My old laptop is getting slow, the touchpad is unstable and the battery is getting weak. It's an almost 3 yrs old Centrino 1.4 Mhz with 512 MB ram, a 5400 rpm 40 GB HD, 1400*1050 15" screen made by Scandinavian Zepto. It isn't exactly broken, just very well used and I'm thinking it'll give up the ghost in some months.
I used to run XP on it. Got tired of it crashing for no apparent reason and updates that broke things instead of fixing them. So I switched to Linux but I'm not really happy with it. I've tried a couple of different distributions and currently use SUSE 10.1 which works fine but I just can't seem to get comfortable with it. Basic tasks as upgrading software and using it for managing and editing photos is causing me trouble and I can't find the help I need - online help is either not specific enough or I simply don't understand it because I lack the basic knowledge and I don't know anybody who uses Linux. So it is working but I can't use it as I want.
I only use it for personal use. Mostly Internet browsing and digital photography. My preferences are in general for a lightweight and small computer with a good keyboard and battery life. Budget would be around £700 but I'd prefer to spend less if possible.
So now the question is: what should I get as a replacement? I'm pretty good at using Windows but don't care much for it with the crashes and many minor irritating issues. I like the idea of using Linux but I simply don't have the skills and I'm out of patience. So I'm thinking a Macbook would be a good solution: easy to use (I'm told), nice design and 13" and lightweight. I haven't used Mac before but I'm hoping it's intuitive and easy to learn. It really needs to be as I don't know any Mac-users I can turn to for help.
Alternatively I'm considering a Thinkpad (X series) but these are expensive and I'd have to use Windows - but the keyboard and sturdy design is appealing to me.
In the ideal world I'd have a Thinkpad running a crash-proof non-annoying version of Windows that I could figure out how to use :)
What do you guys recommend?
Thanks,
Mabuse
Macs are brilliant ... and if you decide to get one check out their REFURB store for some bargains http://store.apple.com/Apple/WebObjects ... .5.1.0.1.1
And I have heard that for about £70 the Apple Stores offer unlimited 1 to 1 tuition
And check out Apple Store workshops here http://www.apple.com/main/rss/retail/Brent+Cross.rss
Dunk
SORRY ... didn't see you are in Copenhagen but assume there are similar offers there??
"Well they would say that ... wouldn't they!"
I'd recommend taking a look at PCLinuxOS
This is a Linux distribution based on Mandrake/Mandriva (my old favourite) and is probably the nicest I've ever tried. And I've tried a lot in my time! It's exceptionally well put together and works straight out of the box on my old Compaq N1015V laptop with Dlink Wireless networking, is easy for beginners to grasp but powerful when you want it to be. It comes with lots of software packages as standard, but more can be added or upgraded very easily via the Synaptic package manager available from a shortcut on the panel (task bar). You can try it on a live CD first and then install it to hard disk from a desktop shortcut if you like it.
If you've been put off by the complexity of, or unfamiliarity with, Linux distributions in the past, this one may well change your mind. Oh, and I probably don't need to remind you that it's free :D
I've had a MacBook for nearly a year now, prior to that I've had lots of laptops; different makes but always Windows-based.
The MacBook is like a breath of fresh air and is better in every aspect that I can think of; battery life, screen, keyboard, robustness and very user-friendly. On the software side I have taken to Mac 'big-time'; it is (again) very user-friendly and I can answer every question it's asked of me!.
To date, it has never crashed or frozen - which was almost a daily occurence on my pc's - and it is a real pleasure to use.
I would never go back to pc's now & would replace my MacBook with exactly the same should I need to.
A big :thumbup: to the MacBook from me.
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Hi,
I think that you have had an uncommon experience with XP crashing all the time. Normally, (and contrary to what all the Mac fanboys will bleat) XP SP2 is a very stable operating system. What will cause it to crash regularly is faulty or badly designed hardware. Laptops always seem to come out worst in this type of situation due to their multitude of non-standard hardware issues. This isn't the fault of Windows.
If you are thinking of a Mac, I would advise that you wait until the next release of Mac Os, (10.5 Leopard in October), and buy your Mac then.
If you wish to stay with Windows, there are still plenty of laptops available with XP SP2 rather than Vista (which is a little half-baked). For example, here in the UK, a Lenovo laptop has been available for just over £300, with XP rather than Vista for some time, along with models from HP.
Whatever you do, do not be taken in by the marketing drivel that Apple put out. If you think that Macs 'just work' go and look at some of the Mac support forums at Apple.com. It is just a different world of pain to the Windows variety, but still a world of pain.
