chenr@tilt.FUN (Ray Chen) (05/22/85)
References:
Ok, ok, maybe we have gotten a bit carried away about how bad
the 6300 could be.
Personally, I think this discussion is getting tiring so I'm about to
retire to the role of "observer". First let me re-iterate the points I
wanted to make once more for clarity's sake:
1) A 6300 with 2 floppy disks, no modem, and no printer will
fulfull many people's needs but not all of them.
2) That same 6300 will more than fulfill the needs of other
people. (A lot of people I know in college are thrilled to
death with owning a TRS-80, Apple II, or Mac as most of what they do
is word-processing.)
3) Why then should a university force students to buy machines that
may not be cost-effective for them, given their individual needs?
4) The textbook analogy (textbooks are required for courses,
why shouldn't PC's be?) falls through. I can't
count the number of times I've borrowed a friends book for
a course, had the book already, done the reading in the
library, etc. UVM is making its students purchase a new
computer irrespective of outside situations.
5) I regard a computer as a tool and thus find it ludicrous that
an institution wants to tell me that the brand-name X widget
is the best widget for my needs without knowing what all my needs are.
6) Then there's the whole issue of the extra financial burden and
whether or not that burden is justified, desirable, etc. Others
seem to be handling that argument just fine so I'll leave it to them.
Lest I appear as some sort of perpetual criticizer/whiner, let me
offer a set of constructive suggestions for universities comtemplating
how to best use personal computers in education:
1) Arrange the standard "20% off" deal with a set of computer
manufacturers and arrange for a local dealer, say the University store.
The 20% discount is pretty easy for a large institution to arrange.
2) Make financial aid financing available to any student who wishes
to purchase a computer under this arrangement. Say, the same terms
that UVM is giving its students for buying 6300s.
3) Purchase some of each computer and set them up as student-accessible
laboratories.
4) Encourage professors who want to have custom software for their
courses to try and make that software available on all machines
covered by the "20% off" deal.
The important thing is selecting the right machines. They should
run compatible higher-level languages to make porting custom software
easier and they should cover a wide range of needs. However, I think
that 3 or 4 different computers should be enough.
Advantages:
Makes it easier for a student to buy a computer but doesn't force
him to buy a computer.
Gives the student a choice of which computer is better for him or her.
Makes computers available for those who simply can't afford to
buy a computer.
Gives professors incentive to develop portable software, something
they'll thank you for when they want to move their software to yet
another computer 5 years from now.
Enables the university to change computers with a minimal amount of
pain. Example: ESU currently supports an Apple II configured to have
better graphics, the MacIntosh, and the AT&T 6300. ESU decides to junk
the Apple II and bring in the AT&T 7300. Step 1: ESU take the Apple II
and the supporting hardware (such as the graphics card) off the list
of "supported computers". Apple II's are no longer eligible for the
20% discount nor are they covered by the Financial Aid Offices's
"Computer Loan". Step 2: ESU purchases a 7300 lab and encourages
professors to port their software to the 7300. Step 3: 1 year
later, ESU puts the 7300 on the "supported computer" list.
Step 4: 1 year after that, ESU takes the Apple II of its "supported
computer" list.
Disadvantages:
Requires more work for this work properly. The university has
to be willing to support n computer labs and most importantly
has to make the correct decision when it comes to selecting
the proper comptuters. Professors have to work harder when
developing (or overseeing the development of) custom software.
They're are probably more...
Anyway, those are my final thoughts on the subject.
Bye...
Ray Chen
princeton!tilt!chenr