help? a computer aficionado i am not...

[seemprofound]

so i'm starting to think about my next computer purchase since my current computer is looking more and more like it desperately wants to shit the bed. it won't be for a while that i purchase a new computer--but...

here's what i'm thinking --

on the dell website you can get a very very basic very very small (but very very portable by the same token) 9

Comments

[skiddamarink]

(1) is a netbook from dell a good idea or are there just-as-reasonably-priced-but-better-quality ones out there?

I just got a dell laptop... I'm pretty happy with it. The first one I got didn't turn on, but we sent that mess back and they sent one that did. But I have no idea about netbooks specifically.

(2) should i upgrade the standard 4gb solid state hard drive to a 8gb solid state hard drive just in case i suddenly need to save a whole lot more shit than usual while not at home?

I mean... how much space is the os gonna take up?

(3) should i get ubuntu at all, or upgrade to windows so that it'll be easier to transfer my files to my old laptop (which i'm sure i'll keep around)

ehhhhhhhhh... I've never had any problems with files. Most of the time people are worried about their office files, but openoffice can save into formats that word can read. I've never had issues about that. It'd be nice if you could get a little bootable linux disc to use on your laptop to play around with linux and see if you like it first. Or have somebody make you a little linux partition on your current computer.

(4) do i have a need for a cd-writing drive instead of just a cd-reading drive? and should i invest in one since i've been frustrated in the past that my current computer doesn't have one?

If you've been frustrated... I'd get one. But I think CD-burning was much more prevalent back in the day before flash drives. Now I only burn CD's to make mixed CD's for people.

(5) do i want to stick with black and save $30, or do i want to go with a fun color like the dell commercials only to possibly get really sick of having a colored netbook later?

I don't know if those colors apply to the netbooks. I got an XPS and I only had three color options. I think that's a specific kind of laptop. I mean, if you hate the way it looks, you could just paint the durn thing yourself.

(6) will i hate having a 9" computer? really, i mean, the keyboard would be MORE than small and the screen would probably be difficult to read if i kept everything small, and difficult to organize if i made it big... however, i mean, i guess i COULD hook a big monitor up to it at home, but... i mean really... how much shit can you/do you want to plug into a teeny tiny netbook?

It'd be tiny. I wish my computer was tinier. It's like a 15" and I really wanted a 13". Go to a best buy and play with the computers awhile. They should have netbooks.

Honestly what it sort of sounds like to me is that you want to save some cash, which is good, but honestly I'd just go with getting a laptop. One on the smaller size for portability. You might find that you like the size of a 13" laptop. At some point it just gets silly to have to plug in so many things, like the CD drive and the external hard drive (get rid of your floppy, seriously, I think people stopped using floppies in the stone age).

[seemprofound]

thank you, reid. very very helpful.

[drumrollz]

Either that was a fun jab at Reid, or a fun jab at Keev.

[skiddamarink]

multijab.

[seemprofound]

oh wow. it was neither. i just totally didn't even look at who posted it, apparently. it was seriously the first thing i did this morning, looking at that. mah bad, ya'll. you were very very helpful keev.

oh jeez.

[skiddamarink]

BWAHAHHAAHH

Wow. I'm quasi-honored. :3

[erracity]

haha

I don't think Floppy Disk Drives are being made anymore. You can usually find bundles for deals online that could land you a flash drive. I'd grab one 'o them if you'll be movin' a lot of stuff around.