Buying your first computer can be a monumental task. How do you start? How do you communicate to a salesperson, especially one who uses English as a second language, what you think you desire?
Can you even describe what your needs are? There are so many specialized words in the high-tech world of computers that you sometimes cannot even ask an intelligent question without the benefit of both the “alphabet soup” of acronyms and buzz-words.
You know that you need a computer because you are assaulted everyday with the technology. You feel that if you don't jump on the bandwagon, you will be lost and will be left so far behind that you will never catch up. Unfortunately the Bay area is one of the seething cauldrons of the “state-of-the-art,” whatever the heck that is, so you just cannot seem to avoid becoming involved.
To make matters worse, the evening news, your favorite drama, and even those Soaps now display an Internet address where you can tune-in and be instantly informed of your favorite character's latest peccadillo, the twisted plot of that missed episode, and even biographical background on the despicable villain, or most innocent and unblemished heroine. But you need a computer and you need some special software and you need an account on the Internet to take advantage of this opportunity. Here we are, back at the beginning again!
The parts that go together to form the basis of a computer system are readily available and the prices continue to plummet from month-to-month as the capacity and power continue to improve.
A computer is composed of five basic parts: A keyboard to enter things into the system; a television-like screen to show you what is happening, or the results of your commands to the system; a box that holds all the mysterious and complicated computing ability of your system; a hard drive and a floppy disk drive that are storage devices; and lastly, a printer to make a copy of the results of the problem that you asked the computer to solve.
Let's look at each one of these five things in a bit more detail. I warn you that you are going to see new words, but I will keep it to a minimum and as you learn more about computers you will become better informed and better able to use these words in intelligent talk around the dinner table with your children or your parents, as the case may be. One of the reasons that computers are so hard to learn about is that the knowledge and ability is front-end loaded. This means that all the work is at the beginning of your exploration into the computer world. But don't let that keep you from striding purposefully forward. Remember the old Chinese adage: “Even a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
The keyboard is nothing more than a typewriter keyboard to enter words into your computer. It also has a ten-key number pad that is similar to the calculators that you have used for entering numbers for calculations. Additionally, there are special keys that perform many magical things when pressed. These keys do various things with almost every different type of problem that you are working on. It sounds hard, but once you use a computer program to, say, write a letter, you will learn their uses with ease as you repeat the key sequences.
The video screen, called a monitor, usually is able to do things in different colors. In the old days, your monitor would only be able to write orange letters on a black screen, or white letters on a black screen, or green letters on a black screen. These boring screens are usually not sold with today's computers. Today you can purchase a monitor that does not flicker (called non-interlaced) and you can buy larger and better quality screens designed to fit your needs.
Today's color monitors are able to display very beautiful pictures. Like a television set, they come in different sizes and prices. You will find that you can buy a very good monitor that will not hurt your pocketbook. Or, if you are an architect, you can buy a very expensive video system that will draw your creations with fine lines and excellent definition.
The big box, which is the actual computer, contains many complex circuits, and powerful integrated chips that perform millions and hundreds of millions of operations a second. In fact, that is how they are sold, by the number of calculations that can be performed per second. The current systems are called Pentiums or 586s and they are called 64-bit processors. We are fortunate here in California in having that area south of San Francisco, referred to as Silicon Valley where the companies that make these things called chips, are located.
In the marketplace today, you can purchase a box (called a Central Processing Unit or CPU) that will do somewhere between 33 million to 700 million calculations per second. That is the amazing power of a computer. These calculations or decisions take the burden of complex decisions and computations or, “what ifs,” off of your hands. This, coupled with the ability to remember things over long spans of time and prompt you at the right time are the two major reasons that most people cannot even consider leading their everyday life without a computer to take some of the drudgery off their minds.
Printers are also in an exploding market. They are now able to print closer and closer to photo quality, even in color, for fewer and fewer dollars. The three most popular types of printers are; “dot-matrix printers,” which means that the printer part strikes the ribbon, forcing ink onto the paper, just like a typewriter used to do, with the exception that the letters are not one big slug of metal, but composed of many tiny dots; “laser printers,” that work much like a copy machine, but they have many more dots per character and so very beautiful and sharp characters can be achieved by them, but they do not strike the paper and therefore cannot do multiple copies; “ink-jet printers,” use a method of spraying the ink onto the paper, in micro-dots, with a quality that compares to that of a laser printer, except they are usually priced lower.
