From: hades@coos.dartmouth.edu (Hades)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Which Mac should I buy?
Date: 13 Oct 92 16:24:11 GMT
Reply-To: hades@Dartmouth.Edu
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH
Disclaimer: Personally, I really don't care who you think I speak for.
Moderator: Rec.Arts.Comics.Info

scottw@boulder.Central.Sun.COM (Scott Wiesner) writes:

>Since I won't be doing anything "high end", and I don't want to spend a
>fortune, I've been thinking about the low end machines.  I've always had
>a fondness for the "classic" versions.  An all-in-one package with a
>sharp screen seems like a nice possibility.  Other than the obvious, am
>I losing anything by not having color? 

    Probably not. It will really depend on what you might be doing in
the future. But you might want to take alook at the Performa 400/LC II,
which is only a little more expensive than the Classic II (they use the
same motherboard) and has color capabilities.

>Are there any Mac programs (including games) that require either color
>or the higher resolution found on the color screens?  In the workstation
>world, people would laugh at such low resolution, but from what I've
>seen it's quite usable on a Mac.

    There are plenty of games that will either work only in color, or
only work on a screen larger than the 9" b&w of the Classic II. None of
these are crucial to your existence, however, so it is quite possible to
get by with just a Classic II.

>Is 4MB of RAM enough for the kind of work I'll do?

    Yeah, but if it isn't SIMMS are cheap and you can expand up to 10M
if you really need to.

>Is 80 MB of disk enough to have a usable system?  Again, on
>workstations, it would be a joke, but will it leave me feeling cramped
>in the Mac world?

   You will only feel cramped if you try and do things like store huge
Quicktime movies, or other huge files. Otherwise 80M is plenty of space
for doing pretty much anything.

>Since I'm looking at the low end of the line, I need to make a choice about 
>buying a Classic II or a Performa 200, etc.  The Performa versions *seem* like
>a much better deal with its bundled software and on-site service.  What are
>the going prices for Classic II's, LC II's, etc., at places like Fry's?

    Well, I can't really help you with price comparisons, because I
happen to get the Educational Discount, but I will say that it looks
like the Performas are a good deal, and the bundle of software is
probably well worth the price.

>Is anything missing on the Performas?

    Other than the fact that none of the Performas come with an FPU, I
would say, no.

>Macworld mentions "DAL" not being included. What is it? 

    It's a system extension that allows a Mac to connect to host
computer databases that use the SQL query language. It stands for Data
Access Language. And if you are planning to use this at home, I doubt
you will be accessing too many mainframe database systems, so DAL is no
big loss.

>How many different bundles are there?

    No Idea.

>I've seen mention of GreatWorks and ClarisWorks.  Are these "Works"
>packages any good?

    On a machine like the Classic II or LC II they can great, especially
if you have 4M. They give you everything you need for the non-high end
work that you say you will be doing. From what I have seen, ClarisWorks
is probably the most "integrated" of the various Works packages.

>Do all Macs (including Performas) come with Hypercard and the ability to
>read and write DOS floppies?

    All macs come with Apple File Exchange which will let you copy to
and from DOS floppies. The Performas (and all macs that are made
nowadays) will be bundled with a Hypercard player, and not the full
scripting system as previous macs.

>What internet machines contain archives of PD and shareware software?

    Try sumex-aim.stanford.edu, or mac.archive.umich.edu.

>Is there any general concensus on additional software that's a "must"
>for any Mac user?

    Probably a good communications package, or an FTP app like Gopher or
Fetch if you plan to get any PD/Shareware.

>What's the net wisdom on Mac-related magazines?  I've seen MacWorld and
>MacUser.  Is it a toss-up between the two?  Are the any other magazines
>to consider?

    If you are only comparing MacWorld and MacUser, then yeah it is kind
of a toss up, between them. MacUser is a little more technical, and
MacWorld is more flashy, but otherwise they cover the same stuff, pretty
much at the same time. The only other Mac magazine that I would consider
is MacWEEK, but I probably wouln't get it if I didn't qualify for a free
subscription. 

--
-Hades (Brian V. Hughes) 
   "You know Television has gone to hell when, with every commercial,
	 you find yourself hoping to see the Energizer Bunny."