TECHNOLOGY TODAY: HOME & OFFICE

Personal computers (PCs) have brought computerized information management well within the price range of most small businesses. When networked, PCs can meet the needs of virtually any work environment at a fraction of the cost of a mainframe.

Business owners contemplating their first PC purchase may find the variety of systems somewhat daunting. With dozens of hardware companies and countless software packages from which to choose, where do you begin? And what do you do when the salesman starts throwing around terms like “RAM,” “internal hard drive,” and “token-ring networking”?

The first step is to have a clear idea of your user requirements. Such factors as total users, necessary quality of hard copy, and office layout will help a computer dealer sort out what you do and don’t need in a system.

Unless you are a computer expert yourself, it’s best to work with an authorized dealer.

“There’s a tremendous range of hardware today,” cautions Harold Shaw, president of ValCom Computer Center of Bangor. “Some of it is quite good and some of it is quite bad. It’s frequently impossible for the consumer to tell the difference. One of the things small businesses should beware of is buying a system solely on the basis of price rather than the reputation of the hardware…and the ability to get local support and service.”

Standard advice for choosing a hardware system is “buy the software first.” Implementation requirements differ greatly and the package you choose will ultimately determine which hardware system you need.

Shop carefully! There may be dozens of software products designed for your specific function, but don’t assume that one is as good as another. Differences in speed, ease of use, graphic display, required training, and flexibility can be enormous.

Again, don’t make cost the base line for your decision. Sit down and use the software. If possible, borrow the system it runs on for a trial period in your office environment. If you and your employees can’t use it within a few days, then it’s not the system for you. Remember, computers are supposed to make your job easier, not more stressful. With so many options available, there is no reason to settle on a package that doesn’t suit you.

As you try out various software packages, you also be trying out the hardware on which it runs. Apple Computer’s Macintosh line and IBM PCs are currently the industry leaders. There are also a host of IBM compatibles, machines made by other companies that can be used with IBM machines and software.

However, the term “compatible” can be misleading, according to Michael Bourassa, sales manger at ValCom. Government standards specify a minimum of 85 percent compatibility to merit the classification. That other 15 percent can be troublesome in lower-quality machines, particularly in a networked environment. When considering compatibles, it’s best to stick with brands of proven reputation, such as Acer, Compaq or Epson.

The first-time computer buyer would do well to investigate both Apple Macintosh and IBM systems. While the two companies share a well-deserved reputation for quality and customer support, factors such as graphic presentation and the manner in which data is manipulated can differ greatly. Many of these differences are more a matter of aesthetics than anything else, but any experienced user of either system will tell you that these are of no small consequence.

“What the two different kinds of machines do is really the same,” said Andrew Sarto, sales representative at Computerland in Bangor, an authorized dealer for both Apple and IBM compatibles.

“A lot of what happens in a Macintosh in terms of formatting, or telling it that it’s connected to other devices, happens automatically. The user doesn’t have to think a lot about it. Typically with the IBM machine you have to do a lot of configuring yourself. But once it’s set up it’s fine….In quite a few cases, although Apple has been catching up on this, the IBM-compatible machines have tended to be faster. That’s basically because of the graphical interface of the Macintosh.”

Macintosh has had a reputation for being more “user friendly,” especially for those with no computer background. Macintosh software programs incorporate innovations such as pull-down menus and screen icons that automatically carry out functions which otherwise require configuration codes. However, IBM is following this trend, according to Jack Lamie, owner of Discount PCs in Newburgh.

“Quite frankly, they’re copying them. Every time you turn around, a software package is upgrading. And that’s directly as a result of Macintosh leading the way, showing the IBM side of the house what people really want in an interface. They want to be comfortable.”

The basic hardware requirements recommended for a system are: dual disk drives, monochrome monitor, an internal hard drive of at least 40 megabytes memory, a processor unit, and a keyboard.

Low-end IBM systems start in the area of $1,500 per workstation. A comparable Macintosh system may cost $2,500, but includes a number of features that would have to be purchased separately for an IBM system. Color monitors are an increasingly popular option now, available with many systems for several hundred dollars more.

Printers are another common feature and the selection is wide. The familiar dot-matrix printers generally fall into two categories: 24-pin letter quality and nine-pin near letter quality (NLQ), both selling for under $1,000. Many letter-quality dot matrix printers can now produce print quality comparable to a typewriter.

Laser printers, priced around $1,200 to $1,500, have made significant sales gains in the last year, despite their higher price tag. Superior print quality and graphics capability make them especially appealing to businesses that produce printed matter as a product or sales tool.

Lynn Flewelling is a freelance writer who lives in Bangor.