chapter
6
Programs, Documents, & Gadgets
W
hen you get right down to it, an operating system is nothing more than a home base from which to launch applications (programs). And you, as a Windows person, are particularly fortunate, since more programs are available for Windows than for any other operating system on earth. But when you launch a program, you’re no longer necessarily in the world Microsoft designed for you. Programs from other software companies work a bit differently, and there’s a lot to learn about how Windows handles programs that were born before it was. This chapter covers everything you need to know about installing, removing, launching, and managing programs; using programs to generate documents; understanding how documents, programs, and Windows communicate with one another; and exploiting Windows 7’s hybrid document/program entity, the gadget.
Opening Programs All Versions
Windows lets you launch (open) programs in many different ways: •• Choose a program’s name from the StartÆAll Programs menu. •• Click a program’s icon on the taskbar. •• Double-click an application’s program-file icon in the ComputerÆLocal Disk (C:)ÆProgram FilesÆapplication folder, or highlight the application’s icon and then press Enter. •• Press a key combination you’ve assigned to be the program’s shortcut (page 160). chapter 6: programs, documents, & gadgets
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