Ignore the "bleating" of the XP "fanboys" (are there any?). Talk to anyone who uses both platforms day in day out and do a straw poll of which they prefer.
Mac every time for me. I have enough XP hassles at work. I don't want to come home to them.
Neither do you.
I have a Macbook Pro, Macbook, iMac and a Mac Pro.....the only problems I've had is with intermittent wireless connectivity problems on the Macbook Pro...a pain in the ass....a glance at the forums indicates this is an ongoing issue. To be fair I didn't generally have a lot of problems when I used PC's either, but the Mac os is just so much more intuitive than Windows. Jobs which take 4-5 keystrokes in Windows can be done with 2 on a Mac. I certainly dont miss being asked 'are you sure?' everytime I want to change something :wink:Originally Posted by Gruntfuttock
:)
Alan
p.s when you get your Mac, download Quicksilver - it will change your life :)
I'm not going to tell you what you should buy, because everyone's situation is different. Instead, I'm going to tell you that I am still using a 2002 Apple TiBook 867 MHz 1GB RAM as my daily computer. It's had motherboard problems that were repaired under warranty, but since then works great. It's been upgraded from OS X 10.1 (Tabby), through 10.2 (Jaguar), to now running 10.3.9 (Panther). Come September, it will be a five year old computer but it still allows me to do everything I want to: email (Apple Mail, Thunderbird), internet (Safari, Firefox), movies (DVD, VLC, ffmpegX), music (iTunes, iPod, Audacity), software development (too much to mention), digital darkroom (Photoshop 7), and digital media centre.
Its connectivity is excellent. It talks flawlessly to printers, Bluetooth devices, digital cameras, cell phones, and film scanners. It runs commercial software for OS X and a wealth of open source software for BSD. It behaves together with Linux and Microsoft networks and servers.
Its main limitations (for me) are that it struggles with high definition H.264 video content (480p is OK, anything else is too big) and a few quirks, such as requiring an external dongle for Bluetooth connectivity. The only thing I don't use it for are games, but I have a PS2 for that.
The consumer level Macs are a bit iffy sometimes, but the pro level ones are rock solid in my experience.
I'd agree with the posters who point towards Lenovo laptops (formerly IBM). Having been a long-time user of those machines as well as DOS/Windows desktops, having started with the very first IBM PCs in the 1980s, and having worked alongside graphic designers who tend to use Macs all the time (and having seen them crashing their Macs; it does happen), I'd be tempted to say you have a) average Windows pcs/laptops, b) Apple gear and c) ThinkPads. SF author Jerry Pournelle, who was a Byte columnist for many years and still runs his semi-private computer test lab at his 'Chaos Manor' as he calls it, and who has tested more computer gear than most people, both PC/Windows and Apple, uses a Lenovo Thinkpad T-series laptop as his principal book writing tool, because 'It Just Works' as he says. For more mobile use he uses a ThinkPad X-Tablet series. I have the same feeling. ThinkPads are in a different league than most general laptops out there, including fair brands like HP/Compaq, Dell and Toshiba. For one thing, they have far better keyboards (you do not need an additional keyboard with a TP if you need to write on it all day long; it's own keyboard is BETTER than most external keyboards). IBM was originally the world's foremost typewriter manufacturer and it still shows.
TPs are not just cobbled together, they are (like MacBooks) designed from the ground up and extensively tested with different OSes. They come with decently designed/written drivers for anything that is proprietary about them, such as their shock-protected harddisks, touchpad/trackpoint combinations etc.. In most models, things like adding/swapping memory, replacing the harddisk etc. are easy to do of you have a screwdriver or just a coin at hand. The screens are just very good. These are not the fastest, most singing and dancing toys, they are tools to do serious work with.
For the same money you can buy more raw power and memory on the Windows platform than with Apple, as the latter protects its own hardware sales jealously and does not let anyone else sell boxes that can run on their OS.
Concerning the nags with superfluous keystrokes or mouseclicks on the Windows platform, do not confound Windows APPLICATIONS with the OS. On most Windows PCs, people also run MS Office, which of course in many ways is crap: vulnerable to viruses, inefficient, illogical, etc. . But hey, it comes with the machine in some variety, so why use something else?
The solution in many cases is to use a Windows PC but run applications from other vendors than MS on it. That may be Open Office from Sun, any of a mountain of freeware or shareware applications for all sorts of tasks, or for instance Corel WordPerfect Office (which is, in spite of the name, not perfect at all, but certainly better in many ways than MS Office, and about half the price).
