Laptop Choice?

I'm waiting til new ubuntu is out in april. Its either a PC laptop with ubuntu or a 2nd hand mac for me. windows XP is good but MS have gone downhill big time since then in my book.

Windows 7 is actually good. Surprisingly so.

Does anyone know how much it costs to replace keys or the keyboard on an old laptop (Samsung R60+?)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-FOR-Samsung-R60-R70-R510-R560-P510-P560-UK-Keyboard_W0QQitemZ170437978620QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_ComputerComponents_KeyboardsMice?hash=item27aee529fc

whole keyboard

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Samsung-R60-plus-NP-R60Y-Any-1-Keyboard-Key_W0QQitemZ170438740719QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Computing_ComputerComponents_KeyboardsMice?hash=item27aef0caef

separate keys

Keys your could fit yourself, if you want the whole keyboard replaced bring it to wests and ill do it for you

Thanks Mike :D Will repay back in drinks. Will do this next month

Giving this laptop to my parents when I get the Dell Studio (which wont arrive until the 10th Pfft)

Im glad to hear Wins 7 is good. A lot of people don't like Vista but I love it.

Windows 7 is actually good. Surprisingly so.

Oh defintely, it was nice not getting warned everytime I move my mouse more than a few pixels.

Ah excellent, glad to see the Windows vs Mac debate rages as healthily here as it does elsewhere. First computer I used was an Apple Lisa, in Jan 85, at that time the non-apple computers were all green screen code driven crap. I was blown away by Lisa, it changed my life.

I was using MS XL years before it was launched on Windows.

I've used several variations of Windows on different hardware since Windows was launched in the early 90's.

I've only ever bought Mac.

However you can run Windows on a Mac, no hacking required, I've met several employees at MS that do this. At the same time you can install Ubuntu as well so for the price of one Mac you actually get three computers, which sounds like pretty good value to me ;)

This debate will never be resolved. Mac works for me, PC's don't.

It's simple, they're both tools, they both work, the difference is that some people don't mind paying extra for a Macintosh because they look nice and easy.

the debate will burn for as long as we live ;) horses for courses and all that - Ive just spent the day installing server2003 x64 bit and stripping it down to be a solid workstation to find out that it doesnt support SLI (2x graphics cards for games)..arse biscuits

I see what your saying but for the better price of free you can run a machine with ESXi and have a mac, windows and linux machine ;)

the debate will burn for as long as we live ;) horses for courses and all that - Ive just spent the day installing server2003 x64 bit and stripping it down to be a solid workstation to find out that it doesnt support SLI (2x graphics cards for games)..arse biscuits

I see what your saying but for the better price of free you can run a machine with ESXi and have a mac, windows and linux machine ;)

You should get out more often as you are turning into a nerd ;p

@NeilF I know a few people that are running MacBooks with Windows7 as they like the hardware but need to run certain apps on an MS platform (corporate) and Apple now even supply the drivers or used to for XP.

@diable indeedy - also web developers find it useful as fortunately MS took Explorer off the Mac years ago.

I like the hardware design of Mac - the lightyup-keyboard thing is cool.

You should get out more often as you are turning into a nerd ;p

@NeilF I know a few people that are running MacBooks with Windows7 as they like the hardware but need to run certain apps on an MS platform (corporate) and Apple now even supply the drivers or used to for XP.

why dont you tell them to use parallels
http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/desktop/

-i would go out ..but its to cold

I can recommend IBM Lenovos if you need a powerful laptop. Nice, but rather pricey...

I can recommend IBM Lenovos if you need a powerful laptop. Nice, but rather pricey...

X1

good as a corporate laptop especially when someone else is paying, keep away from Fujitsu's and Toshiba have lost the plot especially with their return to base warranty. IBM/Lenovo service is pretty good an never had any problems with them.

Keys your could fit yourself, if you want the whole keyboard replaced bring it to wests and ill do it for you

Can you also set it to power down at Midnight and only turn itself on at say 09:00 ;o))

:)

why dont you tell them to use parallels
http://www.parallels.com/uk/products/desktop/

-i would go out ..but its to cold

Its shit.

Sometimes you need MOD strength encryption on the data as well.

Your Scottish HTFU its not cold ;p

X1

good as a corporate laptop especially when someone else is paying, keep away from Fujitsu's and Toshiba have lost the plot especially with their return to base warranty. IBM/Lenovo service is pretty good an never had any problems with them.

Indeed, it's a work computer. My personal one is a rather crappy Sony VAIO. Have owned a couple of macs in the past, found them ok, not really earth-shattering. Would give linux a go if I had the time to do so and really gave a crap.

EDIT: although, if i had the choice between paying a grand for an IBM Lenovo or a Macbook Pro, I'd definitely go for the former

I like the hardware design of Mac - the lightyup-keyboard thing is cool.

Handy for watching porn in the dark, oops did I write that ;p

Indeed, it's a work computer. My personal one is a rather crappy Sony VAIO. Have owned a couple of macs in the past, found them ok, not really earth-shattering. Would give linux a go if I had the time to do so and really gave a crap.

IBM's or Lenovo lead the field in the corporate world as they used to be priced for directors, I loved the design on the butterfly keyboard and IBM where the first laptop manufacture to include a light to light the keyboard (handy if you had to work on a night flight) damn expensive but if someone else is paying then it doesn't matter, standard laptop £800 IBM £1800 lol

They're not quite that expensive anymore, I believe.

They're not quite that expensive anymore, I believe.

Some top end machines command a premium ;o)) stick in a large SSD disk and the price goes up by £500

ah yea, I'm not a fan of the solid state hard drive ones - I think they are more designed to be very compact and power efficient. My needs are more high-power, over high-portability.

Its shit.

Sometimes you need MOD strength encryption on the data as well.

Your Scottish HTFU its not cold ;p

they support pgp and truecrypt

..ya pie!

Windows 7 is actually good. Surprisingly so.

I thought that until I migrated my dev machine to it from XP.

Visual Stupido cracks the shits about everything. Have to manually do subst as Admin because you can't automate it in a batch. Can't just drag and drop to the GAC any more you need to use gacutil. I think most of it is to do with moving roaming profiles - I was previously using a special user they'd setup for me off the corp. grid a bit so it wouldn't fuck my XP profile. Yeah, I was the Win7 dev guinea pig. Anyway it was all cool until I came to try and use my (since updated) old profile. Lots of fucking around just trying to get stuff to build again. Anyway Win7 is still cool but be careful if you're in a corporate and don't have uber AD geeks working on your network. I'm sure when I get back and I'm not hungover it'll work a bit smoother. Oh, and what's with HP not enabling the front headphone port on their workstations? I have a brand new Z400 or something and the fucking headphone port LOOKS connected but does nothing. I don't imagine there's a BIOS setting for this but who the truck knows. Again.. little things that are annoying. Not as annoying as DIY mind you, but annoying.

the debate will burn for as long as we live ;) horses for courses and all that - Ive just spent the day installing server2003 x64 bit and stripping it down to be a solid workstation to find out that it doesnt support SLI (2x graphics cards for games)..arse biscuits
I see what your saying but for the better price of free you can run a machine with ESXi and have a mac, windows and linux machine ;)

Why use Server 2003 in the first place?

Three guys at work run Macsook Ho's with Windows under Virtual PC. I don't see the point myself. If I'm always using Windows why would I want to hamper it but running virtual and what does the CrapOS offer me that Windows can't? I used one the other day and I it's ok but I could never own one since the fucktards put a Function key to the left of the Command key. Everyone knows Ctrl/Command is bottom left.. no ifs no buts. Sort it out Steve!