Current issues in choosing personal computers

Philip Burnard

This paper offers a discussion of the main considerations that nurse educators need to make when choosing a personal computer for their own use. Whilst the issues under discussion are targeted at the home user, those same issues are also relevant to the corporate buyer or the manager who is budgeting for a department or college. The paper highlights issues concerning Central Processing Units (CPUs), keyboards and monitors and identifies some of the software applications that are available.

Personal computers, (PC’s) are becoming more and more a part of people’s lives. Nurse educa- tors are finding, increasingly, that they can use them for note keeping, writing, research, presentation preparation and for storing bibliographic references. The role of persona1 computers in learning is also becoming more evident in the literature (Burnard 1992; Kelly 1988; McCormac &Jones 1992; Proctor 1988). This paper offers an overview of some of the issues that are involved in choosing a persona1 computer for home or work use.

INTRODUCTION

First, it is important to spell out what is meant by the term ‘persona1 computer’. There are many sorts of home computers ranging from small computers combined with an integrated wordprocessing package to those that are used by young people as games machines. The term ‘personal computer’ is usually reserved for those

Philip Burnard PhD RN, Director of Postgraduate Nursing Studies, University of Wales College of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, UK (Requests for offprints to PB) Manuscript accepted 13 November 1992

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that are compatible with the original desktop computers designed by IBM in the early 1980s. Other terms used as synonyms are IBM compat- ibles or simply ‘clones’. All persona1 computers of this type will use an operating system called DOS and many will be capable of running a graphical interface known as Windows. The other sort of computer that is widely available for home and office use but which is not usually IBM compatible is the range made by Apple Macin- tosh. This paper is concerned with IBM compati- ble persona1 computers.

PRINCIPLE COMPONENTS OF A SYSTEM

Although the internal components of a computer are highly complex, it is reasonable to take a ‘black box’view of them. That is to say that it is mostly a question of knowing what they can do and not how they do it. The following points cover the choosing of the bulkier components of the personal computer: the CPU, the monitor and the keyborad.

CPU stands for central processing unit and strictly speaking refers to the computer chip that

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runs the machine. Increasingly, though, the term is used more loosely to describe the square box that sits under the monitor screen. What considerations need to be made about this box?

Most nurse teachers are likely to use a personal computer for wordprocessing, some graphical work and some data processing in research projects. They may also use one to store chunks of information in a database. For most of these uses, a 286 or 386% chip will be fast enough to run the computer at a reasonable speed. Increas- ingly the 486 chip is being used to power newer machines and prices of these are dropping. Although it is impossile to be ‘future proof in the computing world, the 486 represents the current state of the art in computer chips. Mostly, though, the average user will find a lesser chip quite adequate.

The chip is responsible for processing data.

The data that is being used at any given time has to be located somewhere in the machine. That place is the computer memory or random access memory (RAM). Put simply, it is safe to say that you can always use plenty of memory. At the moment, 1 or 2 megabytes of RAM is usually standard in computers that you buy in the shop or through mail order. Increasingly, and with the development of Windows-based programes, 4-8 megabytes is becoming useful. In larger machines, such memory can be increased up to a maximum of about 32 megabytes. Few users in the nurse education field are likely to need these higher values.

If you want to use the memory of your computer above 640 kilobytes, you need a memory managing program. When IBM designed the early personal computers, it was thought that no one would ever need more than 640k of memory. When the operation system, direct operating system (DOS) became available, it was only designed to address that much memory. Therefore, to use the upper memory areas of your computer, you need a special program to access it. A simple memory manager comes with the latest release of DOS and various other commercial programs are available. It is worth getting to grips with the memory of your computer. Run well, the upper memory areas can help to speed up computing considerably.

STORAGE

Data has to be stored somewhere. In the past, this was usually only on floppy discs. Such discs come in two sizes 5.25 inch and 3.5 inches. The smaller discs are usually able to store more data and they are becoming the industry standard. Also, they are not particularly floppy any more but cased in a stout plastic cover.

Anyone whose computing needs go beyond letter writing is likely to benefit from having a hard disc in their computing unit. A hard disc stores data in much the same way as floppies but can contain much more of it. Whilst a single floppy disc only can store a maximum of 1.4 megabytes of data, hard discs are available in the range of 20-3000 megabytes. The current lower standard supplied with most machines is 40 megabytes. Many people will find that they can use much more storage capacity than this. Some Windows based programs can occupy up to 15 megabytes of hard disc space. On a small disc, this does not leave very much space for storing data. At home, I use a 110 megabyte hard disc and find this very adequate For storing a range of programs, a number of manuscripts, various sets of lecture notes and various research data sets. It is generally true that you fill up the storage space that you have, so think large when it comes to buying a hard disc. Larger discs are not usually very much more expensive than smaller ones.

