PC

Computing
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Hardware

Build your own PC --
It's easier to build your own PC than you might expect. There are only about a dozen modules to select, and they all pretty much just plug in to each other. The most difficult part is selecting the modules. The advantage is that you know what you've got when you are done, and you know how to maintain and upgrade it. You won't really save money (unless you reuse modules as I have), but the quality is generally better. The PC shown here is my 3rd. (my Dad has the 2nd). Assembly of the first PC is a weekend project; the second can be done in an evening.

Modules from one of my earlier PCs (Aug '98) --
o Enlight ATX Mid Tower with 250W Power supply
o AMD K6-II 300 Mhz Processor
o ASUS P5A 100Mhz Socket 7 System Board
o 8.4 Gigabyte Western Digital Caviar Hard Drive
o 64 Megabyte PC-100 SDRAM
o Matrox G200 Graphics Card
o Diamond S3 Graphics Card for 2nd monitor
o 32X Toshiba CDROM
o Ensoniq PCI Sound Card
o Mitsumi Floppy Drive
o Standard 104 Key IBM Keyboard
o Logitech PS1 First Mouse
o External 56K Modem
There is also an Ethernet card to network with the other computers.

Computer Hardware Links

Neutron Computers -- My favorite place to obtain computer modules
TC Computers -- Another place to buy parts
Price Watch -- Lists the lowest prices available on computer modules
Byers Product Search -- Another way to find products, prices, etc.
Tom's Hardware Guide -- More than you ever wanted to know about selecting computer modules
Anand Tech Reviews -- Another source of information on computer hardware

.Software

Operating System (OS) --
While Windows is the most popular consumer OS, UNIX is more often used in commercial development environments. Linux is a freely-distributable, UNIX-like OS that runs on a PC (and other platforms). You can have the best of both worlds by installing both Operating Systems on the same PC. With this "dual boot" arrangement, you can boot to either OS on startup. I use Windows 98 to run consumer software and Caldera OpenLinux Base for running Unix programs.

Linux Links

Linux Resources -- Good place to start
Linux Documentation Project -- Lots of info
Linux Central -- One place to order Linux
Caldera Systems -- A commercial Linux distribution

Application Software --
Outside of the standard office suite and browser, applications vary with the intended use of the equipment, but there are few that will enhance just about any computing environment. Some of my favorites:
o ACDSee -- the only way to view graphics files (shareware). Just get it.
o Winamp -- MP3 player; near CD quality music from the internet see www.mp3.com
o WS_FTP -- File Transfer Program.
o Adobe Photoshop (expensive) or Paint Shop Pro (shareware).

Application Software Links --

Tucows -- Good shareware download site
Shareware.com -- Search for shareware
ZDNet Software Library -- Another large site
Microsoft Download -- A lot of free/beta software
Adobe Systems (commercial graphics software including Photoshop).
Paint Shop Pro (shareware graphics software similar to Photoshop)