There’s a caveat. Some networks may work with many machines but may not be as powerful as those dedicated to one brand.
So Apples and IBMs might both share the same hard disk but might not be able to read each other’s files without costly add-ons.
How Fast Do You Want the Network to Transfer Information?
It’ll depend largely on the type of network—a topic covered later in this chapter.
Wangnet will zip information over the wires many times faster than will The WEB; it’s a boon for those who need that capability but a frill for those who don’t.
Mind you, a network itself isn’t necessarily the main determinant of the speed with which files zip back and forth between machines.
The speed of your computers’ floppies in many cases will count more than the network’s transmission rate, and that’s true to a lesser extent of Winchester hard disks. Different networks, of course, may work faster or slower when teamed up with the same computer. Also, some networks seem fast when you don’t have many users. But then, with a large number, rival networks are faster.
How Much of a Load Do You Want to Put On Your Network—and Can It Handle It?
How many computers do you want hooked in? And how much of a strain will they place on the network before it crashes or slows down to a bothersome extent?
If people are running data-base programs on colleagues’ files, a network might only work with a few users, but if they’re just occasionally swapping electronic files, the same system may accommodate hundreds of computers.