Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

[dashielljt]

I.B.M. is supporting Linux now too so any operating system customization
and installation questions should be able to get answered easier with them
rather than their competitors.

Jude <dashielljt(at)gmpexpress-dot-net>

Laptops for less with serial ports

[Janina Sajka]

>
To: speakup@braille.uwo.ca
Cc: 
Bcc: 
Subject: Re: (no subject)
Reply-To: 
In-Reply-To: <014401c297ba$aa514800$0201a8c0@6S4X011>
X-Operating-System: Linux cantata 2.4.16 
Patrick:

You can still get DB9 serial ports on laptop computers. You can't
usually get them on the ultra-thin models, though. I am currently
looking myself, and a serial port is a must. I will most likely stick
with IBM and get a Thinkpad T30 this time around at around $2.6K. It has
a serial port

If I were you, I'd seriously consider an IBM reconditioned Thinkpad.
There is a 3 month waranty on them--certainly long enough to find out if
any part is bad. For example, you can get a T22, with serial port,
modem, ethernet, two pcmcia, etc. for under $1K. See:

http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=-840&storeId=1&categoryId=2563444&langId=-1&dualCurrId=73

Careful. This url will almost certainly wrap.
PS: For the last two years I've bee4n running around with a Thinkpad t20
that we paid $3,500 for. Now they're selling reconditioned for about
$700. Mine is still good. It's not broken at all. That's not the reason
I'm upgrading. And, I've been all over the planet with it.

Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

[Joe Clever]

Patrick:

I have to agree with Janina that the refurbished IBM's can be a good deal.
I picked up an IBM refurb Thinkpad  600E for around $450 a year ago on
ubid.com.  One of the good things is you aren't putting a 3000 dollar laptop
at risk when you have to travel.

If you are forced to purchase locally, as I think you indicated, and you are
in the USA, you can check out deals at
http://www.dealnews.com
and
http://www.salescircular.com.
Dealnews puts out a free daily newsletter that you can subscribe to or you
can just visit their site.   Salescircular also has a free newsletter but I
am unsure of it's frequency.  I can't tell you how speech accessible these
sites are, as I use screen magnification.



----- Original Message -----
From: "Janina Sajka" <janina@cantata.rednote.net>
To: <speakup@braille.uwo.ca>
Sent: Friday, November 29, 2002 4:17 PM
Subject: Laptops for less with serial ports


> >
> To: speakup@braille.uwo.ca
> Cc:
> Bcc:
> Subject: Re: (no subject)
> Reply-To:
> In-Reply-To: <014401c297ba$aa514800$0201a8c0@6S4X011>
> X-Operating-System: Linux cantata 2.4.16
> Patrick:
>
> You can still get DB9 serial ports on laptop computers. You can't
> usually get them on the ultra-thin models, though. I am currently
> looking myself, and a serial port is a must. I will most likely stick
> with IBM and get a Thinkpad T30 this time around at around $2.6K. It has
> a serial port
>
> If I were you, I'd seriously consider an IBM reconditioned Thinkpad.
> There is a 3 month waranty on them--certainly long enough to find out if
> any part is bad. For example, you can get a T22, with serial port,
> modem, ethernet, two pcmcia, etc. for under $1K. See:
>
>
http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=-
840&storeId=1&categoryId=2563444&langId=-1&dualCurrId=73
>
> Careful. This url will almost certainly wrap.
> PS: For the last two years I've bee4n running around with a Thinkpad t20
> that we paid $3,500 for. Now they're selling reconditioned for about
> $700. Mine is still good. It's not broken at all. That's not the reason
> I'm upgrading. And, I've been all over the planet with it.
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@braille.uwo.ca
> http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup
>

Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

[Matt]

The other good thing about the IBM Thinkpad series is that their hardware 
is well supported by Linux which is an important consideration.  Many 
laptops these days come with somewhat proprietary hardware that the 
manufacturers have not released Linux drivers for etc.