To make it even more exciting, today's printers can now print in color. Mostly the color printers are lasers and ink-jets. The dot-matrix printers are not known to be very good at achieving high quality color printing.
The hard disk drive, called simply a Hard Drive, which is usually inside the box and not accessible from outside, stores huge amounts of information. For smaller tasks or portable needs, floppy disk drives come in two basic types. One accepts 5 1/4” diskettes that can store up to 1,200,000 letters. Most of today's computers come with disk drives that hold the smaller 3 1/2” plastic diskette. They can store up to 1,440,000 letters on each double-sided diskette (that is equivalent to a 180,000 word book). With this ability to store a fairly large amount of removable information, it is easy to transport a report you have created on your computer over to a friend's house so they can load your work onto their own computer and review it with you. Removable disks now are in the range of one thousand million characters, or a giga-byte of storage.
Of late, the music CD-ROMs have transformed and have come to the computer industry. They hold 650,000,000 letters (that is an amazing 80,000,000 words) and have the ability to hold so much information, that pictures, music and large amounts of knowledge can be placed on them. They are therefore perfect for holding, say, a set of encyclopedias, or a collection of photographs, or a very complex interactive game for your children. The CD-ROM is so important in today's technology that you would probably want one on your first computer.
One last concern for the first-time buyer is the state of our power here in Lake County. Because of the way lines are routed around the lake, they are susceptible to outages and transients (ups and downs) of the power supplied to you, the customer. It is almost mandatory that you buy a surge protector, and each of the vendors that I interviewed strongly suggested buying an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) for your computer. These UPSs “condition” the power so that if the power coming into your house drops or has a surge upwards or fails completely, the UPS will continue to provide a steady state of electricity that overcomes these problems. Filters clear up the drops and spikes, and a battery arrangement provides power in the event of an outage, usually for between 5 and 15 minutes depending on the size of the UPS.
[The next parts of the article are
specifically aimed at the Lake County area for suppliers. Be aware that many of
them have passed by the way-side since this article appeared at the end of
November 1996.]
If your eyeballs are spinning and you are still reading this, then you are to be congratulated because you are undaunted by all of the things that you have been exposed to. You are tenacious and have what it takes to approach the marketplace. But ... (sound of drum roll) now comes the good part!
Here in Lake County, we are fortunate to have excellent resources in the form of entrepreneurial or small-retail operations that have owners who care about your needs. They have to, their business depends upon your being happy, getting what you want and need, and being able to use it with some minor assistance.
All of the resources listed below have assured me that your satisfaction is one of their main purposes for being in the business. One advantage we have of being in small towns is that people talk to each other and if a retail outlet doesn't stand by its customers it would soon find itself with a dwindling supply of new sales.
So, who are these resources? Let me tell you. I have listed them in random order, with the retail locations first and have followed those by larger business-oriented consulting firms and then some locations that you might not have run across without networking with your friends (Hey! A computer term that has slipped into our everyday language. It means having friends with whom to exchange ideas and information).
Right here in Kelseyville (where I keep my cave), is Polestar, in its new location, operated by Mr. Armand Pauly and his wife Trena. They are in the Pioneer Plaza at 3970 Main Street, Unit 4, and the number is 279-1228. Armand says that any new buyer of a computer must do some research first and then walk out of the store and not make a deal. “Don't be pressured into buying.” “Be wary of a good deal, look into it.” “After you have compared what you are shopping for, make your decision and buy at that point,” Armand says. “The advantage of Lake County's size is that sales satisfaction is spread by word of mouth and most importantly, local support means rapid response to your problems with little or no cost for this service for a new buyer.” Armand says that he supports Apple products for service and upgrading. His background is as an electronic engineer and he has been in the computer industry in one way or another since he built his first system in the late 1970's and has resided in Lake County since 1986.
