Life, Interrupted

You know you have a different map of the world when you cannot find add-ons you need with the search words you enter. I know there's a good add-on for editing inside of bulletin boards/blogs, for HTML with URLs, italics, etc. I could still use this, despite Live Journal's upgrades to their system. Can't remember the name, and a friend is holding my tower incognito!

And I still want an add-on that will tell me when I last visited a site. I need to tidy up cobwebs!

I've decided to modify the crap out of WIN 8. Any suggestions for WIN 8 mods to make it a better work machine cheerfully accepted.

Next time I want to budget for the equivalent of an Apple Mac. They may no longer be the great machine they are now, so not promising....

Sorry to ask again. Today, I make the change -- if I can figure it out. Using Firefox 18.0.1 right now.

Someone else got the used 15" MacBookPro.

Bummer.

It's been an interesting week, health-wise. Since not a lot else was getting done, other than a lovely dinner or two with friends I hadn't seen for a while, I started looking for computers again.

I started wobbling on purchasing a Mac. I am having trouble visualizing myself dropping that much money for a computer. Even if I buy an $800 PC laptop, a minimum Mac is $200+ more than that. So I returned to PCs, thinking that either a Dell or a Toshiba was what I wanted. I want reliability, and would like the computer to be upgradable and last at least five years.

It doesn't need a hot processor for games. It needs to handle text well. It needs a responsive keyboard for someone who types a lot (no Chiclets.) It needs a very good monitor, or an easy to see monitor that I can buy a TV to go with. It needs R-W drives, and to be able to read DVDs and CDs. I need USB ports for my Kindle, etc., an HDMI connection, and Ethernet. I'd prefer a hard drive in the computer, because I ideally will sometimes work where there is no cloud, and I can misplace a flash drive faster than you can blink.

Of course, it needs good speakers, wi-fi, a camera and mike. I'm not worried about software. I'm going to try Scrivner's, so if Office comes on the machine, great. If not, I'll try Open Office. And I'd like to get it for $800 or less.

A friend this week told me that unless I'm a business customer, Dell and Toshiba will probably give me lousy customer service. And a small biz customer will get no better service right now. He suggested Acer or ASUS.

http://www.laptopmag.com/mobile-life/best-brands-2012.aspx

But these articles, among others, say Acer and ASUS are extremely unreliable, and that all customer service varies by as little as a point overall, and I should either buy a lemon protection plan or expect to be ignored by the manufacturer of whatever computer I buy. Some say Lenovo, some say HP -- and I'm deeply suspicious of the HP quality.

Unless I buy an Apple, and spring for the extended warranty.

So, am I looking for a unicorn? I really don't want to spend three months shipping a laptop back and forth, trying to get a machine that actually works. Should I just buy the cheapest workhorse and expect crap service if I need it? If I'm playing that game, I'm buying from Costco, since I have a relationship with them.

I'm looking for a new laptop, one I can use as my main computer. I want to be able to plug into it a full sized keyboard and large monitor for extra ease.

It's been suggested that I get a faster dual processor, so I can watch movies through it if my ancient TV suddenly craters. I will want Word, unfortunately, since it's the publishing standard, but I am considering Open Office.

Any suggestions? Warnings? Worthwhile features, brands to avoid?

This will probably be my computer for at least five years, so I need to get it right the first time. It will be a PC, since Apple, even re-manufactured, is pricy.

Just for fun -- check it out!

http://thehottestgadgets.com/2008/07/the-17-hottest-steampunk-computer-creations-001127

Hate the new Google interface? You can get the old one here.

They even have it in Gaeilge. Halfway down, click. You can get back easily, if necessary!

Do the multiple Microsoft updates that have been coming down every day annoy anyone else? I mean, on my desktop, nothing runs correctly while those things sit and wait for me -- and on the laptop they keep popping up until I download them.

Some days Open Office sounds worth exploring. MS is apparently crap, but they release it, anyway.

Last night my sweetie tried to tidy up my new computer trees by making only one My Documents for me, instead of 4 (ah, history...) I appreciated this.

We forgot my Dreamweaver accounts are in a sub-directory of My Documents.

So now Dreamweaver can't find anything, and of course my client who hasn't sent me anything on a convention 3 weeks away is now flooding the mailbox with things to go up.

Dear god, I hate this business.

Tonight, he will move that particular My Documents back, and with luck, Dreamweaver will forgive me.

Please, brain, heal so I can write a bestseller....