Cheap laptop alternative

[Proteous]

I dont understand the need for CD drives any more, there is simply just no need at all. and IF you really must have one external CD drives are now very small and cheap to buy.. You guys seem to be struggling to find things that are on every shelf in every shop....
And now with the introduction of the combi systems they are even better.. You can remove the keyboards or simply fold them right back out the way.. These things are no longer expensive either if funds are an issue.. Sure there are also expensive versions but companies like HP are offering price ranges to suit most needs these days..
My top four choices for this type of device currently would be HP, Microsoft Surface, ASUS and Lenovo.. Not neccaserily in that order but they all offer something great..

As for Ipads i fecking love Apple technology BUT i would never in my life buy one.. Apple software is crap it is not compatible witrh everything and if it is you have to jump through hoops.. IOS is just to shite and restrivtive for somone like me who uses a VERY wide array of software.. But as i said, their hardware IS amazing no doubt.. Fast, Reliable and more importantly strong and robust.. It really is good stuff... just a shame they ruined it wil their OS..

[Irish in Oz]

Have watched one monitoring an industrial plant 24/7 for about 10 years and its still going. I have one in UK and this one in Oz used frequently never any problems.

[Irish in Oz]

I was a Mac Man for years even used them to cross to windows platform even on industrial level but it all wasn't worth my time in the end so I reluctently  went over to windows, didn't apple invent windows! Oh I just remembered the first one I used a Sharp MZ80K lol.

[Proteous]

LMAO.. No, no Apple did NOT invent windows..... No... god no.....

Apple did try to sue Billy for certain visual aspects of the first version of windows however apple was laffed out of court...as usual..

[Irish in Oz]

Idea's still came from Apple.
Anyway I still remember when I used to Peek and Poke.

[VladTepes]

Idea's still came from Apple.

No.  Both came from the same earlier source.

[VladTepes]

As an aside I ended up going with 'not cheap' 

And a Lenovo (sorry @grog ) but not a rubbish one.

I'll post a new thread.

[Globalrider]

And for that matter, you can shove HP where the sun doesn't shine - What a piece of American crap! Every HP except my present monitor (i'm lucky...... I guess!) was a total piece of shite! I ended up throwing the last printer off the second floor of the house. I have never been so frustrated with technology since my programming days in the late '60s!! - I'm still looking...... and the issue of finding a small laptop with a CD is very critical when the need to update say ENC on ship's navigation systems may be the only avenue. CDs are not dead in some industries.
Just saying!
Stan

[Proteous]

Thats why we have external CD drives.. for those 'rare' occasions when they are needed.. For anything i ever get on CD i convert to USB on my main PC and those USB drives go everywhere with me. And for the software that does not recognise usb as a scource, thats why i run virtual machines or virtual cds via usb.. CD is dead.. Just because some industries technology is behind, doesnt mean its not dead or there are not ways around it.. I have been an IT engineer for over 20 years now and i cant even remember the last time i used a CD other than to copy it to USB.

[gsxbarmy]

Bring back the 3.5" floppy disc that's what I say. Only because I found my old external drive the other day whilst searching for something else in the loft. How I miss my "A" drive 

[Andre]

How I miss my 5 1/4 A and B drives, those were real floppers. Learned from a then 72 year old lady how to format them. And then I got a whopping 20 megabyte hard disk upgrade 

[Proteous]

I still remember the feeling of, after years of green screen, no HDD space, 5.1/4 to 3.5 disks to then moving to DOS after long deliberation and then .. THEN my first AMD K6 2 500.... OH MY GOD the speed, the possabilities.. Dos shell and then THEN 3 . 1  I I I mean wow..........

[VladTepes]

Bring back the 3.5" floppy disc that's what I say. Only because I found my old external drive the other day whilst searching for something else in the loft. How I miss my "A" drive 

Oh you are gonna love these...

Just beware as you may spend hours looking at the various "Floppotron" ones....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oym7B7YidKs

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqwZzuOXYPU

and so on...  down the rabbit hole you go...

http://silent.org.pl/home/2016/07/06/return-of-the-floppies/