Seasonal Shoppers' Guide

Abstract

I have thought about this annual column for quite some time, and I don't think I'm particularly inspired this year. The reason is my staid conviction that professional educators should use powerful tools indeed, and I realize that such power tools often cost a goodly sum. I would really like to give you a nice list of suggestions for gifts that cost between $30 and $100, but honestly, I don't know of many. So I resign myself to the old adage about spending money, You're worth it. With this disclaimer in mind, here is my seasonal techie's wish list. Internet Connection I hate telecommunications in any form; it has always been my nemesis. There are just too many variables that can wrong - like your computer's operating system version number, modem type and speed, all kinds of protocols, the quality of your phone line, and on and on. Thus, at the top of my seasonal wish list is a local, fast, reliable Internet connection that somebody else is responsible for making work. To date, I have had very little luck with my university with my state's free net connection, and with my America Online account. I recommend that you seasonal shoppers do one of four things: register with a local Internet Service Provider (ISP), talk with your local telephone company, try out ATT it'll cost $10 to $40 a month. But what I'd like best is a really fast connection. I think I'll have to bite the bullet and get a fast cable modem - about $38 per month plus an equipment deposit. My local cable company (Continental Cable, now owned by US West) has modems with ISDN speed from me to them (128 kbs) and near-Ethernet speeds from them to me (4-6 MB/sec). So you see you can get a very fast pipe to your home computer. If you want to shop for a fast, reliable Internet talk with others who already have one and start shopping yesterday. You might note that this girl has a monthly pay as you go feature. Incidentally, my very favorite modem is a Practical Peripherals 28.8 kbs modem (about $400) with a four-line LCD screen that lets you know exactly what the modem is doing - in English! A New Computer Telling you what kind of computer to buy is about as ridiculous as telling you what kind of car to drive, so I won't. What I can tell you is that I specify, buy, or configure several hundred computers a year. At present, I especially like the idea of Motorola brand Macs that come with a five-year warranty and Dell brand PCs with an extended three-year warranty. (Pay a little extra; it's worth it.) During the summer of 1995, I installed 225 PowerMac 5200/75 LCs. Now there is a recall that makes about 80 of them require serious repair work. Friends have had similar problems with Zenith brand PCs and Power Computing brand Macs. From now on, I intend to buy machines with long warranties and on-site service, since I don't want to ship someone a computer and have them ship it back to me a month or more later. Apparently, the drive to get the product out the door fast and the complexity of the modem microcomputer make rock-solid reliability a thing of the past. The last bit of advice on buying a new computer is: buy institutional-grade computers for home; don't buy home-grade machines. Instead of dropping by the local department store or buyer's club warehouse, I recommend that you check out the educator purchase plans offered by most of the big computer makers. Generally, computers sold to schools and universities are industrial-grade machines with metal cases instead of plastic, better industrial design, and stronger circuit boards. (If you know a good computer repair person, ask him or her about how the computer you want to buy looks on the inside.) I hate to name names, but I would shy away from home-grade machines like Packard Bells, IBM Aptivas, and Apple Performas or LCs. (Of late, Apple deserves a good cussing for selling such home-grade machines as Performas and LCs to schools. …