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What Kind Of Computer To Bring To College?
Elfan writes "We've discussed laptops in education before and the importance of condoms and lockpicks. However, since its not to early to think about the Fall semester for incoming freshman, I was wondering what electronic devices people found most useful for college now. How do you keep yourself organized, a PDA of some sort or an old-fashioned calendar? What to take notes with, pencil and paper? Laptop? Palm pilot? Tape recorder? Or just too cool to take notes like in high school? One laptop for everything, with a docking station back in the dorm perhaps, or just a desktop? Both? All of this is made more complicated, of course, by the lack of funds most college students enjoy."
A Palm m125, a lighter and a Wi-Fi capable laptop seems sufficient enough for most students I know.
KARMA TAG! You're it.
You'll do well to find anything that can organise you better.
I was SO tempted to spam the link to a laptop I'm selling on Ebay... but sometimes it's just not worth having the Internet hate you.
Personally, I bought an iBook half way through last year. Before then I had only a desktop. Let me tell you, having a laptop with 802.11b on a wirless-enabled campus is great. I was able to take notes in class, chat with my friends, and look up more information on an in-class topic in the event that I am confused about something.
I chose the iBook because I liked it's look and its price isn't nearly as high as a Powerbook or high-end Dell laptop. It also has 6 hours of battery life.
If I were you, I'd buy a laptop.
So convenient to carry around to class!
sulli
RTFJ.
I would recommend having a laptop, even if you don't bring it to class. There are many other reasons that you will want it. For instance if you go home for the holidays, you can bring it with you.
I am currently a graduate student and have always found that pen and paper in the classroom work the best. When I become disinterested, the worst I can do is doodle in the margins. If I had a laptop, I'd be playing on my NES emulator. It's still possible to stay a bit focused if you're doodling BUT, as we all should know by now, Super Mario Bros. requires all your attention!
I hate liberals. If you are a liberal, do not reply.
Graduating senior who works for campus networking here.
as far as bang for the buck, and ease of use on campus networks (read: little to no configuration, built in wireless), the iBook is where its at. even the $999 flavor
I got one 2 years ago and everyone who sees me using it asks to check it out. I have 6 friends who have bought them to use at school.
tiBook.
/w it. Actually, the second is a lie. But I can dream.
You have unix and windows apps in one little box. AND you can pick up chicks
-
ping -f 255.255.255.255 # if only
I made notes on the back of labels I removed from my forties. old E, baby! That's the most useful knowldge to have in college.
a phat 1337 gaming rig. Use that bandwidth, baby.
The Blaster Master Fighting for Truth, Justice, and Evil Pie since 1979
since its not to early
;-P
The kind with a spelling/grammar checker.
Why, back in my day, we didn't HAVE laptops. We had clunky old XT machines that weighed about a ton and you were lucky if your desktop held them! You took notes then booted up your computer to put them in via edlin, and by the time you were ready, you were too drunk to care! Damn kids, get off my lawn! (Sorry, just realized new collegians this year were born in 1985. Caused a bit of a panic attack.)
Bring a pack of Bic pens, and a few notebooks with paper instead of silicon. Personally, I find my 59c wallet-sized notepad more useful than my friend's Palm.
But if you do get a real notebook, try to make sure you get built-in wireless for the school network (or network-to-be). It's a lifesaver during finals when all the jacks in the library are taken.
Personally, while I was at the University of Michigan in Engineering, I just had a Desktop. I graduated in 2001, and most of the kids I knew had desktops, only a couple with laptops.
As I went forward in my geekiness^H^H^H^H^H^H^H^H career, I bought my first PDA, which was a Handspring Visor (because I couldn't afford a Palm.) I was a Franklin user before that, and I actually used my Visor quite a bit for organizing and scheduling, but never for note-taking. It is just so much easier to write by hand when you're taking notes in electrical engineering classes with schematics and j-omega terms, etc.
I also bought my first laptop, a Compaq Presario with an AMD K6-2. It wasn't a bad machine, but I kicked myself in the pants after a week because it was too damn heavy to lug around--10 pounds plus for just a measely 12.1" screen and a DVD drive. If I had a lighter one, I still doubt I'd take it to class for note taking (have you tried to write down diff. Eq's in standard office applications?)
I probably would have taken it to the libraries and such if it wasn't so heavy. Umich has wired 10/100 almost everywhere, with WiFi coming soon supposedly. If I could have done it again ( and could afford it), I would have gone with a laptop+docking station. Keep it light, a smaller screen would be ok, with decent battery life and a combo DVD/CD-RW.
As a side note, I also began using AMD products in college, and now I buy only AMD processors. For me, they were all I could afford at the time, and now I appreciate the bang/buck ratio. I encourage college students, especially the geeks, to experiement. Since we don't experiment in sex or drugs (being geeks), try a different hardware, OS (I also became a Linux user in school), and different gadgets, ie Audiotron for your huge frat part works great!
The higher, the fewer.
I have a iMac in dorm, with a old palm Vx docking besides it with a USB cable, and now i'm typing this with the iMac (flat panel)....
-c
I was wondering what electronic devices people found most useful for college now
A tape recorder for those boring lectures. Get one. They're cheap.
Make sure it's not digital though, or you may run into DMCA issues recording the professor's no doubt copyrighted lecture.
Isn't it harder to pay attention if you're IMing, pulling tunes and pr0n off Kazaa, and so on than if you're taking notes on paper?
I think it really depends on the individual.. I have seen students (mostly women hah) that are super organized using a simple planner and pencil, and others using a pda etc.
Myself, half scribled notes on pieces of paper and a wifi laptop do the job...
A very light laptop, maybe 1.4 kilograms/3 pounds is very, very nice to have when studying. Since you'll be carrying books, booze, fellow students and whatnot around most of the time, you'll be very happy to have a lightweight laptop. Back it up in your room with a good 19" CRT monitor - those are cheap these days - and external keyboard and mouse. Unless you're a die-hard gamer, I believe this to be the best solution. Oh, and mind battery life, too.
I've used this for four years and can take notes about 4 times as fast as those using pen and paper. It's nice to be able to pay attention and not worry about getting behind in my notes. While I'm using an old Palm Vx with the Palm foldable keyboard, there are infrared keyboards now available, as well as the kind that just roll up. At any rate, it sure beats getting a cramped hand and fits easily in your backpack. Very few people carry full laptops because they're just too big and professors may think you're playing around. I've seen people have their laptops shut, but I've never had any negative experience other than the few looks on the first day of class.
All the people with laptops stop bringing them to lectures damn fast, ditto palms. Just get some good (paper) notebooks and use a PC. You'll get less funny stares, and it doens't really help anymore to have it on disk.
Software, on the otherhand, is different. Whether its Waterloo Maple (my recommendation), MATLAB, or Python with NumPy, get a good mathematical analysis tool onto your computer and learn it. They will not teach you, but the assigments may very well be impossible without it.
And flip-flops. Bring flip-flops, or your feet will regret it.
Fake-ID is a must. Doesn't matter if its good or not in most towns, as long as the bouncers see something its usually good enough for plausible deniability on their part.
Why, back in my day, we hauled a 35-pound PC on our backs from class to class, hoping there'd be a wall outlet and a spare seat available to plug in and set up the monitor. We could only type up about 4K worth of notes, and stored the results off to cassette tape at the end of the day and weeeeee liked it...
Stop by my site where I write about ERP systems & more
Aman
Used a m125 to take notes and keep track of everything including my schedule, (also to avoid carrying around so much crap)--Sometimes in large lectures, desks are too small for a laptop which kind-of ruins the purpose of having one.
I am thinking about upgrading to a palm zire 71... Back at home I use a mac, sync the palm up and I'm good to go.
Get a big personal-theater G4 (the 17") and a phone with PDA-like functionality (Like the Nextel i95c). Then you can a) watch pr0n on a big laptop, b)sit on laptop in class, and c)set up reminders to call mom to ask for more money.
all one needs in college is beer. Other stuff is mere accessories so you can fit in, so you can maybe look cool and perhaps pass a few classes every couple semesters. But everybody knows you're really there for beer.
Do not bring laptops because they will be 'lifted.' Bring a big ugly honking computer. as long as it has a Ethernet connection, you wont need to move it. Strap it to some 45lb weights or something. if their going to steal it, make them disassemble it.
:D
You should not need a palm pilot or the like because your schedule will be the same for 3-4 months straight. If you cant remember to get to class, then you should drop out
12" ibook or 12" G4 ---- or even the little Sony units. Anything small and rugged enough to lug around without a special case. It needs good battery life too. I did college with a laptop but it was never small nor rugged enough to use regularly.
The tablet concept might be nice (engineering class notes often require drawn diagrams), but a wacom USB drawing tablet might be easier for that.
I am going to college next year, and I am going to get a new mac before I leave, cause Macs are good for 4 years compared to PC's, which only last 2. Although someone pointed out that I will probably have my laptop stolen, so maybe don't bring a laptop.
If college freshmen want to really get their shit together, take notes on paper, and write down due dates on a calendar displayed in a prominent place in your dorm. Once that has become a habit, technology might make it easier, but until then, you have an expensive paperweight.
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
I say bring you're desktop computer you are using at home to collage and get a very cheap laptop. The cheap laptop will just be for notes; I can't type fast enough with a palm. The desktop will handle everything else. It might not be a super computer but it will get by for 4 years.
I strongly reccomend a desktop.
While laptop thefts aren't a horribly common thing, college freshmen brainfarts (tm) are. I say this while enjoying my first year standing. However, having spent a great deal of time with small office/home office/home-use computer consultants, I can say that laptop theft is *much* higher first year, than other years combined. (Non-scientific data gathering, to be sure).
Use common sense: If you make it portable, it is more likely to get stolen. It will also be more convienent, and probably better used. In my experience though, a desktop will be just as useful. If you need a computer on the other side of campus, you can probably find one to use.
Disclaimer, I go to RIT, all comments should be taken as though they are from someone who goes to school at an Institute of Technology
I assert that my comment is only my opinion, not that of any employer, past, present or future.
