Writing on a NetBook - Page 4

VydorScope · 12-21-2012, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaKing

I really want to get away from Windows and Windows updates and viruses.

Buy a Mac!

teh603 · 12-21-2012, 12:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaKing

I really want to get away from Windows and Windows updates and viruses.

Use Linux?

jhempel24 · 12-21-2012, 01:19 PM

why are viruses a big issue anymore? I havent had a virus on windows for many many years

VydorScope · 12-21-2012, 02:00 PM

A lot of the netbooks are running a version of Linux called Ubuntu, esply the cheaper ones. Its lighter on the hardware then either Win8 or Mac OSX so you can usally find them in the sub $300 price range. Can then use LibreOffice (used to be known as Open Office until Oracle bought it and ran everyone off) to do most of your Office kind of work.

Still.. I prefer a Mac.

kennyc · 12-21-2012, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhempel24

why are viruses a big issue anymore? I havent had a virus on windows for many many years

I had a nasty one just this year on win7 that took me several days and many anti-virus programs to get rid of.

VydorScope · 12-21-2012, 03:32 PM

I work in the IT department at my university, I assure you all flavors of virus/trojan/hijackers/etc are alive and well. I have members of my team that do nothing but fight them on our LAN and WLAN. Mac, Linux, Windows...they all have their issues that we have to fight in this domain.

frahse · 12-21-2012, 09:57 PM

The Chrome OS on the Chromebook has improved but still has a nagging offline problem.

What it will do very well is browse with the Chrome browser and gmail.

It has some apps for a lot of other functions both online and offline BUT is very limited when it comes to hooking up to hardware devices like a printer in the outside world WITHOUT
a 2nd computer with an ordinary OS or
a special "cloud" printer or scanner or the like

carld · 12-21-2012, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhempel24

why are viruses a big issue anymore? I havent had a virus on windows for many many years

The last one I had was an Atari ST virus that spread via floppies. I've never had a virus on a modern PC.

Edit: at least that I know of ....

BearMountainBooks · 12-22-2012, 08:36 PM

I may be too late to answer, but I bought a netbook for writing and emailing on the go. It wasn't worth it. The keyboard was cramped. I could do email just fine, but writing anything long (and for me I mean a page or two of text or editing a document) was tedious. I think if I had bought one with a full sized keyboard it would have helped. I was running windows on it so that it would be compatible with my laptops, but the machine didn't have enough of anything to really run windows/word. It was fine for an email machine but that was about it.

So my two cents is that if you do buy one, you'll want one that is large enough to make use of--and powerful enough to run whatever programs you know you'll need. I erred on the side of thinking the machine was "just enough" and while it did run windows, it was slow, locked up a lot, couldn't run more than one program at a time...the screen was small so when surfing the internet sometimes it would wrap things around funny and make screens almost unreadable...in short I hated the thing. I can type emails on my Kindle. Buy the smallest laptop you can find...and it would probably be cheaper and better all around.

SeaKing · 12-23-2012, 05:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I may be too late to answer, but I bought a netbook for writing and emailing on the go. It wasn't worth it. The keyboard was cramped. I could do email just fine, but writing anything long (and for me I mean a page or two of text or editing a document) was tedious. I think if I had bought one with a full sized keyboard it would have helped. I was running windows on it so that it would be compatible with my laptops, but the machine didn't have enough of anything to really run windows/word. It was fine for an email machine but that was about it.

So my two cents is that if you do buy one, you'll want one that is large enough to make use of--and powerful enough to run whatever programs you know you'll need. I erred on the side of thinking the machine was "just enough" and while it did run windows, it was slow, locked up a lot, couldn't run more than one program at a time...the screen was small so when surfing the internet sometimes it would wrap things around funny and make screens almost unreadable...in short I hated the thing. I can type emails on my Kindle. Buy the smallest laptop you can find...and it would probably be cheaper and better all around.

You didn't say what size your netbook was. I am guessing 10.1 or smaller.

They call different computers netbooks.
Dell calls a Latitude D430 12.1inch a netbook now but used to call it a laptop.
I am now thinking that the chromebook is too limited though I would like to get a 200 dollar NEW machine.
I can get a USED Latitude D430 12.1 inch or even a USED Latitude D630 14.1 inch, either one for less than 200 dollars on Amazon or Ebay. Only 30 day warranty at most though.

I may do that because my current netbook is not doing so well.

VydorScope · 12-23-2012, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaKing

Only 30 day warranty at most though.

I may do that because my current netbook is not doing so well.

If you get it via ebay you can get a Square Trade warranty pretty cheap and I have used them for years. They always treated me well.

BearMountainBooks · 12-23-2012, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaKing

You didn't say what size your netbook was. I am guessing 10.1 or smaller.

They call different computers netbooks.
Dell calls a Latitude D430 12.1inch a netbook now but used to call it a laptop.
I am now thinking that the chromebook is too limited though I would like to get a 200 dollar NEW machine.
I can get a USED Latitude D430 12.1 inch or even a USED Latitude D630 14.1 inch, either one for less than 200 dollars on Amazon or Ebay. Only 30 day warranty at most though.

