Any software developers using a LAPTOP.

[ThomasAJ]

I have been doing my Access development om a 'normal' desktop but I need to
go portable. Anyone using a laptop and can recommend one?

RAID 1 if possible?

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

I have been doing my Access development om a 'normal' desktop but I need to
go portable. Anyone using a laptop and can recommend one?

I've been using laptops for years. The most important thing would be dual CPUs and
lots of RAM. Get a faster hard drive if possible although those might be hotter.

I'm reasonably happy with my Toshiba although here in Canada Toshiba's now only come
with a multinational keyboard. Such has an extra key or two in an awkward location
so I doubt very much I'll be buying them any more.

RAID 1 if possible?

Don't see why. Very few laptops come with space for dual hard drives.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/

 

[Sylvain Lafontaine]

The AlienWare M-17 can be configured with a quad-core CPU and dual 500 GB
7200 RPM hard drives that can be configured as either RAID 0 or 1:
http://www.alienware.com/products/M17-notebook.aspx?SysCode=PC-LT-M17&Subcode=SKU-DEFAULT
but you'll have to pay the price for it. Other models from AlienWare and
from other companies can also be configured for RAID 1.

The real problem here is the price: expect to pay a lot more to have the
same power in a notebook than for a desktop.

If you can connect over the internet, one possibility would be to remote
desktop into your PC at home from your notebook when necessary; for example
for making backup by synchronising your files. Will be a lot cheaper than
having a notebook "do it all".

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 23:24:02 GMT, "Tony Toews [MVP]"

If you REALLY want to, you can do RAID in software if you have two
partitions on the same single disk. Personally I would not bother; the
MTBF for hard drives is so high, and you're making daily backups
anyway, right? Right?

-Tom.
Microsoft Access MVP

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 14:23:00 -0800, ThomasAJ

Also, I found Dell Inspiron not sturdy enough for a road warrior.

-Tom.

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:49:30 -0500, "Sylvain Lafontaine" <sylvain aei
ca (fill the blanks, no spam please)> wrote:

Wow, I didn't think you could still pay >4K for a laptop. Unclear why
the default config has Vista-64, which only makes sense if you have

 

[Sylvain Lafontaine]

You don't need to have more than 4GB to take advantage of Vista 64; as it
becomes useful for memory around 3.2GB and more because you don't have to
map the video memory to the lower 4GB. With Vista-64, 4GB of RAM memory is
4GB, not 3.4, 3.2, 3.0 or even 2.8 on some system with big video memory.

Also, the Vista 64 has some security feature that the 32 bit version doesn't
have.

 

[Tom van Stiphout]

On Tue, 25 Nov 2008 20:34:36 -0500, "Sylvain Lafontaine" <sylvain aei
ca (fill the blanks, no spam please)> wrote:

Assuming video memory is not on the video card. Is that still a
practice that is going on? A few years back one would see that in low
end systems, not in a high-end system like this one.

-Tom.

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

If you REALLY want to, you can do RAID in software if you have two
partitions on the same single disk. Personally I would not bother; the
MTBF for hard drives is so high, and you're making daily backups
anyway, right? Right?

I certainly am making daily backups.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/

 

[Larry Linson]

If you REALLY want to, you can do RAID in software if you have two
partitions on the same single disk. Personally I would not bother; the
MTBF for hard drives is so high, and you're making daily backups
anyway, right? Right?

For me, when I am in "heavy development mode", I would have to say that
"daily" would be a far too "conservative" description. I make a backup as
often as I would not want to lose the changes... if I've made complex,
on-the-fly changes, that might be every 15 or 20 minutes. If, on the other
hand, I've made simple changes and worked at a slow pace, it would be less
frequent, but "daily" would be the least frequently I'd back up.

Then again, you should realize that I actually _DO_ wear both belt and
suspenders. <GRIN>

Larry Linson
Microsoft Office Access MVP

 

[Larry Linson]

I have been doing my Access development om a 'normal' desktop but I need to
go portable. Anyone using a laptop and can recommend one?

RAID 1 if possible?

Almost every Access developer I know makes frequent use of a notebook,
either as a main or only development machine (as is the case with me), or on
visits to customers/clients where some development or changes will have to
be made, or when traveling.

You've had some recommendations for "big, honkin'" laptops, but, fact is,
that most Access development can be done on rather modest machines, so for
Access development, you usually do not need the "big, honkin' laptops" and
the expense that goes along with them.

At present, I am doing only "classic Access" work and my three-plus-year-old
notebook suffices; I have a newer (more powerful, more memory) notebook that
runs Vista waiting in the wings for Office 2007 work. Despite having more
power and memory, the newer one is a smaller form-factor machine that I
should be able to use in a tourist-class seat on an airline, which I cannot
do with my current (15.4" wide-screen") model, just because there isn't
enough space to open it up and use it.

I've considered getting another new desktop (or under-desk) machine, but
haven't thought it worthwhile for me.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Office Access MVP

 

[Larry Linson]

I've considered getting another new desktop
(or under-desk) machine, but
haven't thought it worthwhile for me.

The last desktop machine I bought was custom-made for me in a local shop,
purchased in January 1999, running Windows 98 SE, with Access 2.0, Access
97, and Access 2000 installed. I still have it, but rarely turn the power
on... though it's there to use if I have to read from a diskette, or if the
occasion arises to check out someone's Access 2000-or-earlier problem.

