Recommendation for an xmas present PC for a college kid?

On 12/17/2016 at 3:41 PM, micky's prodigious digits fired off:
In alt.comp.os.windows-10, on Sat, 17 Dec 2016 09:57:05 -0500, Ed Mullen
wrote:

On 12/17/2016 at 6:40 AM, CRNG's prodigious digits fired off:
On Fri, 16 Dec 2016 14:39:50 -0500, micky
wrote in

You don't have to touch it!. I have win10 now but I used some software
to make it look like 7, and I never touch the screen.

Just curious: what software do you use to make the Win10 look like
Win7?


Classic Shell

http://www.classicshell.net/

Yeah, that's it. I tried to remember when I wrote the previous post,
but couldn't.

I also used some registry tweaks to do such things as change the title

Do you mean something different from the Settings / Personalization /
Colors?

I tried all the colors and the only one that made the active window show
up substantially differently in the task bar was green. I don't like
green.

One big problem is that whatever color I use, it permeates the task bar
for some reason, Maybe it's the underlining of each task rectangle. I
thought at least the underlining was supposed to show which window was
active, but they are all the same color.

bar colors for active and inactive windows.
https://edmullen.net/temp/active_inactive.jpg

I like blue. But in this image, the difference between light purple and
dark blue is substantial in the title bars of the two windows that show,
but in the rectangles in the task bar, the difference between dark blue
and black is small. It doesn't catch my eye, I have to concentrate.

Everything was fine in XP and iirc 7. Why do they have to ruin things?

This

Google is your friend.

http://www.google.com/search?q=make+windows+10+look+like+windows+7&num=5 0&newwindow=1&oq=make+windows+10+look+like+windows +7&gs_l=heirloom-serp.3..0l7j0i22i30l3.66580.74643.0.75707.35.18.0. 17.17.0.145.1846.11j7.18.0....0...1ac.1.34.heirloo m-serp..1.34.1787.ftWNYOUpaY8

You can tweak the .reg file's color settings to your likings. What I
posted were just what worked for me for now. I might change the tomorrow.


--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net/
Why do they use sterilized needles for lethal injections?

On Sat, 17 Dec 2016 15:24:31 -0500, micky
wrote:

My big objection to laptop keyboards is that without depressions it's
hard to keep one's fingers on the right keys. Even my small Dell corded
keyboard (the one with no wasted border space) doesn't have big enough
reverse dimples to let me immediately know my index fingers are in F and
J. I was thinking of putting drops of glue on them.

But I'm still working things out. When it gets dark out, I also can't
see the keyboard which makes it hard to do cntl-W for example, and
sometimes I've hit cntl-Q, which closes Eudora. So I bought an
illuminated keyboard, choice of several colors even, and though the
light part worked, I made many more typos than with the other KB. I'm
thinking of trying to get better with it, or even buying a different
brand. Until then, I have the burden of standing up and turning on the
ceiling light when it gets dark out. Life is hard.

They make wireless remote controls for that. I have three that I'm not
using. They came with the purchase of 3 ceiling fans but I've also seen
them available as a standalone product. These are the kind that are
expected to be hardwired and placed inside the 4"x4" electrical box. You
leave the wall switch turned on, and then control the light with the
remote.

micky wrote:

Until then, I have the burden of standing up and turning on the
ceiling light when it gets dark out. Life is hard.

They make wireless LED light bulbs. There are solutions for
doing remoting so you don't have to get up. You don't
have to use The-Clapper ("As Seen On TV").

HTH,
Paul

On 16/12/2016 11:53 PM, Hazuki Nakamura wrote:
College kid needs a new computer as the old one was too big and busted
(dead battery, broken hinges, etc.)

The kid needs more sleep and rest, not more computer time that affects
their health.

Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:
On 16/12/2016 11:53 PM, Hazuki Nakamura wrote:
College kid needs a new computer as the old one was too big and busted
(dead battery, broken hinges, etc.)

The kid needs more sleep and rest, not more computer time that affects
their health.


When I was in university, we didn't need sleep.

Paul

On 18/12/2016 11:46 PM, Paul wrote:
Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:

The kid needs more sleep and rest, not more computer time that affects
their health.

When I was in university, we didn't need sleep.

