Multi-Tasking
Multi-tasking is a powerful aspect of both Windows and Macintosh Operating
Systems. You will find it easy to do and very helpful.
What it actually means is that you can run several applications
at once. This permits one of the most useful functions of computer software,
because it allows you to "copy" information from one program and "paste"
it into another.
This will save you hours of time not having to re-type information.
First you need to understand a few basics and be able to look for a few
clues to see how it works.
The computer can "think" about several things at one time. How
much the computer can think about depends upon how much RAM it has.
The computer thinks about things in the foreground and has stuff
running as well in the background. Just because you can't see a window
showing an application, doesn't mean it is not there.
The main "clue" that will let you know what is in the forground
and what is running in the background, is the "Menu Bar." The Menu Bar
is located at the top of the screen. On a Macintosh, there is also a colorful
apple (with a bite missing) on the left side and the "forground" application
icon on the far right side. If you are in Netscape right now, you should
see a blue square with a capital "N" in the middle. If you switch to the
"Finder", you will see a little icon of a computer.
Because you can click on a background window to bring it to the
foreground, you must be careful to watch where you click your mouse button,
because you could bring up a program that is running in the background
accidentally. The foreground window always is highlighted in the "title
bar" located at the top of that window.
If you click on the foreground application icon in the upper right
corner of the screen, a window will open displaying all of the applications
that are currently running - both foreground and background.
Click and drag the mouse releasing the button on the application
you want to bring to the foreground. As you can see from this example,
Netscape then comes to the fore ground.
If you are using Windows 95, simply click on the Start Button 
to start new progams. Once you have the programs you need to use running,
simply click on the buttons at the bottom of the screen to bring the one
you want to the foreground.
If you are using a DOS based PC runing Windows 3.1, you switch
between programs a little differently, but the concept is the same.
Press (and hold) the "Control" key and then press and release the
"Escape" key. You can then release the "Control" key and this screen will
appear displaying all of the applications running.
All you need do then is to select the program you want to bring
into the foreground and click on the "Switch To" button.
