[nfbcs] Choosing a Laptop

Jeffrey D Stark jds.listserv at gmail.com
Mon Mar 19 01:03:56 UTC 2018 

8 gigs is a good amount for most standard usage.

Having the extra memory will allow you to run virtual PCs inside your
existing 1.  If you are in Comp.Sci this can be really useful if you want to
plany around with and test things without screwing up your main OS.

I went with 24 gigs of RAM but I run VMs of Linux, Windows and Android on my
pc.



-----Original Message-----
From: nfbcs <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Christopher Chaltain via
nfbcs
Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2018 6:38 PM
To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
Cc: Christopher Chaltain <chaltain at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Choosing a Laptop

I agree that more memory is better, but I don't think the mere fact that
you're running a screen reader, especially something like NVDA, which
doesn't have an off screen model, means that you need 16G of memory. I'd say
you could get away with 4G if you're just surfing the web and checking
email, but 8G would be better. I ran with 8G quite happily for a while, and
what drove me to getting 8G over 4G was the fact that I was running another
OS in a virtual machine. My current lapttop has 16G of memory, and I went
with the greater amount of memory to give me room to do more with
development and virtual machines. Plus I got a good deal on this laptop. I'm
not sure if I would have sprung for the extra memory if it would have cost
me $200 more to get it.


On 03/18/2018 04:55 PM, Nicole Torcolini via nfbcs wrote:
> 	Yes...a computer running a screen reader, particularly one that is 
> being used for development, should have 16 GB ram.
> 	I like Best Buy, too, especially since I can use the Geek Squad, 
> which costs extra, but I can get troubleshooting and repairs when I 
> need them.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Nancy 
> Coffman via nfbcs
> Sent: Sunday, March 18, 2018 1:32 PM
> To: NFB in Computer Science Mailing List
> Cc: Nancy Coffman
> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Choosing a Laptop
>
> Hello:
>
> One thing I look for when buying a laptop is a setting in the bios 
> that allows use of the function keys without the fn key. Some laptops 
> require you to use the fn key with a function key to perform a windows 
> or application function. Without it, the function keys control media 
> functions such as volume, play and display settings.
>
> I also enjoy having a button for wi-fi, a mute button and a volume 
> switch if I can get it.
>
> In my opinion, assistive technology requires more computing power than 
> something running without assistive technology. As well as good 
> processor speed, you want one with fast memory and good drive speed or 
> a solid state drive.
>
> I am not inclined to buy computers from places like Office Depot 
> because I think they tend to sell computers with slower parts such as 
> memory and motherboard. I have had good luck at Best Buy and I 
> appreciate that they give 0% financing for several months, depending on
the cost of the machine.
> Being a developer, you probably also want a numeric keypad on your laptop.
>
> Good luck in your laptop search. The next thing you will probably want 
> to do is remove apps and programs you don't plan to use. Business 
> computers tend to have less unnecessary apps.
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
>> On Mar 18, 2018, at 1:12 PM, Jude DaShiell via nfbcs 
>> <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
>> Before buying any solid state drive, I'd check based on price for 
>> similar
> capacity drives in older technology.  Reason for that is solid state 
> drives have failed to live up to their hype and are no more reliable 
> than the older technology they try to replace.  At least one report to 
> this effect was in the howtogeek.com newsletter but even before that, 
> I have a source still working for the Navy who is definitely on the 
> side of technical things tell me this as well.
>>> On Sun, 18 Mar 2018, Nicole Torcolini via nfbcs wrote:
>>>
>>> Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2018 14:02:15
>>> From: Nicole Torcolini via nfbcs <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
>>> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>,
>>>     "'undisclosed-recipients:'" <MISSING_MAILBOX at MISSING_DOMAIN>
>>> Cc: Nicole Torcolini <ntorcolini at wavecable.com>
>>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Choosing a Laptop
>>>
>>>     Be careful if you buy a Lenova. Their battery life is great, ut 
>>> some of them have really weird keyboard layouts.
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nfbcs [mailto:nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Jeffrey D 
>>> Stark via nfbcs
>>> Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2018 4:29 PM
>>> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List'; undisclosed-recipients:
>>> Cc: Jeffrey D Stark
>>> Subject: Re: [nfbcs] Choosing a Laptop
>>>
>>> I'd never buy a laptop without a SSD.  I just finished a purchase 
>>> about a year ago of Lenovo T500 series laptops for myself and both 
>>> of my parents.  I ended up replacing the hdd in the laptop with a 
>>> SSD because I really wasn't happy with the performance without the SSD.
>>> They ended up replacing theirs too, for each of their laptops.
>>>
>>> Why I bought this 1 was the fact that while it was heavier/larger, 
>>> it had a full size keyboard with numeric keypad and was designed to 
>>> run all
> day.
>>> Most companies sell both a consumer and corporate series.  The 
>>> corporate devices are designed to last longer and be used more
> frequently.
>>> The consumer devices tend to have better video cards and the 
>>> corporate devices tend to be more upgrade-able.
>>>
>>> Our IT shop buys Lenovo for similar reasons.  I did not buy my ram 
>>> or SSD from Lenovo but bought these afterwards and added them to the 
>>> device manually to save tons on the cost.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: nfbcs <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Lanie Molinar 
>>> via nfbcs
>>> Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2018 12:01 PM
>>> To: undisclosed-recipients:
>>> Cc: Lanie Molinar <laniemolinar91 at gmail.com>
>>> Subject: [nfbcs] Choosing a Laptop
>>>
>>> Hi, everyone. This is Lanie Molinar. I'm sending this to a lot of 
>>> lists at once. Some are tech-related, some are related to software 
>>> development, and some are for students. I might have to get a new 
>>> laptop soon and have a few questions. First, let me give you a 
>>> little background info to help you understand what I'm looking for. 
>>> I'm a college student getting a degree in Software Engineering, so 
>>> I'll be working with code and developing things. I also have several 
>>> disabilities and health issues in addition to my blindness, so I 
>>> can't do much physically and spend a lot of my day on the computer 
>>> doing schoolwork, taking surveys for extra money, gaming, and doing 
>>> lots of other stuff. I'm fairly sure that I want a computer with 
>>> Windows 10, not a Mac, although I'm willing to look into a Mac if 
>>> that seems better. I would also be happy with something running 
>>> Linux. I definitely want something new, not used, with plenty of RAM.
>>> There are so many options that I'm just not sure what to look for or 
>>> where to get it. Again, I also need something that can handle being 
>>> used all day, gaming, and developing software. My family is 
>>> low-income, so I need to get it from somewhere that offers good 
>>> payment plans. Can anyone give me some advice on how to choose a 
>>> laptop, good places to buy one from, and what I should get? For 
>>> those on
> software development- related lists, I'm interested in what would be 
> best for a developer. I would really appreciate any help. Thanks.
>>>
>>> ---
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>>> http://www.avg.com
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--
Christopher (CJ)
Chaltain at Gmail


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