ryan@cwruecmp.UUCP (Ryan McGuire) (06/04/86)
I know I'm gonna regret asking these questions because I'll
get TONS of mail. So please don't respond unless you are apretty good
authority on the question. (ie If ya own one answer, but I don't want
any replies starting with "I remember hearing" or "My cousin says".)
When and if you do reply, preceed the answer with the corresponding
question number.
Intro: I'm thinking of buying an IBM PC or similar machine. I plan
on doing all the normal home-computer stuff on it: word proc.,
spread sheet, games, terminal emulation, application programs...
but nothing TOO out of the ordinary.
1. What's the diffs between the PC, PC jr., AT, and XT?
2. How compatible is an IBM look-alike have to be before it can claim
to be "100% compatible"
2a. Does that mean I can put in all the extra boards on the market
and have them work.
2b. Can I hook up IBM peripherals and have them work?
This includes printers, disks, and color monitors.
3. What should I get? Don't tell me, let me guess..."That depends on
what you're gonna use it for." What I mean is what should I get to
be able to run a pretty good majority (>=80%) of the commercial
software used by most IBM PC owners.
3a. Is a color monitor worth the price? I like color, but if
I have only 1 or 2 programs that use it, it wouldn't be
worth the trouble.
3b. Just what 'extra boards' are there availible? Which ones
are worth the time and effort?
3c. Am I severely limiting myself if I don't get extra memory?
3d. What about disk drives?
4. DAK (a company that specializes in buying up discontinued products in
bulk and selling them) advertised an PC clone which is "100% compatible"
with a 20M? hard disk and 2? floppy drives and a sh*tload of memory
all for a mere $1699. I called our bookstore, which sells PC's, (with
the catalog in-hand so I could quote the advertised numbers) and they
said that a comparable IBM system goes for ~$4100. "GREAT!" I thought.
But then I thought, "TOO great." One thing I see that is wrong with
the DAK deal is that after the first 30 days I'm out in the cold
service-wise. Is this something to worry about?
4a. How often do PC's go to the shop?
4b. Should a reasonably smart guy (me) be able to fix the
most frequently occurring problems?
4bi. Do schematics (or the like) come with most PC's?
4bii. What ARE the most frequent problems?
4c. Has anyone had good/bad experiences with DAK merchandise?
4d. Has anyone had good/bad experiences with Olivetti (the
original maker) products?
4e. Does anyone who has a pretty good knowledge of the REAL
IBM have a reasonable chance to fix an ailing Olivetti?
4f. What are the chances that I'd be just throwing my 1700
away on a machine that will last 31 days.
5. What software should I get? How do WordStar, CalcStar, Lotus 1-2-3,
MailStar (or whatever the 'Star' mailer is named), etc. stack up
against the competition?
Don't feel you have to know all the answers to respond to just one. If
you want you can send answers to, say, just 3a and 4bi. But as I said
before, don't waste my time and your's by responding just to hit 'r'.
