Ever find yourself pushing on a door that says pull? Wouldn't it be faster to push the door to get in rather than break your stride and have to pull a door open. Would those added few seconds make any difference to you, if it was -40 degrees outside? Whose fault is it that you stand there perplexed until you read the "pull" sign? Could architects have come up with a different, more user-friendly design interface for the task of getting into a public building under extreme conditions? Is there a better way of doing things?

The use of automatic door openers is an improved solution but have you ever walked past an entrance not intending to enter the building, to be surprised by the door opening frivolously? What improvements could be made to the sensors to stop this waste of energy not to mention the needless loss of heat at -40 degrees?

So why bring this problem up? It's simple! If a machine is going to do work for us the problem has to be broken down into smaller steps. Even something as simple as opening a door can be complicated by many factors. Does the door open when something small like a cat walks by? How about something bigger but non-human? Can the door be closed and locked quickly in case of a robbery? How close do the sensors monitor the entry-way? Should the door open faster if the person approaching is running? What happens when a person stops partway in the threshhold? How does the door function in a power blackout or in case of a fire? How hard can it be to automate the opening and closing of a door?

Computer solutions reduce a problem to groups of small steps to accomplish specific tasks. The terms input, output and processing should be very familiar. Let's explore a problem and learn or review what a computer solution would look like in VB.NET.