close@lunch.wpd.sgi.com (Diane Barlow Close) (01/30/91)
I'm seriously considering getting a laptop and I'm more than a bit confused by ``expert'' opinion. I've read the reviews (PC computing, Byte, PC World, etc.) and ``expert'' opinion is that 8088 and 80C86 machines are obsolete and wouldn't exist if it weren't for the laptop market. ``They'' recommend getting _at least_ an 80286 laptop and a VGA quality screen. The trouble is, I haven't seen an 80286 (or higher) machine that I've liked and I'm just not sure I require the speed for my work. I'm a writer (plain Jane articles, so I don't need graphics) and I use WordPerfect, Correct Grammar, a generic spreadsheet and a simple database regularily. That's it! Not what I'd consider ``power'' requirements. Enter the T1000LE. From what I've seen so far I really like this machine. It has a nicely laid out keyboard, convenient autoresume feature, 1.44 floppy and and 20 meg hard drive, and a nicely-lit side-lit screen. Toshiba's claiming 3 hours on the battery life with an optional second internal battery (takes the place of the modem) which will extend battery life to 5 hours. Since I need a long battery life (I'm often in places where an electrical outlet is inconvenient or impossible), this sounds ideal. I can write decently on the road (as opposed to jotting memos on an Atari Portfolio or something like that) and can polish and finish at home on my desktop machine. It sounds ideal, but a small part of me screams ``no, not enough power! The machine will be obsolete in one year! What about windows? What about running other cool programs?'' Am I just getting caught up in the computing hype? I think so. I think the ``I wonder what's better that's just around the corner'' type of thinking gets to us all. So, with that in mind, I'd appreciate some comments from some LE owners (or want-to-be-owners), as well as comments from others who think their machines will do what I want for less $$'s. -- Diane Barlow Close close@lunch.wpd.sgi.com also close@cygnus.com I'm at lunch today. :-) Free Canada -- Trade Mulroney
mvolo@uncecs.edu (Michael R. Volow) (01/30/91)
The Zeos 80286 portable has a 20 Meg HD, 1.44 floppy and a price of $1995 and a VGA screen. This isn't too much more than the street price of the Toshiba 1000LE. -- Michael Volow, Psychiatry, Durham VA Med Center, Durham NC 27712 919 286 0411 Ext 6933 mvolo@ecsvax.edu
dlow@pollux.svale.hp.com (Danny Low) (01/31/91)
>(Diane Barlow Close) >I'm a writer (plain >Jane articles, so I don't need graphics) and I use WordPerfect, Correct >Grammar, a generic spreadsheet and a simple database regularily. That's it! >Not what I'd consider ``power'' requirements. For what you do, a 8086 (such as the Toshiba 1000LE uses) is more than adequate. Reading most computer magazines for recommendations is like reading Road&Track magazine for information on a family car. You can put grocery and small kids in the back of a Porsche but that does not make it a family car. Considering how many XT class machines there are, it will be at least 5 years before you will see a significant drop in the number of programs that will not run on 808x machines. For your purposes that is when the machine becomes obsolete. For all practical purposes you will still be able to use the machine for another 5 years before you start to get problems with software updates. Danny Low "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You" Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley HP CPCD dlow@pollux.svale.hp.com
portuesi@tweezers.esd.sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) (02/04/91)
>>>>> On 2 Feb 91 06:19:46 GMT, m_pitt@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au said: > the biggest problem with the T1000LE is the lack of an external > monitor, thus invalidating it as main computer. > What a shame!! Why? If the T1000LE is anything like the SE or the XE, it has a 100-bin bus connector on the back. There are a few companies which manufacture PC/XT (and I think even AT) compatible slots which connect to that port. Buy one of those and a VGA card and away you go. The Toshiba SETUP10 program allows you to configure the system to use a display other than the internal display, so obviously the system was designed to allow this to happen. m. -- __ \/ Michael Portuesi Silicon Graphics, Inc. portuesi@sgi.com "Long before one is anything like drunk, the tongue is loosened, and words may slip out which should never have been said. Watch this particularly when it's all girls together. That femimine urge to confide may trick you into repeating what your husband said about the president and the boss's wife and how that had a lot to do with the boss's promotion -- words one of the women present is sure to make you regret some day." --Nina Fischer, "How to Help Your Husband Get Ahead" part of the Amy Vanderbilt Success Program for Women
kiravuo@hila.hut.fi (Timo Kiravuo) (02/04/91)
In article <1991Feb2.141946.2873@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au> m_pitt@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au writes: >the biggest problem with the T1000LE is the lack of an external >monitor, thus invalidating it as main computer. I wouldn't say it that strongly. An external monitor output would be nice for using it with video projectors and such stuff, but I have personally felt no need for an external monitor. I like colors and 50-line VGA, but for text only applications the T1000LE display is good enough for me. Of course things such as display or keyboard are dependant of personal preferrences and what fits one does not maybe fit another one. -- Timo Kiravuo, kiravuo@hut.fi Helsinki University of Technology, Computer Center, Finland
zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au (Ross Alford) (02/05/91)
In article <PORTUESI.91Feb4092454@tweezers.esd.sgi.com> portuesi@sgi.com (Michael Portuesi) writes: >>>>>> On 2 Feb 91 06:19:46 GMT, m_pitt@fennel.cc.uwa.oz.au said: > >> the biggest problem with the T1000LE is the lack of an external >> monitor, thus invalidating it as main computer. > >> What a shame!! > >Why? If the T1000LE is anything like the SE or the XE, it has a >100-bin bus connector on the back. There are a few companies which >manufacture PC/XT (and I think even AT) compatible slots which connect >to that port. Buy one of those and a VGA card and away you go. > Not to mention the fact that the display is *so* good that unless you really need a colour screen, you don't need an external monitor anyway. I personally prefer a really high quality, contrasty, dark text/light background display like that of the T1000LE over the usual monitor display any day. Ross Alford zlraa@marlin.jcu.edu.au -- //DUXYZY01 JOB DU.D00.AA1234,ALFORD // EXEC PGM=IEBCOPY //OUT DD DSN=DU.E26.AC4672.Z11.ALFORD.OLDLIB, // DISP=(NEW,CATLG),SPACE=(TRK,(10,,10),RLSE),UNIT=DISK,VOL=SER=DUK333
osler@ac.dal.ca (02/05/91)
In article <KIRAVUO.91Jan30174435@hila.hut.fi> kiravuo@hila.hut.fi (Timo Kiravuo) writes >My machine is mostly a typewriter/terminal with games and other >miscellaneous stuff. As a typewriter I am totally in love with >it. For some reason Kermit has some troubles with keeping up at >9600 bps, so it isn't that good a terminal, but I think that that >could be fixed. Games, some can be used, some suffer from the >keyboard/screen. I use my T1000SE extensively as a terminal emulator for our VAX mainframe by running the EM4105 software package from Diversified Computer Servives. It has *no trouble* communicating at 19200 bps and has a subset of Kermit available for file transfer operations. Also included are a number of screen, printer and plotter graphics drivers, among these, the T3100 driver uses the full 640 by 400 resolution of the T1000SE screen to emulate a Tektronics 4010, 4105 or VT640 graphics terminal. All this to say that the the T1000SE can be used very effectively as a terminal emulator. John Osler osler@ac.dal.ca