CYBER NOTES by Dave Benore

So you’re thinking about buying a computer but don’t know what to get!

This is where we all start. The best thing to do is grab a friend and ask for help! However----computers come in two distinct “flavors”—Apple or PC. Apple is the company that makes the “Macs”, formerly short for Macintosh. They are good computers and are used in schools a lot. This is because they are reputedly easy to learn to operate. (Also because Apple targets schools for marketing its computers.) Apple makes a good product but there are some things one needs to know about them. Chief among those is that there is not as much software available for Apple computers. (Software is the name applied to “programs”, which are the instructions to a computer that makes it work for you. It’s called software because it’s easy to change, unlike “hardware”.)

The other “flavor” is PC, short for personal computer, as popularized by IBM starting in 1981. PCs today are all evolutionary outgrowths of the original IBM PC, but today many companies make PC computers. What makes a computer a PC? It’s because all computers known as PCs will run the same software and use the same hardware. If you know how to operate any particular PC, you will know how to operate any PC. Apple’s Macs, however, are a little different. This is because they use a different operating system.

Another difference, in my opinion, is that Apples are more expensive—only Apple builds an “Apple”. No competition. People who learn on Apples tend to stick to them, and try to convince their friends to use them.

PCs are a bit different—many companies build PCs so competition is fierce. The result of all this is that PCs greatly outnumber Apples in the market place. That means that there is much more software available for PCs than for Apples. And that means more choices for a PC user. I haven’t seen any statistics lately on this, but I’ll bet there are 20 PCs for every Apple out there-- maybe more.

So perhaps you want to find two friends--one with an Apple and one with a PC--and have them show you how each one operates. Then compare costs and software availability. One thing I have noticed is that I will see articles about investment software and find that often the articles mention that the software is not yet available for Apple’s “Macs”.

Another point to understand is that the computer field is always evolving--and rapidly. Just as automobiles are more complicated than they were 20 years ago, so are computers. In fact, there is an informal “law” that states that personal computer speed doubles every 18 months. It has held true for probably the last 10 years, maybe more. As computers evolve, so does the software. The result is that 4 year old computers probably will not run the newest software at all! The newest software will do much more than the older stuff, but it takes a more powerful computer to run it. Makes sense?

The good news is that computer prices have been lowering for many years now. My first PC system was bought in 1986 and cost me about $4000. It was pretty basic and pretty slow. My last system is about 200 times faster and cost about $1500. What a difference.

The best advice on what to buy was given to me by a guy who really grew up in the industry. He said “Buy the most powerful system you can afford. That way it will take longer to become obsolete!” That is true, but today even the cheaper, slower systems are so good they will do many things for a person for a very long time.

My best advice is to find a knowledgeable friend who uses computers and ask for help. Take that person with you to a computer store and ask a lot of questions. If you decide to buy a computer system online, or from a catalog, ask your friend to help you pick the system and help you set it up. After all, what are friends for?

Ah! What adventure awaits!