I bought a laptop my sophomore year, and it saved my butt more times than I can count. It wasn't that useful for taking notes and what-not, but doing projects and last-minute assignments was a major plus. I could work on my stuff anywhere, even during a class. This came in handy during power outages, fire drills, and when my roommate needed "quality time" with his girlfriend.
I commuted during my Senior year, and totally forgot about a paper and presentation due. With my trusty laptop I was able to pount out an A presentation and B+ paper during my classes and in-between time.
However, it didn't beat the speed of a desktop, making gaming a little harder.
You need to get a feel for your college's environment before you know what computer you need. Some colleges are strictly Windows, others are strictly Linux, and most are somewhere in-between. I would recommend just bringing along whatever computer you currently have. It will be good enough for the first few weeks, and will give you time to find out what kinds of computers upperclassmen are using. That "standard dell package" that your school recommends might be overkill, or it might not be right for your major.
Personally, I like the laptop + docking station idea. It lets you use your computer in a conventional, comfortable way (keyboard, mouse, monitor) but also lets you get away from your asshole roomie, bring the PC home on break without packing 100 lbs of crap, and lets you use it as you wish.
Also, most universities these days have wireless networks. So I would go for that if you can afford the extra cost, but don't give up your ethernet port. WiFi should be strictly in addition to regular ethernet.
As for note-taking, just get a pen and some paper for Chrissakes. You aren't going to read them anyway, so why waste precious disk space?
Although I considered buying a laptop many, many times (mostly because I type so much faster than I can write by hand), I ended up sticking with old fashioned pen-and-paper. The main reason is the fact that I live off campus and commute to NYU from Brooklyn - I'm already carrying an entire day's worth of textbooks when I leave my apartment in the morning, and the added weight of a laptop would only add to the back problems I've already started to develop.
At NYU (and most schools), students are given the standard smallish chunk of web space on a university server, which I used to store papers in progress and other files I'd need both from home and from school - that way, I could still work on whatever I needed to from a lab between classes without having to lug around a second machine.
There's a healthy percentage of laptop users around NYU, but I'd say the majority are still sticking with notebooks. PDAs, however, are absolutely everywhere.
One of the most important skills you'll learn in college/university is picking the more important bits of information out of what your professor is saying. When you write you actually systematize the data in your head and that's something you can't relly learn without.
Those recorders are just stupid. And as far as laptops go, how are you going to type formulas and diagrams into them in real time? Even Tablet PCs won't help because if I write in the realtime it's going to slow me down and won't give me any additional benefit because my realtime chicken scratch is much worse than its non-realtime counterpart.
They are great if your classroom has wireless access. I could download the outlines posted by the profs and make my own notes on them while in class, rather then printing them out (my printer's ink cartridge has been empty for about a year now). Plus, if you're bored you can check your email or read /. (I did that alot)
Some profs seem to not like students having a laptop in class but I feel that if a student isn't interested in the lecture anyways, not having a laptop isn't going to force them to listen... they'll draw or read another textbook or just flat out leave anyways.
There are only 10 kinds of people in this world... those who understand binary and those who don't
Shouldn't it be too? :p
Girls: Taser.
Guys: Personal faraday cage.
Both: Cell phone with non-metallic case.
I have an Apple 12 in Powerbook. I can recommend it without hesitation for most use.
It has the advantage of being very portable, and will allow for most things you would need at a school. It can use common college things like Microsoft Word, but its also a great portable UNIX-like box.
Basically it allows me to do everything I would with a PC, but also lets me use software that is traditionally MAC like MAX/MSP and Peak.
Only disadvantage is alitte expensive and alittle hot.
Get it with the extra memory and airport!
Kind Regards,
Robert Ferguson
we had school assigned laptops. I would do assignments on it and setup appointments in it, but otherwise I mostly took notes by hand. For me, a tablet PC would have been ideal (computer engineering technology) as I always prefered being able to draw and write big equations easily.
In fact, as we also had network access, in a few classes you were required to close the lid during lectures so you wouldn't distract people behind you. That and clacky keys are noisy too. You should take your school policy under consideration - right or wrong, they may have policies like this that make your nice laptop a great paperweight.
Course, in the working world I also need to take notes, so it's probably good that I still know how to use a journal and pen. Learning a bit of shorthand is also pretty useful so if you're stuck w/o a laptop, look into it.
Robots are everywhere, and they eat old people's medicine for fuel.
Too cool to take notes, ending up with something to write with in class is definitely a bonus on quiz days however (because bumming pencil AND paper is pushing it). But otherwise, stick with pencil and paper, its too hard to draw pictures and tablet PCs, just don't hack it (I borrowed one from work to try it in fact).
Laptop is very useful, not to bring to class per se, but just so you can take to library, other peoples places to work on projects and such, plus sometimes its nice to just get out of your room. Having a laptop which runs a unix painless is a very good things for CS people. Desktop seemed optional for me, just get a nice monitor for your laptop (i found i didn't move it enough for a 150 dollar docking station.
Write assigns down on paper, a pda is only so good as it can nag at you, otherwise you just forget things and thats ok too it seems.
Other devices... those new game boys are great in class.
However, since its not to early to think about the Fall semester for incoming freshman, I was wondering what electronic devices people found most useful for college now.
No, it is to early to think about buying stuff for the fall semester. Wait three months and do your shopping then, and you'll get a better selection and 20% more for your money.
I'm generally "Interesting," "Insightful," and even "Funny" here. What the hell happens to me at parties?
I had a laptop in class, its not worth your time, effort, or money if the only reason you are using it is for in class note taking. You can upgrade a desktop much more easilly, and it works just fine. Unless you need portability for some other reason, just get a desktop. I was told having a laptop was essential for my CS courses, which was a blatant lie. All it served to do was distract students from what we were supposed to learn (a guy playing diablo 2 for example during class). For in class note taking, just use a pen and paper if you feel you need to take notes. I think most people would be better off writing less and trying to learn instead the concept. Write only what is absolutely necessary has been my motto, and so far my 3.9 after 4 years (still one more to go) attests to it working fairly well for me.
As a college student myself, I can state that your computer needs really depend on your major.
A creative writing major or history major may get my with just a desktop, though many may enjoy just a low-end laptop... If they play computer games, I'd stick with just a nice desktop.
Engineers, at the schools I've seen, spend much more time working in groups and on-site working on projects. I'd recommend a high-power laptop, with a docking station and keyboard back at "home"
The hard sciences rely on a lot of visual information, often best communicated by graphs and figures... For many, I'd just recommend a desktop. A laptop won't be that useful in class, because you won't be able to draw figures fast enough.
But... I'm a biochemistry major, and I use an Acer Travelmate Tablet PC. It's totally revised the way I do work-- For anyone who deals with figures and graphs and diagrams all day, I can not recommend a Tablet PC enough. I don't even have a paper notebook for classes anymore-- With my Tablet PC I can take all my diagrams and notes, and search them and organize them. It's great!
This statement is solely an opinion. Kindly take it as such in all cases.
When I was a student at UC Santa Cruz (class of '01), I started with just a desktop, bought a used laptop at the end of my first year, and bought a Palm IIIe at the beginning of my third year. Probably used the desktop the most, the Palm a lot, and the laptop only ocassionally. Really depends on whether you like to spread out on big tables at the library(they prefer laptops), as some folks I know, or whether you prefer to sit in your room, listening to tunes, drinking, eating, and distracting yourself by visiting all the hot girls on your hall (I prefered the desktop in the dorm room). The Palm I used all the time, but I also was involved in student government, choir, theater, and worked as an A/V tech, so I had plenty of things to keep track of. I think the most bang for you buck these days is a good desktop and a cheap PDA.
If you have a printer, keep it hidden (somehow). Every damn person on my floor wanted to use my printer, but nobody ever offered to pay for ink or paper, which can get damned expensive. Since they were friends I couldn't say know, so after a while I just started telling people it was out of ink, and if they are willing to buy me some more then they can print.
Hopefully these days (10 years later), most students have their own computers/printers.
[FromTheMorning]
This might just be me, but having a computer with you at all times is a distraction. I recommend using the campus computers. You might as well use them, since you pay for them through tuition and fees. Same goes for printers - I recommend using campus printers because they are usually better than cheap Epson/HP/Lexmark Ink-jet that come with most (new Dell, Gateway, Etc) computers. The downside to using campus equipment is that you have to be in a lab to use it.
How come that a college student, who, by definition, knows nothing much and is not all that important, seems to require PCs and laptops and PDAs, while so many very accomplished engineers out there, with lots of years of experience nad savvy, can make do without that paraphernalia?
2. No palm - use your head.
I (physics undergrad) use a biro and a pad of budget paper for notetaking.
My computer is a big, completely unportable hunk of steel. It suits me fine. Laptops are useful for group work on campus though - it allows you to create an ad-hoc office anywhere. If funds permitted, I would like a laptop too, but my geekness demands that my computer be built with my own two hands.
Here is the important part - I have two friends, one with a Clie, and one with an iPaq. They don't use them. They were carried around for around a month, and then ditched. They use them in their rooms for reading documents in bed. I save money, using xpdf instead :-)
What makes you think most college students are loaded full of money?
I always worked 1 job while in college, and for a while I even worked 2 and 3 jobs. I even graduated with high grades.
People need to stop watching TV and movies where the typical college student doesn't have to do anything but their school work. It's largely incongruent with reality.
I took notes on pads of paper and then each night or so typed them up in nice formating on the computer. When taking notes you learn very little It's just a mad rush to get everything down. At night I learned a lot or at least got a second chance to review the material.
The most important thing I got at university was in my third year I upgraded from a 486 100 to a p3 450, cutting my java compile times from an hour to 2 minutes. Worth every penny. After graduating I preplaced my 15" monitor with a 19" and wish I had done that years before. Beyond that I didn't need anything else to go to school. A discman was nice untill we got mp3's playing on the sparcs after that I just packed around a set of headphones.
