A user needs to know the function of the components in their box. Know your file system . Know your operating system . Knowing what they do and how to edit them will serve you well. Know your basic applications .
Most users spend the majority of their computing time using only a handful of programs.
Learn to think in computer metaphors . Learn how to distinguish structure from content from form . Its content, of course, changes monthly. Consider yourself part of a network . You aren't limited by the files or programs available on your hard drive.