I drug a box up the basement filled with random computer/electronic gear and was going through it when I found the speakers for my laptop. I have yet to listen to them because Lightman has builtin speakers and well, laptops imply portable to me and having extra speakers seemed lame. So this isn't the problem though. The laptop was part of a packaged bundle: laptop, 3-in-one printer job, mouse, and speakers... and no bag (which I was only slightly annoyed with). It is obviously set up for a desktop and not portable, but no big deal. Now the problem is this: the laptop came with 3 things and all three are usb devices, but guess what, Lightman only has 2 usb ports.
Computer Design Problem - Computer
Posted on: 2007-08-16 18:47:12
Hub
Posted: 2007-08-16 23:49:45, by Millermore hubsI believe I have an old 4-port USB hub lying around somewhere from my old laptop. I basically treated it as a desktop anyway, so that was part of the "docking station."
Posted: 2007-08-17 07:19:19, by Joe (dad-in-law)La!I have a 4 port 1.0 USB hub you can have. My computer always complains that I shouldn't be using a slow port when higher speed ports are available.
Joe
Posted: 2007-08-17 08:21:18, by KatieI don't really have a problem with 2 ports.Erin warned me about USB ports on laptops, I'm trying to make sure I get 4. Although I already have a USB hub with 4... When is the world finally going to be wireless?
Posted: 2007-08-17 11:27:32, by talamLaptopsI rarely have a use of more than 2 usb items, and when I come across a third, I can generally unhook one that is already there. I just found it amusing that I never noticed the 3 items included were supposed to in two holes (MMMM?).
Posted: 2007-08-17 11:30:21, by Joe (dad-in-law)The five minute google consensus:Should we take bets on if Katie gets 4 ports on her laptop? Maybe we should take bets on IF she gets a laptop. By the way, what is the difference between a laptop and a notebook computer?
Joe
Posted: 2007-08-17 11:54:48, by talamWire...LessLaptops are more like portable desktops in the fact that they typically have built in drives, better video and sound, and larger harddrives. They also tend to have shorter battery life because of all the added accessories.
Notebooks are more like PDAs on steroids. They are smaller and thinner than their laptop counterparts, but they are also typically lacking the drives and higher power equipment of laptops (as if the majority of laptops have high grade video cards). Also, given the lack of drives, smaller hard drives and screen, the battery life is normally about double that of a laptop.
And then there are some that say they are interchangeable. There is also some contention that the differences listed above are real, but us from the US are too lazy to make a distinction...which is fair.
Either way, me and the wife have always referred to our machines as laptops, though if the descriptions above are accurate, I could have been satisfied with a notebook (assuming WiFi was part of the package). Likewise, Katie would probably be satisfied with a notebook...and it will probably only have 2 usb. :)
Posted: 2007-08-17 16:55:02, by TheBackofMyMinduh...I am not at all interested in a wireless world. I have seen too many times people with similar problems to what Talam had recently after utilizing somebody else's bandwidth.
I say, if you are going someplace where you cannot connect to the Internet these days, then there is a reason for that trip, and you are not meant to have an Internet fix at that time.
Almost everybody has dial-up, DSL, cable, or T1 depending on the hotel and/or region of the world. If you need to jack in, there will be an option. However, wireless is an unsecure environment that can, and is, being tapped by both hackers and our federal government. You really are not completely safe in your homes with wireless. Then again, even direct connect is as insecure when it comes to the government due to their deals with corporate America (Google: AT&T duplicating data).
Posted: 2007-08-17 16:56:18, by TheBackofMyMindnot "insecure"
I meant "unsecure"
