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Date:      Fri, 8 Nov 2002 09:25:44 -0500
From:      "Brian T. Schellenberger" <bts@babbleon.org>
To:        Bakul Shah <bakul@bitblocks.com>, mobile@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: using a laptop as a main machine
Message-ID:  <200211080925.45799.bts@babbleon.org>
In-Reply-To: <200211071824.NAA20180@dreadnought.cnchost.com>
References:  <200211071824.NAA20180@dreadnought.cnchost.com>

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I switched to a laptop as my main (only) computer when my Amiga 1000 bit 
the dust in 1995 or so (I checked and my first posting to FreeBSD list 
was in 1996, so I think that 1995 is right since I used Linux for the 
first six months or so).  (I've had *a* laptop since 1992ish -- a 
Bondwell B200.)


So I have some experience with this . . .


I'm surprised that nobody else has mentioned this.

THE most important feature on a laptop BY FAR is a good warrenty.

I insist on a three-year warrenty, which is why I buy Dells.  Their 
service is excellent.  I didnt get "on-site" service, but they pick up 
and deliver via Airborne Express, and if I ship it on Friday I have it 
back by Tuesday morning, so never without it for more than three days.

I do have a desktop at work.  It runs Windows and it's old an slow and 
the display is muddy but it will do in a pinch, so I can survive three 
(miserable) days without my main machine.

If you use your laptop -- really use it, and I carry mine everywhere; in 
and back to work every day, on my lap with the wireless card outside 
while watching the kids play, in my car while waiting for people; I 
even carry it around the house with me from room to room -- then it 
*will* require service.

If it just sits on your desk 90% of the time, maybe not.


Other important features:

- Display.  It should be high-resolution (at least 1400x1050 at this 
point) and large.
- Battery.  It should last.  My Dell i8000 does not do that well in this 
regard but it can take two batteries.
- All the features of a desktop (CPU, memory, etc).  Do not go backwards 
on anything no matter how tempting for other features or you are almost 
certain to dislike it.  (Well, ok, if you have an 80G drive that's 
never been more than 50% full you could probably drop back on that . . 
.)
- Weight.  The i8000 is not too heavy, but the i7500 I had before was so 
heavy that it was really hard to lug it around everywhere.  I'm really 
damned lucky that it got stolen so that I got a better replacement.





On Thursday 07 November 2002 01:24 pm, Bakul Shah wrote:
| I am getting very tired of enegry wasting hot desktops with
| noisy, dusty unreliable fans, and the need for a separate UPS
| and all that and think it is past time to switch to laptops
| almost completely.  I am sure a lot of you have gone through
| the same transition!  So some questions for people who mainly
| use a laptop and lug it around everywhere: what features do
| you find most useful?  I am not looking for specific model
| recommendations but it would be nice to know just how well
| your current laptop meets your needs and what would you
| change to make it better.
|
| I realize this is a broad topic and there will be different
| personal preferences but I am in fact looking for different
| points of views.
|
| Thanks!
|
| -- bakul
|
| To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org
| with "unsubscribe freebsd-mobile" in the body of the message

-- 
Brian, the man from Babble-On . . . .   bts@babbleon.org (personal)

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