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Laptop suggestions?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by playthrough, May 13, 2008.

  1. zebracoy

    zebracoy Guest

    That was the issue with mine, among many other things. I will never buy another Toshiba product again.
     
  2. mike311gd

    mike311gd Active Member

    Like I say in every one of these threads, I like Dell. I've never had a problem with Dell.
     
  3. dooley_womack1

    dooley_womack1 Well-Known Member

    Just remember, if lolcat can has cheezeburger, you can has laptop.

    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 15, 2014
  4. JakeandElwood

    JakeandElwood Well-Known Member

    Same here. I love their on-site service. I've had a few minor issues that were fixed very quickly.
     
  5. pressmurphy

    pressmurphy Member

    I think software is at least as much a consideration as hardware.

    I've been onboard with most of what Microsoft has done over the years, but Vista is a clunker because of load times, browser crashes, software crashes, etc.

    If they build future generations of their OS from the Vista platform, I'm probably going to have to go the Linux route for my next laptop three or four years down the road.
     
  6. Michael Echan

    Michael Echan Member

    So in light of the Vista issues, what direction should I go in?
     
  7. pressmurphy

    pressmurphy Member

    Consider buying locally from a reputable computer store that will custom-build the laptop or PC to your specs. If they're worth a damn, they can build it with Linux as your OS.

    Last year, I went to a local shop which has been my old paper's vendor of choice for several years. They helped me build a PC for a friend that cost me $200 less than I would have otherwise spent because I was able to opt out of stuff that comes standard from Gateway or Dell but wasn't needed for this particular project.

    But I offer this important disclaimer: I do not know what the implications are for running some other software -- Microsoft Office or TurboTax, for instance -- on the Linux platform. Not having done it myself yet, I can't vouch for the stability of those apps on anything other than a Microsoft OS.
     
  8. KevinmH9

    KevinmH9 Active Member

    I had a Dell Inspiron 5150 laptop for four years, but I had to get rid of it because it fell and then completly went to hell. I don't care much for the Vista issues, but my family and I have always used Dell and it's been the most reliable option for me. Nowadays you can buy a cheap laptop from the Dell website for under $600 that can provide you at least 1-2GB and a decent enough processor to give you a fast connection. I'm on a Dell right now and I'll say it works like a charm.
     
  9. pressmurphy

    pressmurphy Member

    I will go back to what I've said frequently: Dell has served me well over the years, and they deserve kudos for their in-home service option should anything go wrong. In the newspaper business, a comparable level of customer service would mean having the carrier place the morning paper on the kitchen table (opened to the sports section), turn on the Mr. Coffee machine and pop a couple of slices of cinnamon bread in the toaster each day.
     
  10. 2muchcoffeeman

    2muchcoffeeman Well-Known Member

    Not all local computer shops can support Linux systems, though any can build one. A couple of computer shops locally come to me when they have a user with Linux problems.

    WINE (Windows Is Not Emulated) is a decent emulator with a solid developer base around the world. I haven't had to use it. OpenOffice is as good as MS Office at this point (saves in *doc format and a filter can be added for *.docx, while OO3 will have docx support automatically). TurboTax can be run through Intuit's website for most users; if anybody really wants to know, I can research the topic and report back (I suspect that I won't have to). Gnucash is a standout financial manager that does everything Quicken and QuickBooks can do.

    Dell has Ubuntu Linux available as a preinstalled option on several of its systems. Other vendors include System 76 (builds its own systems), Emperor Linux (resells several different laptops, including Tinkpads), Los Alamos Computers and The Linux Laptop Company, which resells Dell laptops with Linux installed.

    Look for a laptop with an ATI or Intel graphic chipset (nVidia's Linux support has gone in the shitter over the past couple of years) and at least 1GB of memory (which is as much as you'll probably need — I have that much RAM on my Gateway laptop and can't even use half of it).
     
  11. pressmurphy

    pressmurphy Member

    2much: Excellent. Thanks for chiming in.
     
  12. Madhavok

    Madhavok Well-Known Member

    Love my MacBook. It's my first Mac and I wish I would have bought one way back when. Have had this for just over two months and I don't see myself going back to the other side, ha.
     
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