Best choice for a laptop?

[Midnight Marauder]

It's got enough muscle for what I do with it.. So far, I'm *really* happy with it... Quick, solid, good sound (for a laptop), and the battery life rocks..

Test your sound by clicking on the link in my sig!

Let's not and say I did.

ITunes/IPod does fine for me.

Aww.....

You would learn to luv me if you gave it a chance....

 

[tigerbob]

My daughter (12 in November) is angling for a laptop for her birthday. If she wants a Mac when she goes to college she can have one, but for now she's gonna get a PC.

She'll use it mostly for surfing, visiting her favorite games sites and e-mailing with her friends, but will also need word processing, spreadsheet and presentations program for her schoolwork.

The default option is obviously Windows with the basic Office package. I'm very familiar with this (so is she) and can explain stuff to her that she doesn't understand. I'll get something like McAfee to make sure she isn't seeing stuff she shouldn't and control the hours she spends on it.

Question: Is there anything other than Windows that I could consider? I hate windows, I hate the security issues, I hate how often it crashes.

Remember, I'm not a techie so while techie answers may possibly impress other posters they won't help me figure out what to get my daughter. Thanks.

 

[Midnight Marauder]

Question: Is there anything other than Windows that I could consider? I hate windows, I hate the security issues, I hate how often it crashes.

If you're gonna start her out with a PC, at least make Firefox her default browser. This will help with 99% of all windows security issues which are directly related to it's default browser, IE.

If you can, do what Dis did and get XP with it instead of Vista.

You CAN put ubuntu on the laptop, but not too sure you want to start a kid out with that.

 

[Dis]

Unless you have really good virus protection and a damn nice firewall, the games sites are going to be her clear path to a trashed computer within a year.. They're horrible... Whatever you get her, at least make sure its very well protected.

And MM's right about Firefox being 1000% better than IE.

 

[Dis]

BTW.. I've been using XP since it first came out, and I've had zero complaints with it; thus the reason I'm in no hurry to mess with anything else. No point in fucking with what works.

 

[Dis]

Test your sound by clicking on the link in my sig!

Let's not and say I did.

ITunes/IPod does fine for me.

Aww.....

You would learn to luv me if you gave it a chance....

 

[Midnight Marauder]

Unless you have really good virus protection and a damn nice firewall, the games sites are going to be her clear path to a trashed computer within a year.. They're horrible... Whatever you get her, at least make sure its very well protected.

And MM's right about Firefox being 1000% better than IE.

And I'll add to this, make sure you put the AdBlockPlus add-on in that firefox, and subscribe to the EasyListUSA filter for it. She'll never see any kind of advertisement anywhere she browses. And they won't be leeching her resources and installing adware and malware, trackers, spybots, etc.

 

[Terry]

DOH!!!!!!!!!!!!! I guess I missed the post where Dis bought one.

 

[xsited1]

My daughter (12 in November) is angling for a laptop for her birthday. If she wants a Mac when she goes to college she can have one, but for now she's gonna get a PC.

She'll use it mostly for surfing, visiting her favorite games sites and e-mailing with her friends, but will also need word processing, spreadsheet and presentations program for her schoolwork.

The default option is obviously Windows with the basic Office package. I'm very familiar with this (so is she) and can explain stuff to her that she doesn't understand. I'll get something like McAfee to make sure she isn't seeing stuff she shouldn't and control the hours she spends on it.

Question: Is there anything other than Windows that I could consider? I hate windows, I hate the security issues, I hate how often it crashes.

Remember, I'm not a techie so while techie answers may possibly impress other posters they won't help me figure out what to get my daughter. Thanks.

Dell Home & Home Office | Ubuntu

 

[BasicGreatGuy]

My daughter (12 in November) is angling for a laptop for her birthday. If she wants a Mac when she goes to college she can have one, but for now she's gonna get a PC.

She'll use it mostly for surfing, visiting her favorite games sites and e-mailing with her friends, but will also need word processing, spreadsheet and presentations program for her schoolwork.

The default option is obviously Windows with the basic Office package. I'm very familiar with this (so is she) and can explain stuff to her that she doesn't understand. I'll get something like McAfee to make sure she isn't seeing stuff she shouldn't and control the hours she spends on it.

Question: Is there anything other than Windows that I could consider? I hate windows, I hate the security issues, I hate how often it crashes.

Remember, I'm not a techie so while techie answers may possibly impress other posters they won't help me figure out what to get my daughter. Thanks.

Dell Home & Home Office | Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a great suggestion. It is what I use. Good OS.

 

[Fatality]

ACER

Acer Home

acer net book is a good one, small and inexpensive

 

[Dis]

ACER

Acer Home

acer net book is a good one, small and inexpensive

Quality-wise, Acer is awesome... Too small, tho.. The keys drove me crazy.. Too close together, and too small..

 

[RadiomanATL]

My wife has a Toshiba satellite. She uses it for pretty much the applications that you described, and has no problems.

Plus I was able to get her a refurb here locally for less than $200.

 

[Shogun]

My wife has a Toshiba satellite. She uses it for pretty much the applications that you described, and has no problems.

Plus I was able to get her a refurb here locally for less than $200.

