Masonry Magazine August 1994 Page. 34
General Computer Concepts
HOW MUCH MEMORY do you need to "run" software on your computer?
There are two types of memory that are often confused, RAM and disk space.
RAM (Random Access Memory) is memory that is used by the computer to "run" the software. RAM is an electronic chip that provides temporary memory to the computer only when the computer is turned on. RAM can range from 1 megabyte to 32 megabytes in most personal computers.
Disk space is the amount of space available on the hard drive of the computer that can be used to store programs and data-even when the computer is turned off. The amount of disk space is usually much larger than the amount of RAM in your computer, ranging from 40 megabytes to 1000 megabytes (one gigabyte).
The confusion between these two concepts seems to stem from the fact that both RAM and disk space are described in megabytes (see "General Computer Concepts," July/August 1993 issue of Masonry for a definition of byte and megabyte). A program such as a spread sheet may require as little as 1 megabyte of RAM to run, but may require as much as 20 or 30 megabytes (or more) to be stored on the hard drive.
payroll, job costing, financial statements and tax preparation.
In most cases, job costing and payroll are the life-blood of an accounting system for a contractor and should be examined very carefully before purchasing the software. Use these two modules as the benchmark to compare various software choices. Most vendors of accounting software will provide a demonstration of their product.
Problems:
I need an easier way to look at the financial situation of my company. I would like to know how much I can spend on equipment, when I can purchase it, and how it will affect my cash flow in the months ahead.
I don't have or want a computerized accounting system, but I still need an easier way to keep my job cost information up-to-date.
I have a lot of equipment scattered all over the place that needs maintenance on a regular basis. I can't keep track of it all. It's very expensive to blow a mixer engine these days!
Scheduling crews is a time-consuming and tedious process.
I need some help with estimating.
Tracking job completion for scheduling and billing purposes is too time-consuming and is never really as up-to-date as I would like it to be.
Solution:
Use a spread sheet. A spread sheet is a computerized version of a manual ledger. Spread sheets consist of rows and columns of "cells." Each cell can have a number or description in it. Mathematical operations, such as adding and multiplying, can be automatically applied to entire rows or columns of numbers.
Continued on Page 39
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