Options for buying a computer.

[Alex Snow]

I won't buy a computer anymore. The last machine I baught was a compaq 133
back in 96.  It was fast then and had a crap load of ram, but now it is the
slowest thing.  The machine I'm on now's got 128 megs of ram and a 1 ghz AMD
Chip.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Amanda Lee" <amanda at shellworld.net>
To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 6:11 PM
Subject: Re: Options for buying a computer.


> Hahahaha! o'well I'm in Janina's penalty box!  I still have this other
> compaq but haven't pulled off all the stuff I need off of there so I can
> nuke down the HD.  <grinn!>
>
> Amanda Lee
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Janina Sajka" <janina at afb.net>
> To: <speakup at braille.uwo.ca>
> Sent: Friday, March 01, 2002 5:33 PM
> Subject: Re: Options for buying a computer.
>
>
> Well, I take it back. No speakup for you yet.
>
> On Fri, 1 Mar 2002, Amanda Lee wrote:
>
> > Get into the frame of mind of thinking about a USB port as now being the
> > most universal port going forward until something else comes along to
> > trump it.  My NOtebook has 4 <g>!  No serial port; 1 parallel port and
> > ah'yes! a Firewire Port ...  Modems, keyboards, Speech Synthesizers,
> > Network Interfaces, Scanners, Printers, most any peripheral out there
> > these days is available in a USB life form! <g>!
> >
> > Amanda Lee
> >
> > Alexandria, VA
> >
> >
> >
> > On Tue, 26 Feb 2002, Steve Holmes wrote:
> >
> > > You might be better off dealing with a local computer shop in your
area
> > > who might be willing to sell you a computer to your specifications
with
> no
> > > preinstalled anything.  Then you can stipulate that you want at least
> one
> > > serial port, ISA slots or whatever.  Obviously if you are using new
> > > hardware, new network cards, SCSI host adaptors, etc., you might not
> need
> > > ISA slots but you probably need one or more serial ports for synth and
> > > modem.  A lot of these local computer shops are quite reasonable and
> > > certainly more flexible than a mail order place.  The problem with a
lot
> > > of the big stores and such, they preinstall operating systems and
> software
> > > and there are sometimes warantee implications at stake if the machine
is
> > > reformatted with your own OS.  Just another thing to wrinkle up your
> > > research <sigh>.
> > >
> > > If top of the line performance isn't too critical to you, a used
machine
> > > might not be a bad bet either.  Linux doesn't require near the
resources
> > > that winblows does thus there's often a lot of people selling off
their
> > > older pentiums like a 133 or 200 and that will run linux perfectly!
> > >
> > > On Mon, 25 Feb 2002, Anna Schneider wrote:
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Hi everyone.  If my message isn't very clear, I appologize ahead of
> time.
> > > > I've had a very frustrating day in computer research lnd.  Even
> knowing
> > > > that Linux isn't mainstream, I didn't know things would be this
> difficult,
> > > > so if I'm a bit hard to follow, that's why.
> > > >
> > > > What I want to know is, short of building my own computer, are there
> any
> > > > options for either buying a computer with Linux already installed or
> for
> > > > buying a computer with no operating system on it to begin with?
Dell
> will
> > > > only install on business systems, and Compaq's web site claims that
> > > > several versions of Linux are among the operating systems they
offer,
> but
> > > > when I called the number listed, I didn't get any people, I only got
> "You
> > > > live in Seattle Washington, Compaq computers are available at these
> > > > locations."  Mutter mutter mutter.
> > > >
> > > > And while I'm here I'll ask a couple of other things.  Is there a
list
> > > > anywhere of scsi scanners currently in production complete with
> features
> > > > and prices?
> > > >
> > > > And I've seen the occasional mention of a program called Viavoice on
> here?
> > > > Is this a screen reader for Linux, and if so, what are its
positives,
> > > > negatives, and how does it compare to Speak Up?
> > > >
> > > > Thanks much.
> > > >
> > > > Anna
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Speakup mailing list
> > > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> > > _______________________________________________
> > > Speakup mailing list
> > > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> > >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Speakup mailing list
> > Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> > http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
> >
>
> --
>
> Janina Sajka, Director
> Technology Research and Development
> Governmental Relations Group
> American Foundation for the Blind (AFB)
>
> Email: janina at afb.net Phone: (202) 408-8175
>
> Chair, Accessibility SIG
> Open Electronic Book Forum (OEBF)
> http://www.openebook.org
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Speakup at braille.uwo.ca
> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>