Choice of monitor

ALTHOUGH APPLE COMPUTERS featured exclusively on the Isle of Man’s computer bus - remarkably the first piece of ICT kit to find its way onto the bus was this Viewsonic G90F 19" CRT Monitor (LEFT).

It was mated here with an Apple keyboard and mouse in order to confirm that there was (just) space for a bulky cathode ray tube (CRT) monitor on the benches.

As shown by the third picture, there was not quite enough room, and it is probably just as well that Apple’s 15” LCD screen (BELOW) came along just in time to save space, weight and power requirement. And it was also just as well Manx Telecom agreed to pay for these, which would otherwise have been unaffordable to the Education Department !

Choice of monitor

29/05/1998

AT THE TIME of the computer bus development, the Viewsonic G90F 19" CRT Monitor (LEFT) was the standard-issue monitor used in the Isle of Man Schools. And it was one of these that was first aboard the bus in early 1998.

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RIGHT: The Apple Studio Display (LCD), introduced a 15.1" viewable area active-matrix LCD display perched upon a dark blue adjustable stand with integrated ADB and S-Video in ports. Although sales were modest, this display initiated the more general industry transition from CRT-based to LCD-based displays.

ABOVE: The test featuring the bulky Viewsonic monitor and Apple keyboard/mouse combination showing the limited space available had this been progressed.

ABOVE: General interior view during conversion, showing the plywood false floor fitted to reduce the intrusion of wheel arches etc into the saloon.

ABOVE: Probably seen on launch day September 11th 1998, showing the original layout of the computer bus. Notice that at this stage the G3 minitower computers were simply sat on a foam pad on the floor, and lashed to the work surface legs with luggage straps. After a short time, DEXION racking was added beneath the desks to provide a much more secure location for the equipment, racking which lasted until the advent of the all-in-one G4 iMacs which could be bolted directly to the desktops.