At 04:17 PM 11/29/2002, you wrote:
> >
>To: speakup@braille.uwo.ca
>Cc:
>Bcc:
>Subject: Re: (no subject)
>Reply-To:
>In-Reply-To: <014401c297ba$aa514800$0201a8c0@6S4X011>
>X-Operating-System: Linux cantata 2.4.16
>Patrick:
>
>You can still get DB9 serial ports on laptop computers. You can't
>usually get them on the ultra-thin models, though. I am currently
>looking myself, and a serial port is a must. I will most likely stick
>with IBM and get a Thinkpad T30 this time around at around $2.6K. It has
>a serial port
>
>If I were you, I'd seriously consider an IBM reconditioned Thinkpad.
>There is a 3 month waranty on them--certainly long enough to find out if
>any part is bad. For example, you can get a T22, with serial port,
>modem, ethernet, two pcmcia, etc. for under $1K. See:
>
>http://www-132.ibm.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=-840&storeId=1&categoryId=2563444&langId=-1&dualCurrId=73
>
>Careful. This url will almost certainly wrap.
>PS: For the last two years I've bee4n running around with a Thinkpad t20
>that we paid $3,500 for. Now they're selling reconditioned for about
>$700. Mine is still good. It's not broken at all. That's not the reason
>I'm upgrading. And, I've been all over the planet with it.
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Speakup mailing list
>Speakup@braille.uwo.ca
>http://speech.braille.uwo.ca/mailman/listinfo/speakup

Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

[Buddy Brannan]

For IBM machines, don't forget about
http://www.ebaystores.com/ibm

Full warranties on new (but generally previous model) machines at
pretty damn good prices. I got an A21 last year for $1400 give or
take, including shipping and tax.
-- 
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV/3   | "And if the ground yawned,
Phone: (814) 455-7333     | I'd step to the side and say,
Email: davros@ycardz.com  | "Hey ground! I'm nobody's lunch!"
http://www.ycardz.com/    | --Eddie From Ohio

Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

[Cheryl Homiak]

Yep, ebay is where I got my thinkpad t23 which I really like. It has one serial
port but also has the com connection for your modem (as well as ethernet) so you
don't have to add anything on to do both a ppp connection and either speech or
braille.

Cheryl

Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

[ccrawford]

Janina,

	I am impressed with your talking about the think Pad,  I have 
always loved the keyboards on those laptops.  If someone ploans on dual 
booting however, they should be aware at least on my think pad, the damn 
thing loses its keyboard mapping in DOS and I havew not been able to do 
anything but reboot to get it back.  I have even gone so far as to create 
a boot disk so Windows is never seen, but still the same. Either a pathing 
problem to whatever controls the keyboard or a hardware thing.  don't 
know.

	Having said that, I don't know if there would be aproblem with 
Linux but if I convert  the thing to Linux, then it will be all linux.

-- charlie.

Re: Laptops for less with serial ports

[Janina Sajka]

Hi, Charlie:

Yes, outstanding keypads on Thinkpad. At least, they're highly popular
and award winning.
The only thing I've noticed, and it's only been occassional for me, is a
kind of freeze where I can't press F10, for example, because what I get
when I do is actually Ctrl-F10. And, in WordPerfect for DOS, of course,
that means you can't exit with F7! <grin> Ergo, the reboot.

I have not seen this with my T20, insofar as I recall, but I also have
not run WordPerfect for DOS since I can recall. So, I'm not sure I've
seen this in at least two years--about as long as I've had the T20.

Could be IBM, could be the WP, however, as well.


Charles Crawford writes:
> From: ccrawford@acb.org
> 
> Janina,
> 
> 	I am impressed with your talking about the think Pad,  I have 
> always loved the keyboards on those laptops.  If someone ploans on dual 
> booting however, they should be aware at least on my think pad, the damn 
> thing loses its keyboard mapping in DOS and I havew not been able to do 
> anything but reboot to get it back.  I have even gone so far as to create 
> a boot disk so Windows is never seen, but still the same. Either a pathing 
> problem to whatever controls the keyboard or a hardware thing.  don't 
> know.
> 
> 	Having said that, I don't know if there would be aproblem with 
> Linux but if I convert  the thing to Linux, then it will be all linux.
> 
> -- charlie.
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Speakup mailing list
> Speakup@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@afb.net		Phone: (202) 408-8175