VIDIOT'S GUIDE TO HOME COMPUTERS

VIDIOT'S GUIDE TO HOME COMPUTERS

FEATURES

RICHARD ROBINSON

There's a big difference between wanting a home computer, buying a home computer, and having a personal computer at home that will actually do some computing for you. In this special guide, VIDIOT'S editors do what no other magazine has ever done: tell you the truth about home computers.

THE COMPUTER

The basic idea is fantastic. A machine that can store, sort, and produce information instantly, in a manner that's almost impossible for the average brain to follow. Thus saving time, labor, guessing, and ultimately putting the right facts at your finger in the right order at the right time.

The reality is a little less fantastic. The computer is a complex instrument of highly sophisticated micro-electronics that, while capable of seemingly impossible feats of memory and logic, requires a good deal of expertise to operate properly.

The truth is that fewer people need home computers than think they do. For unless you have a specific need for a home computer, about the only thing it's good for, in the average home, in a general way, is gathering dust.

This doesn't mean you couldn't find something useful for a home computer to do—or that it's not educational to have a computer, so you can begin to interface with it to understand how it works. What it means is that the home computer is not the end-all, save-all that the advertisements suggest. Because, after all, just how much do you have to compute every day that a computer would compute for you? Probably not much more than addition, subtraction, and multiplication—which you can do on a pocket calculator (itself a computer), with a lot less trouble and expense.

Some specially designed computers are instantly useful at home. Specifically the computer game machines designed by Atari, Intellivision, Coleco, etal. But these are not personal/home computers in the true sense, because they only do one thing, and can't be reprogrammed to do something else.

If you're sincerely interested in owning a home computer, the first question you must ask yourself is: what am I going to use it for? To teach me French, or how to type, or to take care of home finances, or keep a list of everything I own, or run off mailing address labels or type form letters, or what? If you have an idea, good. The next step is to see if there's a computer that has a program that will tell the computer—and you—how to do what you want.

But if you'd just like to have a computer because it's the thing to have, forget it. Paint some buttons on an old shoe box. It's cheaper and just as effective. And don't think that you'll just buy a computer and figure out later what to do with it. That, really, is an absolute waste of money.

Some honestly enterprising and digitally-minded people may want to get a computer so they can learn to program it and create something out of nothing. That is possible, it's exciting, but it also requires a rather fanatical interest in computers, patience and time, and a basic aptitude for dealing with the computer as a blank machine. It isn't something that's soothing for your spare time, like building ships in bottles.

COST FACTORS

A real computer costs about SI ,500. With a printout, it will cost from $2,200 to $3,000. That's the truth. Anything less will not do a complete job.

So how come there are ads for computers that start at $88? Because you can buy a "computer" for $88, but it won't compute much. It's just a toy—sort of a |oke that keeps consumers on their toes and discount stores in business.

It is possible to buy a computer for less than $ 1,500 that will do the job of a $ 1,500 computer—but only after you've purchased the extra pieces that will cost you the difference of the $1,500. Another joke, but a little less funny.

KEYBOARDS

Many inexpensive computers have keyboards which are nothing but a sheet of plastic with letters printed on them — Timex Sinclair, Atari 400, and others. Some inexpensive computers have real typewriter keys, but not full sized—Texas Instruments makes one. A few inexpensive computers have full size typewriter type keyboards—The Vic 20 and The Atari 800.

If you want to actually type on your computer keyboard (and you will, if you plan to really use the keyboard to enter information), you want a full-sized typewriter keyboard. Unless you're very small indeed—say about 18 inches tall.

The keyboard is what you really get with inexpensive computers. That's all, just a keyboard plus enough internal memory so the computer looks like it's doing something when hooked up to a TV screen in the store. The keyboard is not the complete computer by any means, but it is important, because it's the interface between you and the computer.

So if you want to buy a computer and can only afford the keyboard to start, we suggest the Vic-20, the Atari 800, or the Radio Shack 26-3004 TRS-80 keyboard.

As we mentioned, the salesperson will probably call this keyboard a "computer." After all, the manufacturer does. But you're still quite a ways away from actually owning a computer that will do much—then again, you've only spent a few hundred dollars so far.

MEMORY

How much information a computer can store and process is very important to how much work the computer will do. To get anything useful out of your computer, you need from 32K to 64K of internal memory. This is enough to store sophisticated command programs in the computer, and to have enough room left over to store the information in the memory you want the commands to process.

The keyboards listed above don't come with this kind of memory capacity. Instead, they're referred to as being "expandable" to 32, 48, or 64K of memory.

"Expandable" means you have to go back to the store and buy more parts.

The Vic-20, for instance, sells for about $150 at a discount. For this, you get an excellent keyboard and 5K of memory builf-in. For another $250 or so, you can buy all the memory expansion modu les to give you 32K of memory. So to get fu II potential out of the Vic-20, the cost is actually $400 discounted, not $150. The same is true of all inexpensive computers.

There's also usually a limit to which an inexpensive computer can expand its memory: 32K in the case of the Vic-20, 48K for the Atari 800, 1 6K for the Timex Sinclair. After that, if you need more memory, it's time to buy a new computer.

