Apple Macintosh LC - Manual (Page 20)

If you saw a question mark
If you saw the blinking question mark when you started up your computer, it
means that your computer looked for a startup disk, and did not find one.
That is because you did not insert one in the disk drive, and you do not have
a hard disk in your computer.
The computer displays the blinking question mark to tell you that it is
waiting for you to insert a startup disk.
Because you do not have a hard disk that your computer can use as a startup
disk, you must insert a floppy startup disk into a disk drive each time you
start up your computer
3.Insert the disk labeled System Startup into the disk drive.
If you have a hard disk, the System Startup disk icon will appear beneath
your hard disk icon on the desktop.
If you do not have a hard disk, the computer will display the smiling
Macintosh icon for a few seconds as it uses the information on the System
Startup disk to start up. In a few seconds the Macintosh desktop will appear
with the System Startup disk icon in the upper-right corner.
Using application programs
Now that you have your computer up and running, you can go on to learn about
application programs.
Up until now you've been learning to use the software that lets you control
and organize your icons. Now you will learn to use the application programs
that let you do your actual work.
Think of it like a stereo system. A stereo system consists of individual
components that may include an amplifier, tape deck, turntable, compact disc
player, and speakers. The stereo system doesn't do much by itself. You buy a
stereo system because you want to listen to music on tapes, compact discs, or
records.
A computer system also consists of individual components -- the computer
itself, a monitor, maybe a separate disk drive or printer, and so on.
Like the stereo system, the computer doesn't do much by itself. You buy a
computer because you want to use software programs to manage your business,
design buildings, compose music, or write a book.
The programs you use to do these things are called application programs, or
applications, because these programs are tools that you apply to your own
work.
One of the greatest advantages of using a Macintosh computer is that most
Macintosh applications are designed to look similar and work in similar ways
(you click icons, choose commands from menus, and use windows that work the
same way as the windows you're now familiar with). This means that once you
learn the basics of using one application, you know the basics of using any
other Macintosh application.