Times Are A Changin'

We have a desktop computer about 4 years old or so, a 3 ghz Pentium with Win XP. When we acquired an older (Toshiba Tecra 9000 - 1.2 ghz, 512 RAM with Win 2k) laptop,I planned on using it as a Linux laptop. I was going to let my wife use the desktop and I would be mobile. Well, my wife had hinted (very strongly at times) over the past year or so that she was thinking that she might like a laptop. I thought about it and decided rather than spend money and get a laptop that she may or may not like, I would let her try the Tecra and see what she thought. Six months later, she is in love with the freedom wireless and mobile computing offers. The only out of pocket expense for this freebie was a slimline battery to augment the aging main battery that only gave about 30-45 minutes of wireless time. That battery we purchased was a refurb that only cost us $30, shipped (btw, Tech4less.com seems to be a very good company) and gives her at least 2 hours wifi time. She now only needs to fire up the big PC when she wants to print (using it as a print server) or grab files from the second hard drive we use as storage for documents, music, video and photos (Maybe we should get a NAS with print server capability).

Now, I find my self needing the desktop PC less and less. I was given an old HP Omnibook 4150b that was in pretty bad shape (keyboard was screwed up, display is scratch and faded), but it did have all the accessories (CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, floppy, power supply, spare battery) and what it was missing (NIC and WiFi) I already had or I was able to scrounge from the scrap pile at work (memory and a power cord come to mind). Even though it looks like crap and eats batteries at an alarming rate (both batteries together give me about 2 hours of wifi access), it works for what I need the most from a laptop...internet and document creation. It maybe ugly, but it is portable.

"Hello, my name is El Gee and I am a netaholic."
"Hi El Gee"

When I get bored, I tend to find things to entertain myself on the web. Youtube, tech news sites, MMA blogs, friends blogs, all get perused. I would go into the office and sit for hours sometimes while my wife watched TV...normally shows I was not interested in watching. She would beg me to come sit with her (she really wanted my companionship), but I just cannot get into some of the cutesy shows she likes (animal shows, funniest videos, etc).

Having access to a laptop had helped me crawl out of my cave and at least sit near my wife when she needs the company. While this may sound geeky, we have (on more than one occasion) sat at the kitchen table, in bed, or on the patio, each with our laptops, checking e-mail and commenting on things we were reading at time. In a bizarre sort of way, two laptops have brought us closer. We actually spend more time together now than we did 12 months ago.

When I got the Omnibook, my wife asked me how it compared to her Tecra. I told her that the OB 4150 was junk compared to hers. She then asked me why I gave her the better laptop. "Your the geek..how come you did not take this one for yourself?" she asked.

That got me thinking. I used to take the nicest of the "toys" we had, simply because she did not need the features and I would most likely make more use of them than she would. However, the last two items in the tech arena we got (mobile phones and used laptops), SHE got the nicer of the two. To top that, I have plans on getting her a laptop for Christmas (barring major expenses) and I will take her Tecra.

"El Gee, are you nuts? You have stated many times in the past she is a noob...why give her the latest and greatest?"

One, love others as you love yourself...Christ's second commandment to us.
Two, I do not need all the bells and whistles on a laptop...yet. I have proven that, time and time again. If I can browse the web and create documents...then I am mostly happy. If it plays DVD's, even better.
Three, I use Linux, not Windows like my wife does. Linux tends to run better on hardware that is a few years old.

I envision the day when my wife and I both have more modern laptops and our office does not have a PC in it, but a "media and print appliance". I find my reliance on Windows waning fast, but the need for networked printing and storage growing at about the same rate.

I envision the "office" being more of a spare bedroom or "quiet room" when one us needs to do some serious work. I realize that this option is available today, but it is not in our price range...yet. We have greater needs (getting out of debt being the primary one) that need to be met first.