Are netbooks okay ?!

KeyLimePie

I'm going to ucd in september and am looking around for the cheapest thing I can find so I can just type up stuff but I was wondering, if i get a realy cheap netbook for 200€ that only does ubuntu is that gonna be a problem for the wifi around the place ?

Red Alert

No problem at all, I used Ubuntu on a normal-sized Dell laptop for quite a while before I got a Mac.

ronkmonster

pc world have latops for around 350 now. just buy it without the security package (€50) and get a free anti-virus online.

Red Alert

Second hand white macbook might be a good deal. They're pretty light and hard wearing.

Xhristy

This post has been deleted.

bnt

I've been running a eeePC 1000 (40GB SSD) with Ubuntu Linux for the last year, and took it in to UCD occasionally. Really good in the library: small & quiet, typically over 5 hours of work with the WiFi on. 10" screen is OK, but obviously not as spacious as a 15" or 17" screen.

OpenOffice is OK, with some minor compatibility issues with Office 2003 on the UCD PCs (fonts, formulas). No printing directly from Linux, the UCD print queue system is non-standard. I did have the occasional DHCP failure to get an IP address, at UCD and nowhere else.

I didn't have to use it heavily - I'm not on a program that demands masses of writing or long hours researching library books, but if I did I think I would appreciate it more. Once you learn a bit about Linux it actually makes more sense than Windows, and the allegedly "friendly" interfaces just get in the way, but neither is it necessary to become a nerd to make it work.

hurluberlu

Hi there, I received a letter from UCD saying that "it is a prerequisite of attending UCD Quinn School that all incoming students have access to their own dedicated laptop computer". Then they say they've negotiated a deal with HP, like you can buy a laptop that fulfills their requirements for €780.00 through them otherwise you'll have to attend a laptop clinic on Monday 31st August to ensure your laptop is correctly configured for the network. Then they have enlisted the requirements:

• PC based system
• 1.5GHz processor/2GB Ram/60GB hard disk
• CD/DVD reader
• 10/100 LAN card with RJ45 connection and ethernet cable
• XP Pro or Vista - for the latter they'll be able to provide only limited support while XP Home Edition/ Apple MAC OS X/ Linux are not accepted
• Office 2007 Pro / Ultimate / Enterprise
• Installed anti virus and virus free laptop
• Installed anti spyware and spyware free laptop

I was planning on getting a new one anyway so it doesn't bother me much but I was wondering does this apply only to Quinn School?

bnt

When the school has a specific requirement, then of course you have to respect that. Some Netbooks do run Windows, of course, and are more powerful than the notebooks of a few years ago. The one I have has Solid State Drives (SSDs), and Windows (XP /Vista) is heavy on disk access, so Linux is much happier on it.

The rub is the "get it configured" part - it means going to the IT people and letting them install a few bits on it, including a Novell client. If you're going to be expected to run applications supplied by UCD, that basically means Windows only.

ronkmonster

why do they insist on office 2007?
even still it would be cheaper to buy laptop and academic office 2007 separate or as a bundle from a PC shop.

EDIT: i see they need office pro.

Red Alert

There is also the rather anomalous situation where they will not accept an Apple Mac which has been 'hard booted' in to Windows (as opposed to running under virtualization).

GobBass

ronkmonster wrote: »

why do they insist on office 2007?
even still it would be cheaper to buy laptop and academic office 2007 separate or as a bundle from a PC shop.

EDIT: i see they need office pro.

Just get OpenOffice (which the Linux equivalent of MS Office) for FREE instead of wasting much-needed student money.

It does everything MS Office without costing you a dime and because it's open source,it's foolproof.:D

GobBass

ronkmonster wrote: »

why do they insist on office 2007?
even still it would be cheaper to buy laptop and academic office 2007 separate or as a bundle from a PC shop.

EDIT: i see they need office pro.

Just get OpenOffice (which the Linux equivalent of MS Office) for FREE instead of wasting much-needed student money.

It does most of things MS Office can do without costing you a cent:D

graduate

There are 2 situations here.

UCD generally, you need something to do your own work on and connect to the network, a variety of things work here.

Quinn School, you need something to use in class where everyone is using a particular piece of software. For this you basically need the same setup as everyone else in the class, the easiest way to achieve this is to buy the standard machine. For your own work you can of course use whatever you like.

It does most of things MS Office can do without costing you a cent

If you are in Quinn you will have to do things, with Excel particularly, that is among the set of things that MS Office does and Open Office does not.

There is always misleading advice in this forum from people who probably have never been in Quinn that Macbooks, Openoffice or whatever will do the job. They won't. Just as you will have to fill in MCQ exams in pencil and other exams in Blue or black pen, you might like pink crayon for these tasks but the requirement is otherwise.

ronkmonster

Is Excel the main requirement or is powerpoint and access needed too (included with Pro version and not in academic one they sell in shops)

Fad

I like open office, but it's not the most stable piece of software ever.

"Wine" would get you around any issues of having to run windows programs.

Dave!

For me a netbook is grand. I did computer science and history, so I used it for programming and I used it for writing essays sometimes. Also internet, etc.