Larry Linson
Microsoft Office Access MVP

 

[GenlAccess]

We hear that aaron does his database development on a four-function handheld
calculator, and has difficulty understanding it. Some have said, no, that he
uses a yellow wood Number 2 pencil and a legal pad; that he tried to get more
sophisticated by incorporating sticky notes in the process, but that was just
too much for him and he had to revert to "tried and true" methods.

Gen'l Access

 

[Tony Toews [MVP]]

For me, when I am in "heavy development mode", I would have to say that
"daily" would be a far too "conservative" description. I make a backup as
often as I would not want to lose the changes... if I've made complex,
on-the-fly changes, that might be every 15 or 20 minutes. If, on the other
hand, I've made simple changes and worked at a slow pace, it would be less
frequent, but "daily" would be the least frequently I'd back up.

As do I. Whenever I sit down after a coffee, meal or other break, I do a copy and
paste inside Windows Explorer on the MDB in question. So after a few days I zip all
the accumulated detris and move it to my archive folder.

Tony
--
Tony Toews, Microsoft Access MVP
Please respond only in the newsgroups so that others can
read the entire thread of messages.
Microsoft Access Links, Hints, Tips & Accounting Systems at
http://www.granite.ab.ca/accsmstr.htm
Tony's Microsoft Access Blog - http://msmvps.com/blogs/access/

 

[Brendan Reynolds]

I have been doing my Access development om a 'normal' desktop but I need to
go portable. Anyone using a laptop and can recommend one?

RAID 1 if possible?

I'm currently using a Dell Precision M90, using Office 2007 on the 'real' PC
and Office 2003 under Virtual PC. It's my third laptop, I haven't used a
desktop for years. It works well, performance is acceptable even with the
overhead of running Virtual PC, but I use it only at home and at the office,
I'm not a 'road warrior' so can't comment on its suitability for that kind
of use.

I think the risk of a lost or stolen laptop probably exceeds the risk of a
failed hard disk, so I'm not sure I could justify the cost of RAID in a
laptop. I backup to the office server when connected to the office network,
I use Carbonite (www.carbonite.com) for remote on-line backup, and I archive
to CD or DVD.

 

[Sylvain Lafontaine]

The necessity of mapping the video memory to the lower 4GB for 32 bit
operating system is not related to the fact that a part of the video memory
might be taken from the RAM on the motherboard. Even when the video memory
is fully on the video card, you must still map it to the lower 4GB for 32
bit operating system.

If you video card has only 128MB or even 256MB, that's not a big deal but in
the case where the video memory is 512MB or even 1GB, this cause a big
problem and you're left with only something like 3GB of available memory
even if you have 4GB of installed RAM memory.

Some - but not all - systems permit to use this lost memory as extended
memory but you cannot do a lot of things with only 512MB or 1GB of extended
memory.

 

[David W. Fenton]

For me, when I am in "heavy development mode", I would have to say
that "daily" would be a far too "conservative" description. I make
a backup as often as I would not want to lose the changes... if
I've made complex, on-the-fly changes, that might be every 15 or
20 minutes. If, on the other hand, I've made simple changes and
worked at a slow pace, it would be less frequent, but "daily"
would be the least frequently I'd back up.

Are these very frequent backups to media mounted on a device other
than your workstation? If not, they aren't all that much help on the
issues raised by the framing of the original question.

 

[David W. Fenton]

You've had some recommendations for "big, honkin'" laptops, but,
fact is, that most Access development can be done on rather modest
machines, so for Access development, you usually do not need the
"big, honkin' laptops" and the expense that goes along with them.

Anyone tried one of the new "Netbook" laptops? Smalls screens, small
weight, small keyboard, inexpensive ($400 or so), WinXP. I'm
intrigued by them, and would sure love something small, especially
for note taking at the library, but can't afford to shell out money
for yet another laptop as long as the big honking one I use as my
primary PC is still working.

 

[David W. Fenton]

I have been doing my Access development om a 'normal' desktop but
I need to go portable. Anyone using a laptop and can recommend
one?

I use a Lenovo low-level machine as my primary workstation (came to
me from a client who loaned it for a special project then never paid
me for the project), and I'm relatively happy with it. I'm not sure
I'd buy a Lenovo from this product line if I was choosing it,
though.

I have a number of clients with Lenovo ThinkPads (Lenovo bought
IBM's entire laptop division several years ago and have maintained
the quality/performance/technology level quite well), and a client
just ordered one a week or so ago, due to arrive next week. We went
with the solid-state hard drive to save weight, and paid extra for
the overall-lighter model (T400, if I'm remembering correctly). I'm
really big on ThinkPads because about 4 years ago, their prices came
down to within the same range as others but the quality has remained
quite high. Not a single one of my clients with ThinkPads has even a
single complaint. Nor have they had any hardware problems.

I'd avoid Dell laptops like the plague, as Dell has proven itself
incapable of producing and supporting reliable laptops. I've seen
terrible results with HP, too. For a while Toshiba was a reasonable
alternative, but they had production problems and I no longer
consider them a viable alternative.

So, ThinkPad is the only thing I ever recommend to my clients.

RAID 1 if possible?

How could that be accomplished on a machine with only one physical
hard drive?

 

[David W. Fenton]

"Sylvain Lafontaine" <sylvain aei ca (fill the blanks, no spam
please)> wrote in

If you video card has only 128MB or even 256MB, that's not a big
deal but in the case where the video memory is 512MB or even 1GB,
this cause a big problem and you're left with only something like
3GB of available memory even if you have 4GB of installed RAM
memory.

Given that 32-bit Windows can't use more than 3GBs of RAM, how is
this a problem, exactly? If that 1GB wasn't being used for RAM, it
wouldn't be used for anything at ll.