U2start.com | Technology Topic

Originally posted by Ali709Well Drew...I only had Nero in mind, and you already mentioned it, so I think I have nothing

But you might be able to help me! I'm thinking about buying a laptop, I want to use it for my studies, and to connect to the wi-fi at the university, and for U2Start

So, it's gonna be used mostly for programming, C and Assembly, with programs like Codevision and AVRStudio (it's for micro controllers, electronics stuff ), I will also be using MATLAB on it, and maybe some other "scientific" programs.

Considering that it will probably come with Vista pre-installed...could you give me a minimum specs suggestion?

I'm leaving in an hour and a half and will be looking (not yet buying) at some laptops, so if you see this, reply soon so that I have an idea of what I want before I leave!!

EDIT: and BTW, I will probably install something like Ubuntu or some Linux thing on it too, as I want to get some experience on Linux...

I'm not completely sure on specs, but I know many people with toshiba Satellites. Very reliable, and affordable, not to mention excellent quality. Probably the best non-apple (or PC--however you want to say it

) laptops out there.

EDIT: 1GB of RAM for sure. I'll try to think of some more specs.

Ali709

17 years

Well, I had thought Toshiba, Dell or maybe even Fujitsu Siemens...but it's the specs that really matter now...1GB RAM? I think it wouldn't be enough, I mean, Vista itself (unless I change it back to XP) would want the 1GB...

easports43

17 years

Originally posted by Ali709Well, I had thought Toshiba, Dell or maybe even Fujitsu Siemens...but it's the specs that really matter now...1GB RAM? I think it wouldn't be enough, I mean, Vista itself (unless I change it back to XP) would want the 1GB...

Sorry..I'm tired and typing too fast. At least 2GB.

Ali709

17 years

Originally posted by easports43[..]

Sorry..I'm tired and typing too fast. At least 2GB.

Aw, ok! Go to bed Nate!!!
Where is Drew when you need him?!

easports43

17 years

Originally posted by Ali709[..]

Aw, ok! Go to bed Nate!!!
Where is Drew when you need him?!

Just where I was heading back....Yes, I said back. I got about an hour of sleep, and now I'm wide awake (No pun intended) for no reason at all

Ali709

17 years

Originally posted by easports43[..]

Just where I was heading back....Yes, I said back. I got about an hour of sleep, and now I'm wide awake (No pun intended) for no reason at all

Ah, it happens...happened to me the other night, I had to watch some U2 and The Boss videos to get me to sleep!

drewhiggins

17 years

Originally posted by Ali709Where is Drew when you need him?!

Suffering with Vista. Not really...suffering with the media center - it doesn't work properly.

Originally posted by Ali709Well, I had thought Toshiba, Dell or maybe even Fujitsu Siemens...but it's the specs that really matter now...1GB RAM? I think it wouldn't be enough, I mean, Vista itself (unless I change it back to XP) would want the 1GB...

It eats RAM for breakfast, lunch and dinner and desert. So 2GB is more than suffice - if you've ever used it the transparent interface killed my system off and I actually had to turn it off with all the fancy effects. Mind you, this was a pre-release Vista version and might have changed with the final release (called RTM - release to manufacturing).

1GB really is borderline but when you turn off all the funky effects - no matter how cool it might look - it really speeds up almost to XP standards, which is amazing. Not as fast but almost. I do like the Toshiba and Dells (Nate is right about Toshiba, they are pretty good on service and reliability), but they install so much crap on it for you it's not funny that isn't needed. Just avoid the HP and Compaq systems....I've called up their so-called "customer service" line and it was absolutely the most disgraceful, most useless service I've ever received (even worse than IBM - and that's bad).

It runs on 512MB would you believe, but no less, it won't actually even install with it - I tried installing it on 384MB and it refused to start. I was gonna put 1GB in but then the piece of crap motherboard decided it wasn't gonna notice more than half of each new RAM stick (and I tried lots), so in the end I gave up on it. I'll fix it one day though...

Originally posted by Ali709I'm thinking about buying a laptop, I want to use it for my studies, and to connect to the wi-fi at the university, and for U2Start

Any laptop, regardless of whether it runs Vista Basic, Home Premium, Ultimate or Business would handle Wi-Fi easily. It's built into almost every laptop from the big names since about 2005, but this could be a different standard.

You do have standards of b, g and n - your Uni would be running 802.11g as most do right around the world (I know this is the case in Australia, New Zealand, France, Ireland, Russia and Mexico), so you need to ask that question both of your Uni and the store selling you the laptop and don't be scared to ask.

Originally posted by Ali709So, it's gonna be used mostly for programming, C and Assembly, with programs like Codevision and AVRStudio (it's for micro controllers, electronics stuff ), I will also be using MATLAB on it, and maybe some other "scientific" programs.

The problem with Vista (and Casper would know of this) is that some programs will run and others won't. Nero 6 is a notable one, as are some games. Visual Basics had some troubles at first and so did some digital video cameras and my mobile phone (LG8330). Apart from that most of it works well - unless you want to run some obscure program like I do regularly such as scripts.

Most of the programs you're dealing with like CodeVision, C and AVR will work (except some parts might need a license so you can get in touch with the makers of the software), but others such as some anti-virus programs don't. This was because of the fact that to get Windows more secure, the whole original base kernel had to be rewritten (since the days of Windows 95) which caused a real headache and stopped most of my little self-written programs such as encryption, firewalls etc to stop working. Most of the AV programs are now compatible, but AVG Free is probably the best one for it - and you will need it for the Internet and email.

