This question has gone around before, but everyone's needs differ somewhat. I hope kpluggers haven't gotten tired of the subject.
..so I think I'm finally going to break down and get a laptop. My wife, Barbara, is going on a genealogy trip next month and wishes to take some notes on the go. She's made a suggestion that is hard to resist. She thinks she could share one of these things with me, since typically either of us needs the portability at different times. She even thinks she might use this opportunity to jump into a Linux environment -- no dual boot needed, even! Sorry for burdening you all with my personal life, but I just had to tell someone! :-) Anyway, Karen should get a kick out of it -- K: you out there? I'm going to have to make a decision and actually get a laptop ready to go by June 11. About budget: I'm thinking that the $400 kind would probably be rather disappointing, and the $2000 kind seem pretty excessive. But I don't mind something in the $1200 range, and maybe even a bit more. Some general questions: Does anyone have a wide-screen (16:9, 10:6, ..) format and regret it? I see resolutions like 1280x800 and 1680x1050. The latter sounds especially nice to me -- I tend to use multiple windows and like the real estate. Anybody have negative experiences with such res? What do people think is a good overall screen size? What's the max that is still convenient to carry around, and actually fit on one's lap? See previous question re wide-screen. I'm attracted to the dual core animals. If I'm not really doing processor intensive stuff is that a total waste of money -- or just a mild indulgence? If I go with a dual core, which of AMD and Intel is better in the laptop environment? That is, with respect to power consumption, bang/buck, ??? Any general advice on processor and related (eg mobo) is welcomed. I'm thinking that 2GB would be a nice RAM size. That should allow running openoffice and several browsers and gimp all at the same time without straining, maybe. Hard disk should be at least 60GB, I suppose. I even see 120's are not too uncommon. Nobody should ever need more that that, eh? Oh, I don't run games or video editing apps, and think I probably don't get much benefit from high powered video hardware. I would prefer not to pay any Microsoft tax, of course. Anybody want to tell me I would be happy spending $900 rather than 1200-1400, please feel free. Alright. What should I consider that I can get into my hands and working with (say) Ubuntu or Fedora in 10 days or so. Other general advice also welcomed. TIA & Regards, ..jim -- [email protected] http://www.kernel-panic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/kplug-list