Open office was fine for me

And my Acer One came with Eclipse (IDE) available on it, so I could do programming in that

It's not ideal because it's so small, but I did a C++ programming practical exam on it, so I feel I got good use out of it

Just make sure you get one with a decent amount of RAM! I've stopped using mine because (a) I got my other laptop working again, and (b) it was sooo frustrating trying to watch YouTube etc.

tbh if I was going to have a laptop for the 3/4 years of college, I'd invest in something better, but for the year (might even have just been a semester) I used mine, it was grand.

Breezer

Fad wrote: »

"Wine" would get you around any issues of having to run windows programs.

Wine is a poor replacement for Windows at the best of times, and I certainly wouldn't use it if my marks were depending on it.

KeyLimePie

i'm kicking myself that I didn't find out about the dell outlet store before i went and got the mini inspiron.........

But I got a Dell Mini Inspiron 10, 1gb ram, 160 gb harddrive, 1.6 ghz processer, and it's windows xp it should do as i'm not a gamer or anything and I don't own a single dvd so the harddrive doesn't matter.

Red Alert

Wine can be hit and miss - I wouldn't use it by choice.

Fad

Red Alert wrote: »

Wine can be hit and miss - I wouldn't use it by choice.

Oh it's by no means perfect, but it's an option.

nonnah-semaj

hurluberlu wrote: »

Hi there, I received a letter from UCD saying that "it is a prerequisite of attending UCD Quinn School that all incoming students have access to their own dedicated laptop computer". Then they say they've negotiated a deal with HP, like you can buy a laptop that fulfills their requirements for €780.00 through them otherwise you'll have to attend a laptop clinic on Monday 31st August to ensure your laptop is correctly configured for the network. Then they have enlisted the requirements:

• PC based system
• 1.5GHz processor/2GB Ram/60GB hard disk
• CD/DVD reader
• 10/100 LAN card with RJ45 connection and ethernet cable
• XP Pro or Vista - for the latter they'll be able to provide only limited support while XP Home Edition/ Apple MAC OS X/ Linux are not accepted
• Office 2007 Pro / Ultimate / Enterprise
• Installed anti virus and virus free laptop
• Installed anti spyware and spyware free laptop

I was planning on getting a new one anyway so it doesn't bother me much but I was wondering does this apply only to Quinn School?

Yeah got that letter this morning, to be honest the only good thing about that offer, to me, is the inclusion of Office Enterprise 2007. I'm looking elsewhere

graduate

Yeah got that letter this morning, to be honest the only good thing about that offer, to me, is the inclusion of Office Enterprise 2007. I'm looking elsewhere

The good thing about the offer is that you get a machine that is a similar price to everywhere else, if not quite the absolute cheapest, which is then supported right there in the Quinn building. If some of the stuff you need to do in class doesn't work on the standard machine then it is their problem, not yours.

lemon_sherbert

Honestly, as someone who bought a Quinn laptop, there are better deals to be found. That said, make sure that you have the correct Office software, as this will be required for in-class assignments and tests. (For example in first year MIS class you will be doing an Excel test in class, and you must use your own laptop.) Also make sure you buy a network cable and bring it to class, as the wireless is not reliable inside the classrooms, and not allowed during class tests.

It must also be said, it's very handy when your laptop breaks and you can just pop upstairs in Quinn to have it fixed.

nonnah-semaj

The only draw back is that laptop is excessively overpriced. I cannot see the point of makin people give out more money than they already have to to buy a piece of software with very little difference from the original office or office home!!

Infernon

I got my Asus Eee PC 1000 with WinXP installed on it and absolutely happy about it. Well, the screen could be a bit bigger of course, but you'll get used to it in time.Overall,it's a very nice,compact,powerfull machine fully worth it's price. I got mine on laptopsdirect.co.uk they are much cheaper there than in IRE

ucdperson

I cannot see the point of makin people give out more money than they already have to to buy a piece of software with very little difference from the original office or office home!!

As Lemon Sherbert said your machine will be required for in-class assignments and tests. These cannot be conducted equitably on the basis of people using a whole variety of versions of Office. You are entirely free to use whatever you want in your own time.

And it is indeed a lot handier to just pop upstairs in Quinn to have your machine fixed than to have to send it back to some website in the UK on the day before your Excel test!

Laptop use in other parts of UCD is largely for your own work rather than coordinated classroom activity.

WolfForager

Does UCD have any deals with Dell or any other manufacturer?

I'm looking at the Dell outlet but it's like try to find a particular item of clothing in TK Maxx

nonnah-semaj

cheers cleared up alot for me!!

bnt

WolfForager wrote: »

Does UCD have any deals with Dell or any other manufacturer?

I'm looking at the Dell outlet but it's like try to find a particular item of clothing in TK Maxx

They've had deals in the past, but it's a bit soon to know what they'll do this year. Previous deals weren't that attractive, I thought, and only covered bulky 15" notebooks. You can get smaller, lighter "netbooks" too, but see the threads on those: they're not for everyone, at least not until Windows 7 comes out. (XP and Vista are too resource-hungry for them: they work great with Linux, but unless you're already in to it, it might be a bit much to learn on top of your studies.