A laptop may have been easier since I moved close to a dozen times over the years, but other then that I found that a pc with high speed connection is all I really need.
Get a laptop. And if it's a Mac, get the Omni Group's excellent OmniOutliner software; that thing is a freaking godsend when it comes to taking class notes. Best money I ever spent in school. I still use it for all kinds of other stuff, now that I'm out of school.
Computers: I'm a freak so I have 3 here, one is a laptop. As far as college goes, unless your university has some computer program, hauling a laptop around isn't the best of ideas, especially if you're just an undergrad. You really won't benefit from having a laptop with you in class everyday, most likely it will wind up being a distraction.
Notetaking: Pencil and paper (unless you're a PDA master, but PDAs just don't allow for as much freedom with the notes as pencil and paper)
Assignments/Scheduling: Handspring Visor Deluxe 8mb and I use the software '4.0 Student'...this is all you really need to keep organized, color screens are unnccessary and 16mb memory for a PDA in this case is definitely suffice.
In sum, the most useful electronic devices that I use everday in college are probably my little PDA and my Creative Labs Nomad II MG for strolling around campus.
I got one of these in my second term at university and it really is a lifesaver. My 12" iBook is small enough to fit into a standard satchel and is light enough to carry around everywhere I need to take it (especially when much of my time is spent in the central library, particularly with exams coming up).
:)
My reasons for choosing the iBook over a PC laptop were various. There's the gorgeousness factor which is just hard to resist. More seriously though, Mac OS X is just a dream to run, and once you've got used to your iBook waking from sleep in about 2 seconds, you can't help but feel for those poor PC laptop owners. The 4 hour battery life is also very useful for studying out in the gardens.
Desktop PCs are a real PITA at university since you will inevitably end up taking handwritten notes, and if you're writing is anything like mine, they'll be redundant by the end of the year. They're also a great pain to carry up and down stairs (inevitable).
As for PDAs, I've certainly not felt the need for one since most of my contacts come in through e-mail and I'm near my laptop to check my calendar most of the time. That might just be the nature of our university network though...
Get yourself an iBook!
I've found it useful to wait a bit into the year before buying electronics. Two or three weeks into the semester you'll have a feel for your classes and college in general. You'll know exactly what you want/need to help yourself along, plus most large-ish colleges have a lot of good deals on not only computers, but a bunch of other electronics deemed "useful." If your college isn't big enough to have stuff like this there's always other students to buy second-hand off of like you do with textbooks. I'd bring a cheap-o desktop that can do the basics and save your money till you get your bearings.
Any yes, lots of powerstrips.
"Ford," he said, "you're turning into a penguin. Stop it."
The laptop bag is to conceal the bong.
How about a laptop that doubles as a bong?
This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is mine.
It really depends on your intended field of study. What would you use a PDA/laptop for when studying fine art? I'd think just for general consideration, a recorder (tape or digital or whatever you like), a notepad, and something to keep track of contacts and assignments. I liked using a PDA because it has an alarm on it. I think I'd find typing too slow and noisy to take good notes in class, and writing notes on a PDA would be a fast track to nerve damage before graduating. Having a net enabled laptop in class for discussion oriented classes would be good, I think, for looking up facts and such.
My advice to you, is to see what kinds of desks your school provides. I go to GW and half the desks are exactly wrong for desktops. It's almost like somebody decided that they didn't like desktops (large monitors, etc) and made a desk to that it wont fit.
Laptops are nice solely because it is easier to move them around (which becomes a big deal when you're switching dorms every year).
Less is more in college.
Choosing a computer depends on what kind of services your school provides.
My college (HMC) has deployed a great 802.11b wireless network in the dorms, academics (classrooms, labs, offices), and in most of the common areas. If a freshman asked me what kind of computer to bring to HMC, I'd say a laptop. You can escape your room without leaving your email.
As far as Windows vs. Mac vs. Linux, I guess if you have to ask yourself how comfortable you are with computers and what you will be expected to do with your computer. If you are going to be writing a lot of papers and turning in documents electronically, Windows will be critical to run Microsoft Word. Frankly, AbiWord and WINE may be alright alternatives but when the deadlines come a barkin' things need to just work.
However, if your college has a large Mac infrastructure (Reed, Dartmouth, etc) then a Mac laptop will probably be more appropriate. Here at Mudd they're making a switch over to Windows ActiveDirectory for application distribution, logging into the network, and file servers. Things will still work with the Mac but the IT dept. has other things on its mind right now.
If I had it to do all over again I would not buy an old PC desktop from an eBay auction and instead spend a few hundred more on an Apple iBook. The size, reliability, and features of a Mac laptop are very attractive and price competitive.
..on what type of person you are. Laptops are good if you know they will be useful (I know I would play games in class if I had one). If you forget things easily, you better write down what you have to do or where you have to be. If you handwriting is chicken scratch, then don't use a small book calender and you better get a PDA. I would be lost if I didn't have one. I personally like the idea of a desktop in the dorm with a ftp server running so you can access any file you may need at any time. For all the questions you have asked, ask yourself, "What would suit me the best?"
...burn those hideous microcassette jobs and get an MD recorder. I've had mine for the last few years and it is by far the best thing I've ever used for lectures.
MP3 recorders are NOT good for this kind of application because:
1.) Lectures don't take up a lot of bandwidth and ALL mp3 at 96k or below sounds like junk...even on something as simple as a lecture.
2.) MD discs are nice and cheap on eBay.
3.) Standard MD recorders will get you about 2 1/2 hours of record time in mono mode at near CD quality.
4.) MD discs are a piece of cake to reuse.
5.) A few sets of rechargable batteries and you can record as long as you want!
6.) Profit! (If you're devious enough to sell copies of the lectures you attended...but don't get caught or the professor may expressly forbid all forms of recording)
I used to keep the discs around for the lectures I attended, but since I listen to them anyways while studying, I record them onto my PC and transcode them into a 38k vorbis file which has acceptable loss for archiving of a lecture.
// Agent Green (Ian / IU7 / KB1JQO)
// IEEE 802.3: All 10base Are Belong To Us
Whatever you bring, don't spend your whole college career sitting in front of it.
a laptop computer. it sucks to spend hour upon hour looking at your dorm wall when writing paper, programs, or whatever. trust me on this. get a laptop.
for gaming get a console. your friends dont want to huddle around your computer screen anyway and lets face it. you wont make loads of friends sitting in front of a computer anyway.
for notes go with pen/pencil and paper. if you honestly think someone wants to hear you pecking away on a keyboard during class you are sorely mistaken. only on those rare instances where laptops are invites should you use them.
a palm/pocketpc is useless unless you are a club nut. i know people like this who have so many meetings that they need something like that to keep them organized. but at the same time, a roomy personal calendar will work too.
oh, and please turn off or mute your damn cell phones when you go to class! i plan on getting my phd someday and if your cell phone goes off in my class you can be damned sure its going to hurt!
700mhz iBook (For notes)
Pen and paper (For doodling)
As a professor, I think I maybe had about 2 students using something electronic to take notes in class for the last two years (out of maybe 300 students total). One had a laptop, and one a Palm with folding keyboard. These were actually both students I had the year before last. I teach in the humanities, so I probably have fewer students who are really excited about computers than faculty members in other fields. I have to say that I wish students would stick to paper and pen, or at least find quieter keyboards; I could very distinctly hear the students in question typing, and it was sort of distracting. Although if a few tap-tap noises are the biggest problem I have to face in the next school year, I'll count myself lucky! I'd be satisfied if I could just get people to remember to turn off their cell phones.
This post is dedicated to all of those
-- get a laptop with 802.11
-- make your computing environment ubiquitous. Consider something web-based (or that syncs) if you happen not to have your laptop.
-- make your computing environment conform to the way you arrange things in your head. I've watched people turn "productivity software" into something they copy just all their notes, addresses, and appointments into for no real benefit. It just becomes redundant.
-- consider that some things might not be easier/faster/better with your computer.
I opted for buying a low end laptop (700mhz with 192 megs of ram and a 10 gig drive) and the whole power-house desktop. I just finished my first year off at school, and the laptop was indispensable (atleast for me) Taking notes on it was a big plus, I could organize them in a much better fashion after lecture. I'd just copy and paste them in the order that made the most sense to me. Then I'd get back to my dorm and synchronize the files.
--fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
People seem to convince themselves they NEED all these new gadgets, but honestly A simple $20 planner and paper notebooks/3 ring binders are all the average student really needs to keep organized when used in conjunction with a good desktop computer. Anything beyond that is nice, but not required by any means. Use the money for more imporant things like beer... haha.
Your college might have a slant towards Linux, Apple or MicroSoft in their courseware or administrative software, so they may suggest certain computers and platforms. However, much of this has migrated to the Web which is less platform-dependent.
Second, you might check for certain group deals they might have for certain hardware and software. Sometimes this is the way to go.
From having lived on a college campus for the past 4 years, I can attest to the usefulness of something as portable as a laptop, though they are *highly* prone to theft, much moreso than a desktop. If cost is an issue, you should weight in the price difference between a desktop and equivalent laptop. Furthermore, most universities are equipped with sufficient computing services across campus. If having a laptop is a necessity in the classroom, then there is no contest, but if someone just needs a computer, there are a number of reasons to purchase a desktop instead.
For me (PhD program), works best:
IN CLASS: Stapled blank pieces of paper (about 20) + pen.
NOT IN CLASS: Laptop (in between classes, papers, projects, etc.) A desktop (a MUST) at home for backups, and for long projects (laptops aren't that great at typing at all night).
Although I haven't had/used one, I hear that thumb drives (those USB keychain drives) are useful. I used floppies, but always wished I had more room...
