A Glimpse Into the Last Couple of Weeks

It's been a couple of weeks since I've written; now I will let you in on some of what has transpired in that time.

I got a new laptop: This is the first Birthday or Christmas present I have gotten in several years that didn't involv heating systems, refrigerators, stoves or other necessary home appliances/repairs. I had been looking for a while and had one requirements and a couple of nice-to-haves in mind.

1. 17" Monitor - a must!
2. Built in wireless networking (nice to have, but could install it myself)
3. 101 Keyboard - a really nice to have, but I could get by without the numerical keypad.
4. Win XP - nice to have, but I could live with Vista if I had to.

I had been coveting an HP system at Circuit City - but it was $900 after $200 in instant and mail-in rebates - and I wasn't about to spend that much on something that didn't even have an Office program. I had been keeping an eye on Craig's List, but when there were machines with 17" screens - well, I might as well have bought one from CC.

Then, 2 Sundays ago I picked up the ads in the Sunday paper. Staples had what I wanted (with Vista instead of XP) on sale for several hundred dollars less than what CC had (the only real difference being the use of AMD instead of Intel). I hemmed, I hawed, I didn't like the amount of bills coming at the end of the month already (all insurances on house, cars and bikes). I gnashed my teeth.

WS came to the rescue and just told me to quit my bitching and just go get the thing (after all, he was the one that told me to get something that I really wanted for my birthday). I went and picked one up on Thursday and set it up that night. I still had to get a wireless router, which I found at Amazon for 1/2 off (the starts must have been aligned right that week!).

Sunday evening I set up the router on my desktop. I expected to have problems, but only had to install it twice (I picked the wrong software the 1st time). Then I set up the laptop to catch the signal, and viola - it worked like magic.

I downloaded Star Office, which works fine for Word and Excell type documents. My only problem is that the database does not seem to play with MS Access and one of the big things I want to do on the laptop is work with my plant database (yes, I am just too geeky - I made a database to store info on plants and their locations in the yard). I really don't want to shell out the bucks for MS Office Pro 2007 (or even just Access), so if anyone knows of any alternatives (or knows of a reputable place I could get Office Pro 2003 - let me know).

So, playing with my Birthday toys has kept me busy for the last couple of week. I've also had other things going on, and will not be here tomorrow (so no more posts till Sunday.

Sorry Cop Car - no pictures, but the only thing blooming is the forsythia - maybe next time.

Comments

[Cop Car]

Wow! What a nice birthday present. WS did well and you did great at finding a good price on the computer! I didn't realize that there was a laptop out there with a 101 keyboard (not too hip, huh?) Is Star Office put out by the same folks who had Word Star 25 years ago? I cut my teeth on Word Star, as my word processor; but, along the way, have had to use Volks Writer, Word Perfect, and Word--that I can think of off the top of my head. As to the MS Office Pro 2007, I don't know; but, there used to be an Office XP Standard for Students and Teachers. I have Version 2002, which does not include Access (drat!); but, later versions may have--and it's much cheaper than the full versions (I'm thinking I paid just under $150 for it--on the basis of all the classes that I was taking for work.)

Thanks for the posting on the cats; but, I'll have to get to it from another machine. This machine (the hand-me-down from HH--last Nov) has two drawbacks. I can't get speakers to work with it (no biggie!) and I can't get Flash Player to update (I've tried a zillion times.)

[Bogie]

Office Star (or actually, Star Office) is put out by Sun. Maybe it is the same thing.

I specifically need MS Office Pro because it has the database on it (database itself costs about $300).

Star Office is fine for the Word and Excel (which is pretty much all you get with the student version) and is only $60.

Then, one needs an email program, which only comes with Office or Office Pro (thus, wanting Office Pro v- for email and database). I got a trial version of 2007 and they have moved EVERYTHING. I dislike it intensly. It took me 2 days to figure out how to add a row in Excel.

Addtionally, a 2003 version would be compatible with what we use at work (2002) and what is on my desktop (2003).

I can get around disliking 2007, but I also dislike having to spend as much on software as I did on the whole blessed computer!

[Cop Car]

I hear you on the cost of the software--and--on the changes that make 2007 a real joy (not) to work with.

There is an exhaustive history of WordStar at http://www.wordstar.org/wordstar/history/history.htm, which reminds me that the WordStar I used ran on DOS. At work, I sometimes used a Sun station which, of course, ran UNIX; but, I don't recall our having the UNIX version of WordStar. On our Windows machines, we had Word Perfect for a year or so (during which time I used the DOS imulator to allow me to use Word Star 3.0), then switched to Word. I see no real connection between WordStar and Sun, but may have missed it.

Too bad the student Office suite does not include Access!

[Bogie]

I didn't do any research at all, so Sun probably didn't have anything to do with WordStar - must just be a coincidence that the names are so close.