danielg@uncmed.med.unc.edu (01/09/91)
Hi. I am about to tap into one of my favorite resources, the net. I am about to become a med student and am planning to buy a computer for home/school use. I've grown up on ibm pc's, but after using windows 3.0 for a while, have decided that I am willing to put out the extra$ for a mac instead of waiting for ibm interfaces to catch up (windows is a step in the right direction, but still a KLUDGE). However, I know next to nothing about macs, so I thought I'd outline my needs, give my own guestimate on what I'd get, and ask the net for some virtual help :-). My main work will be ho-hum word processing, but I'd like a software pkg that can do long manuscripts (to 300 pgs or so). Also, I'd like to learn to use/program hypercard. I'm a decent dbaseIII+ programmer, but the ability to incorporate graphics into a database is great. I probably don't need something as powerful as dbase, but am spoiled (ok, ok, no dbase slams ;-). Lastly, I would like the ability to do some desktop publishing (pamphlets, newsletters). What hardware and software would you set up, assuming a healthy budget (< $5000 - I've got to take out school loans, so what's another 5g's? ;-)? Here's what I figure: Software: 1. ms word 2. hypercard (any other nice database packages you might use? I'll be doing just basic stuff - addresses, maps to friends houses. One particular app. I would like to use or create is one that contains my friend's birthdays and reminds me a couple weeks in advance - I get tired of putting them in my calendar). 3. desktop publishing? I don't know of any for the mac :-(. 4. excell (what's a computer without a nice spreadsheet?) 5. please suggest some other utilities and where to get them (no pirating for me) such as screen savers (I imagine that many of them are public domain) - macs have all sorts of neato things that I'm not aware of. Hardware: 1. MONITOR: well, no way I'm gonna look at that puny 9 inch screen. I'm going 14" color monitor all the way (I'll be doing b/w desktop pub, but color is nice for my eyes - would the standard mac color monitor be appropriate for color publishing work, or do I need a special one? If it is ok, this would give me the ability to move up without getting a new monitor. Do they have desktop packages that allow me to create the files, b/w or color, and take them on disc to Joe's Printing to get them printed? I know that it depends on what software Joe uses.) 2. PROCESSOR: on ibm's, c. 20 MHz is a nice speed. I imagine that it's similar with macs. I guess this puts me in the se30 or cx range? 3. RAM: Uh, say 2 MB? How much is decent? How important is upgradeability? I've heard that extra memory chips for the mac are inexpensive. One additional query. One of my complaints about the mac interface is that the letters are too small, esp. the icon labels. Is there any way to make them bigger? OK, thanks for your patience and helpful responses, in advance! dan =========================================================================== "Artists and scientists are OK as long as they are out exercising their transcendence; when they come home at night they are as screwed-up as anyone else." Richard Eder, L.A. Times