Quarterdeck 3.3
Quarterdeck 3.3
By D. Craig Cooper
. . .Continued from part 1
[150K] 
[174K] Graduate students Michael Baca and Beom Seog (Vincent) Han
add memory and video cards to a Power Mac for the new microcomputer lab.
(Photos by Rahilla C.A. Shatto)
After identifying this need, the next step was to negotiate with the department
for a place to put the new computers and integrate them into the existing
network. At this point in the story, the oceanography department was in
the process of finding a new head and the departmental computer system was
going through a university audit to find ways to pay for itself. As a stop-gap
measure, Dr. Eric Powell (then chair of the computer operations committee)
began billing users of the department's Unix and DEC systems and planned
to extend charges to the departmental Macintosh computers. The OGC felt
that it was imperative for any new microcomputers be free of usage-based
fees, and for all students to have a minimal, cost-free access to electronic
mail and other network services.
This problem was solved approximately six months later when the new department
head, Dr. David Brooks, created a committee to provide a long-term plan
for the operation and devel-opment of the departmental computer system.
This committee, headed by Dr. George Jackson with Luiz Fernandes representing
the students, along with the ongoing computer operations com-mittee headed
by Dr. Eric Powell with Anthony Lyons and Jeff Haney representing the students,
hatched a compromise plan in which the OGC pays $3,000 per year from the
enhancement funds toward the departmental computer system to "buy"
a basic usage package for all graduate students. Under this agreement, students
receive unlimited free use of all departmental microcomputers, limited printing,
email, access to the Internet, and an adequate amount of disk space and
CPU time on the UNIX system. UNIX usage above the baseline amount will be
paid for by other sources. In addition, OGC will use Graduate Enhancement
Funds to contribute to equipment and software upgrades on a case-by-case
basis.
After negotiating this maintenance agreement with the department, OGC was
free to generate a purchase list for new microcomputer hardware and software,
as well as new desks and chairs to furnish a microcomputer lab in room 1102.
After open discussion and debate with the graduate student body, OGC decided
to purchase five Power Macintoshes with access to Internet and electronic
mail, SoftWindows for compatibility with DOS-based systems, and a variety
of Macintosh software. The package conserves costs while providing an immediate
upgrade in departmental computing power that will mature into a solid foundation
for long-term growth. In addition, the OGC surveyed new microcomputer labs
around the Texas A&M campus and consulted with university interior design
specialists in order to design a durable facility and a comfortable working
environment.
The table below is optimized for Netscape 1.1. Here
is a text version.
| Hardware | Software |
|---|---|
6 Power Macintosh 7100/80AV Computers
|
Microsoft Office |
| 6 17" Multi-Scan Color Displays | Graphics
|
| 2 270-MB SyQuest Drives | Data Processing
|
| 1 Flatbed color scanner* | Communications
|
| 1 Black and white laser printer* | |
| *to be purchased in spring 1996 | *to be purchased in spring 1996 |
6 Power Macintosh 7100/80AV Computers Each with
6 17" Multi-Scan Color Displays 2 270-MB SyQuest Drives 1 Flatbed color scanner (to be purchased in spring 1996) 1 Black and white laser printer (to be purchased in spring 1996)
Microsoft Office Graphics
Data Processing
Communications
[Next | Previous
| Contents | Home] 
Oceanography, Texas A&M University
rshatto@ocean.tamu.edu
URL=http://oceanography.tamu.edu/Quarterdeck/QD3.3/Cooper/cooper-b.html Updated January 8, 1996