JO@scrc-stony-brook.arpa (02/23/86)
I'm planning on buying a personal computer in the near future, primarily (90+ percent) for heavy-duty word processing, secondarily for educational/game sw. I'm practically certain I'll be buying a PC or a PC-compatible machine. I have a number of fundamental questions that co-workers have answered in totally contradictory ways, and that I don't trust salespeople to answer honestly: 1. PC or not PC? Will I get better price/performance looking at a compatible machine? Which compatibles run the most PC software? If I buy a PC and want a different keyboard, who makes the best ones? 2. Should I be looking at models with hard disks? I've heard they can be notoriously unreliable. 3. What about wp software? I'm familiar with Emacs and SCRIBE, so several people have recommended The Final Word. I've also heard good things about Leading Edge. I use Zmacs at work, so my expectations are high. 4. Are dealers usually willing to negotiate price (an important issue for me)? I'm interested in hearing people's opinions, prejudices, religious convictions, and even facts on these and any other subjects. Please respond directly to me; I don't receive the digest. I'll save the replies for anyone who's interested. Thanks, Jonathan Ostrowsky Arpanet: jo@symbolics
kdale@bbncc-eur.arpa (Keith Dale) (02/26/86)
If you're considering a PC or PC compatible, then seriously look into the Zenith's (ZF-148,ZF-158,ZW-158 -- ZF denoting floppy version and ZW indicating Winchester hard drive version -- the 158's operate at 4.77 MHZ or ~8 MHZ!). Better performance at a better price (do I sound like an ad? sorry...).