In Lakeport, in their new location, one block south of the DMV at 626 S. Main Street, is Konocti Computers, at 263-1520, owned and operated by Mr. Steve Cardoza and his wife Deborah. Steve says, “The first thing you and I must do is to determine what your use of a computer will be.” “If they are unsure of what they need,” Deborah says, “then Steve asks them how much they want to spend.” With that information they can get a feel for the level of sophistication and computer knowledge that the buyer possesses. Armed with that, Steve can ask about what they want to use the computer for and can break down the components they will need to accomplish those tasks. “Buying locally,” says Steve, “you don't have to pay shipping for warranty repairs to and from the manufacturer like you do if you buy at COSTCO or one of the other 'sales only' retailers.” Steve's background has been in sales, support and training in the computer industry since 1984.
In Clearlake, at 15312 Lakeshore Drive, is Fischer Computer Systems, Mr. Dave Clements, Manager, at 994-2983. Systems are customized based on what they will be used for. Dave says, “Jessie (the head technician) and I enjoy our own computers so much, that we want to make sure that all of our customers also enjoy their own computer. So we go out of our way to ensure that all of our customers are happy customers. That is our philosophy here, we don't have unhappy customers.” The store is a training facility with five to ten computer stations set-up in a multimedia environment, it is also the monthly meeting place for the Lake County Computer Users Group (more on that later). Dave also said that he provides some Macintosh service and support. Dave has been in Lake County and involved with computers and programming since 1977. (See below for Internet information)
Also in Clearlake, at 14400 Lakeshore Drive, is Beyond Computers, owned by Mr. Bob Sprouse, at 995-2639. Bob says that his approach to satisfying his customer’s needs is based on his ability to reduce his operating expenses and being able to pass that savings on in lower costs. Bob takes pride in being able to talk with first-time buyers and uncover their needs. But he does not sell them a bare minimum system because he says, “Very soon after becoming familiar with and owning their own computer, a buyer learns that they need more memory or greater storage or a faster modem. So I try to assemble my systems above their immediate needs and within the best pricing of parts available.” He says he stands behind his computers and systems and offers a very economical warranty price structure. Bob has been at his current location for 15 months and has been in the computer industry 12 years, involved in service, sales, and technical support.
A new addition in Lakeport, at 1847 N. High Street, in the northwest
corner of the shopping center, about one block north of the library, is EEE
Computers & Music, owned by Mr. Todd Elsa, at 263-4446. Todd offers “build
to order” systems and offers on-site service at the customer’s location. “I
have decided to offer in-home computer repair because many people are turned
off by looking at all of those cables and being unsure they will ever get them
all back together. Besides, computers don't really enjoy riding about on some
of Lake County's rough roads.” Steve then said, “I have recently received
advanced training in the Internet and the powerful new state-of-the-art
computer systems available today.”
JC Penney Catalog Sales, Clearlake, at 14420 Lakeshore Drive, 994-6495, Mr. Jeff Smith, Sr., Owner. You can order a system from the catalog. They currently carry AST, Packard Bell, and ACER systems. The computers are pre-configured and you have to buy one of the available systems.
Radio Shack, Clearlake, at 14915 Olympic Drive, 994-4711, Mr. Gordon Schroeder, Manager. Limited selection choices, but carries the exciting new IBM Aptiva systems.
Radio Shack, Lakeport, at 360 Lakeport Boulevard, 263-4711, Mr. Bud Wallet, Owner. Limited selection choices, but he also carries the revolutionary IBM Aptiva systems.
Wal-Mart, Lower Lake at 15960 Dam Road, 994-6881, Ms. Janice Van Allen,
Store Manager: Carries supplies, currently several configurations of Packard
Bell, and one model of AST. Clerks are not very knowledgeable about the
computers. A placard outlining the contents of each system is available for
reference. Limited upgrading available, mostly limited to memory upgrades.
BIOS Tech Internet, Clearlake Oaks, 998-4527, Mr. Daniel H. Torquato, Owner. Internet services.
Homework Data Systems, Clearlake Park, 995-9126, Mr. Troy Orr, Owner. Builds a tailored-system based on your needs. Point-of-sale specialist. On-site service and support available. Facilitator for INREACH Internet services, with local access.
Fischer Computer Systems, Clearlake, 994-2983, Mr. Dave Clements, Manager. Internet service provider. Local access in both the Lakeport and Clearlake areas. A provider for the world-wide web with thirty incoming lines. [See above for retail information.]
JUNO, at 800-654-5866 offers free telephone access, supplies e-mail software, and e-mail service. Now everyone with a computer and a modem (only IBM compatible at this time) can have an e-mail address. Costs are paid by advertisers that display banner advertising on the software or during communication sessions. You can order by supplying your name and address information on the Internet at: signup@juno.com or by calling their 800 number.