Either you were dead, or you were telling lies. I heard that ghosts
never needed sleep...

Sleep is important for kids. That's why governments worldwide create
noise to disturb their slaves.

In message , micky
writes:
[]
But I'm still working things out. When it gets dark out, I also can't
see the keyboard which makes it hard to do cntl-W for example, and
sometimes I've hit cntl-Q, which closes Eudora. So I bought an
illuminated keyboard, choice of several colors even, and though the
light part worked, I made many more typos than with the other KB. I'm
thinking of trying to get better with it, or even buying a different
brand. Until then, I have the burden of standing up and turning on the
ceiling light when it gets dark out. Life is hard.
[]
I found a clip-on light helped there. The one I have clips to the top of
the screen (but the LEDs point down), and has a spring-retract for the
(very fine) USB lead. (I wouldn't go for the ones that have a stiff
flexible neck - I'd worry about them putting too much wear on the USB
socket, and also getting in the way, both physically and visually.)

I also have the white model of the keyboard: this machine came in black
or white (I have black), but when I was trying to fix the keyboard funny
(which I _still_ haven't got to the bottom of! I just don't touch the
left Ctrl key), I bought a spare keyboard to see if that fixed it (it
didn't), and bought the black-letters-on-white variant; this is easier
to see in dim light (a bit), such as the light from the screen.

Still now going to get up and turn on the ceiling light. (The white
keyboard still requires some peering, and I'm not sure where I've put my
clip-on light.)
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

Old professors don't fade away - they just lose their faculties.

J. P. Gilliver (John) wrote:
In message , micky
writes:
[]
But I'm still working things out. When it gets dark out, I also can't
see the keyboard which makes it hard to do cntl-W for example, and
sometimes I've hit cntl-Q, which closes Eudora. So I bought an
illuminated keyboard, choice of several colors even, and though the
light part worked, I made many more typos than with the other KB. I'm
thinking of trying to get better with it, or even buying a different
brand. Until then, I have the burden of standing up and turning on the
ceiling light when it gets dark out. Life is hard.
[]
I found a clip-on light helped there. The one I have clips to the top of
the screen (but the LEDs point down), and has a spring-retract for the
(very fine) USB lead. (I wouldn't go for the ones that have a stiff
flexible neck - I'd worry about them putting too much wear on the USB
socket, and also getting in the way, both physically and visually.)

I also have the white model of the keyboard: this machine came in black
or white (I have black), but when I was trying to fix the keyboard funny
(which I _still_ haven't got to the bottom of! I just don't touch the
left Ctrl key), I bought a spare keyboard to see if that fixed it (it
didn't), and bought the black-letters-on-white variant; this is easier
to see in dim light (a bit), such as the light from the screen.

Still now going to get up and turn on the ceiling light. (The white
keyboard still requires some peering, and I'm not sure where I've put my
clip-on light.)

We want Micky to have a BSR X10 household.

Someone I graduated school with, had virtually everything
in his place wired with X10. What a light show... :-)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X10_(industry_standard)

Presumably there is a better standard than this now.
Like the idea of wireless lightbulbs (control path wireless).

Paul

On Sat, 17 Dec 2016 15:35:56 GMT, Johnny B Good
wrote:

[snip]

Given the choice between a laptop sporting a 2TB HDD and one sporting a
'mere 500GB' of SSD storage, the SSD option wins hands down every time.

What about the case where you need 1 TB of storage?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

On Fri, 16 Dec 2016 20:46:28 -0500, Wolf K
wrote:

[snip]

Price-quality ratio. Your old desktop just doesn't cut it anymore. Only
cheapos like you and me hang onto hardware well past its best-before date.

No, actually, I find my laptop to be rather awkward to use for a
number of reasons:

1) The keyboard is awkward. A full-sized desktop keyboard is much
more ergonomic.

2) The touchpad is awkward to use.
a) My hands are very dry, and I occasionally cause a click when
my finger is just above -- but not actually touching -- the touchpad.
Other clicks can happen when I am moving the pointer.
b) I am accustomed to point and click. On the touchpad, I lose
my hand position when I click. With a mouse, I can click without
losing the position.

3) WiFi is much slower than my desktop system's ADSL.

