European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - February 14, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse Shopping for a stories by Mary Neth consumer editor Merica s personal computer crate Hil the european military Community with a vengeance in 87 and there is no slowdown in sight Lor by computer sates Al our store doubled last says George g. Smith manager of the cafes sight and sound Center in Frankfurt i eur Eccl even bigger sates in the months the store n Frank furl boasts i he i hid largest safes computer selection in Europe. Cafes in Skull Varthas the largest followed by the Lorein Furth we Are number one. Though Whan it comes to software says. Sales have been running a found 1100,000 a the Frankfurt Center also oilers servicing software is the name Al the game in the computer world 11 $ who makes the computer perform tasks like turning out neat business letters keeping track of the family budget and running entertainment programs. To also Lias been a weak computer Industry area according Loserth the big problem has teen . Now the software manufacturers Are catching up. The Market is Smith says there Are two top categories of military computer shoppers with needs that Are entirely different. Many tint time computer buyers Are parents with Young children. What they want is an inexpensive machine for Gams play that will prepare the kids for the computer they we work on in school often these people who enter the computer world through games then go on to More sophisticated use says Smith. The other big category of buyers is made up of members of the military who use computers on the Job they want a computer that is compatible with he one at the office in Case they take work Home. For the uninitiated tha computer world can be a mind blowing Nowc of unfamiliar technical terms Chris Hanawalt the Frankfurt Exchange s computer sales supervisor who studied computer science in College. Is used to helping hoopla through that period of numb indecision. It s a matter of gelling Down to basics she says. Mar Lisl question is always directed to use. Is the person interested in playing games in business application or mainly writing. After the Choice is narrowed to the Type of computer needed Hanawalt can advise on the different Caparbi flies and what Type of printers and other accessories Are available same computers can be expanded Lex greater memory others can be made ism compatible. Computers can be classified according to three Basic types. There Are tha old time tested machines particularly suitable Lor playing games writing tiling and budgeting. There Are the mouse machines which Are Strong on graphics and sound. There Are the ibis end compatibles that Are it in the business world and offer the largest selection of new software. Cafes Alock i Commodore computers which Are purchased primarily for game play. Ii is the Only Model cafes setts that can be purchased a piece at a Lime. Two Commodore keyboards the Sac at $179 and the 128 at $279 Are locked. These can add up to a child s first computer that won t break the family budget. I can hardly keep the t 28 in Slock says Smith. It is wry tha Home to can be used As the computer screen or Monitor Lor both of these keyboards. Laler if a ached the systems can a expanded to include their own screens and printers the 128 is faster and has More computer memory than the 64. To Rune Ira programs with these keyboards a disk drive is needed cafes offers two at $179 end $139. Disk drives provide the Slot for entering external programs to be run on t he comp Tor. These ready to use programs come on so called floppy disks. On some systems the floppies Are encased in hard plastic cafes also carries hard disk drives for a the computers in Sells Bill the Astrad. They Are priced from 1700 on up. Among educational directed computers Smith Rales the Apple which can be listed in the mouse group of computers As most popular. What is a mouse7 it ise computer attachment connected by a Little Cable the mouse s Tail that is used to move Bio cursor on the computer screen and make program choices. The Apple pigs ,595at cafes is used in the department of defense dependents schools he says. This Means children can practice school lessons with tha one in the Home. Other Moum machines carried by cafes Are the Apple macintosh plus $1,699 and the atari 520 St $729which oilers impressive color graphics but does not have As Broad a base of software As the Mac. In the third Supol computers the business world compatibles cafes cart standy and Cordia systems compatible to the higher priced ism pc Dos machines a Cordia laser Printer i available Tor $2,195. Toe Cordia computer can be switched from 110 10220-Voll current. And the rest Oltha cafes computers Runyon Lynn 110 Volls which makes use of a transformer a necessity in most overseas areas. Smith says that some cafes customers have worried that even when used with transformer the 110-Vcfl computers might be damaged by a different electrical Cycle. There is no basis Lor such he says. The Cycle has absolutely no affect Ana computer operating though Smith rates the Cordata As an excellent computer he believes the Tandy too so which he said is the number one personal computer in the United states Wilt be his holiest seller. The 1000 so is priced at $765 a go Wilh Daisy wheel Printer sets for km9.the store also caries Theta Andy 1000 to is .079. The Tandy 1000 sex s1.079the Tandy he $629 and the Tandy 200. A portable $719. Portable computers have become popular in the past few years. People frequently use them while on business trips. On return Home they revert to a desktop Model is Dos machines like the Tandy and Cordia arc faster than older generation computers. They also can store More information and Are in the forefront of computer Lech orgy. Before ism came up with the pc Dos operating system pm was Standard Lor machines that did t Cany an exclusive manufacturer s system. The entry of is oos has revolutionized tha computer world and caused cries of anguish from owners of he earlier pm operating systems comp Tor mag Acnes and software companies Are now is Dos or computer freaks Wil do but pour Over and pm software is however and there computer should re compatible Factor e purpose. She suggests a v Lor a person who by that will atom or stir typewriter comp the user to repo Siti paragraphs and de writing. Theams Raduc Complete with Prin three pm disks in processing program excellent Choice is she Points Cut tha Minicomputer As it Al programs. Cafes carries Soi Sells. 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