I just bought a Toshiba Satellite too. the a505-s6965 during Missouri's tax free holiday. So far, i've been enjoying the hell out of it. it's a fingerprint magnet though.. and the battery sucks a big one.



And, all you vista naysayers.. i think you are just being trendy. half of you couldn't compile your own linux shell let alone know who to turn to when drivers conflict and incompatibilities set in. yea, go format your shit and install linux.. hehehe..

 

[RadiomanATL]

My wife has a Toshiba satellite. She uses it for pretty much the applications that you described, and has no problems.

Plus I was able to get her a refurb here locally for less than $200.

I just bought a Toshiba Satellite too. the a505-s6965 during Missouri's tax free holiday. So far, i've been enjoying the hell out of it. it's a fingerprint magnet though.. and the battery sucks a big one.

Yeah, I've noticed that the battery life can be an issue.

Don't really have any problems with fingerprints though.

 

[Shogun]

My wife has a Toshiba satellite. She uses it for pretty much the applications that you described, and has no problems.

Plus I was able to get her a refurb here locally for less than $200.

I just bought a Toshiba Satellite too. the a505-s6965 during Missouri's tax free holiday. So far, i've been enjoying the hell out of it. it's a fingerprint magnet though.. and the battery sucks a big one.

Yeah, I've noticed that the battery life can be an issue.

Don't really have any problems with fingerprints though.

i can BARELY get 2.5 hours unplugged. but, then again, I also get a decent vid card and 4gb of ram.. so.. oh, and the 500gb hd.. so.. I'm not sweating it too much. I don't use this thing when i'm not around a wall socket anyway.

I look forward to using Starry Night on this laptop the next time im out in the woods with the tele..

 

[RadiomanATL]

I just bought a Toshiba Satellite too. the a505-s6965 during Missouri's tax free holiday. So far, i've been enjoying the hell out of it. it's a fingerprint magnet though.. and the battery sucks a big one.

Yeah, I've noticed that the battery life can be an issue.

Don't really have any problems with fingerprints though.

i can BARELY get 2.5 hours unplugged. but, then again, I also get a decent vid card and 4gb of ram.. so.. oh, and the 500gb hd.. so.. I'm not sweating it too much. I don't use this thing when i'm not around a wall socket anyway.

I look forward to using Starry Night on this laptop the next time im out in the woods with the tele..

Ours has the same set up I think. Maybe our HD is a bit smaller. My wife is loving the intregrated webcam and wireless feature. I like that the speakers are pretty decent for a laptop.

 

[sitarro]

Never.

This: Google Image Result for http://www.netbookreviews.net/wp-content/uploads/samsung_n120.jpg

No question.

Cept, mine's pretty blue.

too bad. hope it works out for ya.

My "geeks" get paid upwards of 100k a year, and make $200 an hour doing piddly side jobs...they're that good. If they say "no Mac", then "no Mac" is good enough for me... I've no doubt it will work out beautifully. This IS a spare computer for when I want to sit outside.

Your "geeks" don't want to be out of a job ace. Stick with that colored windoze shit, it fits you perfectly. The best Illustrators, photographers, the printing industry, science and education, Presidents, musicians, writers, animators, designers and movie makers.......... a few of the idiots that wouldn't trade their MACs for the most expensive pc running windoze. Yea, your "geeks" have a clue.

 

[Dis]

too bad. hope it works out for ya.

My "geeks" get paid upwards of 100k a year, and make $200 an hour doing piddly side jobs...they're that good. If they say "no Mac", then "no Mac" is good enough for me... I've no doubt it will work out beautifully. This IS a spare computer for when I want to sit outside.

Your "geeks" don't want to be out of a job ace. Stick with that colored windoze shit, it fits you perfectly. The best Illustrators, photographers, the printing industry, science and education, Presidents, musicians, writers, animators, designers and movie makers.......... a few of the idiots that wouldn't trade their MACs for the most expensive pc running windoze. Yea, your "geeks" have a clue.

Ok, bag boy.

What possessed you to pull this up from the depths of hell? And why do you care what I choose to use in my back yard?

Oh, I get it. You're just jealous.

Run along now.. I'm finished with you.

 

[sitarro]

My "geeks" get paid upwards of 100k a year, and make $200 an hour doing piddly side jobs...they're that good. If they say "no Mac", then "no Mac" is good enough for me... I've no doubt it will work out beautifully. This IS a spare computer for when I want to sit outside.

Your "geeks" don't want to be out of a job ace. Stick with that colored windoze shit, it fits you perfectly. The best Illustrators, photographers, the printing industry, science and education, Presidents, musicians, writers, animators, designers and movie makers.......... a few of the idiots that wouldn't trade their MACs for the most expensive pc running windoze. Yea, your "geeks" have a clue.

Ok, bag boy.

What possessed you to pull this up from the depths of hell? And why do you care what I choose to use in my back yard?

Oh, I get it. You're just jealous.

Run along now.. I'm finished with you.

Yea, sure, jealous of a straw haired skank with a flag pole stuck up her ass, sure.
I would tell you to suck dick but I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. It is "cute" that you buy computer equipment because it's a pretty color.