Originally posted by Ali709Considering that it will probably come with Vista pre-installed...could you give me a minimum specs suggestion?

It hugely varies between different versions. Another thing I remember is that when I was looking at buying a new computer early last year but didn't get one was that there are two stickers you'll see quite regularly: Vista Capable and Vista Premium Ready.

Vista Capable essentially means that you can run Vista Home Basic easily enough but just don't use something heavy like Adobe Photoshop or similar...because it's not designed for that. These'll be the cheap and nasty numbers you'll come across quite regularly. Vista Premium Ready on the other hand can run Ultimate and Home Premium, which comes with all the fancy features like the Media Center and DVD Maker.

Both types still can run all your old programs but do a check on their respective sites before you upgrade because even though a program can run on XP perfectly fine, sometimes Vista just spits the dummy and refuse to work with it. Sorry I didn't see your post earlier.

A common Vista laptop would look like this (what I've seen for around $1000):

CPU: 1.8GHz Intel Core Duo
RAM: 1.0GB DDR2 667MHz
Graphics: ATI or NVIDIA DirectX9 128MB
Hard Drive: 100GB 7200-rpm
Display: 15.4inch TFT LCD
Networking: 802.11b/g, Bluetooth
USB: 4 x USB2.0 ports
DVD: 8x DVD-RW drive

Originally posted by Ali709EDIT: and BTW, I will probably install something like Ubuntu or some Linux thing on it too, as I want to get some experience on Linux...

There's well over 50 versions so I'd do a search on distrowatch.com and check out what's best for you. Personally, I'd go for Ubuntu 7.10 as it's so easy to learn and can really be better than Windows and Mac in both operation and how well it works - plus it's free and most of them have a Live CD which means you pop it into your laptop or desktop and try it out without messing up your current setup of Windows or Mac and then, if you like it install it.

Though I'm not too sure of how it would work with a pre-installed Vista machine. Should be no different to anything else. Make sure you get all original discs, don't overspend on something which looks good and probably actually isn't and ask as many questions - those workers are getting paid quite a bit for each sale, likely some extra commission so ask questions and ask many.

What versions of Windows Vista are there?

Windows Vista Ultimate is the choice for those who want to have it all. Easily shift between the worlds of productivity and play with the most complete edition of Windows Vista. Ultimate provides the power, security, and mobility features needed for work, and all the entertainment features that you want for fun.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/ultimate/default.mspx

Windows Vista Home Premium is the preferred edition for home desktop and mobile PCs. It provides a breakthrough design that brings your world into sharper focus while delivering the productivity, entertainment, and security you need from your PC at home or on the go.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/homepremium/default.mspx

Windows Vista Home Basic is ideal for homes with basic computing needs like e-mail, browsing the Internet, and viewing photos. Easy to set up and maintain, it enables you to quickly find what you're looking for on your PC and the Internet, while providing a more secure environment to help protect you from an unpredictable world.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/homebasic/default.mspx

Windows Vista Business is the first edition of Windows designed specifically to meet the needs of small businesses. You'll spend less time on technology support-related issues-so you can spend more time making your business successful. Windows Vista Business is the definitive choice for your business today and tomorrow.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/business/default.mspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/

Ali709

17 years

WOW! That's a huge guide you just posted...thanks Drew, I'll go through it...though some of the stuff you mentioned aren't really an issue here, such as the support thing, we aren't dealing with the original companies here, so the service is by companies based in Iran...so service isn't really an issue.
Also the whole "workers" thing and the commission...it isn't like that here...there is this big shopping center here in Tehran, it's all computers, games and gadgets, cool place...but it's not one big store with lots of workers, it's one big place with a lot of small stores in it, each with 1 or 2 people in them selling stuff... sooo...

Anyways, I'll keep the things you said in mind, thanks

MWSAH

17 years

1GB for Vista could be enough..it depends on the kind of things you'll do with your laptop. I'd prefer 2GB at least.

MWSAH

17 years

Originally posted by drewhigginsThought I'd ask the question:

On a DVD like Los Angeles 1987-11-18 or Buenos Aires 2006-03-02 how do you do a menu like that so I can press Start or select from the song list and also maybe incorporate other features like different audio streams, say a 2.1 English and 5.1 English stream? And have a song playing in the background and a picture.

Someone who makes the DVDs from scratch might be able to give me a suggestion for a program (either free, open-source or paid-for) or at least get me thinking in the right direction. I've been looking at VideoReDo, TGMPEG, VirtualDub, Nero VisionExpress and Windows Media Centre 2005 but nothing even looks to do half a decent job.

I use Pro Show Producer. You can add an AVI for example and create a menu for yourself, with picture and music. But there are more programs suitable for this, like Nero, I think. Altough I don't use that so often, only for burning.

Ali709

17 years

Originally posted by MWSAH1GB for Vista could be enough..it depends on the kind of things you'll do with your laptop. I'd prefer 2GB at least.

Grrr...

Weird stores here...the models they have, lots of 1GBs, but when it turns to 2GBs, the vid card (GPU) and everything else also increase a lot!! I don't need a top-model graphics unit, I'm not getting it to play games on it!
So, the 2GB models are noticeably higher in price, for that shitty reason

haytrain

17 years

Can anyone recommend a good (hopefully free!) program that will allow me to help my girlfriend design a web page, or maybe just offer me some advice? She just bought a domain name to put up some of her work (she's an artist), and I told her I'd help her with the website, but I don't really know what I'm doing. If there's a relatively easy program to use, I'm sure I can figure it out. Also, being able to customize it some would be ideal, and not just some cookie-cutter templates. Thanks in advance!

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