>>--Ryan McGuire-->root@ozdaltx.UUCP (root) (06/12/86)
In article <1491@cwruecmp.UUCP>, ryan@cwruecmp.UUCP (Ryan McGuire) writes: >1. What's the diffs between the PC, PC jr., AT, and XT? *PC jr, buy an Amiga; AT=Super Pc; XT=PC with Hard disk. (my opinion) >2. How compatible is an IBM look-alike have to be before it can claim > to be "100% compatible" *The only true 100% IBM-compatable is IBM! Most run about 90% compatability. > 2a. Does that mean I can put in all the extra boards on the market > and have them work. *NO! Look for "and compatables on the box" > 2b. Can I hook up IBM peripherals and have them work? > This includes printers, disks, and color monitors. *Depends on the clone. IBM to non-IBM compability runs about 95%. >3. What should I get? * For the money spent, dependablilty, and customer support (IBM Customer service is good if you've invested 1/2 million $ with them) is the TANDY 1200 or 3000. 1. Tandy is determined to provide good products and support. 2. Most (95%) of the major software that runs on an IBM has been ported for MSDOS. 3. The Tandy 3000 will run SCO XENIX ( system 5) as the hardware IS designed for it.... no kluges! > 3a. Is a color monitor worth the price? * Color is great for graphs and games. It DOES enhance programs, even to the point of making them more enjoyable. > 3b. Just what 'extra boards' are there availible? * Sorry my editor is limited to 128k. Grab any issue of BYTE or PC-WORLD That will give you an idea. The Tandy 1200/3000 INCLUDES many extras the 'other guys' charge for. > 3c. Am I severely limiting myself if I don't get extra memory? * That DOES depend on the program you are running. You should have at least 512K. Although 256K SHOULD be included and may suffice. > 3d. What about disk drives? * Unless you really get a kick out of changing floppys, a hard drive is almost necessary. Having 2 floppy drives is also great for making backups. >4. DAK (a company that specializes in buying up discontinued products in >...service-wise. Is this something to worry about? *YES!!!!! Unless you have money to burn or are an expierencied 'puter tech leave the fixin' to the people that know what they are doing! > 4a. How often do PC's go to the shop? * How often does your car go to the shop... or your neighbor's? A computer is partly mechanical and good common sence in doing regular preventive maintainence, cleaning the drives, tempreature, etc. goes a long way in keeping it out of the shop. > 4b. Should a reasonably smart guy (me) be able to fix the > most frequently occurring problems? * If you have the proper equipment yes, well...mayby! The most common problem is head alignment on the disk drive. Generally requires a 'scope and a special test disk and a multimeter. Have the heads aligned every 6-12 months as a rule. > 4bi. Do schematics (or the like) come with most PC's? * Not normally, although technical manuals generally can be ordered. > 4bii. What ARE the most frequent problems? * See 4b. answer + operator error. > 4c. Has anyone had good/bad experiences with DAK merchandise? * Mine has been good. I have 3 of their modems..... > 4f. What are the chances that I'd be just throwing my 1700 > away on a machine that will last 31 days. There is as much chance that you would as not. You just don't know.... If I were buying, I'd stick with a major, computer MANUFACTOR, not a dealer! >5. What software should I get? How do WordStar, CalcStar, Lotus 1-2-3, * You don't ask easy questions, do you? Again, the software you get is going to be based on _YOUR_ requirements and no one elses. Wordstar is a good text program, Lotus is good for limited applications as is DBASE III, (I prefer UNIFY myself), also FilePro (Small Computer Co, NYC) is a heck of a DBM and user friendly to boot...runs rings around Lotus. I didn't mean to sound like a Tandy commercial, However I did work in their customer support group and have had 'hands on' experience on every machine they make. Although I don't agree with some of the company policys, they do make good equipment and stand behind what they sell. As an independent consultant, I see most of the other brands as well. For general home/small business use I still recommend the TANDY line. The 1200 which basicly is an IBM-XT (10 meg) will run you about $2450.00 compaired to about $4900.00. If you want the graphics & color add $300. Tandy often has sales this time of year or right befor school starts again, could pick up some bargins. I havn't seen an "IBM" board that would not work in the 1200. (I sure there is one out there somewhere). BTW, My usenet site is running on a Tandy 6000. Take a few minutes one afternoon and go by a Radio Shack/Tandy Computer Center and get a catalog, If you have some IBM Software, Take it too. (If it is written in BASIC, don't bother... IBM BASIC runs ONLY on an IBM....Lotus and others have been ported to MSDOS machines... THERE IS A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PC-DOS (IBM) and MSDOS. However, data files can be read by either. Hope this helps.... Scotty ...ihnp4!cuae2!ltuxa!we53!sw013b!dj3b1!killer!ozdaltx!root DISCLAIMER: "This system is mine, so this really isn't necessary!"