"If anything can go wrong, it will." - Murphy
Might I suggest none, at least for the first year? Seriously. You don't need a computer or any gadget past a pen(cil) and paper to take notes in class and all campuses have computers adequate for typing up your papers and whatever rudimentary graphing or programming or spreadsheet needs will be for your freshman year and for some majors for all of college. Also, you won't have ready access to computer games or Slashdot while you're in your dorm or apartment eating doritos and consuming, well, whatever. I don't know about the rest of you, but the first year or three I spent way too much time playing games on the computer until I deleted them all, right down to solitare.
Also, whatever you get, make sure it has a burner so that you have a backup of your data up for when you dump a guiness on the keyboard.
Chrisd (yes, I'm hard on laptops)
Co-Editor, Open Sources
Open Source Program Manager, Google, Inc.
When getting ready for college, I bought a 21 inch CRT monitor because it was a good price, but when i got to school realized that it took up most of my desk, leaving me no room at all to work. Spend the extra dollars and get an LCD monitor. Desk space is useful, especially if you can work next to your computer.
i would recommend a powerbook or an ibook, but, many schools use novell, and if they're running 5.x, they can't log onto the network. my school district does, and i can't access my novell stuff. (though i can access everything through my linux desktop, even running our grade program under wine. whooo-hooo). but for most campii, the powerbook will work for everyone, from normal user to even CS student. then get an ibm thinkpad and install (distro of choice).
My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.
Palm pilot is useful to enter information you can't be bothered to remember (e.g. exam schedules). Also quite useful to distract yourself when you can't be bothered to listen in class :) (Chess and ebooks, anyone?) As for taking notes, I'd recommend the good ol' pencil and paper. Unless you're studying liberal arts or some weird crap like that.
Burn the land and boil the sea, you can't take the sky from me
I see a lot of palm m505's for $100 or less. ;) )
The software you get with the device (calendar; todo; address book etc) coupled with the humongous amount of software floating round the net for palmOS (a lot of it designed with students' needs in mind) works for high-paid executives, so why not for students?
(plus, there's all sorts of neat games
Finally, pull the old "dad, since I am going to study hard; can I take your old PC?
Since this will give the old goat an excuse to upgrade his own hardware, he'll probably go along.
For the more affluent student; a wifi base station + SD wifi card perhaps?
hmmm.... wifi SD cards....
-- No Sig is a Good Sig
While a wireless notebook is a very fun and useful thing to have, be wary about using them in class. There are a lot of people who can't seem to keep themselves from IMing their frieds, reading /. or playing Warcraft when they should be listening to the professor. Plus there's theft to worry about.
For me personally I stuck to paper for note-taking but my computer was invaluable for scheduling/calendaring. If you''re living in a dorm you're really not going to want a 7000RPM Delta fan screaming 5 feet from your head. Also think about the fact that you might not want a system that can play a lot of games to distract you from studying or, uh, extracirricular activities.
Whether or not the 1337 gaming rig can get enough bandwidth to satiate its appetite on most college campuses these days. I graduated a year ago from one of the top 10 "most wired" colleges, and by the time I graduated, the on-campus network was pretty much constantly crawling.
As a freshman, the network was well-equipped to host big Duke3D games, but with increasing complexity in network games and rapidly growing network traffic on campus, things weren't looking so bright by the end. Nothing worse than getting fragged as your screen jerks around from the lag.
When I moved off campus and got a cable ISP, my bandwidth was vastly superior to the dorm networks.
I think we all need to look at the problem or the pain. What school are you going to? What do that support more. Apple...Windows....Linux? None of the above...I would have to say a really good iBook that is running HogBay's Notebook would fit th bill for me if I were faced with this problem.
HogBay's Notebook is the application I would use to organize all those notes into nice little notbooks. Apple has the best overall perfomance and OS since it is a very nice GUI and it does run UNIX under the covers. You may also want o get a PowerMac and then you can attache the iBook to the desktop with the old firewire cable and then the iBook become a second harddrive so that you can move the info back and forth between the two units....presto!
David Vasta iSeries(AS/400) Admin & Junkie
Of course, this matters on the University you plan on attending... but I've done just fine with the following: 1. Gentoo WiFi Laptop (wireless is a must). This way you can work virtually anywhere... not to mention surf the internet if you inevitably get bored. 2. Old school Palm to carry around all the time. It works nice with Ximian to sync all of your information. This has kept me "rather" orgranized. 3. Paper and a pencil. There's no need for you to bring a laptop to class 90% of the time. It's easier and much faster (diagrams and the such) to just jot it down. 4. If you've got a bit of extra $$$, it's always nice to buy a cheap desktop, even if you don't have a monitor for it. Most Universities have quality backbones and you can serve files to whomever without many implications. You can also use it as a backup. You can login to it anywhere from your laptop.
Peter: I got an idea, an idea so smart my head would explode if I even began to know what I was talking about.
Living in an engineering dorm, a good gaming system made me a popular person for a while. If all you are going to do is type papers, there are plenty of free public computers for that.
Also, large hard drives full of fileshares make you popular, but I do not participate in or condone illegal file trading.
I just finished my freshman year at Virginia Tech. I brought a new desktop to college, fully loaded all the best gear blah blah blah. After finishing my first year I wish I had bought a laptop.
;). You might also want to grab a portable mp3 cd player for those long walks to class across campus.
If you have the resources I'd sink most of my cash into a nice laptop, and then get a cheap desktop that you can load up with a ton of hard drive space. If you cant afford that, try getting a laptop with a DVD burner in it so that you can archive movies/tv shows/mp3s. When you have 10mbit access to the internet day and night you download a lot more than you realize. I managed to fill up over 400GB of hard drive space and still was not satisfied.
If you are going into a more technical major a laptop is a MUST, you will notice people bringing them to class and in some cases you may actually be required to have one.
Another good investment is a good speaker system for your computer. I had a klipsch promedia 5.1 and they were amazing, having the loudest speakers on your hall is a must
One last thing, make sure you have a good printer! It's a pain in the ass if yours breaks and you have to run around mooching off friends to pring stuff, and if youre anything like me you'll be doing a lot of printing.
A lot of cool gear is available at thinkgeek.com, one new toy they just made available is a portable light for reading that actually lays in the crease between the two pages of a book. Perfect for late night studying in the dorm room.
Visualize the world of wine
...like the use of paper and pen. Having gone to college for a long time, at several different schools at different stages (in my 30s and only fully finished two years ago), I can tell you that most professors absolutely abhor the student who flips open the laptop and begins typing away during lectures. You'll be lucky to only get scowled at. You may get flat out kicked until you show up with a spiral notebook. Seen it happen more than once.
Get a small tape recorder that you can send with a friend to lectures you can't make. Never trust someone else's notes completely.
If you live in the dorms, perhaps something in a Shuttle SS-51 with an LCD monitor or laptop for doing homework and such. Not much room to play with in most college dorms.
Keeping schedules should be done with a Franklin organizer or such, even if you use a PDA. Hardcopy is always easiest in school. Canvas binders tend not to get lifted. Pretty and shiny disappears.
What?
I'm a grad student, and I got an HP Jornada a year or so ago. I'm involved with a lot more stuff than most students...not just classes and homework, but research labs, system administration, clubs, etc, and I thought it would help me keep track of everything. Not really. It was a great toy to play around with for a few weeks, but then it just got to be too much of a pain. Now I use a note pad and a pen to keep track of appointments and assignments, and the only thing I ever do with the PDA is read eBooks I download off the web.
On the other hand, a laptop is great. I bought a PowerBook a few months ago and I love it. Does your university have WiFi in many of the classrooms? We've got 802.11b in every engineering class room. The laptop isn't any good for taking notes, especially in engineering classes, because you'll never be able to draw the figures or the mathematical symbols as quickly on your notebook as you can on pencil and paper, but it's fantastic for goofing off. Sit in the back and surf the web or IRC chat with friends during class. It's great.
We don't have a state-run media we have a media-run state.
When I was in university, the 386 had just hit the stores so this is a bit out of date. Nonetheless, even though I type faster than I write, I find that stuff sticks with me MUCH better when I commit it to paper with my own cramped writing hand. If you want it on a computer afterwards, then typing it in from your own notes is a GREAT way of reviewing--if you have the time.
However, try any note-taking methods that you can manage, until you find one that pushes data into your brain as effectively as possible. We're all built too differently to give anything more than rough guidelines.
"People who do stupid things with hazardous materials often die." -- Jim Davidson on alt.folklore.urban
My first Mac, my first post-Amiga computer love.
6 hours on a single battery charge (longer if you sat with the sunlight hitting the screen directly... no backlight necessary) with the HD turned off running Word 5.1 with 8 megs of ram and a 80 meg HD on System 7.1 and a Stylewriter II in the dorm room.
honestly, to write papers in college back in the day, there was nothing better... hell, there was nothing close. 15 pound Compaq not-so-compact 386 laptops? Puh-lease.
if you're not surfing the net, then if you want a note taking machine with a nice and quiet keyboard that can go all day long without being plugged in, you want a PowerBook 100.
then, go back to your dorm to a real computer of your choice and copy notes over from floppy or serial or docked SCSI connection.
guns kill people like spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat.
How do you wipe your ass?
One sheet or two?
Two-ply?
Should I get a bidet, or are those only for stinky Europeans?
As an Adjunct Professor I can tell you computers don't last long at colleges. In fact, it is downright amazing how many computer hard drives crash just before the end of the semester... and shucky darns the student didn't have a backup... so's they need more time to get the project in... yada, yada...
deserve's got nothing to do with it...
Just get something wireless, my teachers put their notes in pdf format on their website, and then bring it up on a monitor at the front of the class. If you have the pdf there infront of you, you can edit it w/what they add in the lecture. I'm sure your campus will be wireless, or will be soon...
Unless you are an *outstanding* typist class lectures will occur to rapidly for you to get everything into a laptop. So you may lose information. Also, if you are a science major how the f!ck are you going to take calculus notes, chem notes, etc on a laptop. Are you that good at LaTex and touch typing?
Use pencil and paper. Transfer to computer later. I'd not recommend a laptop if you are living in a shared space such as a dorm because they are easily stolen. With that in mind, get one of those old ginormous 486 tower cases >;) .