If you run your finances on your laptop as well, note that many banks will offer software to allow you to download and organize your account data offline, but that those usually are Windows based. Just an example.
Macs are not better than Win PCs, just different (and the other way around). In the end it is a matter of taste, just like some people here love certain watch brands that others hate.
Concerning the Lenovo laptops: The ThinkPad series are the original, IBM-designed workhorses, they also have Z-series that are a bit cheaper. After-sales service and guarantee handling of TPs is legendary, I have had occasion to experience it and can confirm that. Usually, by the time (about one week) your DellToshHP callcentre has managed to pick up the phone and answer your question in your mother tongue (or at least passable English), a TP has already been picked up by a fast courier, been repaired and returned. That by itself could be a compelling reason.
And of course, black is always in fashion... ;-)
(I have no link with IBM/Lenovo whatever, I have just sunk some of my own money in those laptops over the years to run my one-man business with, and at the moment we have two running every day as desktop replacements and one (X30) for mobile use; this forum message is being typed on a T42 ThinkPad that has seen almost three years of 24/7 use and is still running strong with no parts falling off.)
Great to see so many helpful answers :)
Sundial: thanks for the tips on refurbs. I don't know whether they are available here but at least I now know that refurbs may be an option. Very good to know as I don't want to shed out to much money.
Rhaythorne: PCLinux, I'll have to check it out. With SUSE my problem is not getting it running but it's stuff like not having the damn messenger program asking me questions/telling me stuff all the time, not being able to get the SD cardreader to work, not having the computer go standby when the lid is closed, upgrading the software (e.g. Firefox) etc. I also can't manage removing and installing new programmes. These things would be peice of cake for me on a Windows pc but on SUSE it's driving me nuts - and SUSE is the easiest one of those 4 or 5 OS I've tried. Perhaps PCLinux is the answer to my problems, and since it's free it can't hurt to try it :)
Ralphy: Nice to hear from a "new" Mac user. Can I ask if there is anything about it that you do not like?
Gruntfuttock: I was being unclear. It's not Windows itself that crashes often, although it does happen, but lots of the applications I use the most crash often: Firefox (only in Windows, never in SUSE), MS Word and Excel etc. And the damn updates... oh man :evil: Why does MS get to decide when I want to restart and why is the only way of avoiding restarting to tell the OS so every 5 minutes? So perhaps it's not the actual stability of Windows that is the main problem for me, but rather the annoyances and the instabilities of the applications I run on Windows. It may not be a fair comparison but the same type of applications never fail me on Linux.
Re. staying with Windows and getting a TP. It may a solution although I'm afraid that a small TP, e.g. an X-series, is quite expensive.
Seamaster73: Talking to users of both systems may be the best advice possible. In real life I only know a few Mac.-users but I am getting their opinions. Btw I also have enough hassles with XP at work :(
Cricketer: Nice to hear it's intuitive, that is crucial for me if I am to make a succesful transfer.
Draz: Yeah I realise only I myself can make the actual choice. Very impressing about your TiBook. These things certainly should be taken into the equation. But I'm guessing it must have been very expensive when you bought it? I'd be looking at an entry-level cheap-ass Macbook so it'll probably be unrealistic to expect the same kind of performance as you have seen.
Fschwep: I've noticed you are very keen on TPs. If I decide to get a pc it'll most likely be an X32, X40 on something similar. The keyboards are excellent as is the screen. What I don't expect to like though is all the IBM specific recovery software. It takes up a good chunk of space on the HD and makes the boot-times too long IMO. And I'm concerned about speed even though I wont be running heavy software, fast X-series are very expensive.
Has anybody switched away from Macs - and if so, why? And has anybody any idea about which linux distributions that might se most similar to WinXP?
Cheers,
Mabuse
Just checked up on the ThinkPad prices. A new Macbook i about £700 so I used that as price reference. For that price, at the cheapest Danish retailer I could find, this is what can be had:
X32
Pentium M 1.7 Mhz
1024 MB RAM
40 GB HD 5400 RPM
WinXP
:shock:
That is almost the same as my 3 year old laptop, only marginally better. This seems a tad ridiculous to me. I don't think they're an option for me anymore, can't se myself paying so much for such a slow machine - it may run XP fine with those specs but there wont be much power left over for other applications.
A ThinkPad with specs that compares to the £700 Macbook is around £1200-1400.
Bugger :(
Do you TP owners think they are worth such a price premium?
Cheers,
Mabuse
Hi Mabuse
Err, no, there isn't!
