(no subject)

[jianantonic]

Another early morning for me...5am today. I'm getting a massage tonight though so I think I'll sleep pretty well this evening.

I'd fallen asleep by the time my mom got home from bridge, but she left me a note (on the toilet, even) saying two more of her students want to hire me as a mentor. Yay:)

I have a question for you folks...
I need to buy a new computer. This one has served me quite well for the last four years, but it's finally crapping out and I need to replace it. I want a laptop this time around, and under no circumstances will I ever buy a Dell. My computer was bottom-of-the-line when I bought it, and it's been fine, so I'm not opposed to going with the cheapest thing out there...but people keep saying I should buy a Mac. I'm not opposed to that, either, but I have a few concerns. First, will I be able to make the transition? I'm not computer savvy in the least. Mostly I use my computer for the internet, music, and DVDs. Is it even worth spending twice as much when I'm only using it for basic operations? I think I've actually talked myself out of the Mac...but if someone here feels very strongly about what to buy, or what to absolutely not buy, please chime in.

Eight days. At least I hope I can move out in eight days. I left a message with my realtor, and he left a message with me saying that he's still trying to reach the other realtor, so I don't know what the deal is right now. It's kind of obnoxious, but I'm not freaking out. I trust that things will work out. I don't know why I'm not freaking out...but I'm calm and that's okay.

Things I'm looking forward to over the next month:
Massage tonight
Tracy Grammer and Jim Henry at the Gravity Lounge on Thursday
Bridge tournament this weekend
Moving in 8 days
Getting a new computer...sometime
Sometymes Why at the Gravity Lounge on Dec 8
Kerry & Jill's party on Dec 16

Lots of good stuff in there. If anyone wants to join me for either of those concerts, consider yourself invited.

Peace.

Comments

[stillbigonbnl.livejournal.com]

Personally, and I hope I don't piss off half your friends list, I don't think Mac is worth the extra money. Crap, these days you can get a decent laptop for under $500 if you watch the sales. My Mom and one of my clients got a Compaq for under $500 with rebates and they're just fine for general use. If you were putting tons of pictures and videos on it or using it for a lot of gaming then you'd need to get something higher up. I am in love with HP right now, although I haven't used any of their laptops. Compaq is also owned by HP now so the customer service problems and general crappiness from years past are no longer an issue. I'll probably get a laptop here in a year or two since the kids will need my computer. I'll have to go somewhere middle of the road since I run QuickBooks, but if I didn't need that, I'd go with an el cheapo. If the hard drive gets too full, you can always get a small external drive to store music and pictures.

My 2 cents. :)

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

I'm leaning toward el cheapo anyway. My friend just got a new Compaq laptop for $449, and it's been great so far. I might just get the same thing. My beloved desktop is a Compaq and I do love the thing. My boss gave me a 2.5 gig thumb drive thingy, too, so I don't even have to buy one:)

[stillbigonbnl.livejournal.com]

Both of these are great. Mom's is even kind of smallish. The other one is a little big for my taste in a laptop. Thumb drives make my life. :)

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

No, for gaming you'd be better with Windows and something like Alienware (?). Macs are video and music processing, if I'm recalling correctly.

Then again, if you're a gamer and you do game design/graphic stuff or what have you, your best bet is to get a high-quality Mac and install Boot Camp on it (lets you run a Windows environment inside your regular OS). Mmmm.

[kixeldorado.livejournal.com]

Grrr, I had a big reply ready then LJ ate it. Stupid jerk.

I would not go for an apple/mac unless you're doing video editing/graphics a lot. Sure the differences between the two operating systems are slim and you'd adapt in no time, but for just general use, go with PC. :)

If you get a laptop OPT FOR AS MUCH MEMORY AS YOU CAN. My little Marge came with 256mb total, and I've been bumping her up slowly bit by bit because I always want faster. :)
Speaking of Marge - DELLS ARE NOT THAT BAD!!! But it's your decision, so I won't press the point. All the brands that have been mentioned so far are good, you just have the once in a blue moon defects to watch out for. My friend ellen has an HP laptop, and she took it to france and the motherboard crapped out and she had to ship it back here to get a new motherboard. It's fine now, but it was a pain in the butt.
COMPARISON shop, especially if you're going to go to best buy or staples or something. I found a LOT of difference when I was browsing around.

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

I had a Dell laptop back in the day, and my parents have them. I've never had good experiences with them, and customer service made me want to go on a shooting spree. I won't ever deal with that company again.

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

This is a good point--if you get a cheap laptop, max it out. RAM, hard drive, all that shit. Or buy an external HD if you don't want to pay more for a big internal one. Trust me on this one.

And I've heard that Dells suck serious ass, but since I've never owned one myself I can't substantiate that claim.

And I agree on the comparison shopping. Also check the Internet--we buy all our computers from Mac Mall or Mac Connection, and it is way cheaper.

[pwylltwiceborn.livejournal.com]

I have two good experiences with Dells to my name, and a well-ingrained anti-Mac bias.

[jianantonic.livejournal.com]

I've pretty much talked myself out of the Mac, but you literally couldn't pay me to get a Dell.

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

Is it a bias because you've had a bad experience with a Mac, or because you think Macs are expensive and overrated?

[pwylltwiceborn.livejournal.com]

Not a personal-experience-justified bias.

[quandary87.livejournal.com]

I currently use a year old Compaq. Base price was $429, but I put in some upgrades (like a tolerably decent video card, Windows XP Pro professional, longer battery life, etc.), so the final cost was in the 600s all told. It works like a charm, the only thing it needs is more RAM, which I can just get at the store and install, but am too lazy to.

I've never had a problem with this laptop, never had to call any support people and never found a program it couldn't run at a tolerable speed. This varies greatly from the $3500 Alienware I got from Ellen Degeneres, which I find less functional for me than this thing.

As it is, I am going laptop shopping for two people right now, so if I find any nice deals, I'll let you know.

[tolangardh.livejournal.com]

I recommend against Gateway and eMachines unless you want to replace again in a couple of years. I love my Vaios and I just bought the fourth one for me or my mom. I got D an HP and it was cheap and seems to be good for her needs. If you get a laptop - get a service plan - you never know what's going to happen and usually they will give you at least one replacement battery.

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

Yeah, batteries are expensive and can "total" a laptop very quickly.

[flamingophoenix.livejournal.com]

What "transition" is there to make, exactly? The trickiest thing would be Word documents, I'm guessing. Do all Windows boxes come standard with Office? That would be nice, and a bonus in their favor.

So far as I know, iTunes can read all file formats, although you have to install plugins for things like .ogg . But I doubt Windows has any love for the oggs, either.

My personal opinion is that Mac computers are more intuitive and easier to use, but that is almost certainly caused by the fact that I grew up using them. So take that with the salt it demands.

I also have the impression that Macs are more durable and reliable, but again, who knows?

Honestly, they're more or less equivalent. Go with what you're comfortable with. The occasional virus or what have you may well be worth $500.

OMG I saw the ad for the Tracy concert when I was at the Branch last weekend!!! I wish I could go!!! Aah!