Windows and laptops


This is going to be my rant about Windows(whatever the version) and laptops.
Have you ever used a laptop as a desktop replacement ?

I mean as a developer, trying to work decently with VS .Net, SQL 2000 and other MS tools ?

If yes have you a good relationship between your laptop and Windows ?

Because me not :-(

I am not talking about again a crash with an hard drive, I experienced this.
But I am talking about the constant little annoyances I experience every day when I develop on my laptop.

And now I suspect it has nothing to do with the laptop, but more to the fact that Windows has never really be prototyped on a laptop.

SQL crash more and more, the .Net worker process hangs randomly the CPU at 100%, etc.. etc...

It seems really now that a laptop is good only to open one document in Word, Excel, and that's it.

Whatever the processor speed, the memory you add, everything can transform the nice advantage to be mobile in a nightmare.

Look at SQL for example. I experienced few days ago a General Network error madness randomly without any good explanations.
Some people suggested that I looked at the SQL logs. Well aprt the cabalistic and very enigmatic messages, I discovered that a huge list of errors appears with a full line of hyphens.
Yes, you read well, not a single explanation, but just plain hyphens.
I tried the same project with the same logic on a desktop, and yes it works perfectly.
So I tonight I reinstall SQL, but it's really hurting to spend so much money on a laptop and having everything working so badly or so slow.

I am working often from home, and I can't afford the time to synchronize everything valuable from my desktop PC to my laptop.

So if someone from MS read this entry, please make us happy, write a real laptop OS, you know a little bit like you did for the Pocket PC, something really for mobility.


 

5 Comments

  • Paschal





    I have been using a laptop as my primary machine for 4 years. The first was a 400 mhz Dell CPIR running NT4 Server for Interdev and VB.





    My latest is a Dell C800 1GZ running Win 2K with .Net. I have had the video screen replaced twice and the hard drive crapped out and had to be replaced. Other than that I have been pretty pleased with it.





    The only major difference is the drives in the laptops are slower than in desktops, but I love the convenience of working at my clients or at home.





    Regards,


    Paul Speranza

  • I agree with Paschel. I ditched my last desktop back in 1998 and never regretted it. I'm on my 3rd laptop since then - 2.5G RAM, full mutimedia, DVD and CD R/W, 16 inch screen, P4. The VERY first thing I did was upgrade it from XP Home to XP Pro with my MSDN Universal.





    Currently running VB.NET 2003, IIS 5, SQL 2000 and Office 2000 along with a slew of other things... and never a problem. I've been considering purchasing VMware so I can set up a VM for both Office 2003 and Win2k3 and I'm very sure this box will handle it.





    The benefits of my setup are too many to mention - wireless cable internet connection alone means I'll never go back. I participated in the blogathon yesterday and was grateful after reading many many complaining of sore butts by the 16th hour. You see, I just move around from the bed to floor to kitchen table to recliner! :P





    Seriously.... my one strong OS recommendation is to use XP Pro. If you buy a laptop OR a desktop for VS.NET and SQL 2000, make sure you do it right. Hardware? You gotta pay bigger bucks for the laptop over a desktop, but by all means do NOT underpurchase on the horsepower no matter what. And then - to repeat - don't go with 2000 Pro (unless you care to install SP1, SP2, SP3 and probably SP4 chancing breaking something else) and don't go with XP Home (the lack of IIS and full networking will someday screw you) but instead IMMEDIATELY go to XP Pro.





    Then, and only then, install all your MS apps like VS.NET and SQL 2000.

  • Computers that start acting this need a spring cleaning.





    Buy a new HD for your laptop, they aren't expensive. Install the new drive, do a clean install of XP. DON'T reinstall the OS or migrate existing setting from your old drive; do a FRESH ground up install.





    Install the latest drivers, copy over your files, and just install the apps you need. I also picked up a cheap converter so that I can install the notebook HD in my desktop machine to help with the file copies.





    I am in the habit of doing this process about every 18 months on any machine I care about or need to get real work done on. These machines never crash. If I wait to long to do this on my girlfriend's computer she starts to get real cranky...it makes THAT big a difference.

  • Like the others have said, it sounds like it's just your situation. I've been using a laptop for all my dev work for a couple of years now. I HIGHLY recommend the Dell Inspirion line, since it has a tremendous amount of power. I've used their Inspiron 7500, 8000, and 8100 over the last 3-4 years and have been very happy with them. My next upgrade will probably come soon, most likely to an Inspiron 8500.

  • I have been working on a laptop for 3 years now... And I can't go back to a desktop computer now. I can work anywhere !





    The most important thing is that I can work with a resolution of 1400*1050 (15" screen). It's a Sony VAIO PCG-GR215SP (1.2Ghz, 512M of RAM, ATI Radeon). I always plug my Microsoft Intellimouse on it. Can't work with that TouchPad... Sony makes very very good and fast laptops... My WinXP is loaded much more faster on my laptop than on my desktop (which has the same config...)





    SONY IS THE BEST (and the most expansive :)

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