I am no 'fanatical convert', it's just that Apple/Mac/MacBook is so much better than Windows for me. It just 'works', without the support that I always needed with my pc's and it allows me to get on with what I want to do.
Can I ask why do you advise waiting?
Ignorance breeds Fear. Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Ignorance. Break the chain.
Mabuse,
There are plenty of 'PC to Mac' switching articles on the web, just Google for them.
With regard to your comment about updates breaking things; why do you think that Apple are any better in this regard? The only piece of Apple software that I use is itunes, and the updates always break something. In the early days (v4) when I started with itunes, it would commonly lose your library and playlists! The side effect of this was that your iPod would be wiped clean when next connected. I could not update from v4 until v6 came out as the installer would always complain that it couldn't continue due to some 'issue' it had discovered with Quicktime. No Microsoft software was involved in this fiasco, only Apple stuff. 'It just works' my arse!
And of course the Mac OS is 'intuitive', would Mac owners say anything else? You might as well ask a Rolex owner if they think they are wearing the 'best' watch in the world. :lol:
Personally, I would love Macs to be 'better' than PC's. If that were the case I will seriously consider a Mac when Leopard emerges. But at the moment, I am not convinced. Apples 'I'm a Mac and I'm a PC' ad campaign disuade me even more from the Mac cause due to the fairly obvious economies taken with the truth (IMHO of course).
Ralphy,
I advise waiting due to the rumoured hardware requirements for Leopard. Apple may refresh the hardware just before release if this is the case. Otherwise, you may be stuck trying to upgrade something that is not really designed to be upgraded (in accordance with the Apple 'appliance' philosophy of design).
It's a funny thing. Windows users complain like hell about how lousy their computing experience is, but when you put it to them that they have a choice, they will jump through hoops to argue that there's nothing better.
Not better, just different. I don't have a 'lousy computing experience' with NT4 (at work) or with XP and linux (at home). For me, there is no pressing need to change.
Windows XP Pro at work, and to be fair, it mostly works fine for my tasks.
Mac and Windows XP Home edition at home.
Three months after setting up two Macs and an Airport Extreme (in a few minutes), I pretty much only use Windoze at work. Because we don't have Macs at work. Yet. Maybe I'll start my own company so I can decree a change to Macs :twisted:
Mvh (cheers),
Gert
I have a macbook pro and love it, I would have preferred to get a macbook (smaller/lighter) but they were not out when I had to buy.
We just switched our desktop machines from Linux and Mac Mini's - can;t really say anything bad about the Mac's other than we did have some issues with integrating the Mini's into our Linux network specifically the Ldap database.
Whenever anyone asks me what to get as a laptop I point all of them to Macbook nows.
Eldrich
I have contemplated the same problem over and over again, and unfortunately I still have no answer.
I' ve always, well almost always, been a windows user. Although I started early with computers, ahhh the good ol' days of the ZX Spectrum, Amstrad 6128 etc etc, I then progressed from the SUN Solaris and the X-Windows to, eventually, Microsoft and Windows.
In any case, I' ve been using XP on my laptop, an HP NX model, and I' m fairly happy about it. It did crash couple of times ("couple" being a figure of speech obviously) but it was due to software of hardware that wasn't installed properly. I tend to go through a weekly array of diagnostics and cleanup and so far it has been very stable and happy about it.
BUT, i ' m going to get a new laptop in the next few months (don't exactly know when), and I tend to read with great interest all these threads here about what laptop, Mac vs PC etc etc.
And, I have been eying those MacBooks, from and aesthetic point of view mainly, since I' m a typical average user, mainly document processing and presentations, email, internet the odd Matlab calculation etc etc.
So, been cosy in my PC world all these years, and being a confident PC user (if there is ever one...) I' m split in half about a stylish new MacBook, with the fancy colours etc etc vs the good old PC that I know and use. However, with Vista out this offers a new complication. I' m not sure whether I want to get a laptop with Vista due to all the issues identified with it, one being the user contract etc. But on the other hand, I' m afraid I' m going to get stuck with an XP machine in the few years down the line.
SO, have I been making sense here? Probably not, but it just goes to show that it is a confusing argument, and to my mind no side has been clever enough to draw me in. Although I' m using a PC, just by the simple fact that I' m thinking to convert means that Microsoft and the PC world is not satisfying any longer. On the other hand buying something that I haven't used before because it just looks nice sounds to me like a receipe for disaster.
And by the way, Linux is out of the question, for me that is, never got on the Linux bandwagon and I' ll never do, just don't have the patience.
