Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!oberon!sdcrdcf!csun!polyslo!dgiles
From: dgiles@polyslo.UUCP (Darren Giles)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Re: Best Apple Buy for School
Message-ID: <2479@polyslo.UUCP>
Date: 12 May 88 00:13:52 GMT
References: <8805101610.AA12397@braggvax.arpa>
Reply-To: dgiles@polyslo.UUCP (Darren Giles)
Organization: Cal Poly State University -- San Luis Obispo
Lines: 65


In article <8805101610.AA12397@braggvax.arpa> 20-37bn@BRAGGVAX.ARPA writes:
>
>I need a little guidance from net.advice about which Apple to buy.


     My background: I'm a computer science major (junior/senior) with a IIGS.
I've had it over a year now and LOVE it.  I'm also going to be getting a Mac+,
largely because of a Macintosh programming class I'm taking.

>
>I work with a guy who is going back to school and needs a computer that
>will give the best all around performance.  He is leaning toward one of
>the MAC's but was wondering about the IIGS.  The MAC SE is alittle more
>expensive than he can afford right now.  Also, what would be a good list
>of software to get him through school the first semester or two?
>

     Obviously, a word processor is vital.  I use both MultiScribe and
AppleWorks, depending on what kind of writing I'm doing at the time.  They're
both good programs, but are quite different.  MultiScribe is easier to learn
(if you've used MacWrite, you've used MultiScribe) and now has a built-in
spelling checker, but is considerably slower.  On the other hand, if you want
to work with anything other than straight ASCII text, there's no question.
     I've found my most-used program is telecommunications...  personally, I
use MouseTalk.
     If you want to do any programming, it's infitely easier when you have
the language on your own computer rather than having to use slow line-oriented
langauges that dominate campus mainframes.  I use & like TML pascal.

>It would be a real help if the capabilities of the MAC PLUS, MAC II, and
>the APPLE IIGS could be synopsized.

    Sorry, I can't really do a good comparison until I get my Mac.  Anyone
else?

>
>Is the IMAGE WRITER a good printer for school?

    I have one, and have had no complaints after having run 2500+ sheets of
paper through it.  It's not cheap, but it's dependable & the color comes in
really handy when doing graphs, etc.  The near-letter-quality mode is perfect
for papers, and MultiScribe puts out better print than MacWrite (if you don't
mind the long wait for the final copy).

>
>He is at the moment going to major in Liberal Arts and would therefore
>need Word processing, along with capabilities for sciences, math, 
>econimics and accounting.
>


      Also, another UNIXer writes that it is important to get the same
equipment that the school has.  I would like to disagree politely here: as
long as the computer does what YOU want it to, it's good enough.  I am one
of the few people in computer science at Poly who has a GS, and have not
suffered because of it.  When I need to use the mainframe, I use my Mouse-
Talk.  When I need to do Pascal, I use TML Pascal.  Etc.
      One qualifier, though: some schools and/or classes may be a lot more
hardware specific than has been my experience.  However, as the intended user
is not in a technical field, it is unlikely that he'll be expected to have any
computer, let alone a specific model.

                 					Good Luck,
								- Darren