Designed to make computer users comfortable with both computers and user/reference manual instructions before they have hands-on training, this primer is an introduction to computer concepts, devices, and terms. Common questions related to learning about data processing are addressed, and the following topics are covered: captured data; reports; documents (inputs, source, and turnaround); word processing and commercial establishment printing; word processing output and printers; standalone computing, communication with host, and timesharing; microcomputers, minicomputers, and distributed processing; and management information systems, canned programs, and systems analysis. A short quiz with answers is provided for each chapter. An 11-item bibliography and 38 diagrams are included. (LMM)