As both a CS student and a geek, I spend a lot of time in computer related tasks, and I just finished my sophomore year. Before I went to college, I built what was, at the time, a really nice desktop system that I've been very happy with, mostly for one reason: Desktops are very upgradeable (what was top of the line then is still top of the line now thanks to upgrades of ram and processor and such), and suffer fewer problems than laptops. There are always deadlines and due dates, and there's nothing worse than an out of commission computer.
Now, for that desktop, I highly recommend a flat panel monitor, because dorm rooms can be pretty tiny. I have a single dorm room, and with my CRT monitor, keyboard, and mouse on my desk, I literally cannot fit a sheet of paper on my desk surface. This summer, I'm gonna get a flat panel to remedy the problem, since they've come down in cost.
Now, recommendations about having a desktop aside, lately I've really been hankering for a portable machine, especially since my school (Vanderbilt) now has 802.11b access all over campus, so I think I'm gonna purchase a laptop. As far as the laptop is concerned, I don't need the latest Centrino or anything like that, I'm interested in a cheap system that will be portable and that I can use an office suite, a development environment, and to browse the internet, all during class and maybe extracurricular meetings. No gaming or heavy graphical work necessary.
So, to sum up, if you've got the funds, desktop is essential, flat panel is more or less essential, laptop is very, very nice to have (many schools even require having them now, and CS professors sometimes assume their students will have one) but isn't essential. PDAs aren't that great cause laptops are much more robust and powerful, and you're carrying around a bookbag usually anyway, so it's not necessary to have something fit in your pocket. I could see maybe owning a PDA strictly for scheduling, but thats about it.
Oh, and a cell phone. Every college student needs a cell phone, and you'll be left out if you do't get one.
barzelay.net
Laptops are slick and all, but really, not such a good idea. The portable aspect is overrated, since any worthwhile school will have computer labs everywhere you go, not to mention that portability is a great asset to would-be theives. Get yourself a decent desktop (don't bother with a printer... the aforementioned computro labs will have plenty of them) for your gaming needs and call it good.
Not only is a desktop going to be significantly less expensive than the equivalently powered laptop, people will more likely steal your door (friend had this happen...) than their PC.
The organization method that's worked well for me through my undergrad days and seems keep working now is a stack of spiral notebooks, one for each class.
my sig's at the bottom of the page.
Personally, I'm a paper and pencil kind of guy. I find that writing something down by hand helps to reinforce what's biing said. On the other hand taking too many notes means that you're not paying attention to what's being said just trying to write it all down, then your notes don't make any sense later.
Here's what I'd do. Get a laptop with a video camera and a cd+rw. Record all of your classes and then burn them to vcd and label the with the date and class. You can then go back and review the class as often as you like. You'll probably be able to make some money on the side selling the vcds to frat boys and football players that missed the class.
I'd then use a notebook and paper to take notes on the really important things and subjects that need more clarification or questions that you have.
Shop smart, Shop S-Mart.
How do you keep yourself organized, a PDA of some sort or an old-fashioned calendar?
I have a decent memory. My todo list for a given day is at most a dozen things. Easy to remember.
What to take notes with, pencil and paper? Laptop? Palm pilot? Tape recorder? Or just too cool to take notes like in high school?
I use a pen and/or pencil and paper. It was good enough for Einstein, its good enough for me. I can't make excuses why my grades aren't doing well such as "I don't have the latest PDA!!!". Hand writing is much faster than PDA and cheaper despite what people will say. That said, a tape recorder (those $10 type... not a digital one with 2 gigs of memory for $4000) are great to play back later especially for good lectures.
One laptop for everything, with a docking station back in the dorm perhaps, or just a desktop? Both? All of this is made more complicated, of course, by the lack of funds most college students enjoy.
I've never had a need to buy a laptop and I'm a double major (Computer Sci. and Business Admin.) save the money because it will be much more useful when you want that pizza on study night or meet a nice girl at school or just want to go out for a few pints with your friends. Desktop power is so cheap now (Athlon 2500+ XP anyone? Now go for less than $100 US retail boxed). If your looking at a PC upgrade get a desktop. Athlon 2500+, 1 GB DDR400, board, case and semi-decent gaming video card goes under $500.
You'll also want to get information about your college's computing environment. Essential questions to ask:
There are many more questions, of course, but those are the essential ones. A splufty Dell desktop with a 19" CRT is not too useful if you've got a tiny 36x24 desk in your room. Buying an iBook and then finding one of your classes wants you to code in VB to do your work is going to suck. Getting both a desktop and a laptop is useless if you can't connect them to the network simultaneously in your room. Paying extra for an Airport-enabled G4 PowerBook is stupid if your campus doesn't have an 802.11b infrastructure. You definitely want to do your research beforehand - it'll be worth it.
There is no sig, there is only Zuul.
1) Make sure you go to a college that is near a desert.
2) Go to your local provisioner's shop (if none is available, go to a Wal-mart) and purchase a shovel. Make sure to get one of a decent quality as you have a lot of digging to do.
3) Pay a visit to the desert and begin digging at random. Repeat this process until you unearth a Commodore-64.
4) Try turning it on. It'll work.
5) Take your notes with pen and paper. Dub them over to the C-64 in your dorm later.
5) Contact Junis for more information on how to view Divx Baywatch episodes with it once you get bored of classes. He might even have Doom III working on it by now.
Make sure you live with incredibly anal roommates who are in the same major. When it comes time to study exams, photocopy their notes - they'll be more complete and legible than your own would have been anyway. Not being able to leave dirty dishes in common living areas is a potential downside, but you can be assured that any shared bathrooms will remain clean, and you'll save hours and hours of sitting in lecture halls having information lectured at you (as verbal communication is horrendously inefficient).
If your roommates are not accomodating people, make sure that you're also smarter than they are so they have to give you their notes so you can explain them to them. (Fortunately, propensity for anal note taking seems to be inversely related to propensity for understanding material.)
paintball
1) Buy a Mac. I did and it worked excellent. I had no trouble at all. In addition I know many people who after a semester of computer frustrations have switched to Mac for third semester.
2) Whatever you buy make sure it has a wireless card (or at the very very least a place to stick one). Every year more and more schools are going wireless. Don't be left out.
3)I use a PDA (Sharp Zaurus) but that's only cause I am a geek. Honestly, a pad of graph paper would work just as well.
100% Crunchier
I don't think I could have kept notes on a laptop in University. Maybe it would work if you are doing something like History or English, where the notes will be fairly linear, but if you do anything that you will have to do diagrams for you will have all sorts of problems doing it on a laptop.
If you must get a laptop, get an iBook, cause you will look really cool using it, and chicks in fine arts and enviromental studies will approach you for no other reason
What to take notes with, pencil and paper? Laptop? Palm pilot? Tape recorder? Or just too cool to take notes like in high school?
I ditch class all the time, you insensitive clod!
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
I would say to incoming freshman that they should take notes by hand, into notebooks or notepads with pencil or pen, and then transcribe them later into whatever kind of computer they are more comfortable with generally.
:)
:)
First, the notes will stick with you longer, and you may actually learn the subject material, by transcribing them later (works best if you do it not too long after class, within a couple of hours, but later that evening is still better than nothing).
Second, it will help you identify deficiencies in your note-taking. If you get to transcribing, and either can't remember what fkx is an abbreviation for, or can't read it at all, you know where to start
Third, it will be MUCH easier to study for exams later; this may prove much more useful for law students who are going to try to outline everything anyway, but freshman students may find it useful too. Keep each note session either in a marked section of a master "notes" document, or create a folder in your "notes" folder for each class, and keep each class meeting's notes in a separate document. When it comes time to sit and study the notes for an exam, try to re-arrange them into a logical, end-to-end document covering the stuff your prof wants you to know for the exam. This will help identify gaps in your knowledge of the subject (which you can fill by reviewing the books or other materials), and can really improve both retention and grades on the exam.
If I were going back to school, knowing what I know now, I would carry my Palm to mark down stuff like test, exam, and paper due dates; times & location of classes; names of profs with office hours & other contact info; and so forth, and keep the computer (laptop or desktop) in the apt/dorm/house/tent/whatever, most of the time. I really think the PDA is the best tool for that job. You can keep the contact information in the notebook for the class, but the Palm has alarms
Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. (Einstein)
NT/2000/XP profiles at most schools will have private My Documents folders associated with them.
I found them very useful, mostly because I didn't have to buy a printer. I could just print assignments in the lab before class, accessing the documents from my ubiquitous My Docs folder.
Take one that has lots of pron on the hard drive!
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
I would think that a Newton would be an awesome right-hand-man for the collegiate. A 2100 can be picked up from eBay for less than many PDAs, You have the option of a detachable keyboard and awesome HWR for note-taking, and (imo) there hasn't been a PIM written that can compare to MoreInfo.
While web and email can be a bit of a kludge, it works well, particularly for off-line reading. The device is a bit large by today's PDA standards, but i've always felt cramped by the shirtpocket PDAs.Laptops aren't good enough yet for games (the new ATI mobility 9600 will definitely help) But please remember that you'll be spending many all nighters fragging people, just not as good on a laptop.
::(
The LCD is for portability, it's pretty hard to lug a CRT around.
For academics I suggest pen and paper, laptops in class are for law students. Writting things out helps you remember them.
P.S. I feel old
-- taking over the world, we are.
If you like using a PDA, then take one... I personally do and I will, but there are many people that don't like to use PDAs
Do you prefer using a desktop system over a laptop?? I know I like mine much better for normal use, so I will take mine.
I do however think that everyone should take a laptop... They are great for taking notes on in class, or just coding/writing/whatever outside of your dorm. But again, this is a personal choice, if you like paper then don't take one. I also recommend the iBook, it's small, light, good battery life, sexxy, and Mac OS X is perfect!
and get a laptop. I'm halfway through my third year now and yearning for a laptop (YEARNING!). I like playing games, which is why I went for the desktop when I started. Nowadays laptops are so fast and so much cheaper that they can easily replace a desktop. The portability is a HUGE asset. It makes group work easier and it's much easier to move a laptop from residence to residence. I'm in a co-op program and so far I've moved 6 times, so the laptop would have been a huge perk.
