The number of PC owners in the freshmen class has doubled compared to last year. In addition, 600 of 1,135 freshmen purchased the one-piece blue-tinted iMac recommended by Computing Services.
Approximately 140 incoming students this year will be using Wintel or Windows-based PCs. Last year's incoming class posted 60, compared with 35 the previous year.
This is only the second year that incoming students have had the option of purchasing a PC/Windows-based Intel (Wintel) computer from Kiewit Computing Services. In the past, PC users had to bring their own computer.
Fifty or 60 members of the Class of 2002 purchased Wintel computers through Kiewit, according to Computing Services spokesman Bill Brawley. An additional 87 freshmen brought their own PCs, he said.
Students may have difficulties integrating their non-Macintosh computers into the predominately Macintosh environment of the College. Although BlitzMail is available in both Macintosh and Windows versions, PC-users still have to access DarTerminal and DCIS Navigator software through a web browser such as Netscape, according to Brawley.
Despite the increase in non-Macintosh computers on campus, the College plans to remain predominately Macintosh, a status it has maintained for 14 years.
"We prefer people stick with using a Macintosh," Brawley said, for the reason that a deeper network of support exists for Macintosh computers since Macintosh has always been the predominant platform at the College.
Brawley said he believes Apple is "coming back strong" with a new management and new products like the iMac.
Typically the majority of students purchase the package recommended by Kiewit Computing Services.
"The iMac computer is the least expensive Mac Operating System we have ever offered," Brawley said.
Opinions of the iMac vary. Anne Delaney '02, who has always been a Mac-user, said the iMacs "are a little too toy-like for me." She purchased a Powerbook G3 to study in the library and take home on vacations.
A chief concern for iMac users is the absence of removable storage media, such as a floppy disk drive. It is not possible to perform backups of data stored on the computer without additional hardware.
IMac users can purchase separate external drives though they are more expensive than previously cited. Brawley said when the decision was made in the spring to advertise the iMac as the recommended package, Computing Services believed the drives would be available for about $50. Students actually purchasing an external drive will "be lucky to get one for under $100," Brawley said.
An alternative to the external drive will soon be available through Computing Services. A network storage system called Dartfolders will allow students to store 10 Megabytes on a public server.
Similar to the Public Fileserver, the Dartfolders will be accessible from any computer on campus. Stored information will be protected. Files can be downloaded and altered only by the student or specified people the student has granted access.
The Dartfolders central storage system will be available to everyone, not just iMac users.
