Official Luthiers Forum!

Don, my friends run eleven2.com totally on two powerbooks. I'll get in
touch with them today to ask about certificates. The maintain the servers
and all that with their powerbooks though.

Know what's funny, Hesh? I don't have an iPod. I'm the perfect candidate
though! I was strongly against them until a few months ago. "$200?!"
They keep tempting me. I try not to have much technology around me
other than my computer world. I don't know why....it's just my
preference. I'm loosening on my anti-cell phone kick, too.

[QUOTE=Hesh1956] Since some of your tasks will be work related and your work is a windows shop this would point to a windows machine IMHO.
[/QUOTE]

Hesh, now I'm getting long-winded. The point of the Intel Macs with Pentiums is that when you're booted in Windows they are Windows machines. It's like having a dual-boot setup on any other Intel box. If you've booted into Windows, you're 100% Windows. If you're booted into, say, Linux on the same box, you're in 100% in Linux.

James, as for the iPod go for it! Then let me know how you like it, so I can decide whether to get one!

"You'll be born again into an untroubled world, free of anxiety, fear, hate."

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

I had a coworker today tell me I was nuts for wanting a laptop with a 17" widescreen display. Says it's way too big to manage if traveling with it. Anyone else here have an opinion on that size screen?

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Don,

Seems to depend on what kind of travel you do and how much you value screen real estate. I've used the 17" widescreens and personally don't like the shape much. I'm always scrolling, even with a normal aspect-ratio 17" on my desk as it is. But if you want to watch movies......

My brother-in-law travels a LOT, and tried a 17" widescreen. Hated it, too ungainly to use on a plane and didn't like the weight, even though he's well over 6 ft. and 250 lb or so. He went to 14" and likes it lots better, only needing to do email, Excel and Word stuff.

Friend of mine has a 17" widescreen Gateway, only takes it between home and work sometimes, loves it, since it's taken the place of his old desktop GW. The 17" screen is minimum for his web work.

Ours is 14". I wouldn't have anything bigger, since we have two desktops at home with 17" screens.

Then I see students here at the university where I work with 12" screens (with iPods, of course)! But then they're young with good eyes.

burbank38924.5726967593

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Pat,
The guy at work is on the road all the time, so I can see his point. He has a pretty good sized laptop, standard aspect ratio, not a widescreen.
In my case, I'm used to a 19" Dell Ultra-sharp LCD at home now, and a 17" Dell Ultra-sharp LCD at work. My 17" is getting replaced today or tomorrow with a widescreen 20.1" ViewSonic. So I'm used to larger screens to begin with. My eyes have crossed over into the realm of "old age" and I'm getting my first pair of bifocals shortly, so that's my primary consideration. The most travel it will get is from my shop to my family room, so weight isn't a factor for me. I may take it to a classroom if I can ever get my butt back in school to finish my degree, but that's about it.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Well, Don, it's a no brainer! 17" wide!!

I graduated to tri-focals awhile ago. That was something. With the b-focals, the up-close stuff was ok, as was the real-far-away stuff, but the in-between was mush. I went to progressives, but the distortion gave me headaches, so then tri-focals, which drove me nuts with the TWO lines. Back to progressives, but with a new formula, new prescription, Zeiss lenses, now I'm a happy camper, until the day when I'll need a viewing distance of 10ft. on an LCD presentation projector. Now THAT's the screen I want.

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

[QUOTE=burbank] ...now I'm a happy camper, until the day when I'll need a viewing distance of 10ft. on an LCD presentation projector. Now THAT's the screen I want.[/QUOTE]

Yeah! That sounds great! Or better yet, a DLP projector. I wouldn't mind replacing my tv with one of those too...

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

The 17" laptops I've seen really are kind of massive. I don't understand
the size, but some people like them.

Don do you have a computer store nearby?

I'm going to sound like a broken record. I have the 15" powerbook, and it
seems to be the perfect blend of being very slender, lighter-weight, and a
good strong screen area. The only time it feels cramped is when I have a
browser or graphics program open along with Calculator.

