Computers who needs em... ... You Do!!!

By Tim Shudt

I am sure that there are a lot of you out there that are like I was. Me use a computer… no way!! There is no way that I can use this machine because I am not a rocket scientist or brain surgeon. And if I even try, and push the wrong button, man that machine is headed for the junkyard. Well all of those statements cannot be further from the truth. I remember the first time I sat down in front of one, I never felt so intimidated. Believe me I was more relaxed taking my wastewater certification test, going for a job interview, standing up to the neighborhood - bully you name it, all except for flying!! Any one that knows me understands the last remark. But I think you get the idea. How can it not be intimidating? You are sitting in front of a machine with a keyboard and monitor and you know this thing is supposed to do wonderful things, but how? The first step is to look for the on/off button! Come on guys we turn things on and off all the time, 50 hp pumps, belt presses, mixers, operate heavy equipment, etc. and not even bat an eye. But when it comes time to turn that computer on it is like, no way man, I am not pushing that button. If I don't push it right I will probably end up sending a nuclear warhead on it's way to end time as we know it! There must be a phobia of this, but I can't find the name anywhere. Just push the on button and the computer will do the rest… trust me! All kidding aside, a computer is a very valuable tool, not only at home but also at work. Once you hit that on button and the computer "boots up", the possibilities are endless. Imagine your maintenance records and process control data appearing with a click of a mouse. Imagine the computer telling you that it is time to perform a maintenance task or that you are out of your operational strategy and predict what changes will help you get back on course. Imagine the information that you can find about water and wastewater treatment on the Internet, not to mention the ability to shop for equipment and products online. These are just a few examples, but the possibilities are endless. Another benefit is record keeping. Imagine when your inspector comes by on his yearly visit and asks to see your operational data; no problem just click on the folder that has the data in it and there it is. No more fumbling through filing cabinets while he or she stands there and waits! For those of you that keep track of a lot of data, trying to sort through it all to pinpoint where you went off course can be a challenge. Using a program like Microsoft Excel, you can easily graph the data and then the problem is easier to see, rather than staring at a large spreadsheet with a lot of numbers on it. Computers are becoming more affordable every day. Price is just an issue of the thrills that are added to it. A basic computer for everyday use can easily be purchased for under $1500 and that includes a monitor, printer and sometimes a scanner. More expensive computers today with faster processors can easily reach the $2500 mark. Why are some computers more expensive than others? Well there are a few but the biggest is the processor. All processors today are reliable. The three main ones out there today are the AMD, Pentium III, and the Celeron. Intel makes both the Celeron and the Pentium's. Celerons are the least expensive but work quite well reach speeds of around 500mhz. While the Pentium III are quite a bit more money, they are quite a bit zippier than the Celeron and their speed is already capable of 1 ghz! There are other factors that affect proccessor performance but we will look at that another time. Most computers built today can be upgraded pretty easily. When shopping for a computer, be sure to check if there are open bays for devices such as zip drives, and CDW-RW drives. Also be sure that the memory can be upgraded; most PC's come equipped with 32 or 64 MB of Ram. That is usually plenty, unless you plan on having a lot of programs open at one time or if you plan on doing a lot of graphical work. Still memory today is very inexpensive so if you need more it will cost around $50 for 32Mb of memory. Also processors can be upgraded simply by removing the old one and plugging in the newer one. Although processor upgrades can be rather expensive depending on how much faster you want to go. The size of your hard drive is also something that you need to look at before purchasing a computer. A few things to think about are; how many programs do you plan on having on your system? Will I be using a digital camera and storing pictures on the hard drive? Storing digital images on your computer can use up quite a bit of disk space rather quickly, so be sure your hard drive is big enough. A hard disk of between 13 and 20 GB should be sufficient and not increase the overall cost of the system by that much. If you want a smaller hard drive and still want to use digital images, you may want to consider a Zip drive or a CDW-RW drive. A Zip drive can hold between a 100mb and 250mb depending on the size you choose. Zip disks are expensive and cost between $15 and $20 per disk, where as a CDW-RW disk can hold 650 MB and cost only a fraction of what a Zip disk cost. Although the Zip disk unit itself only costs between $100 and $150, the CDR-RW drive can cost over $250. Another consideration in what you choose is for backing up your system. If you have all your original CD's for your programs and you only have some data that is irreplaceable, then a Zip drive would be adequate, but if you need to back up your programs and have a lot of documents and other material that you can not afford to lose, then a CDW-RW drive may be a better choice. Also look at the software bundles that come with your system just about every system come with Windows 98 or 2000 as an operating system. But other software can be varied depending on the system that you buy. Be sure to look for an office suite such as Microsoft Office or Corel. There are other choices too with fewer frills such as Microsoft Works or Lotus. Nonetheless, you will need at least a word processor for typing documents and a spreadsheet program for keeping track of process control data and inventory. Also if possible acquire a database program such as Microsoft Access to keep track of mailing lists, phone numbers, inventory and maintenance items. This is probably enough to get started and as you learn more about operating a computer and decide what else you would like to do, then go out and buy the appropriate software. Not to worry Solitaire comes with windows 98 as does Hearts and Free Cell, so no need to buy any games right away! Not that any of us has time to play games…. Right? Before buying a computer be sure to do your homework, go on line if you can and compare systems and prices. Not all systems are created equal. First evaluate what you plan on doing with the computer now and the future. Like I said earlier, computers today can be upgraded easily, so first on the list, be sure that the one you select can be. PC World is a good website for comparing computers. Also take into consideration your printer. Some ink jet printers are better than others and price is not always a true reflection of this. Prices usually increase with the speed of the printer and the print quality. When shopping for a printer; compare price, quality (dpi), speed (ppm) and even the cost to replace ink cartridges. Some ink cartridges are very expensive ($30-$40). Once again, you need to decide how much you plan on printing and how fast you want your pages to print. In most cases you can buy a quality printer to suit most needs for between $100-$150. Finally, look at the warranty. This is very important because most problems do not usually happen right away. Most come with a 1-year warranty, which is adequate in most cases, but considering some of the environments that we will be using a computer, a better bet is a 2 or 3-year warranty just to protect your investment. When problems arise and they do, it can be very costly depending on the situation. Also look for technical support. This can range between 1-year and lifetime support. Also look for 24 hour toll-free support because it will seem when you are having problems, everyone in the world is having problems, so be prepared to spend some time on hold listening to their local radio station. That's where an early riser like myself will call at 4:30 am and usually only has to wait a short period.

In our next issue we will go over various software and some tips and tricks to hopefully make your computing experience a little easier. So go ahead and push that button, it won't hurt a bit! And open a whole other world with endless possibilities!