Three years passed between the publication of the first edition of Under-

standing Computers and Data Processing: Today and Tomorrow and the

arrival of this second edition. In many fields, not much changes in three

years. The study of computers and the world of information, however, is not

like most other fields. Brand new technologies emerge almost overnight.

Older technologies that were on the cutting edge quickly become history.

Where computers are involved, constant change is one ~f the few certain-

ties.

My greatest challenge in preparing the second edition of this textbook

was to keep pace with this rapidly changing environment without sacrificing

the qualities that made the first edition so successful. This second edition, I

feel, meets today s classroom needs while retaining the readability, the

depth of coverage, and the useful instructional tools that characterized its

predecessor.

The textbook is but one component of a complete and flexible instruc-

tional package--one that can easily be adapted to virtually any classroom

format. Supplementing the textbook, which is available in two versions--

one with an appendix on BASIC programming and one without--is a

comprehensive set of student and teacher support materials.