Who are you?
Considering the most recent crop of Freshman/Transfer Students I have dealt with the two most important items to bring to campus are a functioning brain and a pair of scissors to cut the ever present umbilical cord...
EMA
Eric Aitala
www.f1m.com
I've just finished my first year in college, now taking summer classes.
When I graduated from high school last May was a 12" iBook. Later on I bought an iPod and an Olympus camera with all of my graduation money.
Don't use a palm, or try to type notes during class. Not only can it be noisy if you are a real hard-hitter on your keyboard like me, but in a dark classroom the light from the laptop makes it hard to focus on the class for everybody else sitting behind you.
I suggest using the iBook or laptop for typing things up, plus you can use it next to a wireless hotspot or plug it into campus ethernet at any time. I have to iPod for walking between classes or waiting for a prof that tends to err on the side of being late to class. Finally, take your notes on paper with a pen or pencil. If you think that it will help you then after class move them into Word or something on the laptop so that you have a hardcopy for later.
Writing on paper is still the easiest way to take notes in class, even with hotkeys and stuff. You can erase and re-structure your notes on the fly without having to muck around with changing modes, drawing with a touch pad, or other uncomfortable and time-consuming methods on a laptop.
Ciryon
A Penny Saved
Save your money, work on the cheap, you can get the same or more accomplished and have a lot more cash to blow on the weekends.
...for people to steal.
:-)
They're very easily taken, can be quickly sold, and are nearly impossible to trace.
Its been my experience that a laptop is only as functional as you make it, and being that most campuses have amazing resources, labs, etc. It makes most sense to have somthing that won't take up your entire desktop but allows you to take notes and check up on a few items via compact browsers.
The perfect device is a palm/ce type device that allows you to plug in a nice keyboard and 802.11 in all honesty there is nothign better than 0 bootup and 0 shutdown time. Especially when your running late to class.
Save yourself the hassle of lugging a laptop and the peice of mind of somthing thats easily hidden and get a desktop that'll allow you to upgrade through out your college stay.
Be sure to bring a badass PC to keep yourself occupied with games and to communicate with the rest of the planet. And to do class assignments as well, I suppose, although you'll find ways around that crap soon enough as it just gets in the way of having fun.
As for in class, you'll need a tazer to keep yourself awake during those excruciatingly long and boring lecture classes held in stadiums refurbished with that wonderful seating pilfered from gnome villages with attached swinging testicular restraint devices that you can also write on if the tip of your pen is narrow enough and you can keep you hand steady. Be sure to grab one of the seats with the restraint on the left side if you are right-handed; the southpaws will love you for it.
Seriously, though, don't sweat it so much. Just have a decent PC and make sure you have your own printer, because having to run to the school lab just to print your shit out sucks. And turn off that goddamned cellphone in class else I or one of my collegues shove it up your ass. Enjoy college!
Shawn
Because you gotta bitch
I got the 12" Apple PB as soon as it came out (had an iBook before this)- It's great if your college/campus is Wi-Fi enabled, great advantages (OSX, CDRW/DVD-R, etc.) And with the recent price-drop, Education Deals are sweet for the 12/15" PBs (Infact I find it better value for money than other Wintel machines with all the features packed in). The regular price is now $1599, edu-discount would make it even cheaper and they always throw in freebies.
OSX makes life so easy for everything from note-taking (Omni-outliner), to browsing, to connectivity, networking, CD-burning, Storing contacts, iCal, etc. The only downside I see for people is those who really want gaming rigs.
But it's cool!
Therefore it doesn't matter whether you own the machine or not, as long as you have access to it.
Enroll in a University that provides notebooks, such as Acadia University in Nova Scotia:
Acadia University
Linux dual boot notebooks available to CS students as well!
As I will be going to college as a freshman in the fall, I just recently made this same choice. I talked to people that I know are in college now and the result was almost always the same. I was told to get a desktop. Students said that a desktop gives you more bang for your buck and its not easy to steal. I've heard that the only time you really need a laptop is if you commute a lot, either from college to home every weekend or just to college everyday. Most colleges have computers anywhere that you really need them (ie: library, labs, etc.) Also, one of the professors at the university I will be attending in the fall said that hardly any students use laptops to take notes with. Well, I said that I just made this decision, and I think I made a wise one. I ended up getting an Alienware desktop. I just came less than a week ago and I love the thing. Sure it might be a pain to lug to the dorm, but I think its well worth it. Go desktop and I'm sure you won't look back. A laptop might seem cooler or whatever, but even people with laptops said they would get a desktop if they could make the choice over.
SIGFAULT
Think Cray.
Donte Alistair Anderson Roberts - hi son!
Karma: Chameleon
I don't live in a dorm at school, so perhaps my perspective is a bit unique from other students'. I take one of my laptops with me everywhere I go, from home, to class, and to work with me. A WiFi enabled campus and home make things really easy to do this, however I still use my desktop systems mainly at home. A robust laptop is the way to go for me though, since I do network and systems administration at work (on campus) and a PDA just wouldn't fit the bill. As for taking notes, I hardly ever take notes, and if I feel the need to, I still jot it down on some paper. I'm a math major, and I haven't run across a program to readily write equations on some sort of computer system as easily as writing it on paper.
I started with a 6 pound laptop with a 14" screen, the typical machine. It was fine, but I found that at that weight it was still somewhat of a burden to carry around. 6 pounds isn't much, but throw a book, papers, and pens into a backpack and it adds up. Also, with the 14" screen, it is fairly large and therefore harder to handle physically. Most of the time I would leave my laptop at home because I didn't want to deal with the added weight or the size it occupied in my backpack.
After it died and I sent it back 3 times, I went with a 3.5 pound 12" screeen Thinkpad, and it was perfect. I carry it anywhere I want to, and I barely notice it. It is the size of a textbook, but half as thick and much lighter, so I just slide it into my backpack with everything else. If I need to show somebody something, I can easily pass the machine with one hand with no fear of dropping it when weight shifts. Anymore, when I play with friend's 6 pound laptops, I find them large and burdensome.
For notes I still use pencil and paper becuase I can mentally imagine which sheet of paper a particular note or drawing is on and find it much faster. It is nice to be able to code, check email, and write papers when I'm sitting in a lounge at school.
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It's OK to be social, just don't tell anyone about it.
I'm guessing that not even 0.01% of the people on Slashdot know me, but probably 99% have seen my picture... a most unsightly picture of my backside, that is. You see, almost since the beginning of Slashdot, trolls and other malcontents have been posting links to a website containing a picture of me spreading my ass wide for the camera. In addition to the links, elaborate ASCII art representations of my picture have also been posted (some of them with tattoos!). Songs and poems have been written, and Slashdot users have even named themselves after me.
Who am I? In case you haven't guessed, I'm the Goatse.cx guy. I'd thought I'd write a little about myself in case anyone is interested.
Believe it or not, I discovered my picture on the Internet only about 4 months ago, despite it apparently making the rounds for years. Being somewhat old-fashioned and technologically handicapped, I logged on to the Internet for the first time only about a year or so ago. At first I used the Internet primarily for Instant Messaging and occasional emailing. Back in January, I was over at my somewhat more computer-literate friend's house watching HGTV. He happened to be reading Slashdot on his computer. When a commercial came on, I ventured over to his desk to see what he was looking at. Just then, he clicked on a link in a posted message. It opened up a picture that shocked the hell out of me. My friend wasn't shocked, but he was mildly pissed off. "Goddamn trolls," he said. Apparently, they had "redirected" the link. He was going to close the picture but I stopped him. I came in for a closer look. I could not believe it... after all those years, I was once again face-to-face with a picture of my wide open ass.
You see, about 11 years ago, I was living in the Netherlands doing some freelance photography work. I had a live-in lover named Brett (I'm gay, by the way) who was really into S&M. I wasn't really interested (in S&M) at the time. Curious, yes, but it sounded a bit too painful to me. But Brett completely changed my way of thinking. He was into domination, piercings, etc., but his main forte was anal insertion of large and strange objects. He taught me various methods to stretch my anus to sizes I once couldn't obtain with the largest of my most painful of dumps. It's amazing how stretchable the anus is if you work at it. I guess it's sort of like a woman's vagina in childbirth. In three months, I was able to insert 20 oz. soda bottles in my ass without even using any lubricant. In five months, I was up to 2 liter bottles, although those hurt like hell. But you know, Brett showed me just how erotic pain could be, how it could open up new levels of sexual bliss. One night, when we were both high on cocaine, Brett was playing with his new camera. He asked me to open wide... and I did. That was the birth of the picture you see daily on Slashdot.
I have no idea how that picture ended up on the Goatse.cx website. Brett and I broke up about 2 years later, amicably. He had his career, and I had a sick mother back in the U.S. to tend to. I don't know what happened to that picture. I suspect Brett kept it, and maybe one of his future estranged lovers stole it and posted it. I haven't talked to Brett in years. I don't even know where he is these days. But anyway, thank you Slashdot, for keeping his--and my--memory alive.
Sincerely,
The "Goatse.cx" guy
...get a folding full-size keyboard with it as well. (Keep in mind that the Palm notepad can only hold 32K of text at a time.) Assuming you can touch-type, taking notes on a full-size keyboard during lectures is much faster than anything besides shorthand.
My folding keyboard is only slightly larger than my Palm m500, cost less than $100 and fits into my other jacket pocket. Together, they make an excellent note-taking device with several day's worth of rechargable battery life (unless you need the backlight). Bring it back to your desktop computer and sync it, keeping all your notes for a single class in a single category.
One of the best tools I ever got for myself in college was a simple Palm Pilot for managing my schedule. It was useless for notetaking, as I couldn't do graffiti fast enough to keep up. (Good old fashion pen and paper was far better for that.)