KEYBOARDS

The keyboard is, in many ways, the most impor- tant element of the machine as far as the user is concerned. It is the most frequently used method of imputing data into the computer. The layout of the computer keyboard is fairly standard, with 102 keys. What is less standard is the feel of the keyboard. Some like one that ‘clicks’ when you press the keys. Others like an almost silent set of keys. You may feel that this is a rather pedantic discussion. Surely, you simply get used to what you have. This may be true, but if you touch type, you soon find that the feel of the keyboard really is important.

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MONITOR

There are not all that many choices to be made here. The basic one is whether or not you buy a mono screen or a coloured one. If you go for colour, the type to choose is one with a video graphic array (VGA) screen. Whilst not all computer programs can make full use of this sort of screen, in the future they are likely to.

A debate sometimes occurs as to whether or not you need a colour monitor if you only use your computer for wordprocessing. The older school usually argue that a black and white screen is all you need for this purpose. I seem to remember that there were arguments, years ago, as to whether or not people really needed colour television. In the end, it is all a matter of personal preference. I used a monochrome screen for a number of years but would not change back to one now.

The usual size of the screen is 14 inches (measured diagonahy across the screen}. Larger screens are available for people who need to do detailed graphical work. For wordprocessing and database work, the 14 inch screen is just right.

TYPES OF MACHINES

So far, the discussion has been about the three key elements of the computer: the computing unit, the keyboard and the monitor. All are nearly always essential if you want to do any computing. What is less clear is the package that those elements are packed in. For many years, a personal computer was something that sat on a table or desk. In the last few years, there have been considerable developments in the produc- tion of laptop and notebook computers. The last 2 years has seen the emergence of miniature computers known as palmtops.

The desktop machine gives you a full sized screen and full sized keyboard. If these two factors are very important to you, then a desktop computer is the one to choose. Laptop computers are something of a compromise. They offer a reasonable sized screen and a

smaller keyboard than is found on desktop. They are usually too heavy to carry around all day but can be transported by car and allow you to use the same computer on different sites.

The notebook computer is usually about the size of an A4 jumbo sized notepad. It usually weighs in the region of eight pounds and is often battery operated. The notebook usually has a slightly smaIler screen than the Iaptop and sometimes a more cramped keyboard. Neither Iaptop nor notebook computer screens can match the quality of a full sized monitor.

Both laptops and notebooks come in much the same size as desktop machines when it comes to computing power, memory and data storage capacity. It is quite common to find people using a notebook computer which has 2 megabytes of RAM and a 40 megabyte hard disc. None of this extra capacity adds to the weight of the machine.

Notebooks are useful if you travel. Most can be driven for 2-3 hours on a newly charged battery. After that, you have to find a plug-in source of electricity. Most batteries will recharge to full strength in about 5 hours. If your are staying in a hotel, it may be possible to charge the battery in your room overnight. Certainly, it is very useful to be able to carry your work with you in this format. As ever, the golden rule is to make sure that everything you have on the hard disc is also backed up to floppy discs. There are no excep- tions to this rule. All hard discs fail at some point. It is essential that, if your hard disc does fail, you can reclaim your data from a set of floppies.

Palmtop computers are very small and suffer from having correspondingly small keyboards. They can be used to replace diaries and personal organisers but are rarely very useful for entering text of any length. They nearly always have smaller memory and data storage capacity than do desktops, laptops or notebooks.

It is not an unreasonable decision to choose a highly specified notebook computer as your only computer. It is possible, for example, to buy a 386 machine with 2 megabytes of RAM, a 40 megabyte hard disc and a VGA screen for under f 1000 (as of March 1992). This will allow you to run Windows and to store a number of large programs and plenty of data. The fact that the machine is portable will also allow you to put

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it in a briefcase and take it to work. If you do choose to work in this way, consider taking out extra insurance to cover both the machine and the stored data. There are a growing number of insurance companies who will offer this sort of cover.

If you work with both a desktop machine and a notebook, it is possible to buy programs that allow you to plug one into the other and to transfer quickly data between the two machines.

PRICES AND SOURCES

Prices in the computer world are still dropping at the time of writing this paper. It is impossible to speculate about the prices you can expect when you buy a computer. On the other hand, it is usually true to say that you can buy your computer more cheaply through the post than you can in a store. The point about mail order buying is that you need to know what sort of machine you want. Also, you cannot try out the keyboard as you can in the shop. On the other hand, if you know what you want and have tried out various keyboards beforehand, buying by mail order makes the most sense. It is also important to make sure that you are offered an on-site warranty with your machine. If possible, it is sensible to buy extra years of such cover. An on-site agreement means that the person who repairs your faulty machine will come to the machine rather than your having to repackage it and post it back to the company. The on-site agreement may be less necessary with a notebook computer but still highly desirable.