Hesh, I barely didn't mention my headphones. barely. I wanted to
brag that I have a $9 walmart CD player I take on my walks. People see it
in my hand and lose interest in holding me up. They totally miss the
$200 sennheiser headphones :D I live in a condo, too, and can't listen to
my stereo much. I listen through my headphones and computer every
night for at least 45 minutes. The reason I sort of want an ipod is so I
don't have to burn a CD every time I want to listen to something new on
my walks.

[QUOTE=Don Williams] [QUOTE=burbank] ...now I'm a happy camper, until the day when I'll need a viewing distance of 10ft. on an LCD presentation projector. Now THAT's the screen I want.[/QUOTE]

Yeah! That sounds great! Or better yet, a DLP projector. I wouldn't mind replacing my tv with one of those too...[/QUOTE]

Well, that's how you justify the projector! You can use it as a computer monitor AND a TV, and with the right stuff, you could do them both at the same time, watch TV and surf. Couch potato multitasking!

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Don
I like a 14" or 15" screen on a laptop. Plenty big enough and still very compact and portable.

James
You should get an ipod. I have the 30G ipod video and I love it. It's all I listen to now days. I use it in the shop all the time. If I don't want headphones in my ears I use my wireless transmitter and listen through my radio.

Hey Don

I called my friends earlier today to ask about the certificate thing. They
weren't sure what I meant by "certificate," but did say that if I meant SSL
certificate, you should be able to do it no problem. Do you know why
kind of certificate it is?

Not sure exactly...they are security measures from outside sites that provide the certificate. Without it, you cannot enter their site. Not sure how it works, but I know it's not available in XP Home Edition.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

i havent advertised it or anything but I have a Dell C800 Laptop/850Mhz/ extra HD/ 15.1 "screen/firewire/2 USB/PC card slots/with PC network card/Targus deluxe case/ about everything that could be was replaced on it, but not because it was broken - its a long story,
anyway blah blah blah - its about 4 or 5 or so years old but its been about as reliable as a comp can be - It never crashed. It has win2k on it which is a remarkably stable OS.
I have really enjoyed it, but Im getting rid of it - It was sold as a business model with the focus on connectivity - it has about every port you could imagine on it.
Im not sure if want a new one or not - but Im gonna price this one to sell - $350US would take it.
I hope you find something you like.
I dont think you can go wrong with a Dell, they were awesome! Get the extended warranty!
Cheers
Charlie

Right now, I'm leaning toward buying an Air Conditioner for the shop instead.......man, it's hot.

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"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Don...

I just bought a Toshiba Satellite P105-S6024 Notebook for about $1200, it had everything else I wanted:

- Intel Core Duo Processor (t2050)

- 17" monitor so I could do cad on it when needed

- 1 Gb of memory onboard (I can take it to 4)

- 100gb Harddrive.

- 8x DVD+/-RW Drive

- Integrated Wireless

- Extra USB 2.0 ports

I wanted something I could travel with, do CNC when needed, run multimedia and allow me to do most of the same things I do on my desktop. I even installed World of Warcraft and it did a very nice job of playing it which is pretty impressive.

I have been a HUGE advocate for IBM Thunkpads for years, I was a road warrior for a long time and burned through my share of laptops, only two stood the test: IBM and Toshiba. I have had dell's and others and IMHO dell makes great desktops (I own one for the CNC machine) but they make barely passable laptops and even worse servers (Ok no flames now boys)...

The only drawback as mentioned to the 17" laptops is that they are big, but it's not very heavy and we bought a metal case for it and have not had any issues when we took it on our most recent trip. I consider it a good investment, it's 'supposedly' Vista ready (we shall see).

Now if I had my druthers I would by an Apple laptop, they have done a great job IMHO with their laptop line and they have good service records and are very reliable. Unfortunately all the junk I need to run is windows native and I just can't stomach running an emulator (is there really a point to doing that ;)...

