My Current PC Setups
Just in case you were wondering what I have for a computer setup here's what you need to know. These are the three machines I maintain / use on a regular basis.
My Work Computer
Intel Pentium 133; 32MB of RAM; 1.8 GB of hard drive space; 4x CD-ROM drive; Microsoft InPort bus mouse; MAG 15" multisync monitor; IBM PS/2 keyboard; Diamond Stealth 3d 2001 video card with 2MB of memory; 3.5" 1.44MB floppy drive; 3-Com 3C509 10MB Cat-5 ISA network card; Logitech Scanman hand scanner.
I currently run MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11.
Applications I tend to run on this machine are Netscape, Corel Draw/Photopaint 5, Microsoft Office 4.3, and Smartterm 470 for Windows. Smartterm is a decent terminal emulation program that we use to emulate Data General and Digital VT dumb terminals.
There's not a whole lot I could do to improve this computer, since it doesn't really belong to me. I did at least make an effort to improve the memory, hard drive capacity, and crammed the CD-ROM in there for the rare times I actually need it. While I prefer keyboards that don't click, the standard issue keyboard is a shoddy piece of junk that the Health Alliance of Greater Cincinnati got duped into mistaking for a high quality piece of equipment. Faced with this alternative, I scrounged up an adapter and hooked up one of the rarely used IBM PS/2 keyboards we have laying around. These keyboards are so heavy that you could probably club a man to death with it, take the keyboard back to your cubicle, and continue using it like nothing happened. Now that is a good keyboard!
Yes. I'm joking about the clubbing to death part.
My Home Computer
AMD K6-233; 64MB of RAM; 6.4GB IDE and a 1GB IDE hard drive; IOmega internal Jaz drive; 24x IDE CD-ROM drive; Microsoft serial mouse; Viewsonic 17" VGA monitor; Fujitsu keyboard made for a Vendex Headstart; Matrox Millennium 2 VGA card with 4MB of RAM; Matrox M3d Video Accelerator card; 3.5" 1.44MB floppy drive; Adaptec PCI SCSI1/SCSI2 host adapter; Sound Blaster AWE 64 Value; US Robotics Courier 16.8k Dual Standard modem; generic ISA coaxial network card; Umax color flatbed scanner; HP Laserjet 6Lse with 9MB of memory
I currently run MS-DOS 6.22/Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Windows '95. Since each operating system has advantages and disadvantages, I took OS/2 Warp 4's boot manager and partitioned the IDE hard drive to contain the operating systems. I made the segregation definite by making each drive unaware of one another so one would not conclude that any of the other OSes were 'inferior' and proceed to demolish boot files or anything else that may be important for the foreign OS to function properly. The 6.4 gig drive is then partitioned out as 'community space' where applications and games that could run under more than one OS are always accessible. So, Microsoft Office '97 would be stored on the Windows '95 bootable partition, but a DOS-based terminal program would go on the larger drive because more than one OS can successfully execute it. The only real problem is that I cannot quickly switch from one OS to another. To do so, I must shut down the computer and reboot. (Since Win. '95 has a required shutdown sequence.) Really, it's a small price to pay for the versatility that I want.
I haven't had time to run too many applications on this machine since I am either taking it apart or improving software in one fashion or another. Some of my common applications are currently Corel Draw 5, Qmodem Pro, and Quake 2 (which I have been playing the heck out of lately).
This is pretty much the powerhouse of my readily available computers. While not the latest and greatest, I chose to eat every once in a while over buying a pentium II chip. I also have found that the AMD processors are equally effective at a more reasonable price. I chose the Matrox Millennium mainly for its excellent compliment of driver software. I have been quite unhappy that most hardware manufacturers do not provide good drivers for OS/2 -- Matrox was the exception to that rule. Of course, the funny part is that I have stopped using OS/2 completely.
My Sister's Computer
Intel Pentium 200MMX; 64MB of RAM; 3GB IDE hard drive; 24x IDE CD-ROM; Serial mouse; 17" AOC VGA monitor; generic 101 keyboard; Matrox Mystique 220 with 4MB of RAM; Matrox m3d video accelerator; 3.5" 1.44MB drive; Sound Blaster 64 Value; generic ISA coaxial network card.
This machine runs MS-DOS 6.22/Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Windows '95. I used OS/2 to partition the drive and install the boot manager, but didn't install OS/2 since my sister had no need for it.
My sister needed a computer that was friendly for her needs; I also wanted her to keep her paws off of mine unless she had a need for something obscure. My solution was to build one that would suit her needs using as much on-hand equipment as possible, yet give it enough computing power to run about anything she wanted to. This wasn't too difficult since her main use for the computer is as a gaming machine. I have spent hours on end myself just blasting away at various first-person foes. This upgrade was partially inspired by an opportunity to get rid of my AMD K5-133 machine in a clean manner. This PC has also become a virtual gaming fixture that needed some decent processing power to back it up. I may consider a DVD upgrade if the price drops and the technological trends become a bit more definite.
The Experimental Machine
Intel Pentium 166MMX; 32MB of RAM; 2.5GB IDE hard drive; 20x IDE CD ROM; Serial mouse; A VGA monitor; generic 101 keyboard; S3Virge Video (on board); 1.44MB & 1.2MB drives; Yamaha 16-bit sound card (on board); Mountain 120MB tape drive.
This machine runs DOS 6.22/Windows for Workgroups 3.11 and Version 4.1 of Red Hat Linux. Once again, the OS/2 boot manager saves the day.
I must admit, I am a far cry from being a UNIX guru. That really was the purpose behind installing Linux. I also set this machine up as a means of moving data from one media type to another. I have several old DC2120 tapes just chock full of archived stuff, but none of my other machines have an open ISA slot to drop the controller card into. I also have boxes of older disk media that really should be moved onto current media before I lose all of the good programs from the earlier days. This machine is unique in that the sound and video are integrated on the motherboard. The jury is still out on wether or not that is a good thing really. Since I can't improve the sound or the video of this machine I didn't want to use it as a heavy gaming machine, but it is quite adequate as a learning tool on the Linux front and with the addition of a cheap coaxial netcard it can easily serve my needs for peer-to-peer file transfers or even a three player DukeMatch. I may also consider adding a SCSI host adapter as well if I decide to use some of the SCSI devices I currently have handy. But really, the biggest problem I have with this machine is space. I have no true designated workspace for this computer, so I have pushed it out of the way to avoid tripping over it.
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