3.983 perfect workstation: myth, dream, mystery? (76)

Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@vm.epas.utoronto.ca)
Wed, 31 Jan 90 20:22:22 EST

Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 983. Wednesday, 31 Jan 1990.


(1) Date: Wed, 31 Jan 90 11:49:40 EST (35 lines)
From: Andrew Gilmartin <ANDREW@BROWNVM>
Subject: The myth of the scholar's workstation

(2) Date: Wed, 31 Jan 90 11:32:31 CST (21 lines)
From: Amanda C. Lee <ALEE@MSSTATE>
Subject: re: the perfect workstation

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 90 11:49:40 EST
From: Andrew Gilmartin <ANDREW@BROWNVM>
Subject: The myth of the scholar's workstation

We might praise the architecture of the campus library but without
periodicals, books, circulation, and reference librarians it is
useless. Why then do we constantly dream about computer architectures?
Maybe because it avoids the more difficult questions. These questions
involve what constitutes adequate (humanist) computing support, how to
provide access to remote libraries of electronic texts, and just want
are the tools needed/desired to investigate these texts.

The scholar's workstation is not great hardware but adequate hardware
to access powerfull *remote* services rather than weak *desktop*
services. The hardware in a Macintosh Plus and a Windows/286 platform
are just such hardware. Rather than spending $7000 per NeXT per
faculty member why don't we spend $1000 on a Macintosh Plus and invest
the remaining $6000 in campus wide networks, large (tera-byte)
centralized storage, and powerful remote CPUs.

I am not suggesting that we return to 80x25 character terminals. What
I am suggesting is that we let microcomputers do what they do well--
display information in textual, graphical, and aural forms--and let
large centralized computing handle what it does well--intensive
processing.

At the campus level then, what is the ideal scholar's "environment"?

-- Andrew Gilmartin
Computing & Information Services
Brown University
Box 1885
Providence, Rhode Island 02912
andrew@brownvm.brown.edu (internet)
andrew@brownvm (bitnet)
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------26----
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 90 11:32:31 CST
From: Amanda C. Lee <ALEE@MSSTATE>
Subject: re: the perfect workstation

In response to the question about the Amiga's word processing capabilities,
it is much like the mac, with a few exeptions. If you want a powerful
word processor, Word Perfect is out for the Amiga, and there are many
others that can incorporate color graphics onto the page.
Also, the desktop publishing programs for the Amiga are excellent. In fact,
the Amiga has consistantly been the leader in desktop publishing. The reason
that no one knows about the Amiga is Commodore's rotten advertising
campaign. An example of this is the fact that "hypermedia" was out for
the amiga five years ago, but no one knew about it. Then the mac advertising
machine plastered the word "hypermedia" all over the place.

I am not flaming the Mac. I think that it is an excellent machine. But
it is overpriced, and there are other alternatives. I suggest, if you
are considering an Amiga, that you go to a local dealer and try a few
word processing programs...Maybe you'll be surprised.

Jeff Allegrezza