for home use today and has long been popular with Mac owners.
If your computer has Microsoft Works, this is a good how-to guide for setting up documents, dealing with the graphical interfaces presented by Microsoft Windows and the Macintosh operating system, and learning each program's features.
Even if you aren't using Works, Rubin's descriptions are valuable. His point is that before you write a letter, you have to set margins, tab stops, typefaces and line spacing, no matter what word processor you're using. Every word processor has these functions, and since most of them present similar faces to the user, you can often find what you want just by looking at the screen, browsing through a few menus or hitting the help key.
This isn't rocket science, but the journey to the "comfort zone" does take time, effort and determination on the part of new users. Rubin argues that it's worth the effort, and he's right. "The Little Book of Computer Wisdom" is a good place to start your trip.
Michael J. Himowitz is a staff writer for The Baltimore Sun.