Logistics

DW is no light-duty software. Just the installation of the demo version (dated back to 2002) included on the CD in the book takes more than 300MB of disk space. The project files created by DW is also quite large compared to other tools. Floppy disks are not a viable medium for storing project files!

Only section A of room 152 is loaded with the full version of DW. This means you can only use the computers in section A to run DW. All of those computers are equipped with USB ports.

My recommendation is to get a USB flash storage device. If you intend to use USB devices to store all kinds of homework assignments and as a general portable storage device, the USB flash card reader are good options. This way, you only need to purchase additional flash media to expand the total storage ability. If you own digital cameras or other devices using flash media, a simple flash reader allows you to reuse the low capacity flash media (16MB or 32MB) that you have outgrown.

If you don't have a digital camera, and just want to get a USB mass storage device for this class, you should get the integrated ones. These are available from many places. Most stores selling computer peripherals will carry such devices. The advantages of these integrated units include the small size, ease to carry and ease of use. A quick survey reveals that, as of now (2004/01/20), a 256MB USB drive is about US$40 from eBay. The retail price at a store is probably about US$50 or so (remember, you usually have to pay for shipping and handling with online purchase).