Laptop

[cdybedahl]

So I find myself wanting a laptop computer. I've got far too used to have one over the years, so now when my slimy employers have probably decided that they're not going to let me have one any more (which I can understand, really, I just wish they had the guts to actually say so rather than doing their usual postpone-it-forever thing) I'll just have to buy one. And since I really don't want to pay actually money for PC crap (particularly since that means paying for Windows no matter if you want to or not), I'm looking at Apple. At the cheapest kind of iBook, to be precise. Which would cost me just under £1000. Which is a bit of money, particularly when you're on sick leave. So, question:

[Poll #358659]

Comments

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Any chance of building your own laptop? I know with a PC, building your own is loads cheaper.

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

Laptops are far too specialised for that. And when I looked at upgrading my desktop this spring, I couldn't get a sufficient set of components for a working computer to come out any cheaper at all than a rock-bottom pre-built Dell, so I think that difference has vanished these days.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

The usual ploy here is to break the laptop in some creative way which is definitely not your fault and request a replacement, pointing out it'll be cheaper to replace than repair. This should result in them replacing it with something better, or at worse repairing it; most pointy haired bosses can't handle three simultaneous options if the first two seem to be ones that will avoid a confrontation and maintain the status quo.

Of course I could be wrong, and they may decide not to trust you with a laptop any more, but hey, you're no worse off than if they do decide to take it away from you...

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

The actual chain of events so far has been that they first said that they were going to change all company laptops for new models, incidentally also vastly reducing the number of models in use and thus lowering support costs. Which makes sense. They even asked what kind of carrying bag I wanted for my new one. Then, after I handed my old one in (or, rather, Jenny did, since I sitll can't handle actually talking to them myself), having been told that I'd get the new one the day after, I was told that they're prioritizing those who are actually working, and since then it has devolved to where they don't even want to firmly say that I will get a new one at all. Nor will they say that I won't. So for a week now I've been without portable computer power, which sucks.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Okay, then the "can I borrow your laptop, boss?" ploy might be tried. You really need to work on something without which corporate disaster will follow, etc. etc.

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

I'm not working. I've been on sick leave since mid-May, and will likely stay that way at least for the rest of the year. Which is why I really wouldn't be particularly surprised or pissed off if they just said that they won't pay for tools for people who aren't working. What does piss me off a lot is the bait-and-switch thing and the refusal to say either yes or no. Jenny's been trying to ask my boss if they're planning to get me a laptop or not, and she gets nothing but silence back.

[gonzo21.livejournal.com]

If you want one and you can afford one, get one.

Life is short. Y'know.

[kerravonsen]

It still might be worth investigating if you can get an Intel-ish laptop without MS-Windows, see if it's cheaper, and install Linux on it. If you are able to actually look and touch the laptop in question, you could ask them if you could try out Knoppix on it, whip out your handy Knoppix CD (which you had bought/downloaded-and-burnt beforehand), boot it up from the CD and see how well-supported that particular hardware is.

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

I have looked. I haven't found anybody who sells whole machines without Windows on them. There were a couple a few years ago, but they were more expensive than with Windows.

And I'd run FreeBSD on it rather than Linux anyway :-)

[fifitrix.livejournal.com]

Have you tried looking for one on ebay ?
I know someone who got a really good second hand one (practically new) for about 250 pounds - with no operating system or software but I don't expect you'd worry about that. (you could put on linux or whatever it is that takes your fancy without actually venturing near the excrement of redmond.)

[cdybedahl.livejournal.com]

I've thought about it, but second-hand laptops are a notoriously dodgy proposition. Things like screens and batteries wear out in time, and there's really no good way to tell if you're buying a gem or a turd. So it's a bit too much of a gamble for me.