Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utcsrgv.UUCP Path: utzoo!utcsrgv!perelgut From: perelgut@utcsrgv.UUCP (Stephen Perelgut) Newsgroups: net.micro,net.research,net.cse Subject: Re: First Summary of PC's in Education Survey Message-ID: <3501@utcsrgv.UUCP> Date: Sun, 11-Mar-84 18:26:49 EST Article-I.D.: utcsrgv.3501 Posted: Sun Mar 11 18:26:49 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 11-Mar-84 19:21:02 EST References: <3619@utzoo.UUCP> Organization: CSRG, University of Toronto Lines: 36 [Rebuttal**n] Let me make things clear and concise. 1) I don't love 8088's but they aren't as bad as Henry seems to think. If all courses had to use IBM PC's, they would be almost as good 2) The situation at the U. of T. is so bad that the students cannot complete assignments. 1/2 as many Mac's would be WORSE (100% certainty). Offloading the intro courses to PC's would allow full use of the COMPUTING power of the IBM's and Vaxen for courses that need the power. 3) The situation requires action. 8088's are ideal for the current needs and will be used. 68000/16032 systems are the unquestionned future but we need them now. Summary - support is there - machines are available in quantity - software is being prepared by the best in the business. (Let's seee anyone else produce a compiler for a complex, verifiable language with simplified syntax in only 3 months! And the code (excluding run-time checking) is as good as any other VAX compiler with very, very few exceptions) - students own THESE machines, almost none (none?) own promises of Mac's. - the machines are cheap and upgradable. Conclusion We aren't stupid, we're just making the best of the situation. Talk to me again next year and we'll be up on 68000's, 16000's, and almost anything else there is a crying need for. But 8088's are the (qualified) BEST choice NOW! And if you don't agree, try teaching a course on one of the currently overloaded machines! -- Stephen Perelgut Computer Systems Research Group University of Toronto Usenet: {linus, ihnp4, allegra, decvax, floyd}!utcsrgv!perelgut CSNET: perelgut@Toronto