DIAMOND by Stuart Murray, NOSAUG.¢¢DIAMOND FOR BEGINNERS (continued)¢¢¢WHAT IS A GOS?¢¢ A GOS is a Graphical Operating System which allows you to convey and manage information by means of graphic images and words instead of words alone. The opening screen display is called the "DeskTop" because it graphically represents your computer desk.¢¢¢USING DIAMOND GOS¢¢The Mouse¢¢ The mouse (or joystick, trackball, etc.) is used to point to your desired option and select it. There are three operations that can be performed with the mouse:¢¢(1) Clicking - depress the mouse button.¢¢(2) Double-clicking - depress the mouse button twice.¢¢(3) Dragging - hold the mouse button down.¢¢NOTE: When using the ST mouse press the left button to click, double-click and drag.¢¢¢Icons¢¢ Icons are graphical images which appear on the screen. They can be clicked on or dragged. In the Diamond DeskTop, the disk drives and the trash can are icons.¢¢¢Drop-Down Menus¢¢ At the top of the screen you will see the words, Desk, File, Disk and Options. These are drop-down menus. Point to them with the mouse pointer to drop them down. To select an item within a drop-down menu simply click the button on it. Some items may be in light text - this means that you cannot select them at that time. When you move the mouse pointer from the drop-down menu area the menu will disappear.¢¢¢Windows¢¢ A window is simply the work area for a project. It consists of:¢¢1) Closer - Can be found at the top-left of a window. This is used to close the window. Activate by clicking it.¢¢2) Title/Drag Bar - Can be found at the top of a window. This contains information about what a window contains, and allows for the window to be dragged to a new position on the desktop.¢¢3) Fuller - Top right of the window. Click on this to make the window occupy the entire screen. Click on it again to go back to normal size.¢¢4) Subtitle - Under the Title/Drag Bar. Information is given about the contents of a window.¢¢5) Up Arrow - Click on this to move the window contents up one notch.¢¢6) Vertical Slider - Moves the window contents up or down any number of notches. Activate by dragging or clicking on the slide bar.¢¢7) Down Arrow - Click on this to move the window contents down one notch.¢¢8) Sizer - This can be found in the bottom right-hand corner of a window. Drag it to increase or decrease the size of a window.¢¢9) Right Arrow - Click on this to move the window right one notch.¢¢10) Horizontal Slider - Moves the window contents left or right any number of notches. Activate by dragging it or clicking anywhere along the slider bar.¢¢11) Left Arrow - Click on this to move the window contents left one notch.¢¢12) Work Area - This is the area inside a window.¢¢¢¢ That's it for another Diamond column. I hope the information above on using a GOS is of use to you. Next time I will travel into the wonderful world of the Diamond DeskTop.¢¢Happy Diamond-Mining!¢
