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From: siegman@sierra.Stanford.EDU (Anthony E. Siegman)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,misc.wanted
Subject: Re: information wanted
Message-ID: <224@sierra.stanford.edu>
Date: 20 Jul 89 01:01:30 GMT
References: <12211@s.ms.uky.edu>
Sender: siegman@sierra.STANFORD.EDU (Anthony E. Siegman)
Reply-To: siegman@sierra.UUCP (Anthony E. Siegman)
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 42

How to develop a campus computer environment:

1.  Build a campus network.  Ethernet, with Ethertips for those who
want low-cost access from PCs, is a good choice.  Make it free (like
the sidewalks and roads on campus), at least up to the building
exterior walls.  Let each department decide, fund and install what it
wants inside its building.

2.  Get a central Unix machine or two (DEC, Sun, whatever), fairly
small, to handle mail and access to outside networks.  Run 'em on the
lowest-overhead basis possible; use STANDARD machines, STANDARD
(largely free) software; do NOT let any techies who want the latest,
glitziest toys make the decisions.

3.  Get a discount plan going, preferably in your Bookstore, with the
best possible discount or consortium prices for Apple (Macintosh) and
IBM PC clones, plus site licenses (or better, heavily discounted
prices for on-campus purchasers) for major software: two or three of
the best text editing/desktop publishing packages like Word, WriteNow,
TeXtures, ditto spreadsheets, major languages, etc.

4.  DON'T do ANYTHING ELSE centrally.  Provide information, access to
discount prices, and transmitted downward funding TO THE POTENTIAL
USERS AT THE LOWEST POSSIBLE WORKING LEVEL; and "let a thousand
flowers bloom".  The users will soon find out what THEY want, and will
transmit the information to each other.  A few wrong turns or blind
alleys by individual purchasers can never be as disastrous as a wrong
choice by an "informed" or "expert" central committee committing the
whole university.

5.  Don't have anything to do with NeXT.

[P.S. -- I'm dead serious about item 4; I've seen the recommended
procedure and the unrecommended procedure both happen, several times,
on several campusesand I'm dead serious about this "contrarian"
advice.  But unfortunately your central Computer Center will never let
it happen (unless they, or someone iyour central administration, is
extraordinarily wise).  Empires to be built, you know...]

--Professor A. E. Siegman
--Director, Edward L. Ginzton Lab
--Stanford University