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From: binder@fizbin.DEC.COM (NOW willya gimme some fightin' room?)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple
Subject: Enhancing an old //e
Message-ID: <8612082146.AA24953@decwrl.dec.com>
Date: Mon, 8-Dec-86 17:08:00 EST
Article-I.D.: decwrl.8612082146.AA24953
Posted: Mon Dec  8 17:08:00 1986
Date-Received: Mon, 8-Dec-86 22:24:34 EST
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Organization: The ARPA Internet
Lines: 52

>    I was wondering if anyone out there could offer me some advice
> as to what type of hardware I should add too my present system.
> I have a basic system: monochrome monitor, two disk drives and an
> unenhanced Apple ][e.  I was figuring on buying a printer of some sort,
> possibly a super serial card, and a 1200 baud modem.

Don't buy a color monitor unless you plan to take real advantage of it - a TV
works fine for games.

Apple's position is that you shouldn't "enhance" your //e unless you need a
feature you'd gain, such as the improved screen handling or the Mousetext
characters.  Wait until you get some software that needs the enhancement.

Unless you need letter-quality printing, buy a good dot-matrix printer with a 
parallel interface.  They're faster and less expensive, and most of them have 
enhanced printing modes to produce excellent correspondence-quality output. 
Parallel cards are also less expensive than serial cards, and they don't
require any protocol hassles with whatever software you use.  If you do need
letter quality, you can still buy a parallel printer - there are several
available now. 

For serial communications, you probably don't need both a serial card and a
modem - there are several good modems that plug right into the Apple.  With a
plug-in modem, you pay less than for a two-part system, and you don't have to
deal with protocol between the two components.  I don't have a modem, so I
can't recommend any over another.  (MODEM USERS, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.)

> Should I buy only Apple made products or will a mere compatible product work
> as well? 

It depends on whether you want the convenience of a one-vendor system, and
whether you use software that will support non-Apple products.  I'm all in
favor of using non-Apple stuff, because competition keeps the industry healthy
and promotes a flow of better products at better prices.  If you want to use
equipment not made by Apple, you don't have any choice. 

> Is there any advantages to purchasing hardware through the mail?

You'll pay a lot less for it.  But getting it fixed if it breaks, especially
under warranty, may be tough - many local dealers won't do warranty work on
stuff they didn't sell.  There might not even *be* a local dealer for what you 
bought.  If you have trouble setting your stuff up, or in using it, you won't
have a friendly dealer to turn to.  So if you don't need that kind of support,
go ahead and buy via mail.  But don't ask where all the local dealers went if
they fold up for lack of business.  (Unpaid political announcement) 

Cheers,
Dick Binder   (The Stainless Steel Rat)

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