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From: ns@maccs.UUCP (Nicholas Solntseff)
Newsgroups: comp.edu
Subject: Re: some questions
Message-ID: <499@maccs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 24-Mar-87 16:26:19 EST
Article-I.D.: maccs.499
Posted: Tue Mar 24 16:26:19 1987
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Mar-87 07:20:26 EST
References: <338@ndsuvax.UUCP>
Reply-To: ns@maccs.UUCP (Nicholas Solntseff)
Organization: DCSS, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Lines: 38

In article <338@ndsuvax.UUCP> ncmagel@ndsuvax.UUCP (ken magel) writes:
>
>I have a question which I hope readers of this group can address.  How does
>a rather poor institution with a large service load ... support courses?

	We at McMaster have driven a hard bargain with Zenith Data Systems
	to procure the following systems

	15 x ZDS-148 (dual floppies, 640 K memory)        Student Lab use
		Bundled software: MSDOS-3.1 and MASM

	20 x ZDS-158 (dual floppies, 20 MB Winchester,    Faculty Office use
	              640 K memory)
		Bundled software: MSDOS-3.1, MS-Windows, MS-Word
		Purchased: GEM-DRAW and Mirror
		Locally produced: Ethernet support.

	In addition, from previous years we have 15 assorted IBM PCs and clones,	all with purchased PC/MS-DOS, Sidekicks, Mirror for use as terminals
	to University machines (VAXes and an IBM).

	So, we try and get as much software as possible for free.

>What do you think about the imposition of a small lab fee on students 
>taking these courses?  
	
	We are thinking of instituting a lab fee to cover supplies (paper,
	ribbons, use of laser printer, etc.; floppies are provided by the
	students), but so far we charge approximately 10c per page for
	printing.

>How carefully do you try to keep up with upgrades of software?

	Not at all on a departmental basis (individuals buy their own
	upgrades), unless it is a result of a bug fix, when we do our
	best to get the upgrade for free from the vendor.  So far ZDS
	has provided us with a patch to correct their MSDOS-3.1.

Nick Solntseff [ns@maccs.UUCP]