Christian Filmmakers

My only caveat is that about half the netbooks I’ve seen ship w/solid-state hard drives, which are better in many ways except they hold about a tenth of what a regular hard drive does for the cost, and I don’t think the improvements are worth it.

So I’d say skip the SSD option and go w/more capacity (my netbook has a 160G hard drive.)

I’ve got an Acer as well, and the only problem is that the touchpad buttons are starting to go hinky on me - not reliable anymore - but you can doubletap the touchpad to get the same function, so it’s not a deal-breaker (especially for a computer that goes on the road all the time, I don’t think that’s unreasonable for a mechanical part to fail after all this time and abuse!)

Really, Acer seems to be a solid little netbook for the price.

Cheers,
Calix

(...I didn’t know they were eMachine - I know eMachine builds craptastic desktop computers, so if I’d known that I wouldn’t have bought the Acer - meaning I would have missed out on a nice little piece of hardware because of my prejudice - live and learn!)

Calix Lewis Reneau wrote:

(...I didn’t know they were eMachine - I know eMachine builds craptastic desktop computers, so if I’d known that I wouldn’t have bought the Acer - meaning I would have missed out on a nice little piece of hardware because of my prejudice - live and learn!)

::shrug:: My netbook says “product of Acer” when I flip it over.

The reviews did say, though, that it is hit and miss with eMachines computers. Guess the best thing to do is to read the reviews before buying!

Incidentally, years and years ago, in the dark age of computers (i.e. before internet), my family had a eMachines—lasted for years. (but my dad tinkered with it; that might’ve increased its lifespan…or decreased it, we’re never sure when it comes to people tinkering with computers! )

Oh, to the OP (original poster):
If you ask, the store might sell you the display model if the computer is going to be no longer carried (i.e. it was on clearance, discontinued model) you can often get a discount for buying it since they don’t have anything else to do with it. Granted, it will need a bit of cleaning because it’s been touched by who knows how many people…but if they give you 20 dollars off, it’s probably worth it.
My dad told me that. I don’t know all the details as to how to do it…but yeah, it’s possible. (he used to work in a Best Buy, that’s how I know, plus he mentioned after he brought my netbook home that he’d forgotten to ask about the display model.)

Calix Lewis Reneau wrote:

Victor will slap me, but I recommend staying away from Linux as a fairly new user (which you sound like you are.)  There’s a learning curve, and it sounds like you want to just turn on the computer and start writing and playing with your iPod.

Of course there’s a learning curve. Windows has one too, and a bigger one at that. (Although “Linux” is pretty broad - are you therefore saying that a new user should stay away from a Kindle, or a cellphone, or a router?)

...Ironically, the only way you’ll be able to just turn on your computer and start writing and playing with your iPod is with Ubuntu - since Windows comes with neither an office suite nor a music player with iPod capabilities, whereas Ubuntu comes with both… (OpenOffice and Rythmbox, respectively)

I don’t know what they’re doing in Windows 7, but thru Vista all Windows systems I’ve ever seen shipped with Microsoft Works, which is their “free” replacement for their office suite.

I know people who use it and are quite happy with it, and it’s free.

On the other thing, I wouldn’t expect Microsoft to support iTunes anymore than Apple supports Zune.

Anyway, having used both Vista and Ubuntu… my vote for the total n00b is still Vista, if only so the user doesn’t have to deal with neighbors pointing and laughing when he walks outside.

Cheekily,
Calix

(...true story: yesteday, in editing, I wanted to hear a certain song in context of the film, so I handed my USB drive to my Mac editor - and he had to go and find some program to translate the WMA file to Mac-speak, because nothing on the Mac would read, translate or even open WMA files!)

Calix Lewis Reneau wrote:

I don’t know what they’re doing in Windows 7, but thru Vista all Windows systems I’ve ever seen shipped with Microsoft Works, which is their “free” replacement for their office suite.

Works isn’t a part of Windows, and it isn’t free. It’s cost gets bundled into the cost of the computer.

Anyway, having used both Vista and Ubuntu… my vote for the total n00b is still Vista, if only so the user doesn’t have to deal with neighbors pointing and laughing when he walks outside.

At one point, I would have agreed with you. But Ubuntu changes fast. What version did you use? 6.06? (June 2006) 8.04? (April 2008) Even 9.04? (April 2009)
A lot has changed since then. It’s far easier to use, faster to boot, has a prettier theme, etc.

(...true story: yesteday, in editing, I wanted to hear a certain song in context of the film, so I handed my USB drive to my Mac editor - and he had to go and find some program to translate the WMA file to Mac-speak, because nothing on the Mac would read, translate or even open WMA files!)

WMA is a patented Microsoft format. Nobody except Microsoft can ship built-in support for it without a deal with Microsoft. Use OGG.

But it appears that Joshua has grown up with Windows…so even if he’s somewhat of a novice, it’s probably better to stick with what he knows.

Nathanael Brunner wrote:

But it appears that Joshua has grown up with Windows…so even if he’s somewhat of a novice, it’s probably better to stick with what he knows.

Probably. He’s also stated that he wants Windows, so I should probably stop now…

Victor Noordhoek wrote:

Nathanael Brunner wrote:

But it appears that Joshua has grown up with Windows…so even if he’s somewhat of a novice, it’s probably better to stick with what he knows.

Probably. He’s also stated that he wants Windows, so I should probably stop now…

It’s ok.    Your just trying to help

But that is true, that I have used windows my whole life. We now use XP, but I heard the Windows 7 is a lot better. 

So far, I have $140 saved up for one, and I should have $300 by the end of the month. Would that be enough for a good netbook?

Thanks,
        Joshua Warren

Calix is right about SSDs. You probably won’t be needing one.

I, on the other hand, have more or less resolved to upgrade to SSDs (at least for my boot drives) as soon as I have the money or at least one of my current HDDs dies, whichever comes first.

And Jenni is right about bargains for display models and discontinued products. I got my monitors for a mere $80 each (marked down from $170 each) for no other reason than the model was being discontinued. They’re E-machines, too!

Now, mind you, products are often discontinued for a reason, and display models might have various physical imperfections (scratches, fades, etc.). But if they’re not worth the money to you, then they might be the way to go.

Alex Beard, composer
Original music for movies and TV!
http://www.alexbeardmusic.com

Joshua Warren wrote:

So far, I have $140 saved up for one, and I should have $300 by the end of the month. Would that be enough for a good netbook?

Yup.