From owner-freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG Wed May 7 06:33:39 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id B403237B401 for ; Wed, 7 May 2003 06:33:39 -0700 (PDT) Received: from main.gmane.org (main.gmane.org [80.91.224.249]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 6655E43F75 for ; Wed, 7 May 2003 06:33:38 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from freebsd-mobile@m.gmane.org) Received: from list by main.gmane.org with local (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 19DP1n-0000eq-00 for ; Wed, 07 May 2003 15:32:11 +0200 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Received: from news by main.gmane.org with local (Exim 3.35 #1 (Debian)) id 19DP1j-0000eS-00 for ; Wed, 07 May 2003 15:32:07 +0200 From: "Jesse D. Guardiani" Date: Wed, 07 May 2003 09:33:30 -0400 Organization: WingNET Internet Services Lines: 52 Message-ID: References: <87brygq8jm.fsf@fuckup.hack.org> <16056.18138.287510.281869@idiom.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit X-Complaints-To: usenet@main.gmane.org User-Agent: KNode/0.7.1 X-Mail-Copies-To: never Sender: news Subject: Re: ideal laptop recommendations? X-BeenThere: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list Reply-To: jesse@wingnet.net List-Id: Mobile computing with FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Wed, 07 May 2003 13:33:40 -0000 Eric De Mund wrote: > Hello, > > I don't recall the first requester's name, but, hello. I always ask > people if they're going to be carrying the machine here and there or > are, instead, going to be using it in one place. If the machine is going > to be travelling back and forth to work or back and forth to school on a > regular basis, I tell them to go down to their local mom-and-pop compu- > ter repair place and talk to pop. Or mom. I really don't know of a single "mom-and-pop" place around here that sells laptops. In my experience older folks are terrified of the things. Truthfully, I don't know anyone around here that sells IBMs either. > Have them tell you what brands > and models you should avoid. And then ask them why. > > When I did this in 2000, I learned that Dell laptops and, to an even > greater degree, Sony laptops were flimsy, flimsy, flimsy. I have yet to hear from a single sole who actually owns a Sony or Dell and isn't happy with it. Sounds like a bunch of "buy IBM" propoganda to me. I know a programmer who owns a Dell laptop and is VERY happy with it. > They suffered > a lot of internal breakage because the boxes were not solidly construct- > ed. The manufacturers skimped on materials and strength, and the results > were just what you'd expect: expensive repairs that just weren't possi- > ble for the end-user to do himself. > > On the other end of the spectrum, IBM ThinkPads and Toshiba laptops > were, according to pop, built like tanks. I don't know about that. I looked at the Toshibas yesterday at Bestbuy. They're made of the same grade plastic that the Sony is made of. Perhaps things have changed a bit in the last 3 years. -- Jesse Guardiani, Systems Administrator WingNET Internet Services, P.O. Box 2605 // Cleveland, TN 37320-2605 423-559-LINK (v) 423-559-5145 (f) http://www.wingnet.net