Christmas micro

Press, 20 December 1988, Page 28

Christmas micro

This week many firsttime microcomputer buyers will take home machines. Those who are still shopping should first consider their needs. If the machine is for the family with young to teen-age children, consider the Commodore 64, warhorse of home computing, and its more sophisticated stable mate, the Amiga. Look at the Atari range, too, and perhaps the BBC, which is a powerhouse with less software but immense potential.

These are the top fun machines. The Amiga and the Atari have superb colour and sound. They are quite adequate for word processing and there are programs that allow them to be used for small businesses. But this is not what they are made for. Using an Amiga to run a small business is like harnessing a polo pony to a farm dray. Amigas and Ataris are brilliant for graphics, music, and general technical stimulation. For those who need a machine that will be used mainly for serious purposes such as running a small business, heavy word processing, general number crunching, and a wide range of uses, MSDOS machines, also known as IBM PC compatibles, are still the main solution.

There are now well over 10,000 programmes for these machines. They are the most diverse, the most useful, and the most economic choice for an everyday work horse. That personal computers such as the Amiga and Apple Macintosh go to lengths to run MS-DOS software is evidence of this. Companies such as Atari and Commodore (the makers of the Amiga) now make and sell PC compatibles. The IBM PC family has the most open “configurations.” This means they have been designed from the beginning with slots into which boards can be inserted so that the machine may be adapted for a wide range of purposes. Because so many millions of MS-DOS machines are in use, and because the Asians have built an industry in cloning them, their parts are generally the cheapest. The IBM compatibles are far from the raciest machines about, but as well as being general beasts of burden they are like the Model-T chassis

that hot-rod enthusiasts used to love building on. They can be hotted up with accelerator cards, transputers, extended memory, and a wide range of graphics. If you want an MS-DOS machine the first choice is between a PC compatible and an AT compatible. If you can afford it buy an AT. If the choice for your money is between a PC with all the bells and the whistles and a bare-bones AT take the AT and save to build it up. However, the PC will be adequate for many, especially those whose main use will be word processing. A similar choice faces those who want more of a family machine and cannot decide between an Amiga and a Commodore 64. The 64 has been around for a long time in computer years, and programmes for it abound. But the price is fairly close to that of an Amiga 500. The Amiga is the better buy if your cheque account will stretch to it. For some families, typically where the breadwinners have oneperson businesses and need an MS-DOS machine to run one of the many excellent bookkeeping programmes, two brands which should be among those considered: the Amstrad and the Acer. Amstrad machines are reasonably priced, and have a very strong following in Europe, though they have found it harder to foot it against the storebrand Taiwanese and Singapore machines in New Zealand. Be careful when buying an Amstrad that you do not unwittingly buy an eight-bit machine. These are very old technology. Ensure that an MS-DOS machine is the one you take home in a box.

Also well priced is the Acer, which is made by an excellent Taiwanese manufacturer. This is MSDOS, well packaged, and generally good value. While basically business machines, MS-DOS machines do have many hundreds of games available. So these two microcomputers should not disappoint a family, unless the children have had their hands on an Amiga or Atari first.

MS-DOS machines still also appeal to those with a technical bent. The adaptability of the machine means it is an enthusiast’s delight. When buying these

machines do not be frightened of Asian manufacture. It is more important to be sure of the seller’s standing. Is the firm likely to be still trading in a year? In six months? Will it stand by its products? And do not, ever, pay for the computer in advance, unless you want to risk losing this money.

If you decide on an MSDOS machine, do shop around, and slot yourself on the price scale (from Amstrad and Acer at the bottom to Compaq at the top) that matches your budget.

Beyond MS-DOS is the Apple Macintosh, a superb machine, but dearer. It is the one microcomputer which will not have anyone reaching for an axe on Christmas morning. It is learned very easily, has great potential, marvellous graphics, and generally is a favourite. But the Macintosh, by price and marketing strategy- is not a home machine. The firm which began this decade in a Californian home garage, is now firmly in the business marketplace.