But I hear you on the air conditioning, we just ordered ours for the shop. If you want info on that let me know and I'll start a new thread, we actually had estimates done and out of frustration I'm installing my own unit (called a split unit) that should keep the shop nice and cool. It was 109deg here yesterday, everytime the UPS guy drives by I wait to see if he's bring my AC unit so I can get cracking on installation :)

Cheers

-Paul-

_________________
-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Hey Paul, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
I have a few questions if I may...
What type of screen does it have? XGA, XHA+, UXGA etc.
Where did you buy it?
What kind of graphics card does it have?
How about the speed of the RAM and the Hard Drive?
MOST importantly....what kind of warranty does it have?

I gotta tell you...I just got a ViewSonic 21" widescreen flatpanel monitor at work, and that thing screams. I have a Dell 19" Ultra Sharp at home, and it's not near as nice as the ViewSonic as far as clarity and sharpness of the image.

I would be tempted to get a second monitor like the ViewSonic for home if I really got into the CAD/CAM/CNC thing. It's THAT sweet.

As to the Dell laptops, well, we have an office full of them, and have had very good success with them. Perhaps that's due to buying through the Business end of Dell's sales. I've long suspected that the parts used in their business units may be better than their "Home and Home Office" division. They sell what looks like the same units under different names and configurations in the two divisions. Why give them different names if they're basically the same? There has to be something to it...
Don Williams38926.8110763889

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

[QUOTE=Don Williams] Hey Paul, that sounds like a pretty good deal.
I have a few questions if I may...
What type of screen does it have? XGA, XHA+, UXGA etc.
Where did you buy it?
What kind of graphics card does it have?
How about the speed of the RAM and the Hard Drive?
MOST importantly....what kind of warranty does it have?

I gotta tell you...I just got a ViewSonic 21" widescreen flatpanel monitor at work, and that thing screams. I have a Dell 19" Ultra Sharp at home, and it's not near as nice as the ViewSonic as far as clarity and sharpness of the image.

I would be tempted to get a second monitor like the ViewSonic for home if I really got into the CAD/CAM/CNC thing. It's THAT sweet.

As to the Dell laptops, well, we have an office full of them, and have had very good success with them. Perhaps that's due to buying through the Business end of Dell's sales. I've long suspected that the parts used in their business units may be better than their "Home and Home Office" division. They sell what looks like the same units under different names and configurations in the two divisions. Why give them different names if they're basically the same? There has to be something to it...
[/QUOTE]

Specs:

What type of screen does it have? XGA, XHA+, UXGA etc.

I *think* it's UXGA, it's a TFT active matrix that does 1440 x 900 resolution.

Where did you buy it?

Looked it up online with CompUsa to make sure they had it in stock and then walked in and bought it there, told the sales dweeb "This is what I want, I don't want your warranty, I don't need accessories, just sell me the laptop", broke his little heart ;)

What kind of graphics card does it have?

It has an Intel GMA 950, Toshiba calls this a gaming laptop, but there is a model above this one with a GForce card, I just didn't want to spend the dough on it.

How about the speed of the RAM and the Hard Drive?

The memory is DDR II SDRAM, the bus is 533Mhz and the hard drive is well I don't know, I can't seem to find that info but considering the speed of the bus I would expect it to be high RPM IDE (I don't think they are putting SATA's in laptops yet, but Im sure hesh would know)...

MOST importantly....what kind of warranty does it have?

1 year manufactuers full coverage, Comp-Usa offers one as well that's a good deal for the money. I've had 3 toshiba's before this one and I never had an issue so I opted out of the Comp-Usa warranty.

It has a touch pad but I bought an optical mouse for it and use the touchpad only when I don't have room for a mouse (I do the same on my thunkpad from work). I'm able to run Rhino Cad on this, and play World of Warcraft with my kids which is really all I wanted, the speakers sound good. Video looks nice (DVD's look really good), it's only 7.1 lbs which is not light but it's not a brick either. No floppy drive but who needs one anymore, with 802.11g I just pop things over the network.