To conclude my incoherent ramblings, I feel your pain brothers when it comes to the big question blonde or brunette, errrrr Mac or Windows.
:)
VA
Well that is sweet. That?s the kind of situation I?d like to experience.
Ah yes, google it I will (did try it before posting actually, must have phrased it wrong). I don?t know whether or not Apple?s updates are any better or worse than MS? as I simply have never tried a Mac ? that?s why I?m asking :) Your comment about Itunes has made me think? If I decide to go with Mac will I then be limited to a very little selection of, says, music-programmes such as Itunes, or is there a lot of alternatives as with pcs?
The mac/rolex owner analogy is interesting and I suppose you are right. Perhaps I should be looking for someone who has used macs earlier on and then switched to Windows :?
Gert, any ideas as to which places are the best to buy/get advice on a Mac may be ? in DK, that is. As far as I can tell, there seems to be some very strict pricing guidelines :?
The small size is a very important factor to me. I can?t be arsed to carry to much around and I don?t really need a big screen.
I don?t think there is an answer. I do however hope is possible to make a somewhat reasonable decision based on some thinking and other peoples? experience. As for the design it?s hard to argue that Macs don?t look good ? they certainly do, but IMHO they lack that ?industrial you couldn?t break me if you tried?-look and feel that ThinkPads have. Ah yes, the pain and agony of not being able to decide what to do, what to like? this is starting to resemble a "should I get this or that watch?" situation :wink:
Cheers,
Mabuse
Hej Mabuse,
Re sourcing in DK: I purchased my iMacs and Airport at http://www.humac.dk in Kgs. Lyngby, which was a pleasant buying experience. There does not seem to be any easy ways to beat list price +/- whatever campaigns and specials are offered centrally. This seems to be a global situation, BTW. Unless of course you are in the education business, in which case certain additional discounts are offered here: http://www.apple.com/dk/education/store/
Cheers,
Gert
My GF bought a Mac Book, it´s a really nice computer once you get used to it...
only one mayor problem: The battery died within 2 weeks, and was replaced free of charge.
Apple has had problem with batterylife.
I will buy one when it´s time to change computer.
Goodluck!
Best,
Gustav
Tak Gert,
I am wondering whether such strick pricing guidelines are legal here? Obviously they can decide on selling prices if they own the stores, but still... Re. education, I have some friends who are students but I doubt it would be legal to buy using a straw buyer. Still thanks for the advice :)
Cheers,
Mabuse
Thanks Gustav. Batteries on laptops are getting dangerous these days :evil: I think most of the big laptop brands use the same couple of battery manufactures so the risc of failure should be somewhat equal regardless of brand. The fact that Apple replaced the battery free of charge is reassuring, here in DK there has been some debate in the medias concerning Apple's costumer service.
Cheers,
Mabuse
I am a user of both XP and Linux on laptops. The Macbooks are certainly sexy, but I would ad a note of caution. If you don't get on with Linux there is a good chance that you will find it hard to adapt to the Mac OS too - there are a lot of similarities.
If it were me i would buy a new battery and try a user-friendly Linux distribution first. If it still isn't right for you you can at least sell the laptop with a new battery. I think Mandriva (spring 2007 version), PCLinuxOS and Linspire are probably the easiest to get on with as a new user. Personally I use Ubuntu, and far prefer the GNOME desktop to KDE. My laptop with Ubuntu does all the suspend/resume stuff ok and absolutely never freezes or crashes. Just the SD card reader is a problem and that is because Toshiba have not released any Linux drivers. New program installation is easiest on Mandriva and Ubuntu IMHO.
Not to appear ancient and old fashioned, but you could also look at good old Windows 2000 and/or Me. They actually worked and were stable, but are unfashionable.
And you'll probably end up the a Macbook anyway because they are so damn sexy. :)
I switched to a mac over a year ago. I can aslo run XP on it but hardly ever use it now. Once you go mac you'll never go back.
Cheers,
Tim.
Hi, only glanced over the content of this thread but here is my two cents...
BUY A MAC!
I have used mac osx since 2003 and never looked back.
Currently using a 4 year old ibook and a 5 year old imac G4. My baby was a 12" powerbook G4 but it drank some wine and unfortunately died.
The new macbooks reputably run hot, but they also seem to be very fast.
Will be buying one soon. (like most other things, post wedding!)
Mac Microsoft Office does exist and works great.
No viruses, crashes etc.
Apple's Airport wireless system just works.
But the the whole system "just works"
itunes + iphoto are better than any windows equivalent that I have came across.
Macs can now run windows but why would you want to?
