[speaker001:] um so do you have a personal computer
[speaker002:] uh well we do have one in in our home uh it's on the fritz right now because the monitor isn't working properly but uh it has been uh used tremendously mostly by my children for uh playing games
[speaker001:] oh
[speaker002:] however um you know the bane of our existence these days uh but it does have a word processing program which all of us have used for reports reports and papers and that sort of thing
[speaker001:] yeah that's what when this subject was mentioned to us I said well I went gee that's all I use mine for is a word processor and I haven't used it since I got out of college and that was six years ago
[speaker002:] oh wow
[speaker001:] but it it was my sister's who my sister bought it
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] and uh my father had a small business and she thought that he would incorporate it and use it in the business and he never did he always did everything out by hand he only had three employees so
[speaker002:] oh oh yeah
[speaker001:] you know it wasn't really worth it to him to do to do it
[speaker002:] yeah actually it would be worth it if he were able to get a program that would do something that he normally had to do by hand
[speaker001:] yeah like pay the payroll and yeah basically payroll
[speaker002:] exactly and there are lots of them on the market
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] but you do have to research that find out what works for your system what kind do you have
[speaker001:] um it's an IBM I think it's a Professional Three Hundred no that's that's the digital one it's an uh IBM PC Junior I think
[speaker002:] oh well that's a nice computer
[speaker001:] yeah she she uh she uses it now uh my sister to actually she moved and my father wasn't using it she took it with he
[speaker002:] uh-huh so she took it with her yeah don't blame her
[speaker001:] because she needed it to do she just finished up her Bachelor's degree so I don't know if she's going to even use it anymore it it's
[speaker002:] uh-huh yeah oh well well encourage her to try other things because um I am uh I work in a school system and I teach writing and we use the computers a great deal for word processing uh you know because students really do seem to be freer when they write on the computer as you probably found out yourself
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] but um I also am sponsoring a literary magazine and we're doing our entire layout on the computer uh because of the graphics program and a page maker program that we have a publishing program
[speaker001:] oh yeah that's that's neat that's a very good use
[speaker002:] so it is wonderful once you get into some of the programs that are out now you can do so much with them
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] that you don't do until you really make yourself use them
[speaker001:] well I know there there's got to be a lot of uses but it's just you you have to have a need
[speaker002:] you have to make yourself do it yeah
[speaker001:] yeah but you have to have a need I really have no need for it at all um I work for Digital Equipment and we have a powerful computer down at work
[speaker002:] yeah uh-huh oh so you don't need a personal one
[speaker001:] no and I I still really don't do that much as you say play games on it
[speaker002:] yeah yeah yeah
[speaker001:] they're great for playing games my brother
[speaker002:] right well my son is uh studying electronic technology and he's been able to do things on uh on the personal computer here that really have enhanced his um reports and his learning and all because he can lay things out that way
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] um and I guess it if you're doing that sort of thing it's really useful but um unless it is I guess it's kind of a waste
[speaker001:] I know some people who just they just went through a course uh and took the electronic grafting course
[speaker002:] oh that's fascinating uh-huh
[speaker001:] drafting not grafting but drafting course the CAD
[speaker002:] yeah I knew what you meant yeah
[speaker001:] yeah and that's really neat I mean yeah you can do graphs graphs on it too but this is you know this is one step above it but it's actual um drafting and I always
[speaker002:] yeah yes you can do wonderful design it it's really well especially when anyone who's ever done any kind of drafting or engineering uh drawing drawing um you have to be so precise
[speaker001:] yeah and the computer does it all for you
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] so it was really neat I wanted to go to that course but my boss wouldn't pay for it I'm like I'll get a job some day and my boss will pay for it I'll be needed
[speaker002:] oh well yeah
[speaker001:] because um I I I didn't want to go do it myself because I didn't think I was really going to use it
[speaker002:] uh-huh
[speaker001:] I got this cough I've got a cold because it was eighty degrees up here and I went outside with no coat on
[speaker002:] oh boy what a change huh
[speaker001:] yeah it was bad yes it was a big change
[speaker002:] yeah
[speaker001:] you couldn't really wear a coat because it was so hot and then again I picked up a cold
[speaker002:] right
[speaker001:] but I'm doing all right getting over it
[speaker002:] well that's good
[speaker001:] so I don't I don't even know how much um personal computers cost nowadays
[speaker002:] well they vary tremendously um because you can get because you're they're uh the ones that were made a few years ago uh have come down in price significantly um you can get them I've seen them for five and six hundred dollars but they're much less um have much less memory and capable of much less
[speaker001:] yeah they can't do your um your drafting and your graphs and all of that
[speaker002:] no you can't do very much on them right right um well it's just that you have to have uh you have to be able to get your program in and and many many of the programs are so big uh they take up so much space that you don't have any place then to work you don't have any bytes left but um if you um
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] if if you want to go into one that's really useful you're going to have to go over a thousand dollars and even for a personal computer it's probably smart to spend that much and and we've ours is not quite that powerful and so you know we are we are limited which may be one reason why
[speaker001:] you do run into you do run into limitations on yours oh wow
[speaker002:] oh yeah uh-huh some things we can't do but but then we haven't needed to either you know um but we've been able to do what we can
[speaker001:] yeah wow that's neat that you even you even reach the limits of yours I haven't even begun to reach the limits of it I've
[speaker002:] no but I mine is not as good as a PC uh
[speaker001:] yeah junior yeah
[speaker002:] uh Junior yeah yeah ours is a Commodore 128
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] and it it's not quite as um as useful not quite as powerful
[speaker001:] yeah
[speaker002:] so
[speaker001:] they say that Commodore has made a good um PC for the price though
[speaker002:] they did yeah that's very true that's very true they did
[speaker001:] very competitive I don't even I don't even know much money my sister spent on hers but I I just thought I it's it's going to be a waste she's not going to do it not going to use it
[speaker002:] sounds like he that you were right
[speaker001:] oh well yeah well she likes it she gets to write her reports but like I say she could have bought a much cheaper model and done what she wan ted
[speaker002:] yeah and she could have bought a typewriter also
[speaker001:] yeah a typewriter with memory would would have been fine it's all she ever uses it for
[speaker002:] yeah yeah
[speaker001:] um I think it might have a spelling editor on it I'm not sure um
[speaker002:] yeah it yeah it probably if she if it doesn't she could easily put it on
[speaker001:] yeah yeah that's one of the one great thing about it
[speaker002:] yeah right right which program did you use did you use Word Perfect
[speaker001:] um no I I really don't it's it was six years ago she pretty much set it up she goes here this is you make your file and then you can uh edit it right
[speaker002:] oh yeah
[speaker001:] um I used the one the one at work a lot um matter of fact anything I've had to write from now on I had to God forbid write a couple of resumes and I was just great and all you have to do is just put it in a uh the spelling check mode and I don't even have to look my my words up anymore
[speaker002:] uh-huh yeah they're great you're right well I guess we've spent our time I need to go help my daughter do something so
[speaker001:] oh okay good
[speaker002:] this has been fun talking to you
[speaker001:] okay yeah well bye
[speaker002:] good luck uh bye-bye