Doug and Mark You should seriously take a look at the Cytomation Cicero system if you want your FACScan interfaced to a PC running NT. The new Summit software will be out soon to power it and it will be a superb software package. Larry >Douglas S. Smoot wrote: and Mark KuKuruga resonded: > >> 1) We feel we need to upgrade our FACScan computer to something better than >> the HP and something that is Y2K compliant. We are a PC based lab, so we >> don't really want to have a lone MAC operating the flow cytometer. > >I think this is a non-issue. FCS formats as a given, data transfer between >platforms is simply a matter of linking to a LAN. We have Coulter software >generated data sets (Elite and System II) that are often re-analyzed in >CellQuest, and Scan data the reverse. And . . . both are readable by third >party software (I use WinMDI . . . Thanks Joe). >I just recently took delivery of a Vantage SE, so I'll have two Elite ESPs, an >EPICS XL, along with the two MAC workstations running . . . they'll just have to >learn to get along. > >> 2) We also have a Coulter Elite, and we are interested in purchasing the EXPO >> software to run our Elite and our XL. Is there any current experience with >> the latest version? How does it work? Is it worth the upgrade? I am happy >> with the DOS system, but technology marches on, and I would hate to be left in >> the dust. > >I have similar concerns. I've seen demos of these programs, but until you >actually have them running in real acquisition mode, generating and saving data, >you can't say. The problem is that very little is said about these programs. >I've queried this group several times on this very subject, with a response >remarkable for its silence. >The problem here, is "just how far do you go?" If you want to run EXPO, it's >not just "not DOS," but also Windows. So, two changes are necessary . . . >I'm recently thinking that WinNT might be a better way to go ultimately. I've >heard that NT tends to be more stable and predictable. Problem . . . the Elite >workstations (I have two Pentium 90s) may not be strong enough to run NT. If >it's Win95 (or 98, if you want), then I still want some feedback before I >upgrade BOTH the operating system AND the acquisition software. Lacking for a >response from any voice of experience, however, one of us may just have to take >a leap of faith . . . >MAK. >-- >Mark A. KuKuruga, Managing Director >University of Michigan Core Flow Cytometry >kukuruga@medmail.med.umich.edu >
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