Computer Specifics
If you have not yet, you will soon receive some information from the University about computing and some advertisements form "Cavalier Computers", U.Va.'s computer store run through the University bookstore. Although there are numerous convenient places to do computing on Grounds, many students decide to invest in their own computer. Some find that they work better in the privacy of their own rooms and others prefer not to leave their dorm for a computing facility in the middle of the night. Because all Rodman students do not come to college with the same computer experience, the following is a compilation of some terms and information that we thought some people might want to know before buying a computer or software. Many of you will already be familiar with the information presented. If this is the case, please just skip down to the section on software.
The main body of the computer.
A typical processor could be described as a "Pentium 4 1.8 Ghz", where "Pentium 4" refers to the type of processor, and "1.8 Ghz" refers to the clock speed. This component determines how fast the computer will run. Intel is not the only manufacturer of products, and some very good values can be found by investing in "Athlon" chips from AMD. These chips are considerably cheaper than their Pentium 4 counterparts but they offer comparable performance. Definitely an aspect to consider if you (not your parents) are purchasing the computer.
PC compatible or PC's are one type of computer. These are computers that were originally built to run IBM and then later Microsoft applications. There are many brands of PC's including Gateway, Dell, Compaq, and Hewlett-Packard. Differences between brands include hardware options, software packages, and pricing, but they all work on the same principle and will run about the same. The state-of-the-art in the early 1980's was a 286 processor. In the late 1980's it was a 386 processor, which was shortly followed by the 486. The mid 1990's was dominated by the Pentium (586) and later the Pentium III, but the Pentium 4 and Athlon 4 are quickly becoming the standard.
Power PC's are another type of computer with a different processor, designed cooperatively by IBM, Apple, and some other companies. These computers are very fast and can run both Apple and IBM software and programs. There are also Apple Macintosh's which are designed by Apple alone and will only run Apple applications. These are also very good computers. More recently Apple has introduced the iMac which is their latest installment of the Macintosh series.
If you are trying to decide whether to purchase a Macintosh or a PC, there are a few things that you should consider. The computer facilities at the University are almost entirely PC's; therefore, most computing done at the engineering school is done with Microsoft and PC compatible software. Macintosh's are often more user-friendly for installing hardware and software, but PC's will often run computation engineering software faster. In past years, first-year Rodmans students who owned a computer usually owned a PC. During group project work it will be difficult to convert files from Macintosh to PC format, so you may not be able to share information with your group members.
The clock speed is an indicator of how fast a computer will run. When everything else is equal, the higher the clock speed, the faster the computer will run. For example, a Pentium II 333 will run faster than a Pentium II 266. The number represents the cycles per second at which the computer runs measured in megahertz.
Memory is where the computer stores information for short periods of time while it is running. It is also referred to as RAM (Random Access Memory). When the computer is turned off, everything in RAM is lost. When a program is running, RAM is used as the computers workspace to do some of the tasks required and to keep items that will be needed quickly. Therefore, the more memory you have, the faster a big and complicated program will run on your machine. There are several common units of RAM starting at 4 megabytes and increasing in units of four. RAM can be added later, but it can be expensive. To run Windows 95 on a PC it is recommended that you have 16 megabytes or more, but 32 or 64 megabytes is recommended.
Disk drives are used to store information permanently. The following are some of the most common formats:
Hard Drive - This is where all of the computer's programs are stored, along with all of the files that your create. The information is held on magnetic disk within the computer that cannot be removed. Hard disk sizes can range from approximately 1 gigabyte to approximately 10 GB.
Floppy Drive - This drive works on the same principle as the hard drive, saving information on a magnetic disk. The major difference is that with a floppy drive, the information can be taken away from the computer on a floppy disk. Floppy drives and disks come in several sizes, but the size in common use is 3.5 inches. A high density double sided 3.5 inch floppy disk holds about 1.4 megabytes of information.
CD-ROM Drive (Compact Disk - Read Only Memory) - The CD-ROM drive can be very useful tool in a computer. The advantage of a CD is that it can hold much more than a floppy disk, and it can still be exchanged for another CD easily. The disadvantage of a CD-ROM is that you cannot write to the disk (There are writable CD drives but the drives themselves are still comparatively expensive, although becoming standard on newer machines). The information on the disk is inscribed by the software company and cannot be altered. When making software purchases it can be better to buy the software on CD. When you install a program it is sometimes much easier to have information on CD, so that you are not constantly switching floppy disks. Virtually all computers now come with a CD-ROM and almost all software is sold on CD-ROM.
Zip Drive - This is a type of disk drive that takes disks that resemble floppy disks. The primary difference is that the disks hold 100 megabytes as opposed to the 1.4 megabytes held on a floppy. Zip drives are useful for backing up hard drives or moving large files.
