segre@uicsl.UUCP (06/17/86)
Posted for a friend without news access. Please reply directly to: ARPA: Ram-Ashwin@yale UUCP: ...{decvax, etc}!yale!Ram-Ashwin BITNET: Ram-Ashwin@yalecs Thanks. ============================================================================= I am thinking about buying a PC, and would appreciate any recommendations/suggestions/comments/hints/etc, both positive and negative. If you have had a good or bad experience with a particular PC, please pass it on. Among the factors that are important to me are: 1. My anticipated usage: local -- text editing pascal fortran fun remote -- remote login to: -- Apollo/Aegis -- Vax/VMS file transfer (kermit, ftp) to same. 2. Additional pluses: -- graphics (local, as well as in remote login) -- mouse -- terminal emulators -- lisp of some kind -- user interface, usability -- unix or unix-like or unix-compatible 3. Options: -- memory, disk, printer, monitor, modem (baud rate?), ... -- how modular? 4. Price: -- base price (hopefully under $1000, but...) -- which options are standard, and which extra? -- student/Yale discounts? 5. Software: -- availability -- compatibility with other standard PCs and OSs Obvious candidates are: -- Atari 520st etc. -- IBM PC -- IBM PC clones (Compaq, etc.) -- Amiga -- Apple Macintosh or Macintosh Plus I would appreciate an evaluation of these or any others with respect to the above criteria and any additional stuff you can think of. I don't need benchmarks; opinions would be ideal. If you own a PC or have played with one, I'd like to hear about what you liked and didn't like about that PC. Ashwin Ram