European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 31, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes computers tuesday May 31,1994 keyboard software shopping for kids. One of the most frequent questions i get is a where can i find Good software for my children a or grandchildren As is often the Case when grandma and grandpa give the family a personal computer As a present. There Are plenty of Fine programs on the shelves for children of All Ages the problem is that kids Are All different and with children a titles Selling for $20 to $50 a pop experimenting with different programs to find one that your youngsters like and you approve of can be an expensive proposition. But if your computer has a cd rom drive and sound capabilities you and your youngsters can shop for software at the keyboard a and try out dozens of titles from major publishers a with a sub seption to club kid soft. For $29.95 a year your kids will get four issues that include a cd rom full of tryout software in windows or macintosh flavors and a Slick colourful Magazine full of games activities and information about children a programs. A disk Only subscription is $19.95, while the Magazine alone is $9.95. If you like a program you can Call club kid soft s 800 number and order it by mail or in Many cases Exchange credit card information for a code number that a a unlocks a full version of the program stored on the cd. From the cd the program is transferred to your hard disk. Instant gratification. In addition each compact disk contains a couple of simple games for the youngsters a video featuring a couple of Young Djus actually More of an a a infomercial for computer makers and software publishers and four audio tracks of music sound effects and kids Jive talk that you can play on an audio cd player. There a also an on disk Catalon sear Chable by title category and age group with screen shots of each program a full description and information adults May need about recommended age ranges and hardware requirements. While it opens the door to dozens of programs your kids May enjoy a subscription to club kid soft can also pay for itself by alerting you to titles that Appeal to you but do nothing for your youngsters. If you find a title you like i recommend that you resist the a get it now temptation and order the entire software package by mail. The copy Protection scheme the company uses makes the installation from the cd Good Only for your particular computer. Should your hard disk Ever crash or should you Trade in your system for a new one you la have to Call up the company and get another unlocking code. If you buy the full software package which often includes a written manual you la have the original floppy disks should something Ever go wrong. For information Contact club kid soft 718 University avc., suite 112, los Siatos Calif. 95030, or Call 800 354-6150. A Michael a Himowitz get schooled in pc the Campus scene quickly becoming a High tech world by Michael a Himowitz Baltimore Sun this weeks mail brought a question from a Reader whose granddaughter will be graduating from High school soon. He wants to buy her a present to take away to College and thinks a computer would be a Good idea. But he wants to know what kind a ism compatible or macintosh he a also worried about crowded dorm rooms and wants to know which is better a Laptop or desktop Model and he wants to know what kind of Printer to buy. They re All Good questions and its not too Early to think about the issues. To find the answers you la need to do a bit of research a or have your favorite graduate to be do it for you. First things first. Colleges have been in the forefront of Community computing for years and Many now have dorm rooms wired into Campus networks that give students and faculty Access to College mainframes from their desktop pcs. A handful of schools actually require incoming students to have their own computers. A a a a a a a a a a a electronic mail is now a favorite form of Campus communication and some parents with Access to the internet or even an account on a commercial on line service such As Compuserve Prodigy or America online find it cheap and con Vencint to keep in touch with their offspring electronically. In fact one father recently told me that his son a who had never written his parents a letter in his life a now communicates regularly via email. A am broke a Send Money seems to be a favorite message. At some schools students can submit research papers to their teachers electronically Over the Campus network or just hand the professor a disk. Computer Friendly academics believe this kind of interaction reinforces the collegial nature of scholarship by making it easy for professors to make comments on works in Progress and for students to make revisions. 1 which computer is Best for your student often depends on the schools particular computer  Apple which has Long standing relationships with educational institutions made deals with Many colleges Early on and the predominant culture at these institutions is macintosh if most students and faculty use macs and the College has a network set up to support them then a Mac is a Wise decision. Other schools May have ism cultures while still others Welcome All Comers. Even within a College departments May have their favourites. For example English professors May like to Exchange Mac documents written in Microsoft word while business administration departments May prefer ism compatibles running Lotus 1-2-3c Long the Standard tool of the corporate world. Since most of a students work involves research papers and reports the Choice of word processing software is important. In the Mac world Microsoft word is dominant while word perfect dominates the ism compatible Market. However the Type of computer May not be As important As it once was. Many application programs now come in both Mac and ism flavors and their files Are compatible across both platforms. Even so its important to Cheek beforehand with the admissions department the academic department your student is considering for a major or students already at the school. If the College has no preference other factors come into play such As the Type of computer the family has at Home. If your student is going to bring work Home on vacation its easier if he or she has the same Type of computer at school. The question of Laptop is. Desktop computer is largely one of personal preference and budget. Desktop machines offer expandability and readability. A Sharp 14 or 15-Inch color Monitor is easier on the eyes than a Small Laptop screen and a full size keyboard is less Likely to produce typists cramp than the Elf sized keys on Many of today a notebook computers. If your Stu Olleges have been in the forefront of Community computing for years and Many now have dorm rooms wired into Campus networks that give students and faculty Access to College mainframes from their desktop pcs. Dent is interested in multimedia a cd rom drives sound and music a its also much easier and cheaper to do it with a desktop machine. On the other hand laptops done to occupy much real estate in crowded dorm rooms and they re easy to tote to class or the Library. They also eliminate the problem of incompatible Home and school computers. A Laptop generally costs at least 50 percent More than a desktop computer with equivalent horsepower the disparity is even greater for models with Good color screens. Laptops Are also More Likely to break and More expensive to repair. Since Many portables also have external Monitor connections a Good Compro Mise a at a Premium of $300 to $400 a is a Laptop computer with stand alone Monitor for your students desk. More Money a lot will buy a Laptop with a so called a Docking station such As the macintosh Power Book duo. The Docking station turns the Laptop into the equivalent of a full desktop computer although this is probably overkill for the average College workload. In any event if you re sending a student away with a computer its Best to stick with a name Brand largely because it will be easier to find service in the area should something go wrong. A service contract to supplement the original warranty May not be a bad idea too. If you re considering a machine from a Large mail order manufacturer such As Dell or Gateway Check to make sure their service usually provided by third a parties is available in your student s location. This usually Isnit an Issue for colleges located in or near major cities but it May be a problem for schools in Rural. Areas. \ a a a. A. A a \. On the printing front there a Good news for College students. Inexpensive $300 to $400 Ink Jet printers from Hewlett Packard Cannon Epson Apple and other manufacturers produce excellent output. They re much quieter and faster than Dot matrix printers which Are rapidly disappearing. If desk space is an Issue look for a compact Model. Some fit into remarkably Small Comers and others a designed for portable use a can literally be packed away in a drawer when they re not needed. For students involved in heavy research and publication a particularly in revisions of Large documents that require frequent draft printouts a a laser Printer May be a better Choice. These offer the Best Quality and even the slowest laser Printer at four pages per minute is twice As fast As a Good in Jet. Low end laser printers that Are Fine for College work Start at about $800. However Many schools offer networked laser printers for their students so the extra expense May not be necessary