There is a range of computer magazines available in all of the larger stores and any one of them carry advertisements for computers through the post. Previously, it was argued that you should first choose your software (or computer programs) and then choose the computer to fit that software. Increasingly, though, there has been a move towards standardisation both in terms of hardware (the machinery) and the software. It is no longer really necessary to know exactly what programs you are going to run in advance. It does make

good sense, however, to choose your software carefully.

SOFTWARE

Software is the program(s) that you run on your computer. Most people will want, at the very least, a wordprocessing program. Personal computers do not usually come complete with wordprocessing packages although some com- panies include them as part of package deals. It seems unlikely that any manufacturer really gives anything away so it may be better to buy your programs separately to your computer. Also, if you are upgrading from a combined computer and wordprocessing package that is not a PC, do not automatically consider the personal computer version of the wordprocess- ing package that came with your old machine. There are large numbers of word-processors on the market and some are better suited to your needs than others. Choose carefully: they tend to be expensive and you have to live with any mistakes you make. I have always found that WordPerfect for DOS can help me do anything from writing letters to writing books.

Other programs you might want to consider for the computer are database, spreadsheet, graphics, desktop publishing and statistics pack- ages. Again, there are considerable ranges of these programs and the best thing is to try to see one or more of them working before you make your decision. Database programs are useful for storing bibliographical references, data from research projects and for collecting records. Graphics packages can be used for preparing handouts and overhead projector transpar- encies whilst desktop publishing programs are useful in the development of larger graphical applications such as news sheets and booklets. Statistical packages come in all sizes from the very manageable and usable C-Stat program to the comprehensive SPSS/PC. For some reason, people have become very attached to the pro- grams that they use and will usually insist that the software packages they have bought are the best there is. Try a range before you decide. What suits a colleague may not suit you.

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COMPUTER VIRUSES

There is considerable discussion in the computer press about the question of computer viruses. A virus, in this context, is a small piece of rogue code written into some programs or some data sets by unscrupulous people. Those pieces of code can do considerable damage to either your software or your hardware. Some viruses, for example, cause data on the hard disc to be destroyed, while others interfere with the other programs as they are running. Still other viruses act as ‘time bombs’ and do nothing until a certain date. These are triggered by the computer’s internal clock mechanism.

Although the threat from viruses is real, there are certain precautions that can be taken to avoid them. First, it is important that you keep copies of all of your data on floppy discs. There should be nothing on your hard disc which is not also on floppies. This means that you can replace all of your data should you need to reformat your hard disc because of a ‘virus infection’. Second, you should be very cautions about accepting discs containing programs or data from other people. Only use proprietary copies of software programs or shareware programs from reliable sources. Be extra careful if you use a modem and have access to bulletin boards. Finally, it is possible to buy a range of programs that check and destroy computer viruses. If you have to exchange data with other people, on a regular basis, it may be worth buying one of these and checking each disc before you transfer data into your own computer.

CONCLUSION

This paper has addressed some of the considera-

tions that you need to make before choosing a personal computer. It has dealt only with IBM compatible machines and this should not be taken as implying that other machines cannot be used. Also, the paper has not addressed that question of choosing printers. Most personal computer packages do not come ready equipped with a printer and most users are likely to need one. The choice, here, is between the cheaper dot matrix machines, the slightly more expen- sive bubble-jet variety and the still more expen- sive laser printers. The laser printers give a quality of output that almost rivals the printed page and is highly recommended. Of the others, the bubble-jet printer can offer good, clean output at a reasonable price.

Any nurse educator who uses a computer is likely to find a computer at home a useful and valuable acquisition. The aim of this paper has been to discuss the various options. Whilst only machinery is at stake, some of the decisions that are involved can be fairly personal ones and others can be very expensive ones. Advice about buying can become very heated and very boring. On the other hand, it pays to listen to those who have already bought computers. You can learn a lot from other people’s mistakes.

References

Burnard P 1992 Writing skills for health professionals: a manual for writers. Chapman and Hall, London

Kelly J 1991 High-Tech teach-in. Nursing Times 48: 59-60

McCormac K, Jones B 1992 A lesson in reality. Nursing Times 88 (14) 55-57

Procter P 1988 Framework for computer-assisted learning implementation for nursing, midwifery and health visiting in England. Aspects of Educational Technology XXI. Kogan Page, London