Used or cheap laptops?

[Taro Toporific]

I am after a used or very cheap laptop for between 6-80,000.
HH

The all BIG computer stores offer trade-ins, and thus they have a used computer section burried waaaaaay in the back of their stores. My favorite is PC Depot 'cause they offer a a guarantee on their used stuff http://www.pcdepot.co.jp/

Hint: A used 30,000yen IBM Thinkpad will be plenty of power to get-the-job-done, If you run Linux/*nix instead of Satan's Spawn, Windows. Thinkpads are the toughest and shock resistent. In the same vein, a used iBook running Yellow Dog Linux will run faster and last longer than my fragile Ti PowerBook costing 100s of thousands of yen more.

[jasper]

While this thread is on.

This may be a stupid question, what the hell I'm an FG.

If I get another computer and use Linux, can I use any of my other programs (which are for windows, which I have up the ying yang, and which I have spent years getting reasonably proficient with). Or do I have to buy/download new soft and learn all over again?

[Taro Toporific]

If I get another computer and use Linux, can I use any of my other programs (which are for windows, which I have up the ying yang, and which I have spent years getting reasonably proficient with). Or do I have to buy/download new soft and learn all over again?

You could Windows in an emulation window of Linux but that's like putting lipstick on a dead pig.

The OPEN SOURCE programs for Linux are available free. An easy way to get started is to buy a $50 CD of Red Hat Linux which has AbiWord (MS Word lookalike), GIMP (PhotoShop lookalike), etc., etc. There is a lookalike workaround program for most everything Microsoft. But and this is a BIG "butt", it always requires a little fiddling to get it to work ok. If you can't stomach some "fiddling" around, it ain't for you.

I run Yellow Dog Linux (free to download) on an 2-year old iBook (333 htz) and it's about as fast than my 1.2Ghtz Pentium running WindowsXP at work. I had the same luck using Red Hat default install on old, old IBM ThinkPads for my post-grad students at JETRO class I had to teach last year. I just used the "default install" of Red Hat Linux and we were all happy as Japanese perverts on the Yamamote Line at 6:30pm. :-D

BOTTOM LINE: No dumping Windows is not "easy" but it is rewarding.

[jasper]

Thanks Taro,

I suppose I have to stick with windows until I learn how to do a little Fiddling. To tell you the truth, I have been under the impression for a lot of years now that windows/dos requires a lot of jiggling/screaming. I guess I'm not ready for a new instrument - yet

[Taro Toporific]

I suppose I have to stick with windows

You could see if FG member "Tobee" still has his ThinkPad for sale:

Post subject: IBM laptop for sale
Specs
IBM Jap OS ME , Office 2000
500 odd Mhz
loaded with all connectivity thingys

bot it in dec 2000. so about 22 months old...
give me a fair price and she's all urs

Tobeeeeeeeeeee

http://www.fuckedgaijin.com/forum/./viewtopic.php?t=1845&sid=d6cc2f03d5df0622a74255b859fec51e[/b]

I suspect he might give ya a break on " a fair price". Be sure to uninstall the worst-in-the-past-decade Windows ME with a proper MS operating system like Windows 2000 or even XP. Japanese Windows ME blows beets and is not well supported by the ADSL folks in Japan.