|
The
Gaffer’s Variety Archive |
Gaffer Variety:
Suitcase Computer 1 V071:
By Willie Gaffer:
Way back in 2002 I ran into a
dilemma about my website. I realized I was tied to home because I did not have
the equipment I needed to work on the road and maintain my website. All I had
was a standard desktop computer with a big old 21" CRT monitor that I
could barley lift. Altogether the whole mess, computer and CRT, probably
weighed about 100 lbs. Not too great for travel. I needed something lighter
than that. I have since replaced th CRT monitor with Viewsonic LCD monitor, but
that was just one item. I still had a tower PC that I could barely lift.
Of course, I had to think
about a Notebook computer. Nomenclature does change over time. These used to be
called laptops. Actually laptop and notebook are both rather new terms for an
old guy like me. I can remember when we had a thing called a portable computer.
What the manufacturer did was put a handle on a full sized integrated computer.
It weighed about 45 pounds. Most strong folks could carry this thing a short
distance. We had one at my final place of employment. The young woman who used
it most, hauled it around on a luggage cart. She did not call it a portable.
She called it a luggable. So much for history.
On the internet I was able to
comparison shop for the notebook computer which I thought would fit my needs. I
finally ended up ordering a Dell, Inspiron 8000 notebook with all of the bells
and whistles I needed. Even though it was very expensive I felt pleased
because, with my modem cell phone and notebook, I would be free to access my
website from anywhere in the continental US. While that is reasonably true I
was displeased with the notebook almost from the moment I got it.
The first thing I discovered
was what I consider to be a pitiful battery lifetime. Unless the computer is
plugged into an AC power source, the battery goes dead in about 90 minutes.
That is hardly enough time to do any meaningful work. I figured I would have to
have an extra battery. It was then I discovered the battery was a Dell
proprietary item. In fact, I discovered everything about this notebook is Dell
proprietary. I=m sure you know what that means. Money and more money!
Before I was done, I had almost $4000 in this notebook. In addition, the only
way I have found to charge the battery is to have it in the notebook and have
the notebook plugged in. Not good!
Okay, I was stuck with the
computer and determined to use it. Then I found, even though it had a state of
the art CPU it was slower than Grandma, and she was old. The computer was new.
The problem here was there was too much Dell proprietary stuff on the system.
In addition, there was no clear way to disable that stuff. There was no
information on how it worked or even why it was there. It just was. Still, the
computer did work and using my cell phone I was able to access the internet
from any remote place I found myself. I actually used it once to update my
website, but it was a real pain in the butt. It was such a pain that I went out
of my way to avid having to use it.
Why was it such a pain? This
thing is touted as a go anywhere notebook computer, but that is quite
misleading. To go anywhere and make sure the thing will work reliable, requires
a whole s****pot load of extra stuff. In fact, with all the stuff needed, I end
up with two briefcases worth of junk. Together they weigh about 30 lbs. That is
not a significant gain over what my friend called a luggable many years ago. I
understand now, what those people who wrote for the computer magazines were
complaining about. These people are true road warriors and they have to carry
that much crap every day they are working in the field.
One additional problem
cropped up right from the start. The notebook only has room for one hard drive.
I thought that would be okay because I would use Partition Magic to partition
it into two drives when it arrive. That way I would have a C drive with all of
the software and a D drive with all of my data. That=s the way I like to work. It=s clean and back up is simplified. The problem was,
when I got the computer Partition Magic would not run on it. Who knows why. The
same software ran on all of my other computers, but not on this proprietary
Dell.
So I am stuck putting data on
the C drive. That means, I cannot follow my standard backup procedure, which is
to format the D drive to clear it before I copy my main computer D drive to it.
Instead, I must delete my old data and copy my new data. What that does is
fragment the hard drive and slow this pig down even more. Eventually I have to
run Defrag to clean up the mess. That is not easy. It should be easy, but the
Dell proprietary stuff interferes with Defrag. The only way I can run it is to
put the computer into Selective Startup and disable almost everything. A pain!
A real pain!
Finally there is the standard
notebook keyboard. I am here to say it stinks. The keys are suitable for a
child’s hands, not a man’s. Compared to my standard keyboard,
everything is in a different (wrong) place. That is especially true of the
finger pad that substitutes for a mouse. It should be a track ball and it
should be at the top of the keyboard, not under my hand at the bottom. It is
too easy to diddle it when I don’t intend to. My guess is, some bonehead
engineer designed the first notebook keyboard and everyone copied it without
thinking about it. It stinks.
Now you can see why I am deciding
I do not really need a notebook computer. What I really need is a
nonproprietary briefcase/suitcase computer where I know what is inside it and
how it all works. Why did I conclude I do not need a notebook computer? The
main feature of a notebook is mobility. That translates into the ability to
work in the absence of electrical power and internet connectivity. Olay, for
internet connectivity, I have my modem cell phone. It works almost everywhere.
As to power, where do I go
that electrical power is not available? When I travel, I stay in motels or
hotels. It has been a very long time indeed when I stayed in a place that did
not have AC plugs. I do remember such a place, but it was not called a motel.
It was called a cabin. Actually, it was a shack with a bed and a shower.
That’s all. That was decades ago when there were many places like that on
our highways. Thank Minerva that is no longer the case. For a real emergency, I
already have a DC to AC converter that will produce adequate AC power from a 12
volt automobile battery.
So what do I really need? I
need a computer that is reasonably easy for a man in his seventies to carry
around. I decided I need a briefcase or a suitcase computer. Even if it still
weights 30 pounds, I can have a suitcase with wheels on it. In addition,
nothing on it will be proprietary. I have already begun specifying the
components. I=ll get to the details of that in a follow up essay.
Back to Gaffer's Variety.