However never tried vista yet so maybe things have improved...
Dave
This thread reminded me of a website.
http://www.thebestpageintheuniverse.net ... =macs_cant
The guy is right in claiming that Mac users are whiny, expect everything to work out of the box, and are completely unwilling to ascend any kind of learning curve. I just am that way and that's why I like Macs :D
(Disclaimer: Written on a Windoze laptop)
Cheers,
Gert
Very useful input Quoll, thanks a bunch :)
The reason I don?t get along with Linux is that I find it hard to find help for the most basic things. I?m assuming it?ll be easier to get along with OS X since there are more users and since it?s supposed to ?just work? :wink: Obviously this may be a bit naïve.
I?ve tried both KDE and Gnome and by far prefer Gnome. Think I may have both Ubuntu and Mandriva on a DVD somewhere so I?ll try to check that out to. I understand about the SD card reader ? while it is not Linux? ?fault? per se it is still annoying. I?m suspecting such things won?t be an issue with Mac OS X.
Using the good ol? Win2000 is a great idea! I didn?t realise it was still available to buy, but that is definitely on the list too.
If I end up with a Macbook is won?t be because it?s sexy. I actually find the Thinkpads way sexier (yes I know, weird). It would be a Macbook only if I find it is the easiest.
Ha, that?s a very good description of how I feel about this right now so I suspect I should like Mac too :D
Cheers,
Mabuse
How about a new motto for Safari for Windows:
"It works, just!" :wink:
:lol: :lol: :lol:
..not bothered about entering the mac vs pc debate, but suffice to say over the last couple of years we have switched all the household machines to mac (kids imacs/powerbook secondhand and now a new macbook). What I will say is that the software is just a joy to use, that you end up playing with all of it cos it works.
A word of advice though. Get the 2 year extra applecare. Try to buy with a student.
Went into the appleshop 2 weeks ago with my son. As he could prove he has a university place on offer we got 14% off the machine ..and the apple care reduced from £200 to £48. Total gross price of £640odd with 3 years total warranty.
Added to which the machine works brilliantly, plus he loaded skype onto it that night and was immediately video conferencing with his girlfriend who was on her macbook. (we did struggle getting ichat to work)
I ended up installing Ubuntu 7.04 last evening and I am quite impressed: extremely easy installation, fast and no hard questions asked. First thing it does afterwards is to ask if it can update all the software for me. Sure it can, so I click "Yes" and lean back and watch it take care of business for me. I obviously haven't got a chance to use it very much yet but so far it looks very good. At least good enough to let me enjoy the last months with the old notebook which I am suspecting will give up the ghost this year.
Only thing that doesn't work (yet) is that it just freezes when I close the lid. If I don't figure out how to fix it, it won't bug me to much.
Thanks for the recommendation of Ubuntu Quoll :)
Cheers,
Mabuse
No problem, I hope you enjoy it. For help, the user forum is very good:
http://ubuntuforums.org/index.php
This made me laugh out loud:
I've had good experiences with Linspire. This said, I'm extremely happy with both of my PCs (a Dell tower and IBM/Lenovo T60), and both are running XP. They seem perfectly stable and reliable to me.
And I would find it hard to fault the construction of my Thinkpad - IMO these are the best laptops out there for users on the go who need something durable and reliable.
The latest iTunes update fiasco:
http://digg.com/apple/iTunes_7_3_update ... _to_others
The latest Microsoft product fiasco:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6275728.stm
When it comes to poorly manufactured junk, the competition is hot on Microsoft's heels:
http://www.appledefects.com/
Neither Apple nor Microsoft are perfect it seems :)
For me, now, I take great pleasure from using Ubuntu Fiesty Fawn. It has been my system for the last couple of weeks and it works very well. Even managed to upgrade and download new software succesfully.
While Linux ain't perfect either, it is now my software of choice for personal use.
Cheers,
Mabuse
I have been a Mac user for two years now. My computing is mostly office related stuff like word, powerpoint ad excell. I was turned over by my fiancee who is a designer and avid mac user. It took me a day to get used to the new user interface and sice that I have never looked back again.
I use pc at work because thats the choice of my employer and have no problems in exchanging files from one system to another. - I have calculated about a 20% time save by doing the save stuff with Mac compared to doig it with a pc. Thats a lot. And as a bonus the Mac is just so much "easier" for a lack of a better term. Is it perfect? - No, but it is a hell of a lot better computer than any pc I´ve used so far.