Nova Technology, Lower Lake, 994-4649, Mr. Ed Robey, Owner. Large Area Network and Wide Area Network solutions. Tele-communications applications such as video conferencing and ISDN connections. Custom business programming.
Octopus Consulting & Service, Kelseyville, 279-4558, Ms. Bonnie Graas, Owner. Small business consulting, on-site one-on-one-training, system purchase and software selection consultant for IBM/compatible systems, and from-paper-to-computer consulting.
Pacific Internet, Ukiah, 468-1005. Internet service provider. Local unlimited access in both the Lakeport and Clearlake areas. This service is represented by many of the retailers listed here.
Sight & Sound Electronics, Lakeport, 263-3608, Mr. Tom Niderost, Owner. Business oriented. Custom business programming of fast, tailored software. Also provides upgrading, networking and applications support.
Sigma Industries, Lakeport, 263-5345, Mr. Randy Sun, Owner. Novell, Lantastic, and Microsoft (Win3.x, Win95, & Win NT) certified. Most of their interest is in multiple systems but they will market single systems on a economical “cost-plus” basis.
Telis Educational On-Line Services [campusMCI], 800-448-3547. This service of the educational institutions in California provides Internet access at a reasonable price if you do not use the service for more than 60 hours per month. Has either toll-free or local access. Eudoratm e-mail software and services included. Calls between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. are not counted against your monthly limit of 60 hours. Additional hours incur a $0.95 per hour additional cost.
Toland Consulting Group, Santa Rosa, 800-539-8244, Mr. Sean Toland, Owner. Specializes in business networking solutions.
Zap Communications, Ukiah, 800-287-7715, Mr. David Johnston, General
Manager. Internet service provider. Local unlimited access in both the Lakeport
and Clearlake areas. This service is represented by many of the retailers
listed here.
Lake County Computer User Group, P.O. Box 385, Clearlake, 95422,
279-4911, Mr. Jim Walters, President. Computer enthusiasts meet on the second
Saturday of every month (next meeting is December 14th, this is the Christmas
meeting, bring some finger food such as munchies), at 9:30 a.m. at the Fischer
Computer Training Center at 15312 Lakeshore Drive (between Foods Etc. and the
Flatiron Business Building). There is typically a demonstration of one or more
programs (both business and personal), an exchange of questions with audience
participation, and often a computer professional as a guest speaker. Mostly IBM
compatible owners, with some Apple and Macintosh systems and one or two
Commodore owners. Guests are welcome. It is recommended that you bring your own
folding chair.
Well, that was quite a belly-full. But here are some final thoughts. Most of the smaller, private, retailers also can assist you in getting connected to an Internet access provider. Unlike some businesses, the computer industry has always been driven by entrepreneurs. Look at IBM. Everyone knows the name, but IBM is not a leader in the personal computer market, so don't judge the ability of your sales organization by the size and cost of their retail operations. You must still be an aware buyer and must comparison shop if you want to get the most for your computer dollar.
Important topics to discuss with your proposed supplier of a system are: do they provide a warranty for the system, do they come to your location to do any necessary repair work, and do they promise a reasonable response time to your needs? You should get these things in writing as part of the sale; does your sales outlet burn the systems in? This means do they run them for a minimum of 24-hours, while performing aggressive diagnostics on the CPU, hard disk and memory; will the seller install and configure all of the parts that you buy such as a CD-ROM, software programs and optional memory, and will they deliver and install the system at your home as part of the agreed upon price, or will they at least demonstrate for you how to hook-up everything yourself.
One final note as I doff my white chef's cap and brush the flour off of my white coat, nose and apron... I would not purchase a computer system in Lake County without an Uninterruptible Power Supply that will maintain a minimum of five minutes of power in the case of a total power failure. Usually, if your work is extremely important, or if you live in a remote area, you can buy a more expensive system that does all the powering down of your software programs and re-establishes them upon power restoration. This UPS should also ideally protect your phone line into the computer/modem, if you have communications software or Internet service installed.
Written by Dale E. Malone, Kind
of boring for an old timer like you, yes?
The Great & Wonderful Kahuna wants to know!
Last
modified: April 26, 2009