But the Palm Pilot was terrific for managing my schedule because so many of the events I had were one-offs that didn't fit into a regular, easily remembered schedule. I'd be meeting with a campus group at 6:00pm on Friday one week, doing group homework at 11:00pm tomorrow night, subbing for another computer lab assistant next Thursday at 2:00pm, etc. The Palm Pilot was great for keeping me sane.
As one of my profs who ended up getting a Palm Pilot said, "I still miss meetings, but at least now I *know* I'm missing a meeting."
It was handy for games to kill time while waiting to talk to a prof, too.
Taking notes on a laptop was totally out of the question for me in college, because i was a physics student, which means i was drawing lots of pictures (force diagrams, particle interactions, coordinates, etc.) and doing lots of formulae, which are too time consuming to input via keyboard when the prof is still proceeding with explanations. The kinds of notes you take as a physics student are very difficult to translate to keyboard based note taking. I'd have KILLED for a tablet back then, because it combines the best parts of paper (free form notes, sketches) and computers (typing when appropriate, simpler to keep organized). In this case, unless you can spring for a tablet, i'd still suggest paper... apply your computer budget to a cheaper, faster desktop machine and a *reliable* printer.
OTOH, If you're gonna be majoring in something which requires notes in pure text and which will involve lots of papers, and such, i say go for the laptop. It'll be easier than translating notes and such to the pc later, if you are that kind of person.
One caveat : some profs don't like to hear the clickety clack of keyboards in class, so despite your choice, buy some paper and have a plan for dealing with this contingency.
my 57 yen.
eMac 700 G4 80 gig 7200 SE HD 512 MB RAM (favorite Linux Distro of PPC or YellowDog) + Bluetooth adapter $800 shipped
Get a USB video in and hook up a VCR so you can have a nice TV or get a TIVO
Watch DVDs and record CDs in the dorm (it'll come with appleWorks that has all the Office compatibility you'll need)
Get a refurb iBook (256MB/20gig/Airport/Combo Drive) and soup it up a bit =$900
Not affiliated with them but www.smalldog.com or www.expercom.com are good places to start or check www.dealmac.com
Get a t68i Phone (free at amazon and buy.com, cheap elsewhere) so you can use it as a I'd get a low end eMac previous generation and then soup it up with DVD/CDRW and plenty of RAM, maybe a faster hard drive and Virtual PC then a low end iBook (probably refurb) - you could do all of this for under $1800 and have an awesome setup!
You get the bonus of all 3 worlds (Mac,Linux, Windows) with a Mac, plus hi speed LAN and integrated WiFi, plus easy upgradeability and HUGE internet support.
Yell & scream & rant & rave... it's no use... you need a shaaaave ~ Bugs Bunny
I just finished my first year at college, and I went with a PowerMac G3@400Mhz, an iMac@333MHz, and a VisorPro. I did almost everything on my PowerMac, and just used the iMac as a glorified jukebox. The Palm helped me stay organized, but I found that I couldn't justify keeping it, and sold it before it devalued too much. I had a 802.11b card for it, that the IT department on campus said *would* work, but it would not associate with the on campus network.
"Personal ownership is a hallmark of conservative capitalism. And I don't believe I am entitled to anything that I did n
Most bang for the buck, just get a PC.
For $1000, you can get a reasonably high-end machine, suitable for research (if surfing porn counts as research), analyzing data (yeah, right, like you couldn't "process" that 15-point physics lab experiment by hand faster than you can enter it into the appropriate program), and of course, gaming.
I did have a laptop in college. You'll never use it. Really. Professors tend to talk in a highly non-linear manner, go back and correct themselves, make heavy use of diagrams, generally lecture in a manner not friendly to taking notes on a laptop. And we won't mention the high risk of having it stolen (no joke, those things vanish faster than a Catholic priest at a NAMBLA convention when the press shows up).
As for a PDA, if you can enter text quite a bit faster than most people talk, and use one of those spiffy progs that let you enter text or graphics with no effort to switch, you might find it useful. Personally, I can type faster than people talk, but even with practice, cannot enter text into a Palm even close to a normal human speaking rate. On top of that, I find using a PDA cramps the hands MUCH faster than just using a pen and paper.
So overall, bring a PC, because you will get bored very often, and may even need to do the occasional research or computationally-intensive homework. But in the actual classroom, computers still have no place.
Spend $20 on a cheap whiteboard and some markers. Have a column for each class on your whiteboard. Update it daily with assignments and due dates. If you want, have another column for things that must be done by tomorrow/end of day. I discovered this process as a senior (in CS engineering) and it was more effective than a planner/iPaq/notebook. You also have the satisfaction of crossing/erasing things. It's also very easy to maintain and can be color coded.
If I were back in skool, I'd be looking at the Tablet PCs, especially the convertible ones.
:) I thought that the Newton with keyboard would provide the same benefits, but it was just too damn slow to switch from text to doodle mode.
I'd think that the option to use a keyboard for text, but also be able to draw diagrams and equations on the screen would be a great combination.
This is just a guess, since I've yet to try one yet
jonathan
I just finished an MBA where laptops were required, so I was able to observe about 300 different machines on a daily basis over the course of two years. The school was fully wireless and we used them for pretty much everything.
My thoughts are that any laptop will be lucky to survive 4 years of college. Most of our laptops limped through the end of the 2-year program - and it didn't matter whether they were cheap or expensive. Battery life will be zip after a year, and you will likely run into optical drive and screen problems. Of the bunch, I would say that the Dell Inspiron line was complete, utter, garbage. They were flimsy, fell apart easily and everyone's battery totally died within a few weeks of each other. I had an HP, which was comfortable but required repeated major surgery. Toshibas and IBMs (especially) seemed to fare the best. We weren't allowed to use Macs, but my little sister uses an iBook that developed screen problems after a few months.
If you are going to go with a laptop, get the cheapest one with a decent screen and spring for the extended warranty. It won't survive, so don't blow tons of cash on it.
I'm really torn on the desktop-vs-laptop issue. I really liked being able to surf anywhere in the building and take notes/run simulations etc... in class (but keep in mind that you need to plug in power which most lecture halls lack). A desktop is a lot cheaper, much more powerful, much less likely to break (chance of laptop failure comes close to 100%) and much less likely to get stolen. If you are a gamer, it's just not economical to go with a laptop.
So in the end it boils down to whether you need the portability - if not, go with a sturdy, stable desktop for the four years.
When you have nothing left to burn you must set yourself on fire
when i went to school five years ago, i bought a desktop machine. i liked it. but when wireless internet came to my campus, i was left in the dark. i believe that the age of the desktop machine has past, especially on college campuses. buy a laptop.
after i graduated, i bought an iBook and i farking love it. when i go back to my campus (Dartmouth, one of the mose wired campuses) i can use the local wireless network and it's simply fabulous.
I recently got one for just this purpose. I happen to be cursed with dysgraphia due to motor incoordination and thus any handwritten notes are apt to be illegible a week later. Be sure to get the 256 MB RAM though. Small, long battery life, and dirt cheap, especially on educational discount. I didn't go for the 802.11b because I think I can save my battery by just using Ethernet (The thing comes with gigabit so you can use those at full speed if you run into them). And besides, I have 802.11a at home and would have to use Ethernet anyway.
I had a laptop in school (Powerbook 145, I'm really dating myself with that reference). I NEVER typed in class - too much trouble! Do kids just type faster now?
sulli
RTFJ.
I use a desktop to do work, it can be easily upgraded and I was able to build it myself.
Pen and Paper are used for note taking and keeping track of where I'm supposed to be when. Pen and Paper are still the most versatile pieces of hardware.
A desktop system, probably built yourself.
HP 48G.
Those keyboard based PDAs are kinda handy, I wrote the first draft of a final paper on one while riding up to put a deposit on my post college apartment during finals week, but other than that they are a little pricy for their use.
If you don't lose things, a drafting pencil and white eraser.
A loud alarm clock, don't try to get away with a cheapo one, get a loud and tough one, it's likely to be the most abused thing in the room.
Degaussing scares the bad magnetism out of the monitor and fills it with good karma.
I take my IPAQ 3835 to class and use it to stay organized. I link it to my gaming/schoolwork desktop PC in my room. If we had wifi in all the classrooms, I would get the newer 5400 series IPAQ with 802.11b built in, but for now I am fine.
I'm in computer science, and rarely use a computer. Well maybe it isn't that strange when you think about it.
I got a Palm PDA the week before I went to collage because I wanted the todo and contact list, but I found that I took notes on it quite a bit. I had it with me everywhere I went and when ever I was walking around campus I could whip it out and review a class or two. Can't exactly do that with a laptop I found that taking notes for a lot of classes (not math...) could easily be done on my palm. I saw many other kids lug around their laptops and take notes on them. The whole lugging around part of all of the accessories looked like a major pain! I never really saw the advantage of it other then maybe getting a five minute head start on writing an essay for english class. For those that connected to the net and surfed during class I never once saw a valid reason why they needed to be on right then and the laptop with everything extra it had only distracted them in time period where paying attention to the teacher is important. The majority of classes you read the stuff out of the book and otherwise you have a little list of keys things to memorize. The pda fit that perfectly for me as I unexpecdly found as I was able to constently review those lists (like when walking to that class I should have reviewed for...) For actually writing/coding etc the desktop does its job. Course I found that if I was in the labs I was 50% more likly to actully finish the project right there then in the dorm (but that is another topic).
-Benjamin Meyer
Do you changes clothes while making the "chee-chee-cha-cha-choh" transformation sound?
I took notes with old fashioned paper and pencil. I recorded my lectures on minidisc. I wrote my papers on an iBook.
:)
...
... and I'm stil using my laptop and minidisc recorder after several years, so I think I'm getting my money's worth.
All things considered, a computer is necessary. One could use one of the provided computer labs, however, the convenience and freedom of having your own computer (particularly with a scientific course of study) is extremely advantageous.