More expensive computers come complete with 48 to 64K of memory, as reflected by their prices. When you get up in the $ 1,500 range, there are many choices, all with excellent keyboards (though you may like the "action" on one better than another) and full complement of memory: Apple, FranklinAce, Osborne, Kay-Pro.

STORAGE

There a re two ways of stori ng information for later use with a computer: a cassette recorder or a magnetic disc. Initially, the information and program commands of any particular program are put into the computer memory: thus the need for 64K over, say, 8K, if you really want a complicated set of program commands and space to store lots of information you're entering into the computer. Once the information is in the computer, a method is needed to “dump" it out of the computer to "save" it. This is done by transferring the information to another unit—either a cassette tape or a magnetic disc which records the information and holds it, until you want to dump or "load" it back into the computer for use.

Most inexpensive home computers offer a cassette recorder for an extra $75 or so, to be used for information storage. This sounds good in the ads, but in reality the use of a cassette for storage is sort of a slow joke, "slow" being the buzz word here. Every time you use the cassette to save or load information, you'll find yourself ready to take a walk around the block while it does the job, and also realize that this is not the lightning speed you've heard computers are capable of.

To get real action out of a computer, you need at least one— preferably two— disc drives, which use floppy magnetic discs to store and retrieve information. A disc drive costs about $400. (All that on to the $200 for the keyboard, and the $250 to expand the memory, and you're up to over $800 for your inexpensive computer). The floppy disc can hold upwards of 64K of information (which it should, since you have to be able to dump as much info onto the disc as you're working with in the computer), and provides split-second access to that information.

The $ 1,500 range computers either come with one or two disc drives built-in (like the Osborne) or the disc drive is part of the package price (like the Apple II).

The disc drive is also important because you buy programs to tell your computer what to do on discs.

DISPLAY

The computer must be hooked to a TV screen if you want to see what it's doing. There are all sorts of TV screens used to display computer read-outs. The cheap computers allow you to use your home TV screen, the same way you'd use it for a videogame machine. This isn't bad, and shouldn't be considered a drawback, except that it does tie up your TV set and requires you locate your computer system nearby—which can make for hardship among viewers and be quite uncomfortable for the programmer, who has to try to type onto the keyboard on his knees, in front of a TV table.

There are special monitors made to display computer read-outs. Many of them have green (sometimes amber) tinted screens, which is easier on the eyes. Some have higher resolution screens than do normal TVs, which makes it easier to read the computer read-out typefaces. Computer monitors cost from about $ 1 60 for a Sanyo B&W or BMC green to about $300 to $400 for a NEC color monitor.

The $ 1,500 range computer often comes with a monitor. In some cases this can be a drawback. Where The Apple II and the Franklin-Ace 1000 have monitors that are detachable from the keyboard (and therefore replaceable), the Osbourne has a small monitor built-in — which may be handy, but isn't as easy to stare at.

PRINTOUT

There are times when the computer programmer needs to have a "hard copy" of the information in the computer. This is acquired by connecting the computer to a computer printer (in some cases very much like a typewriter). Printers are available for all computers, expensive and inexpensive. The quality of the final printing and the speed at which the printer prints-out, however, vary with price.

For general reasonable speed use, a printer such as those made by Epson is fine, the cost being from $600 to $700. If you want typewriter letter quality at high speed, however, Xerox's Diablo printer is the best answer—and the cost on this is about $2,200.

PROGRAMS

Available programs are where small, inexpensive computers really feel the heat. Computer programs are expensive (ranging to about $200 per program), and the more useful they are, the more necessarily sophisticated they are. The usual real program is on a floppy disc, costs about $200, and needs a $1,500 range computer to function.

Programs are also where the home computer buyer usually feels the heat, as well. Because unless the buyer knows what he or she wants to use the computer for—and then checks, to see if any particular computer offers that program—the chances are the buyer will get taken.

For instance, say you want a program that will allow you to maintain a mailing list and have the computer type out labels so you can put them on envelopes to do mailings. Your first question is: is there a mailing list program available? Second: how much memory is required (the program may need more memory than the "basic" computer comes with)?

Third: how much better are the other mailing list programs available for other computers? The answer will no doubt surprise those who planned to spend $88 for their home computer.

Since no computer is better than the programs available for it, and since you shouldn't plan on writing your own programs (that's why programs can cost $200 a copy; they're difficult to put together, honest), it's best to make a thorough study of the available programs for the computer you plan to buy. Don't get suckered into some crap about how more programs will be available "soon." Find out what exists now when you put your money on the counter.

Programs make or break a computer system—that's why Atari in the lowpriced field) and Apple (in the $ 1,500 field) are so popular. They've paid a good deal of attention to the programs the user will use.

THE FINE POINTS

If you can find someone who knows about and uses computers before you buy—preferably not a salesman—learn something about them. You'll hear all sorts of things, some of which may be surprising. Some folks who own Apple ll's will tell you it's too slow, or complain that you can't make safety copies of your program discs with it. Others will admit that the keyboard action on the Osborne isn't as good as on the Franklin-Ace. Some will know which programs are superior to others, even though they're supposed to do the same thing. Do your homework.

PURCHASE

Like all other electronics these days, computers are sold at discounts by some stores and list price by others. It is certainly wise to shop around—but it is also wise to buy from somebody who can help you out if anything goes wrong, doesn't work, or needs to be repaired.