I heartily recommend the Mac. :)
You are Bill Gates and I claim my £5 :)
Well, yo could get a MacBook, supposedly brilliant if you don't really need it, but see here: http://www.appledefects.com/wiki/ind...?title=MacBook
and then run like hell.
I've used Thinkpads for well over a decade now, I'm working daily, as in 12 hours per day sometimes, 7 days a week, on a ThinkPad T42. It Just Works. After almost three years the keys still feel like new, nothing is stuck, all characters are clear. It had a mobo failure a year ago, was still under warranty (get 3-year pickup-and-return) and when I called in on a Sunday, I got a real live person on the line pronto who spoke French (I live in France, the TP was bought in the Netherlands, international guarantee), and next morning a courier picked it up. Repair was fast, treatment courteous and knowledgeable. You find out how good a company is when something breaks (they can also afford be good at handling broken products if they don't break very often).
My machine runs XP SP1. A couple of SP1-specific security updates installed by hand, that's all. On average a week between reboots (no blue screen, just that instead of putting it in standby mode, I switch it off so next day, it comes up clean). Of course, I have wiped Norton AV from my system. That helps. Norton should delete the 'Anti' from the product name.
Just to make sure, I checked. There is no thinkpaddefects.com or lenovodefects.com. There is a thinkwiki site where you can find info on installing Linux on a ThinkPad (TPs come with Windows but are always tested with various other OSes), and there is thinkpads.com, a user forum with a wealth of info.
I really had to laugh when I read some of the stuff on the macbook defects page. Palmrests decolouring from your hands, burn blisters from overheated machines, irregularly lighted LCDs, stuck keys, peeling paint (paint? paint? A true Thinkpad has no paint, it's black through and through its titanium-carbon body), swelling batteries, cracking cases, the top panels coming loose from the cases even in the Apple store. If that list is to be believed, these machines must be junk. And expensive at that. Of course Apple is more a religion than just an ordinary user base.
For your budget I'd look into the R60 Thinkpad series, or the 3000 series. The latter are pure Lenovo, the ThinkPads still have IBM genes in them. The R60 are not all that singing and dancing, but have what most people need to just work on some photos and go on the internet: DVD burner, decently sized harddisk and RAM, normal sized but good screen, fair specs allover, wifi etc., and you can still get them with XP. Sturdy build, very good keyboard. And just light enough to take it on a trip. According to many experts, Vista is still too buggy and it would be better to wait for at least the first complete service pack from M$.
The X series are excellent, but well over your budget. If you can get your hands on a used but pristine X32, that would be the very best choice. Probably the best ultraportable (12 inch) notebook pc ever made. Essentially a T42 in a smaller package. But very difficult to find.
The crux of the matter here is the 'userfriendlyness', which in most cases is a software matter. And more to do with applications than the OS. Get good alternatives for the crap that MS thinks can be called applications (web browser, email, word processing etc.) and you get rid of most of the annoyances that are usually attributed to Windows.
As far as raw hardware is concerned, I think that on the laptop front, Thinkpads beat everything else by a street length. A userfriendly OS may be nice, it does not help you when the hardware does not allow you to type for hours without cutting your wrists or getting RSI.
Maybe the ideal solution for many would be to have a Thinkpad run OSX (now I write this, I think that a few people out there are busy trying just that).
A little concerning, to say the least. Here in Denmark Apple are currently getting hell for poor customer service and not stepping up when there are problems with the machines.
That is very good service but I?m sure you pay extra for the extended warranty. These warranties are often unreasonably expensive IMHO. I?ve also heard stories of horrible customer service from IBM so I don?t really trust IBM neither more nor less than any other company.
The keys we can agree on ? it?s simply the best keyboard one could wish for.
Yup it seems that the general quality of the thinkpads is quite high and certainly higher than the Macs. I?ll check thinkpads.com out soon, that looks interesting.
It is exactly the sturdiness and no-nonsense-just-working feel to the thinkpads that make them so appealing. The hinges holding the screen in place is for instance made in steel instead of thin plastic. My girlfriend has a Dell, and the screen is very loose and will move ½ an inch without any friction ? this problem developed very quickly when it was but a couple of months old.
While Apples may be expensive they?re attractively priced compared to thinkpads (I wish it was the other way around).
Thanks for the suggestions. I?ve seen and used the Lenovo ones and must say they don?t do anything for me. Standard keyboard and plastic all the way though ? and not a lot of hardware for the money when compared to similar machines from other manufactures like HP etc.
The R60 is nice but to big and heavy. IIRC the R-series used plastic bodies and I find them a little quirky.
