School looks to future

Press, 22 April 1986, Page 26

School looks to future

Darfield High School is the latest school in New Zealand to install a network of 16-bit microcomputers, taking advantage of the low prices caused by the highly-com-petitive market for IBMcompatible personal computers. The school last week installed eight President personal ‘ computers, which are compatible with the IBM PC. One of the computers is a’file server, with a 20megabyte hard disc and two floppy disc drives. The other seven machines do not have disc storage, but are connected by a local area network to the file server. The entire purchase will cost the school $16,800. One of the school’s two Apple He computers is being traded in, leaving $15,000 to be raised. A school fair is being held on Anzac Day to raise the money for the network. The purchase was arranged through the Auckland Educational Trading Society, a non-profit educational organisation, which obtains a price considerably less than the retail price for such a network. Mr Kevin Byrne, the teacher responsible for computing at Darfield High School, explained that the committee choosing the new equipment was keen to buy 16-bit computers, rather than the eight-bit machines

such as the Apple and BBC Micro that have been installed in high schools until now. “We felt that we did not want to buy 1980 technology — it is better to go for today’s technology,” said Mr Byrne. "As well, we can look at programs that students will see when they go out into the commercial world.” An integrated software package has been supplied with the network, as well as basic, Pascal, Logo and dBASE 11. It is hoped to eventually exchange application software with other schools running similar equipment. Six schools in the North Island have installed suites of President computers. Darfield High School is the first South Island school to use Presidents, and possibly the first to install a network of 16-bit machines. At Darfield High School 100 metres of cable have been laid so that the network encompasses three buildings, including the library and the school offices. Computers can be daisy-chained into the network through wall plugs in rooms in each of the three buildings.