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sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:22 pm Post subject:
And deleting Outlook Express is always a good idea.

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:23 pm Post subject:

what is the minimum spec laptop i would need for running thunderbird or the like and microsoft word and not much more. not made of money and would like some thing that will do the above but not bothered about cd/dvd playing etc.
will have a bit of money left over from the move and would like to spend it wisely rather than paying out for an all singing all dancing top of the range laptop which i will not need or get the benefits from

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:24 pm Post subject:

sean wrote:

And deleting Outlook Express is always a good idea.

seemed to be a good idea at the time

now i get looked at like an idiot when i confess

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:25 pm Post subject:
Also if you new broadband provider doesn't give you email which to be fair is unlikely you may want to consider gmail as an alternative. This is googles webmail service whose accounts are currently only availible by invite but if you want one pm me with you current email address and I can send you one

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45683
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:25 pm Post subject:
The cheapest laptop you can find will run Thunderbird, Word and a browser (Firefox if you're not using it already) adequately. If yu're going to use it for browsing just go for the biggest screen you can afford.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:27 pm Post subject:

tahir wrote:

Bernie66 wrote:

does it have any supporters on this site?

Me and bugs for starters, it's an email programme like Outlook Express but better

And me - I love it - its so much better than Outlook or Express - although it doesn't have all the functionality yet but its getting there

Joanne

dougal

Joined: 15 Jan 2005
Posts: 7184
Location: South Kent

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:37 pm Post subject:

Bernie66 wrote:

...might go the whole hog and get a laptop to use myself so the kids can carry on using this pc without getting in my way

Sounds like a router... (so don't attach any value to supplier's offers of a 'free usb broadband modem')

PC laptops. Depends what you want. You can get a basic machine for �400 inc vat new (Dell Inspiron).
Thats all my nephew *needs*. But he regards games playing as at least 50% of what the machine's for. So he 'needs' a pukka graphics chip with dedicated (not shared) video/screen ram (�6/700 Acer Aspire). But being only 14, he doesnt want to lug a 100+watt, 3.7kg machine with a 15+" screen around - and even though he has no requirement for long battery runtime, thats what he'd get at the �1400 pricepoint implied for a 'compact' laptop with dedicated graphics subsystem. Oh, and his budget is well under �1000.
So its a matter of chosing what you'll willingly pay for, and what you'd settle for...

Bernie66

Joined: 14 Jan 2005
Posts: 13967
Location: Eastoft

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:40 pm Post subject:
There will be NO computer games on it at all. I hate them and won't pay for them.I don't need battery time or great graphics so i will prob. go for the �400 option. cheers

tahir

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 45683
Location: Essex

Posted: Tue Apr 12, 05 3:45 pm Post subject:
There were some good deals recently at PCworld in the �300ish bracket.

Mat S

Joined: 07 Nov 2004
Posts: 282
Location: Leicester

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 05 12:21 pm Post subject:
Another firefox & thunderbird user here. Like Linux, it's all free and it's all great!

Gervase

Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 8655

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 05 1:50 pm Post subject:
Or get a Mac running OSX (like the PowerBook I bought on eBay for �90 last month) and use the built-in Safari browser and Mail apps.

sean
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 42219
Location: North Devon

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 05 1:52 pm Post subject:

Gervase wrote:

Or get a Mac running OSX (like the PowerBook I bought on eBay for �90 last month) and use the built-in Safari browser and Mail apps.

That's a bit of a result, congratulations.

bagpuss

Joined: 09 Dec 2004
Posts: 10507
Location: cambridge

Posted: Wed Apr 13, 05 2:08 pm Post subject:

Gervase wrote:

Or get a Mac running OSX (like the PowerBook I bought on eBay for �90 last month) and use the built-in Safari browser and Mail apps.

wow a powerbook for �90, well done

culpepper

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 638
Location: Kent

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 05 7:51 am Post subject:
honestly I cant understand people buying hugely expensive machines so the kids can play games when there are machines like xbox etc that can do that. For just browsing and email nearly anything will do. Im suprised they havent come out with a machine that can do nothing else (or have they?)

jema
Downsizer Moderator

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 28242
Location: escaped from Swindon

Posted: Thu Apr 14, 05 8:04 am Post subject:

There are frequent initiatives like "Lindows" (since renamed) to create cheap boxes for the basics.

These days PCs are way over pwered for basic work. Even with software development you rarely need the power on offer.

To give an example. I worked on the same project for 10 years. When I started, compiling the complete project which was smaller and simpler back then, took several hours. Now it takes 4 minutes.

I used to upgrade my PC yearly, as I really needed the extra juice. But once they got past the 1ghz barrier there was no real need. Except of course for the games!

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