buying a computer
In the world of computers, as in the world of anoraks, you get what you pay for. For we extremist cheapskates this is one of life's toughest lessons. An anorak costing just a few pounds may be waterproof but the chances are that it will not be made of breathable material, and it will make you sweat a lot.
A cheap computer (and you can buy one complete for under £400) will keep the rain out, but it will probably make you sweat. No, you're quite right - it won't keep the rain out - but it will work.
Why will it make you sweat? Well, computers have two main parts: Hardware - that is the physical part of the machine, its case, memory, hard drive, etc; and Software - that is the operating system (Linux, Windows 7, Vista or XP etc) and the programs that let you write letters, connect to the internet, play music, edit photos, and the many other tasks we expect of the machine.
When you buy a cheap computer, like that anorak, it has been built down to a price. It may look great with the go faster stripes down both arms, but the quality has to suffer.
The problem with the hardware is what you didn't get. Manufacturers, predictably, are unwilling to make a point of saying 'This computer has no modem' and chances are the spotty Saturday lad in the electrical superstore just plain didn't know. If there is just one socket that the phone line fits into, it is a network connection and will not work with the phone line.
For broadband you need to arrange a service provider, who will usually check and upgrade your phone line and supply the broadband modem you need. But this could take several weeks and, to compound the problem, they are all set up to order via the internet, to which of course you have no connection.
Of course there are solutions. The Full Poodle is at hand to install a modem and to give you the information you need to make a choice from the many dial-up and broadband options available. The service provider with the big glossy ad is quite possibly not the best provider for you.
Software will also be minimal. Microsoft's Office products cost an arm and a leg and will not be included with a budget PC. Again, there is a choice. There is a wealth of good free software, which can substitute for these programs, and it is quite possible to achieve a fully functional computer based completely on free software. This is an area The Full Poodle has researched thoroughly. Don't confuse this completely legal freeware with illegal copies, or pirated software.
Who thought of the ludicrous term 'Software Piracy' anyway? Is your computer being ransacked by pesky hordes of miniature swashbucklers? And do their anoraks leak?
For more help, contact The
Full Poodle on 01297 443819 or email: info@thefullpoodle.com
Dear info@thefullpoodle.com I am thinking of getting a new printer – what do you suggest?
Alcohol. Drugs. Gambling. Addictions, like allergies, are part of today's society. One of the strangest is paper. We were confidently told some twenty years ago that the paperless society was just around the corner. Of course, it wasn't. We really are thoroughly addicted. Even in hospitals, where we would assume the 'raw material' to be people, the staff appear to spend most of their time form-filling. When it comes to it, we just don't trust electronic records. For those of us here at The Full Poodle who spend their time reviving near terminally ill computers this is perhaps unsurprising. Which is why the printer is such a necessary computer peripheral. It is our paper/cyberspace interface. The good news is that the march of progress has been relatively slow in this field. Despite what the Megacorp Inc manufacturers would have us believe, printers have been capable of doing all most of us want for the past 8 years at least. I know this to be true because when I print this article it will be on an 8 year old printer which will still print documents and photos perfectly well. How, though, does this help you decide what to buy? Well, unless you regularly want to print out perfect photos, most printers on the market from the big manufacturers will do all you want. So don't get bamboozled into buying a superspecified printer which holds 35 colours of ink and will print at 4000 dots per inch at 200 pages a minute. You almost certainly don't need it. Printers are ridiculously cheap now. However, printer ink is fantastically expensive. It is quite possible to pay more for a set of replacement inks than the original cost of the printer, which of course included a set of inks. Cynical, moi? So start your buying decision at the other end. Look at the cost of replacement inks. Original inks or cheaper third party inks? Let’s try to be fair to those Megacorp Inc companies first. Tests have shown consistently over the years that their inks do perform better. However most of us would not be aware of the difference. Megacorp Inc would also claim that third party inks cause problems with printers. All I can say is that to date I have not had one problem with third party inks and I always use them. Quality does vary though, and as usual personal recommendation is a fine way to sort the chaff from the wheat. Some printer manufacturers, notably Hewlett Packard, incorporate the print head itself into the cartridge design, making third party copies difficult to produce, and therefore expensive. Other manufacturers, notably Epson, turned first to incorporating a microchip into the cartridge, and then to suing manufacturers copying their cartridge design. This has had the slightly bizarre effect of making the third party inks even better value as their redesigned cartridges can hold about 30% more ink than the Epson originals. So where should my addictive preference lie? Let's think - a quality ale from my quality local ale provider runs out at just over £2 a pint. A quality ink to feed my paper habit is more likely to cost £500 a pint. The Full Poodle 01297 443819