This self-instructional manual presents basic information about computers and their capabilities in a series of lessons, each of which contains a list of learner objectives and a series of true-false self-check exercises. The lessons cover: (1) what a computer is and what it can do, and the reasons why computers are used; (2) computer types and sizes; (3) the growth in the number of computer users; (4) what computer literacy is; (5) the hardware and software components of a computer system; (6) selection of a computer system, including hardware and software selection; and (7) applications and systems software, computer languages, and the development of programs. A brief discussion of trends in the computer industry is also provided, as are a 94-item glossary and a list of the correct answers to the self-check exercises. Supplements describing the history and future uses of computers conclude the manual. (ESR)