4) My laptop's screen is smaller.

I pack a full-sized desktop keyboard and a mouse with my laptop
in case of serious use. I do not do much serious use though, because
it is awkward.

For me, a desktop system has much better price/performance than a
laptop. As the old joke goes, when evaluating price/performance, be
prepared for the occasional division by zero. A laptop is not that
bad, but it is not that good.

[snip]

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

Gene Wirchenko wrote on 12/19/2016 1:08 PM:
On Fri, 16 Dec 2016 20:46:28 -0500, Wolf K
wrote:

[snip]

Price-quality ratio. Your old desktop just doesn't cut it anymore. Only
cheapos like you and me hang onto hardware well past its best-before date.

No, actually, I find my laptop to be rather awkward to use for a
number of reasons:

1) The keyboard is awkward. A full-sized desktop keyboard is much
more ergonomic.

2) The touchpad is awkward to use.
a) My hands are very dry, and I occasionally cause a click when
my finger is just above -- but not actually touching -- the touchpad.
Other clicks can happen when I am moving the pointer.
b) I am accustomed to point and click. On the touchpad, I lose
my hand position when I click. With a mouse, I can click without
losing the position.

3) WiFi is much slower than my desktop system's ADSL.

4) My laptop's screen is smaller.

I pack a full-sized desktop keyboard and a mouse with my laptop
in case of serious use. I do not do much serious use though, because
it is awkward.

For me, a desktop system has much better price/performance than a
laptop. As the old joke goes, when evaluating price/performance, be
prepared for the occasional division by zero. A laptop is not that
bad, but it is not that good.

[snip]

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko



+1

In message , Gene Wirchenko
writes:
On Fri, 16 Dec 2016 20:46:28 -0500, Wolf K
wrote:

[snip]

Price-quality ratio. Your old desktop just doesn't cut it anymore. Only
cheapos like you and me hang onto hardware well past its best-before date.

No, actually, I find my laptop to be rather awkward to use for a
number of reasons:

1) The keyboard is awkward. A full-sized desktop keyboard is much
more ergonomic.

Agreed.

2) The touchpad is awkward to use.
a) My hands are very dry, and I occasionally cause a click when
my finger is just above -- but not actually touching -- the touchpad.
Other clicks can happen when I am moving the pointer.

With many touchpads, there are adjustments for both of these.

b) I am accustomed to point and click. On the touchpad, I lose
my hand position when I click. With a mouse, I can click without
losing the position.

Don't you tap-tap? I, at first, thought I'd never get used to a
touchpad, but am now very used to it. I use a mouse at work. On the
whole, I switch between them without difficulty; occasionally, I find
something that one does better than the other, but I think it's about
the same number for each.

3) WiFi is much slower than my desktop system's ADSL.
A lot of laptops still have an ethernet port - but of course have wifi
as well. (Actually, I've never found wifi to be the limiting factor -
more likely the processor power, or occasionally the external internet
connection speed. But I can see the wifi _could_ be the limiting factor
for some people.)

4) My laptop's screen is smaller.

No argument there! (Though the difference in _resolution_ isn't as great
as it once was. But desktop still usually wins - especially if it's
_not_ shortscreen [unless you're actually watching a widescreen film].)

I pack a full-sized desktop keyboard and a mouse with my laptop
in case of serious use. I do not do much serious use though, because
it is awkward.

For me, a desktop system has much better price/performance than a
laptop. As the old joke goes, when evaluating price/performance, be
prepared for the occasional division by zero. A laptop is not that
bad, but it is not that good.

No argument. Lappy's main advantages are portability and ubiquity.

[snip]

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

"Grammar is there to help, not hinder."
-- Mark Wallace, APIHNA, 2nd December 2000 (quoted by John Flynn 2000-12-6)

On 12/19/2016 at 9:15 PM, Wolf K's prodigious digits fired off:
On 2016-12-19 19:55, Alek wrote:
Gene Wirchenko wrote on 12/19/2016 1:08 PM:
On Fri, 16 Dec 2016 20:46:28 -0500, Wolf K
wrote:

[snip]

Price-quality ratio. Your old desktop just doesn't cut it anymore. Only
cheapos like you and me hang onto hardware well past its best-before
date.

