Stores will attempt to sell systems with only 16 MB in order to display a lower price. Since operating systems and applications files are growing quickly we recommend at least 500 MB of disk storage. Buy a good surge protector when you buy your computer. They really do work - the good ones guarantee to replace your computer if it is damaged. If possible, buy a color monitor.
Monochrome monitors are increasingly rare, and many software products now assume a color display.
Many students use them quite successfully. Others do not - they lose them, drop them, and unfortunately we have had some laptop computers stolen. The decision to get a laptop for a student depends on that student's ability to responsibly take care of a relatively fragile and extremely expensive device. If your son or daughter brings a laptop, mark the computer conspicuously with their name, and look into some of the laptop locking devices available. We recommend waiting to purchase an Ethernet card until network connections are available, and until a list of acceptable Ethernet card manufacturers and models has been established for SPS users.