Re: Buying a desktop for my son to take to college

From: Jupiter Jones [MVP] (jones_jupiter_at_hotnomail.com)
Date: 07/26/04 

Date: Mon, 26 Jul 2004 17:08:06 -0600

Unless the college requires Windows XP Pro, there may be no reason for
it.
Windows XP Home and pro are identical in performance and stability.
If the features of Pro already mentioned in my previous post as well
as others do not apply, why should anyone spend the extra dollars and
get Pro? 

-- 
Jupiter Jones  [MVP]
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/
"Stephen Harris" <stephen.p.harris@sbcglobal.net> wrote in message
news:dZfNc.97426> The more computer literate you are, the more
advantage
> there is to Pro. If he is going to take computer classes then
> get him Pro. I think a more important issue is whether or not
> to get him Microsoft Office. He is going to need Word for
> his required English classes and papers in other classes. For
> just writing papers you can find an alternative like StarOffice,
> which will have less support from friends if he needs help.
> But if he is going to take a class in Excel or Access then he
> needs Office, practically speaking. Outlook has a Video
> Email Add-in which will send a video (needs a $49 webcam)
> and audio message and its very easy which means it is more
> likely to be used by a son then another method with more
> steps in the process.
>
> I think you should get him Pro, the memory upgrade - at
> least 512 megs of ram and at least a 17 inch monitor.
>
> I also think you should get him a cd reader/writer and
> a slower speed is OK because it is better to write them
> at less (slower) than their "optimal" speed. Spend the
> rest of the money on a combo dvd/vcd player which
> hooks up to a TV.
>
> A college education costs thousands of dollars and is
> worth 10s or hundreds of thousands of dollar in return.
> Spending an extra two hundred now is worth it even if it
> improves his experience only 1%. There are a lot of
> experiences at college that cannot be predicted. For
> instance is your son certain of his major? Most aren't
> at this stage. Suppose he wants to take a class in
> AutoCad which wants 512 megs of ram. Getting an
> upgrade at a later point will cost you twice as much as now.
>
> Suppose he becomes interested in Photography. Doesn't
> sound computer related, right? The new prosumer digital
> cameras have memory cards of stored pictures. These
> should be downloaded nearly immediately to a laptop
> and then transferred from the laptop to the desktop. There
> is custom software for the transfer but it can also be done
> by networking both and that is easier with Pro.
>
> I repaired computers before going to school and getting
> a degree in computers. I don't find life or college very
> predictable at all. For 90% of the students, the computer
> will be the single most valuable tool they possess and I
> think it is a big mistake to cut corners for a $100 even
> if the chance is remote that the cut corner will cause a
> problem in your son getting through college. I think you
> should eliminate every potential (even small) problem
> that is in within your power to eliminate, particularly
> if you think your son may be challenged by college.
>
> Regards

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Buying a desktop for my son to take to college
    ... > I am trying to put together a Dimension 2400 for my son. ... > Dell recommends Microsoft Windows XP Professional over ... there is to Pro. ... A college education costs thousands of dollars and is ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: XP Home vs XP Pro at Home
    ... If you are in college and you need to log on to the college server at any ... "Tom The real One" wrote in message ... In Pro, you can do those things at system level. ... > sounds like 180 more beer money*_*. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: word document problem
    ... Office 2003 Pro for $89.00 if you had the proper ID. ... college and enroll in a class. ... Also, when I receive documents |> that are word, word viewer opens them and I cannot edit it them. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
  • Re: Aha! Microsoft is behind the cylons!
    ... >> training would get very far in pro sports. ... practice and coaching in high school or college probably counts as ... JM> players have, and a great number of MLB players have. ...
    (rec.arts.sf.written)
  • Re: Buying a desktop for my son to take to college
    ... If so (college should be able to give details) Pro is necessary. ... There are other features in Pro but college students most likely will ... I prefer Norton Internet Security because it is a complete security ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)