nolra@ux1.lbl.gov (Arlon Hunt) (12/24/89)
Merry Xmas Everybody,
Now that I got your attention with such a catchy title, I need your help.
Three weeks ago I posted a request about what kind of computer to get:
PC vs. Mac vs. Amiga vs. etc. I thank all who replied, and I found
something of value in every reply. I'll post a summary of the responses
(and they were many) in the near future. Based on these responses, and
also on certain criteria established prior to posting the article, my wife
and I have decided to purchase a PC-based system (please no flames or
negative comments about our decision -- we saw something good about every
system we've evaluated).
Anyway, we now have a few more questions to ask the experts out there about
PC-based systems. Since we're just beginners to the PC world and ignorant
about some important things, I'm sure that some of these questions may be
strange sounding, but we've got to start somewhere.
Before I get into my questions, let me say what we're looking for. Basically,
we are looking at a 386-25MHz or 386-33MHz system with high resolution
color monitor (EGA?), lots of hard-disk space (>100 Megs), plenty of
memory, 387 and 3167 coprocessors, etc. An example of what we're looking at is
the Compaq Deskpro 386/33 (we can buy Compaq at 50% off of suggested retail).
I'd appreciate it if you could email your answers-comments to me. My
questions are:
1) 386 vs. 486. Does the new 80486 offer anything substantially better than
the 80386? When will the 486 prices come down? Are there other issues
I need to be aware of?
2) Should we piece the system together ourselves, buy a pieced together
system from somebody who makes a business out of it (I'd like to hear
from you), or purchase a 'brand' name? As I said, we can buy Compaq
at 50% off of retail. LONG-TERM RELIABILITY IS MY NUMBER ONE CRITERION
IN WHAT SYSTEM I BUY - THUS THE INTEREST IN COMPAQ (please comment on
this also).
3) Choice of Operating System. Should we choose DOS v.3, DOS v.4, OS/2,
Unix, or Windows? What are the advantages of each? What are the vendor
software compatability issues? Can more than one operating system be
used at the same time? Feel free to comment on this.
4) Color Monitor. Please explain VGA vs. EGA vs. ?. Is there anything with
higher resolution than EGA? We've been looking at the NEC Multisynch
for our monitor. Any other suggestions as to brand, and comments, including
software compatability issues, cost, and reliability would be appreciated.
5) Hard-Disk. I've heard that some hard-disk drives are substantially more
reliable than others. Any suggestions as to brands? Do you get what you
pay for?
6) Software. Where can we find a complete selection of PC-compatible
software (business applications, WYSIWYG word processing/desktop
publishing, games, scientific and mathematic applications, etc.) at
a reasonable cost? I've heard there's a lot of public domain software
available - where can this be obtained outside of comp.binaries.ibmpc?
Do I have to worry about viruses, worms, Trojan horses, etc., with public
domain software - is there any surefire antidote to these 'illnesses' or
are some fatal no matter how you 'immunize' your system?
7) Laser Printers. I know next to nothing about laser printers. Please
give me your opinion here. Address cost, reliability and compatability.
8) Overall Cost. Obviously cost is of concern to everybody. Given our
requirements of performance and reliability, we want to pay as little
as possible. Any suggestions as to where I can get a good deal on
PC-based computers (with a good warranty and good customer support),
particularly on brand-names (can I do better than 50% off of retail
for Compaqs?). Is mail-order any good? I'd also like feedback on the
reliability, cost and performance of the various brand-names such as IBM,
Compaq, AST, Zenith, etc., etc., etc..
I appreciate it that you took the time to read this long-winded request,
and I look forward to your reply. Thanks again, and have a happy holiday!roy@phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) (12/24/89)
In <4521@helios.ee.lbl.gov> nolra@ux1.lbl.gov (Arlon Hunt) writes: > 3) [...] Should we choose DOS v.3, DOS v.4, OS/2, Unix, or Windows? I suspect you are about to make a very common mistake. You've made some fairly specific decisions about what type of hardware you want, but you don't even know yet if you want DOS or Unix. You're doing it all backwards. First, decide what application software you want to run. Then, decide what operating system will be best to run it under. Then, finally, decide what hardware to get to run it on. -- Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute 455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016 roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu -OR- {att,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy "My karma ran over my dogma"
john@dynasoft.UUCP (John Stanley) (12/29/89)
[roy@phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith) writes ...] >In <4521@helios.ee.lbl.gov> nolra@ux1.lbl.gov (Arlon Hunt) writes: >> 3) [...] Should we choose DOS v.3, DOS v.4, OS/2, Unix, or Windows? > > I suspect you are about to make a very common mistake. You've made >some fairly specific decisions about what type of hardware you want, but >you don't even know yet if you want DOS or Unix. You're doing it all >backwards. First, decide what application software you want to run. Then, >decide what operating system will be best to run it under. Then, finally, >decide what hardware to get to run it on. Standing ovation for Roy. This was exactly my reaction when I saw the original posting. This is an all -too- common mistake for people starting into computers. While the differences between MS-DOS and Unix (and ..etc..) software capabilities are starting to blur, it's still best to figure out what you want to do with your machine, then figure out the software you want to use, and then choose a platform to run that software. Not the other way around... BTW, the same goes for buying a printer or any other piece of hardware. First find the software that does what you want. Then find what printers are supported by that software. You can often limit the choices by finding the 3-4 programs that do best what you want and then finding which small number of printers are supported by all of the programs you want to use. After that, buy the best one you can afford (not always the most expensive by-the-way...) --- John Stanley <john@dynasoft.UUCP> Software Consultant / Dynasoft Systems