Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-lcc!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!UBVMSC.CC.BUFFALO.EDU!V131Q5CG From: V131Q5CG@UBVMSC.CC.BUFFALO.EDU (John Taylor) Newsgroups: comp.sys.apple Subject: Reply to a school-system purchaser Message-ID: <8901301316.ab06624@SMOKE.BRL.MIL> Date: 30 Jan 89 16:47:00 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Organization: The Internet Lines: 49 >Date: Fri, 27 Jan 89 17:37:47 GMT >From: Dick O'Connor >Subject: Micro setups for elementary schools [...deletions...] >Pricetag for this setup including some level of support (that the >teacher in charge was *very* pleased with) was $70,000. Gag! Choke! $70,000? If you can invest that kind of money, why not buy a micro-vax and workstations- something that was designed with networking in mind? You could probably port all kinds of neat applications in. [...first two points deal with the timeliness of the ps/2...] No-one says anything much about Micro Channel Arcitecture anymore, except that the name sounds neat. Unfortunately for IBM, the micro channel is the problem with PS/2's (beside the fact that IBM makes them); if you start doing outboard communication the machine will bog down- big, memory intensive programs do this also, mainly because the micro-channel is just that: it has no backplane and limited bus bandwidth; I would never, ever recommend this machine, especially in your case. Don't believe everything dealers tell you. >3) Is there an equivalent setup available (tried, tested, and true) using >Apple IIe or Apple GS machines? Who would I contact to find out more about >such a system (I don't know much about Apples at all). Although I've never seen it applied, I understand Applelink might be what you're looking for. [...4th point deleted; covered above...] If you must buy an IBM-micro, buy the AT. Best of luck in your search. >-Dick O'Connor > Washington Department of Fisheries > djo7613@blake.acs.washington.edu *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*- John Taylor -- SUNY at Buffalo Bitnet: v131q5cg@ubvms Internet: v131q5cg@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu "Two wrongs don't make a right, but two (W)rights make an airplane." /\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\