Actually I could just about fit an X32 within the budget. I also have a source for one. Problem is it is a bit low spec. Pentium M processor, ½ GB ram, 40 GB HD etc ? just about the same as my 3 year old laptop which it?d replace. The fact that I?m buying a new machine and not getting something faster seems a little silly to me. Perhaps I should just try to not focus on that. What makes you say the X32 is the best 12?? ever made? I would have assumed the X40/41 or X60/s would be better?
I think I?ve decided to stay with Ubuntu Feisty Fawn. It really works very well, it?s free and I?m learning something new ? what?s not to like?
My ideal solution may very well be an X32 with Ubuntu :)
Thanks a bunch for your help and suggestion Frank, I appreciate it very much.
Cheers,
Mabuse
I wrote that the X32 may be the best 12" laptop ever made as
a) it's a model that was made when IBM still took care of quality control;
b) the X40 series have 1.5 inch harddisks that are rather slow, which is considered an important handicap by many (I can't really say anything about the X60; better take a look at thinkpads.com for that);
c) It is pretty fast enough to run Win XP and some serious applications of the kind you would use on the road (one does not try to edit a blockbuster movie on a 12-inch machine or Photoshop 2000 pictures, but it is typically used for writing, communicating and organizing one's life - with the occasional bit of light picture editing/resizing perhaps. For all that, a Pentium M with a fair bit of RAM is good enough.
d) the specs are roughly identical to those of a T42, but in a smaller package. Meaning it has useful things like USB 2.0, built-in wifi with a good antenna, a dedicated video card that makes it a bit crispier.
e) Great battery life, with the option of adding an external battery or a slim docking bay that takes a second standard battery, effectively giving you a full working day of hard use without a need for a power outlet.
f) It's what several leading computer test magazines wrote when the X32 came on the market. I have not seen much reason, intensive multimedia use excepted, that make me want an ultraportable laptop with a lot more power than this.
g) built-in flash card slot for CF, the type of card still used in serious digital SLRs. Very practical for a quick upload of your photos
I got an X30 from eBay a year ago to use as a traveling machine. It's an excellent machine, great for use on the lap, and it slips into my shoulder bag almost unnoticed, but it lacks a few things the X32 has, like the built-in wifi and USB 2, that force me to take some accessories I would not need with the X32. And it's a bit slower. Actually, the X31 has most of these things but has the lower speed of an X30. X32s are fairly rare; they were actually sold when the X40 was already being marketed.
If you have a (EU continental) source for the X32 and don't need it yourself, I might be interested... ;-)
As far as the extra warranty goes, some TP models already have 3-year pickup and return, for most you have to order it. Cost is usually around 100-120 euros.
My T42 came with (additionally bought) 3 year on-site warranty. On-site means at the address you mentioned when you bought the machine (or at least, in the same country). In other countries it means pickup/return in practice.
When my Dutch-bought T42 went dead on a Sunday and I determined it needed a new mobo, IBM/Lenovo France had a nice lady answering the phone when I called in. A French person, in France, not in some Asiatic call centre. Next morning a courier arrived with a box to pick up my machine. He told me that in his experience, the machine could be back on my desk by the end of the week if the part was in stock (this was a guy from a dedicated parts courier, TNT Parts; just the courier shipping with them would cost you more than the warranty). As it turned out, they had run out of this type of motherboard (of course; Murphy's Law). But that French lady could tell me when they were supposed to receive of shipment of 20 or so of them - on a Monday ten days later. She asked me to call in on that day, which I did, and she then told me a technician had just swapped the board of my machine and was busy putting it together again and testing it. Like the guy was sitting right next to her. That was Monday afternoon around 16:00 hours.
The next morning at 07:30, the doorbell rang and there was a courier from TNT Parts, with my repaired laptop. Given that I live deep in rural France and the IBM/Lenovo repair centre is probably in Paris or Montpellier, half a day by car, that laptop was moved *fast* once it had been repaired and tested. I can add that every time I phoned, there was hardly any waiting time; they just picked up the phone. I always talked to the same person too, who knew my case.
It gave me enough confidence to take out extended pickup/return warranty next time again when I order one of their laptops.
Those are interesting points of which I was not aware, especially concerning the harddrive.
You've got PM. It is a danish shop but I'm sure they speak english. Otherwise I'll be happy to help you with the transaction if you wish to buy one (I have no affiliation with the shop).
Funny how rare it is that one hears of the happy stories. It is easy to get the impression that each and every company are just out to get your money and then hide when trouble arises.
Thank you once again for all the advice :)
Cheers,
Mabuse
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