So here's my dell thing, I had 1 fry on the road, it just wasn't up to the task of taking a beating. We got a good toshiba and I used it for 2 years before I joined Macromedia, they bought me a Thunkpad and I've had two of those since being there (and now with Adobe). My wife has a dell that has been nothing but trouble, the power supply died, it's super super slow, the hard drive is noisy and when I bought this one I told her she could do her bookeeping on here when she needed to and I would toss the dell (it was a present from a customer). I've had my thinkpad longer than that dell and we finally just trashed the dell a few weeks ago and got this one last week.

I really hate gadget PC's with the "Internet" ready options and lots of useless buttons and do-dads, this one has a couple of those but so far I've found theirs pretty useful (there are only 6) and the 4 USB ports are in great locations for things like plugging in my mouse.
It will do split screen but I have little use for it with what I do, so far I'm very happy with it.

Cheers

-Paul-

_________________
-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

You guys have an interesting take on warranties...our IT guys all are firm believers in long-term warranties on laptops, because as they say, "anything can happen to a laptop". Or maybe it's because they're buying Dells. Who knows.
I think I'll take a trip to my local CompUSA.

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

If I was buying it for the company then I would get the warranty, it can be very useful. But since it's just for me and the wife, and no kids will ever touch the keyboard (ever!!!) I feel safe without the warranty.

Hesh I was polite to the guy, but even after explaining what I wanted he started in on this speech about consumer reports suggests blah blah blah blah. Not his fault, it's his job, but I politely told him that Toshiba's are rated in the top 5 of least amount of service calls (Apple was #1 I beleive and IBM number 2 and I *think* toshiba was 3) by consumer reports and before I even walked in the store I had researched their data (which by the way was very limited IMHO), I also checked out CNET which gave the bigger version of mine a very good review.

Now in the interest of full disclosure, I wanted this laptop quick, I needed it for a class. If Comp-Usa would have had an IBM lenovo on the shelf I would have purchased that instead and if I was not in a hurry I would have ordered one and waited for it to be delivered from IBM. That does not mean I regret the decision, I love the laptop but I think for PC's IBM's are best all around laptops available. IBM doesn't do 'gaming' laptops (too bad) so Toshiba was my second choice and the price was a real draw for me.

Hesh those raptors are pretty cool, the next monster box I build I'm using them, right now I have an Athlon 64 3200+, 2 gigs mem, 2 7200 rpm Satas (120 gb and 320 gb),TDK CD Rom/DVD Burner, ATI FireGL with 2 Viewsonic 20.1" monitors, it has the standard Soundblaster stuff and ports but it's starting to show it's age. I've had it for over 2 years now and when Vista hits I'll build another one and give this to one of the kids. I'm keeping the dual monitors but I want something with PCI-Express and a slimmer profile.

My wife just rolls her eyes

-Paul-

_________________
-Paul-

Patriot Guitars

Ok your officially a nerd now...

I looked into water cooling but at the time they where having problems with build-up hindering the flow, so I passed and stuck with a Zalman and a couple of well placed ball bearing fans to keep things cool and quiet. However now that they'ved worked out the kinks I'll probably do that on my next one. I did trick out my last one with lights and a window and all that jazz, it was fun but useless

I'm going to wait until vista is out and has at least one service pack before I go that route, then I'll build a new monster machine. I want to wait and see what the motherboard mfr's come out with for the new chipset before I do anything, I'm using an msi right now, I like their stuff but I wish all the mfr's would stop including all the stupid build in's like sound and nic (or just offer boards without all the extras), in my experience they are normally only passable and on some MB's they cause problems even when you turn them off.

I have yet to get my hands on a copy of Vista, I should probably do that at some point, I have an MSDN subscription and it should be available to me, I've just been busy and it's not a priority right now. After my gig with Adobe is over I'll probably sit down and play with it and see what the hub-bub is about :)

Cheers

-Paul-

_________________
-Paul-

Patriot Guitars