I may do that because my current netbook is not doing so well.

Yes, it was only a 7 inch screen. Our neighbor has the dell and it's definitely more reasonable. I typed on it and it's either a full keyboard or nearly so. That one worked pretty well, but the thing is most of the netbooks we looked at were so stripped down (hardware-wise) that by the time you add memory and/or possibly another hard drive...your cost is somewhere around what a cheap laptop DOES cost. The ones not stripped down were double a good laptop.

Some of the larger ones, as you said, are pretty much laptops. When we finally gave up on the netbook, I just bought a laptop -- it was just under 300--about 280 shipped on one of the back-to-school deals. We didn't have to add memory or anything and it has a huge hard drive. It's about 15 inches, full keyboard, etc. It's nowhere near as light as that silly netbook was, but it has the functions I need when I need them.

I should have bought 2 of the things...

frahse · 12-23-2012, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Yes, it was only a 7 inch screen. Our neighbor has the dell and it's definitely more reasonable. I typed on it and it's either a full keyboard or nearly so. That one worked pretty well, but the thing is most of the netbooks we looked at were so stripped down (hardware-wise) that by the time you add memory and/or possibly another hard drive...your cost is somewhere around what a cheap laptop DOES cost. The ones not stripped down were double a good laptop.

Some of the larger ones, as you said, are pretty much laptops. When we finally gave up on the netbook, I just bought a laptop -- it was just under 300--about 280 shipped on one of the back-to-school deals. We didn't have to add memory or anything and it has a huge hard drive. It's about 15 inches, full keyboard, etc. It's nowhere near as light as that silly netbook was, but it has the functions I need when I need them.

I should have bought 2 of the things...

Never buy 2. When the first gives out usually, there will be lots of new great things, especially in cars and electronics. If you have a second ready to go, you don't have an excuse to get the next new thing.

SeaKing · 12-24-2012, 12:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VydorScope

If you get it via ebay you can get a Square Trade warranty pretty cheap and I have used them for years. They always treated me well.

Doggone.

I thought those were only for new computers and equipment.

They do used too?

VydorScope · 12-24-2012, 07:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SeaKing

Doggone.

I thought those were only for new computers and equipment.

They do used too?

Used only if on EBay. That is how they got their start was warranties for ebay sales.

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12-21-2012, 01:19 PM	#48
jhempel24 Wizard Posts: 2,157 Karma: 7068605 Join Date: Dec 2007 Device: Amazon Kindle Paperwhite, B&N Nook Colro	why are viruses a big issue anymore? I havent had a virus on windows for many many years

12-21-2012, 02:00 PM	#49
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	A lot of the netbooks are running a version of Linux called Ubuntu, esply the cheaper ones. Its lighter on the hardware then either Win8 or Mac OSX so you can usally find them in the sub $300 price range. Can then use LibreOffice (used to be known as Open Office until Oracle bought it and ran everyone off) to do most of your Office kind of work. Still.. I prefer a Mac.

12-21-2012, 03:32 PM	#51
VydorScope Wizard Posts: 3,418 Karma: 35207650 Join Date: Jun 2011 Device: iPad	I work in the IT department at my university, I assure you all flavors of virus/trojan/hijackers/etc are alive and well. I have members of my team that do nothing but fight them on our LAN and WLAN. Mac, Linux, Windows...they all have their issues that we have to fight in this domain.

12-21-2012, 09:57 PM	#52
frahse occasional author Posts: 2,314 Karma: 2064403292 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Wandering God's glorious hills, valleys and plains. Device: A Franklin BI (before Internet) was the first. I still have it.	The Chrome OS on the Chromebook has improved but still has a nagging offline problem. What it will do very well is browse with the Chrome browser and gmail. It has some apps for a lot of other functions both online and offline BUT is very limited when it comes to hooking up to hardware devices like a printer in the outside world WITHOUT a 2nd computer with an ordinary OS or a special "cloud" printer or scanner or the like

12-22-2012, 08:36 PM	#54
BearMountainBooks Maria Schneider Posts: 3,746 Karma: 26439330 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Near Austin, Texas Device: 3g Kindle Keyboard	I may be too late to answer, but I bought a netbook for writing and emailing on the go. It wasn't worth it. The keyboard was cramped. I could do email just fine, but writing anything long (and for me I mean a page or two of text or editing a document) was tedious. I think if I had bought one with a full sized keyboard it would have helped. I was running windows on it so that it would be compatible with my laptops, but the machine didn't have enough of anything to really run windows/word. It was fine for an email machine but that was about it. So my two cents is that if you do buy one, you'll want one that is large enough to make use of--and powerful enough to run whatever programs you know you'll need. I erred on the side of thinking the machine was "just enough" and while it did run windows, it was slow, locked up a lot, couldn't run more than one program at a time...the screen was small so when surfing the internet sometimes it would wrap things around funny and make screens almost unreadable...in short I hated the thing. I can type emails on my Kindle. Buy the smallest laptop you can find...and it would probably be cheaper and better all around.