Date: 12 Oct 95 00:22:06 EDT From: "Brian A. Fouhse" <75771.1445@compuserve.com> To: "Jaques, Kevin E." Subject: 1 of 2 files to you. Hardware October 1995 issue (c)1995 Brian Fouhse. All rights reserved excepting that this file may be copied for non-commercial purposes, unchanged. No warranties apply. I am just a user volunteering my observations. As designated at the initial MUGORS meeting in September, I guess I'm in charge of keeping the membership informed on the hardware front For the novice, hardware means anything that is hard enough to touch, pick up, or otherwise move around. Examples of this might be the computer itself, your printer, modem, disk drive, monitor, and keyboard. Contrast the meaning of "hardware" with "software" which is the program that is recorded on the disks, its existence is somewhat abstract, you can't see or touch it. It is therefore the opposite of hardware - namely software. The disks themselves are hardware, the programs on them are software. There is also another category called "firmware" that is halfway between "hard"ware and "soft"ware. The most common meaning of firmware is the programs in read only memory (ROM.) They are almost hardware - you can pick up the memory chips, but they contact programs - software that you cannot see, thus they fall in between the two definitions; the adjective "firm" seems to fit quite nicely between hard and soft. Until we establish the various interests of the membership, I will offer my observations across as wide of scope as possible. If there is something of particular interest to you, let me know, and I can concentrate more on that. One item, not necessarily hardware related, that might be of interest, is a list of acronyms, those stupid 3 letter abbreviations that replace the phrases that are too long to say. Some of the acronyms used in this issue are listed below (not yet in alphabetical order:) CPU - central processing unit, the computer or chip inside PCI - peripheral control interface - type of connector that an add in card might use. This style of connector is used in the newest IBM and compatible computers. The older model IBMs used an ISA slot. Older modular Macintosh models used a NuBus slot or a PDS. PDS - processor direct slot - a specific expansion slot for Macintosh models that often didn't have any NuBus. LC and Quadra 640 use this type. ISA - original expansion slots for an IBM or compatible - they are usually fitted with DIP switches that must be set properly in order to work properly. DIP - dual inline packaging type RAM - random access memory ROM - read only memory G - gigabyte, term to express the size of big hard disks. One Gig equals 1000 Megabytes M - megabyte, term to express the size of disk drives. One megabyte equals 1000 Kilobytes K - kilobyte, term to express the size of files or disks. One kilobyte (or 1K or 1 Kb) is equivalent to about 1000 characters in a letter. If you assume the average word is 5 characters, this is about 200 words. T? - I am guessing at this abbreviation. The term terabyte isn't in common use yet, but the newest Mac operating system will support disks as big as 256 terabytes. One terabyte equals 1000 gigabytes, which would equal 1,000,000 megabytes, etc. A disk of this size shouldn't fill up too fast. ZIP - a file compression utility on IBMs. Also the latest type of disk drive from a company called iomega (spelled with a lower case i.) One zip disk cartridge holds 100 megabytes of data. Refer also to my item on disk drives below. ABC123 - etc. There are LOTS more acronyms to identify. It might be a good thing to put into a crossword puzzle. Volunteers? If anyone is interested, I can compile a list for your reference. Another thing of interest might be to prepare a chronological listing of the history of the Mac, from the original 128K model, 512K (the one I started with), through to last weeks models. The prices seem to stay about the same, but the capabilities keep escalating. My PowerBook for example, has 14 meg of memory - 56 times as much as the original. Hard disks practically didn't exist in 1984, floppy disks held 400K. Now 1000M or 1 gigabyte disks aren't that rare, and floppies hold 1.4M Computers Those of us without the latest and greatest PowerMac can only follow the news with curiousity. The latest round of products from Apple include 4 models with PCI slots. These type of cards are the same as the IBM clones use on their latest models (Pentium etc.) The older Apple models used NuBus cards. 5200 series - This model LC or Performa in the US is an elegant looking one piece model. It contains a 15 inch monitor, 2 speakers, a quad speed CD, floppy disk drive, internal 500 meg hard disk, PowerPC processor, microphone, expansion slot for a TV tuner, and an infrared remote control all rolled into the shape of a monitor alone. Just plug in the power and keyboard ad mouse and you're set. Monitors The combination 14 inch monitor, microphone, and speakers that were available for the past couple years, is now available in a 17 inch size. I personally like the look and convenience of this, but others may not. Printers Kinkos, the 24 hour a day copy shop throughout the USA, have put an Apple colour laser printer in each of their 785 stores. You may have seem an article about them on "Venture" recently. Since we don't yet have a Kinkos in Regina, I don't know if we can find one to examine. It produces 600x600 monochrome (black and white) pages or ?? colour My original model StyleWriter still works well. I have found that Canon BJ cartridges BC-02 work in it. They are available from Wilson Stationers for $35, but Apple ink cartridges can be ordered from MacWarehouse for $25. Oops, I didn't get a very good deal on this. Disk Drives I recently received my ZIP drive by iomega. This external device uses 3 1/2" disks very much like a normal floppy. The big difference is that these disks each hold 100 megabytes of data. A regular floppy holds 1.4 kilobytes. It would take about 70? high density floppies to equal the capacity of 1 zip disk. The drive cost $300 Canadian, the empty disks were $25 each. It is comforting to have a convenient method of backing up my hard disk (only 80 Meg). 1 Gig disks are available now for about $400 US. This particular model I noticed is from LaCie for their stackable Joule series. Again, I admire ingenuity of design. This product lets you stack 7 disk drives with only one SCSI cable and one power cord. PowerBooks Tune in next month for details on the newest PowerBooks which feature a PowerPC chip inside. Scanners I don't use or have access to a scanner, but have heard about them. They are available in black and white, gray scale, and colour. If you're desperate, a picture sent from a regular fax machine to your fax modem can work also. Modems More on PC Card modems next time. Networks Before you skip over this section, realize how practical a network can be for you. Before I gave my nephew my Mac Plus, I had setup a network in my house between my PowerBook and MacPlus. A network of only 2 computers may seem extravagant, but it is super easy and inexpensive as well. System 7 comes with everything you need (software wise) and with a few PhoneNet connectors (about $25) you're ready. PhoneNet is a brand name, that uses the 2 EXTRA wires that every telephone jack in your house has available. I ended up with 4-5 network connection points around the house. All the files on one computer are available on the other. I used it to transfer files and programs between the hard disks, it was simpler than installing the program over again. The fax modem in my PowerBook was accessible from my MacPlus. This elegancy in design was present in 1985 when the Plus was introduced. Pretty forward thinking, our Apple eh? Other stuff Suggestions are welcome. Brian Fouhse