There are two major types of communications devices: modems and network cards. A modem works through the phone lines transmitting data as different sounds. Modems are ranked by the rate at which they transfer data, measured in bits per second (bps). Common rates are 33.6 kbps (thousand bits per second) and 56.6 kbps. A network card operates significantly faster than a modem. Theoretically, either device can be used to link to the university's computer network and the internet, but your room will be equipped with a jack for an Ethernet card. A modem will not work in the first year dorms because they use a digital phone system so there is really no choice in the matter. However, if you move out of university housing after your first year, you will need a modem at that time. It is important that you make sure your computer is equipped with a network card.
A printer is not an essential item because you can save your work on a floppy disk and take it to a University facility to print the information. There are two common types of printer, the ink or bubble jet and the laser. Laser printers produce very high quality crisp printouts and can be used to make transparencies. Ink and bubble jet printers are less expensive, but their printouts are not as crisp. Pages can also be smudges when first printed. Color ink and bubble jet printers are very nice but they are more expensive than the regular black and white type. The final decision will probably be based on how much you are still willing to spend.
Most monitors used now are CRTs (Cathod Ray Tubes) that take up proportionately more volumetric space as the screen size increases. Keep in mind that the amount of space you have in your dorm is limited. The amount of space on your desk will be even smaller. If you plan to bring anything larger than a 17 inch monitor to school, it will most likely render your dorm's desk useless for any other work other than those which require the computer to do. One alternative to this is to purchase an LCD. These monitors utilize a flat, LCD panel, rather than a bulky CRT. They also produce less eye strain with prolonged use. As the prices of LCDs have been dropping over the last few years, the kind of monitor you purchase/bring with your computer should become an important factor to consider.
You should set aside between $400 - $600 to buy software if none is included with your computer. For those of you who would like to have an early look at some of the programs you will be using, the following is a discussion of the software used by the first-year Rodman Scholars. Remember it is NOT NECESSARY to purchase any of the programs listed here if you are comfortable using the University's computing facilities, and can be very costly relative to the small amount of time you may actually use some of these programs. Most of the University's facilities currently use Windows NT.
The majority of Rodman first years do their word processing using either Word for Windows or Word Perfect for Windows. These two products are very similar in appearance and performance. You may be able to find these programs combined in a package with other useful programs. Excel, a spreadsheet program, is used extensively in the first year classes because of its graphing capabilities. Word can be purchased with other programs in a package titled Microsoft Office. There are a few different versions of Office. The main differences between them are the inclusion of Microsoft Access (a database program) and some other auxiliary software. Access can be useful but not necessary for an engineer. They all contain Word and Excel.
You may also use Silver Screen, a computer-aided design ("cad") program. This program can be purchased with a manual at the University of Virginia bookstore, but it is not commercially available. The program is also available in the engineering school computer facilities. Silver Screen is relatively inexpensive, but it is not recommended that you buy it since you will not use it very much as a Rodman Scholar (it is predominantly used in the general engineering design class).
Use of e-mail is a free service to all University Students. Your email account can be accessed from any University computing facility and from your dorm room. All university students as well as many students on other college campuses use e-mail as a means of communication, and often their primary means of contact. You will be amazed how central email will be in your everyday events, especially when scheduling meeting times with peers. Life often revolves around email to the point that we often wonder how society existed without it! Back to academics: many classes use email extensively, often when a professor needs to provide his students with additional information or changes, and it is a great way to contact professors when you need to arrange meeting times outside of class.
All University computers are loaded with Simeon and Mulberry, the two available programs for checking your email (both will work, just depending on personal preference). All you need to know is your user-id and your password. These will be provided to you late in the summer before you arrive, so that you will be able to check your email from day 1. You can also put Simeon or Mulberry on your own computer for free or use another email program (Outlook, Netscape, Eudora, etc) to access email from you dorm room, which has an individual Ethernet port for both you and your roommate.
You will also have a Unix account on the university network. Each student has 10MB of space to work with. You can up load or download files to your account using FTP software or the University's Home Directory Service. The "Home directory" service treats your account like another disk drive, allowing you to save work on any of the University computers on grounds connected to the network (including your dorm connection). You can then access your saved files later from a different University computer by typing in your password information. This tool is great for when you need to save your work but have gotten 20 minutes from your room without a floppy or zip disk in site.
You will also be able to utilize the Local Area Network (LAN). If you sent up your computer to use a network, you can share files and directories with other students on the LAN. It is a quick and easy way to transfer large files between computers. If you don't know how do set up you computer to operate on the network, ask a classmate once you get here or ask your resident ITC consultant. Windows 95 and 98 can be rather tricky and unpredictable when they are set up on a network.
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