Choosing a Computer
Copyright 1997, 1998 Virginia Lawrence
A top-of- the-line computer is always a treat, but it isn't
necessary for preparing a book for publication. Currently,
Pentium PCs and Macintosh 8100s are the most advanced personal
computers. If money is no object, go for the most advanced
computer you can find. You'll be very happy with it, and it
will serve you for a long time, accommodating the new software
as it appears.
It is not absolutely necessary to have the most powerful
computer, however. You can successfully publish a series of
books using either a Macintosh in the 040 series or a 486 PC.
In August, 1998, you could find a basic version of either an
iMac or a Pentium PC for less than $1,300. For a PC, you must
add Microsoft Windows software, because the programs discussed
in this chapter require Windows.
Memory
Whether you use Mac or PC, the minimum necessary memory is
16 megabytes (Mb). If you try to make do with 4 Mb and a small
hard drive, you will run into problems. For example, you might
not be able to save a large file. Your system will tend to
crash or freeze up when you try to have more than one program
open at a time.
A full 32 megabytes would be best. In fact, if your book
will contain many graphics, you must invest in 32 Mb. The
larger memory will speed up graphics manipulations
considerably.
Hard Drive
The minimum necessary hard drive size is 1 Gigabyte (1,000
megabytes). That's because the programs are getting bigger
with every release. Part of the increase in size is due to the
added features, because software keeps increasing in
complexity.
There are two other reasons for the increase in size,
however. One reason is commendable; to make things easier for
the user, software installation programs tend to install
everything the user might want. The other reason is a sad
commentary on the software business: the rush to market.
Software companies today have such competition that they ship
product as soon as most of the bugs have been fixed. They
cannot afford to spend time optimizing and decreasing the size
of program code, because that may lead to more bugs and a
delayed shipping date.
The competitive software market makes it necessary to have a
large hard drive. However, the market also benefits users in
lowered software prices. Luckily, the hardware market is
tremendously competitive; you can buy a one gigabyte hard
drive for under $200.
Choosing a Monitor
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