No, actually, I find my laptop to be rather awkward to use for a
number of reasons:

1) The keyboard is awkward. A full-sized desktop keyboard is much
more ergonomic.

2) The touchpad is awkward to use.
a) My hands are very dry, and I occasionally cause a click when
my finger is just above -- but not actually touching -- the touchpad.
Other clicks can happen when I am moving the pointer.
b) I am accustomed to point and click. On the touchpad, I lose
my hand position when I click. With a mouse, I can click without
losing the position.

3) WiFi is much slower than my desktop system's ADSL.

4) My laptop's screen is smaller.

I pack a full-sized desktop keyboard and a mouse with my laptop
in case of serious use. I do not do much serious use though, because
it is awkward.

For me, a desktop system has much better price/performance than a
laptop. As the old joke goes, when evaluating price/performance, be
prepared for the occasional division by zero. A laptop is not that
bad, but it is not that good.

[snip]

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko



+1

The first question is, What do you want to do? Outside of business, the
desktop is just too big. Period.

Well, I suppose, if you're trying to move about with it. But the basic
purposes of each needs to be remembered. A desktop stays put, a laptop
moves about.

Cost seems to me to be irrelevant. Buy to the level you need for each
application.


--
Ed Mullen
http://edmullen.net/
In the 60's, people took acid to make the world appear weird. Now the
world is weird and people take Prozac to make it appear normal.

On Mon, 19 Dec 2016 14:25:41 -0500, Wolf K
wrote:

On 2016-12-19 12:58, Gene Wirchenko wrote:
On Sat, 17 Dec 2016 15:35:56 GMT, Johnny B Good
wrote:

[snip]

Given the choice between a laptop sporting a 2TB HDD and one sporting a
'mere 500GB' of SSD storage, the SSD option wins hands down every time.

What about the case where you need 1 TB of storage?

Sincerely,

Gene Wirchenko

External drive. Which one should have in any case IMO.


As far as I'm concerned, the value of a laptop as opposed to a desktop
is only in the laptop's portability. It's good to take with you when
you are traveling.

But also carrying an external drive makes no sense. It's heavy and
bulky.

On Mon, 19 Dec 2016 10:08:12 -0800, Gene Wirchenko
wrote:

On Fri, 16 Dec 2016 20:46:28 -0500, Wolf K
wrote:

[snip]

Price-quality ratio. Your old desktop just doesn't cut it anymore. Only
cheapos like you and me hang onto hardware well past its best-before date.

No, actually, I find my laptop to be rather awkward to use for a
number of reasons:

1) The keyboard is awkward. A full-sized desktop keyboard is much
more ergonomic.

2) The touchpad is awkward to use.
a) My hands are very dry, and I occasionally cause a click when
my finger is just above -- but not actually touching -- the touchpad.
Other clicks can happen when I am moving the pointer.
b) I am accustomed to point and click. On the touchpad, I lose
my hand position when I click. With a mouse, I can click without
losing the position.

3) WiFi is much slower than my desktop system's ADSL.

4) My laptop's screen is smaller.

I pack a full-sized desktop keyboard and a mouse with my laptop
in case of serious use. I do not do much serious use though, because
it is awkward.

For me, a desktop system has much better price/performance than a
laptop. As the old joke goes, when evaluating price/performance, be
prepared for the occasional division by zero. A laptop is not that
bad, but it is not that good.



Ditto to almost all the above, and I'll add a few other points, even
though they re not about a laptop's being awkward to use:

5. Since it is carried around, a laptop is more vulnerable to being
stolen.

6. Since it is carried around, a laptop is more vulnerable to being
dropped and severely damaged.

7. A laptop is harder to repair.

8. A laptop is more expensive to repair.

9. Because a laptop is an "all-in-one" unit, if a major component,
such as the screen, fails, the whole laptop needs to be replaced.

So, despite their becoming more popular as a basic computer for many
people, I personally think they are a very poor choice. I think a
laptop should only be for traveling.

I basically use a desktop with two 24" screens. I used to carry a very
small laptop (a netbook) when I traveled, but I no longer even do
that. Since when traveling, all I want to do is read e-mail and
occasionally browse the web, I now use my smart phone when I travel,
and the laptop stays in the closet.