Re: Hardware?

> Also, I'd like to hear about specific hardware that you recommend.

Hmmm....  Tough one.  First off you have to ask yourself if you have to
share information with other PC's.  If so, what type are they?  As an
example, lets say you use this PC to also send out RFQ's and they need to be
in Word format.  That means you need at least one PC style machine.

If this is not a consideration, then you have to decide between PC, Mac or a
Unix/Linix box

Unix/Linix is pretty bulletproof, but still lacks when it comes to design
programs and editors.  Before you jump on me here,  I know they exist, but
the choice is not there yet.

If color accuracy is very important, then a G4 with the best video card,
monitor and most memory you can afford would be great.  One caveat here is
that if you have to swap data, it can be a pain.  Mac also doesn't have
quite as many choices when it comes to software and the good software is
also pricey. If money is no object, this is the way to go.

For the rest of us:  With the PC, it's a mixed bag.  What operating system
do you want?  95, 98, NT, 2000, Me?  The first two offer the most software
compatability, the latter three offer the best memory handling capabilities
but can be a real pain to work with.  They also need more memory than 95/98.

If you don't have a staff expert on hand to fix NT/2000 or fuss with Me,
probably the best bet would be a system with 98.  Minimum memory of 128 meg.
Min hard drive of 20 gig, more if your doing multimedia.  Fast video card of
at least 16 meg and a 17" monitor minimum. Get Sony or Nec if you can.  Flat
screen and low dot pitch is important.  Better a 17" Sony than a 20" no-name
brand.

You need a cable modem or DSL.  Before I got one it took hours to upload a
big change and test it out.  It is well worth the $40 a month and saves me
many man-hours.

You need a USB type scanner.  Parallel is getting hard to find and they are
slowwwwwww......

You need a decent digital camera and lots of memory.  Its great of it also
takes movies and panorama shots.  Olympus and Kodak are good.

You need two printers.  A decent laser for correspondence and printing out
manuals and a good color inkjet printer for printing images.

If it's a one person shop, you need a low-end laptop to check on the
websites when on vacation or travel and to do email.

After using every type of input device known to man, I have settled on the
MS Mouse with wheel as the best device.  I have used tablets, pucks,
trackballs, joysticks and even handwheels with computers just to name a few.
The mouse is the most universal because it's almost an effortless extension
of your hand.

A good click type keyboard is also good.  I do most of my typing by looking
at the screen and a missing keyboard click processes faster in my mind than
a word onscreen that is misspelled.  The old IBM AT or Zenith keyboards are
great of you can find them.  They weigh a ton but last forever.

A good phone is paramount.  A 900Mhz speakerphone that also has a jack for a
headset can allow you to work and talk at the same time to clients.  The
speaker part allows me to make calls and sit on hold with tech support while
I work.

Paul WIlson
webgooru(at)gte.net

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