[NFBCS] Getting Ready to Upgrade Computer

Wed Dec 9 03:28:12 UTC 2020

Good point. I used to look for the most powerful 13 inch and even 11 inch
laptops, since I didn't care about screen size and I use the laptop keyboard
layout. I found though that the smaller laptops tend to be less powered with
smaller batteries. I've kind of settled on 15 inches as the perfect size for
a laptop, and even though I use the laptop keyboard layout, I still prefer
the full sized keyboard. Even though I don't use the numeric keypad with
JAWS, I still like having the extra keys for the extra bit of versatility
they give you.

--
Christopher (AKA CJ)
Chaltain at Gmail

> -----Original Message-----
> From: charles.vanek at gmail.com <charles.vanek at gmail.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, December 8, 2020 8:30 PM
> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: 'Christopher Chaltain' <chaltain at gmail.com>; 'Curtis Chong'
> <chong.curtis at gmail.com>
> Subject: RE: [NFBCS] Getting Ready to Upgrade Computer
> 
> Agree i5 / 8GB minimum.  If you can afford an i7 processor and you
generally
> keep laptops for a long time it will be more delightful.
> 
> Other thing to consider is the keyboard.  If you want a built in numeric
keyboard
> they are available.  Usually on Business series laptops like Dell Latitude
and
> Lenovo ThinkPads.  Might just be on the 15inch screen models.
> Personally I do not like the numeric keypad on a laptop because then
typing is
> off center (i.e. the numeric keypad puts the keyboard to the left).
> 
> I posted a while back that I bought a Surface Pro 7 (which is a tablet)
and got the
> Type Cover (which is the keyboard that magnetically attaches).  What I
didn't like
> was the Insert key was a combo with the Delete key.  Thus JAWS needs be
set to
> use the laptop layout.  I'll admit I could take the time to work up the
muscle
> memory for it, but didn't and ended up returning the Surface (which
Microsoft
> took back without question).
> 
> Which brings me to my final point when buying a laptop.  Know the return
policy
> and don't hesitate to use it if the laptop you buy doesn't suit your
needs.  Or if
> you decide to try a touchscreen model but find that the touchscreen isn't
useful
> (which I didn't find it to be nearly as good as any Apple iPhone or iPad).
I think
> I've returned at least 2 laptops in the past
> 5 years and other than getting it to a UPS drop-off it was hassle free.
> 
> Good luck.
> 
> Best,
> Charles
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Christopher Chaltain
> via NFBCS
> Sent: Tuesday, December 8, 2020 6:30 PM
> To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> Cc: Christopher Chaltain <chaltain at gmail.com>; 'Curtis Chong'
> <chong.curtis at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Getting Ready to Upgrade Computer
> 
> Windows 10 will come with Edge, which has become my go to browser on
> Windows 10. It's based on the same engine as Chrome, but feels like the
> interface is a bit cleaner to me. Of course, having browser options is
also a good
> thing.
> 
> As far as specs are concerned, and not everyone would agree with me, but
I'd
> say at a minimum you want an I5 processor with at least 8G of RAM. Of
course,
> more is better. An SSD drive is also the way to go these days, although I
still have
> a huge rotary drive on my laptop.
> 
> Although Windows 10 is a lot like Windows 7, there are some significant
> differences in the look and feel, and it can be kind of overwhelming to go
> through all of your settings and find out how to tweak Windows 10 to suit
your
> needs. Between Windows 10 and Office 365, I'm constantly finding things
that I
> can tweak to make things better, and I've been using Windows at the office
> since 2014 and at home since the summer. A good class that helps you tease
out
> all of these settings could be a worthwhile investment if you don't want
to spend
> the time hunting around yourself.
> 
> --
> Christopher (AKA CJ)
> Chaltain at Gmail
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Curtis Chong via
> > NFBCS
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 8, 2020 4:40 PM
> > To: 'NFB in Computer Science Mailing List' <nfbcs at nfbnet.org>
> > Cc: Curtis Chong <chong.curtis at gmail.com>
> > Subject: Re: [NFBCS] Getting Ready to Upgrade Computer
> >
> > Hello Tina:
> >
> > Regarding your upgrading to Windows 10, www.blindtraining.com does
> > offer text books which, I regret, may be more costly than you would
like.
> > Nevertheless, if there are no in-person training options available,
> > those textbooks may be your best (if not cheapest) choice here.
> >
> > I have worked with a few folks on this kind of conversion, and I can
> > tell
> you that
> > from the user's perspective, there is not much difference between
> > Windows
> 10
> > versus Windows 77. Yes, Windows Explorer is now called File Explorer,
> > and
> you
> > are well advised not to use Internet Explorer as your default browser
> > (I
> prefer
> > Chrome myself), but other than that, the great majority of keyboard
> commands
> > you may have already learned have not really changed.
> >
> > I hope this helps point you in the right direction.
> >
> > Cordially,
> >
> > Curtis Chong
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: NFBCS <nfbcs-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Tina Hansen via
> > NFBCS
> > Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2020 2:58 PM
> > To: nfbcs at nfbnet.org
> > Cc: Tina Hansen <th404 at comcast.net>
> > Subject: [NFBCS] Getting Ready to Upgrade Computer
> >
> > My name is Tina Hansen, and I'm planning to upgrade my computer after
> > the new year.
> >
> > I know it's bound to be Windows 10, and that I want a laptop. While
> > I'm
> not a
> > gamer, I do want a reasonably fast processor and a good amount of
> > memory
> to
> > ensure any access software, such as JAWS or NVDA can work effectively.
> >
> >
> >
> > So what should I aim for? Also, how can I learn Windows 10 while
> > in-person trainings are on hold. And how might I learn Windows 10 in
> > general? What resources are available? Thanks.
> >
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