I choose an iBook because laptops are frickin' convenient (writing your papers in the library, and being able to take your laptop to study sessions is very handy), and because I've had good experiences with Mac hardware. I've studied in three different countries, all of which have Apple support, and all of which honor Apple warranties. iBooks are also reasonably durable, and they're great to self-decorate.
The minidisc recorder was also a good choice -- tape is nice, but with a single minidisk you can store a week's worth of lectures and tutorials for one class (w/ MDLP), and set break points for important information. Small. Convenient. Efficient. Not too terribly expensive.
I've never had success with note taking on a laptop, so I had good ol' paper and pencil. I can type faster than I can write, for sure, but when the professor starts drawing diagrams
All things considered, I spent under $2000 on my setup, and it worked great
Personally, I'm looking forward to the development of the tablet-based platform. It's everything in one -- computer, audio recorder, and note pad. I'd like to see them a bit less expensive, and a bit more rugged before I'd recommend 'em to anyone.
Check and see if your school has a wireless network installed. (My Example) If they have such a network set up, invest in a good laptop (I would recommend an IBM ThinkPad or a Macintosh Powerbook, pick your poison) and make sure it has wireless capabilities (most networks these days are 802.11b). Trust me, it's a great investment. Heck, I'm posting this from my wireless laptop in lecture right now!
I think diffrent combinations work for differnt people....
If you have a laptop, I would invest in a wireless card and move from there (maybe get a bigger hard drive and 2 extra batteries).
If you have only a desktop do what I did (that whole 1 semester) was I had a tape recorder that I used to record the class while I took notes. Then back home I would transcribe my notes onto my computer (no laptop yet) while listening to the tape and inputing any stuff I missed, I would then print up my notes and place them in that classes binder. I know it sounds like a lot but I passed my classes so I must have been doing something right.
I think a combination of technology and old-fashion know how works best. Most people have a tendency to remember what they write, then plus if you also type that up, AND relisten to it via a recording then you really don't have an excuse for missing something.
Just my $0.02 though
A digital pen may be the way to go for the note-taking world part. You get the advantage of having any actual hand written copy (in case of data loss or to loan to ppl) and you can also upload to computer for organizing and whatnot.
A used laptop may be good as well. A decent PIII model with 256+ MB of RAM and a wireless card will fit the bill. (Don't go brandy-new on the laptop as it'll just be dorm-theft bait or at least wait awhile and see what the "shrink" rate is for your school/dorm.) A $99 Zire would probably meet any and all PDA needs.
--- I wish I could hear the soundtrack to my life. That way I'd know when to duck.
Nor is it to early to go back to high school and learn to spel.
As a Junior, I use the following:
cheap 400mhz laptop for doing homework- it's really all you need
desktop for gaming and storing files
network drive for all documents
Zaurus for scheduling
It's been said, but if you're a science/math student, a math package like Mathematica is essential.
As for taking a laptop/palm to class for notes, it's only useful in history/english classes where you don't have diagrams and symbols.
I like to use the desktop to serve movies/music to my laptop when I'm around campus. The way you stay organized is just a personal preference, though it is very convenient to have your address book, calendar, tv remote, music player, and web/email all in your pocket.
I highly recommend getting a small, cheap, used laptop. This way you have the mobility but getting it broken or stolen isn't such a huge loss. Spend your money on something that you can't drop.
You'll need an Atari 2600 so you can learn BASIC. Otherwise, hell, you might as well be programming for a Commodore 64 or something insane like that.
riding round the world on an old motorcycle
Or just get a truckload of Sony PlayStations and a bunch of ethernet cords. Try bringing THAT to class.
sulli
RTFJ.
Simply conceal a USB keychain drive. I store mine where I hide my wristwatch.
This is a job for a desk-bound computer. I'm a senior in college myself, and I've seen too many people get nothing out of a class because they sit there and use instant messenger over the wireless network while the professor drones on. I think if I had one, I'd be very tempted to do the same thing during those long, dull lectures. Worse yet, I might install nethack on it! Instead, get a PC, set up some sort of display-sharing (be it Windows remote desktop or VNC) and use that from computer labs between classes if you need to. Plus, you can use all that extra computer you got from going the desktop route to host an Enemy Territory server while you're away!
If you are using electronic formats of whatever: term papers, calendars, etc. Figure out very early on how you're going to handle having your laptop or computer stolen, lightning powersurged into oblivion, or virused, or your roomate deleting your user folder. For example, if you have an Apple system, get an iPod and use it as an external Firewire drive to back up your papers, class notes, whatever, or use the autobackup feature included with the iDisk on a .Mac account. If you have network storage available, use it, but consider what you've got where and who can get to it.
Lots of places have variably good power, so consider a good surge protector or line conditioner, maybe included in a UPS, as a very good idea.
Thinking about these things before they happen is sometimes boring, but a lot more pleasant than losing a week's worth of work on a term paper.
Oh, and backing up, like security, is a process not a product. Don't forget to backup your work.
I bought a run of the mill desktop and just used this when I was at school. It's great - you take notes on a normal notepad which sits over the digitizer and it digitizes your writing and stores it (it can hold up to 50 pages if memory serves) for tranferring to your laptop/desktop later.
It takes AAAA but they last for months. The pen seemed heavy at first but, after a while, it was really comfortable to the point that I used it even when I wasn't using the pad.
It comes with IBM handwriting recognition (the name escapes me now). The recognition can be a little flaky but it allows you to correct its mistakes and I found it helped me because it made me go back through my notes after class - a little less "in one ear and out the other". I cant find a direct link but here is Cross' main site: htp://www.cross.com
It's really hard to find a laptop that will let you get your game on, don't want to be the only one left out of those lan parties :)
SIGFAULT
I've tried this pretty much every way possible. I got a Palm V as a graduation gift and while it's very helpful it isn't essential and I don't take notes on it. Back in high school I was part of a program for a semester where they assigned students laptops (decrepit Macs of some sort... mine started physically shredding floppies) and while it was good for some classes (Latin Poetry where we were doing mainly translation) it utterly failed for almost everything else. The main problem is that no matter how fast you type you won't be able to get equations, diagrams and so forth down fast enough without a tablet pc or something else. I'm currently a senior heading back for one final year to complete degrees in biology and microbiology along with a computer science minor and while I view it as more or less essential to have a good computer (be it laptop or desktop) at home or to carry onto campus if you live off-campus direct classroom applications and especially notes are of very limited value.
As far as taking notes in class, nothing beats loose-leaf graph paper and 3-ring binders. Taking notes on a PDA is all but impossible (especially for profs that blast through information in lecture). Laptop PCs are annoying for notetaking as well -- if not for you, than for other students. But depending on the class, that option may work. But I've yet to see an electonic solution to getting diagrams, graphs, equations, etc. down well. Maybe a Tablet PC, would work for this, but I've never used one, so I can't say. Also, remember that binders fit nicely on shelves later -- good for archiving notes from classes which will come in handy later in advanced coursework.
In summary, I'd recommend the following:
The reality for all computer users is that the individual will determine what the best device is for them. PDA vs Paper. Laptop vs Paper note taking. I don't think matriculating freshman will know which works best for them. They will most likely learn by mistake.
I'm an engineer at BU, sophomore year. I bring my heavy-as-heck-but-powerful desktop to school so i can game on it and work in my dorm. As far as notetaking goes, I stick with the graph-paper composition notebooks and a pen...
I will probably be adding a laptop to the mix because i don't trust the dumb terminals scattered across campus, and being stuck with my copy of PuTTY on a floppy is sometimes inconvient, and having a laptop to give presentations on is invaluable, especially as a soon-to-be-upperclassmen.
filter: +3. Hey, look! all the trolls went away!
If you plan to take an english class, buy a decent notebook. It will save you the trouble of TRYING to get a comptuer in the labs, at least, that is how it is in my school! Damn CA budget cuts, its just going to get worse before it gets better! I also have a pocket PC, but I never use it for anything other than games to play in class :)
Now, it all depends on what you're going to be studying and which operating system you're comfortable with. I had a roommate and some friends in undergrad that had to use Macs because they were art/music majors. They mostly had either iMacs or G4s. They just didn't need a laptop, I guess. But everything in my business courses was DOS/Windows only. Sometimes we had to use software bundled with our books for assignments, and unless you wanted to wait two months and pay $50 for a Mac version, it was DOS/Windows.
For my comp sci courses, it really didn't matter as long as your instructor could compile your source code on his computer. We either used HP/UX servers via Telnet or Code Warrior, so any OS could work. But for any of the MS Visual courses, if you wanted to use your own machine, it better be a PC. Some schools also give you crap if you want to use their network and you have a Mac. It's not that it won't work, but their underpaid IT staff may not know how to make it work right. If you buy a Mac, make sure you know how to network it and set up file and print sharing. Most teachers are starting to make students turn in assignments via network folders, so if you can't figure out how to make that work, you're screwed.
Anyway, if I had undergrad to do over again as a business/comp sci major, I'd get a good Dell or Toshiba laptop with Windows XP Professional and MS Office Pro. Don't buy Office from anyone but your school's bookstore because you'll get the Pro version for $199 versus $399. I like my Dell because even after a year of cycling the battery, I still get the same 3 hours of runtime I got when it was new. My friends' Compaqs, Toshibas, and HPs run down in an hour. Get a spare battery too if you're concerned about runtime.
Oh, and just for fun, throw Linux on an old PC and use it to code and compile under gcc when the school's UNIX machines get clogged with your fellow students compiling at the same time.
If you're an engineering major, a TI-89 calculator will be your best friend. You can download programs onto it... so... having a SPICE program to automagically do circuit analysis will help you ace those electrical engineering finals. =) Errr... it's not exactly cheating since they never said you couldn't use it. And the symbolic integrals/derivatives are useful for many other engineering/calculus classes.
Arguably, that paradigm could be used for anything: good desktop that will last most of their undergrad years and a PDA to serve as a satellite.
I've reached the point where I just use Note Pad on my Tungsten to take notes in meetings. If the class was a little more hectic, then I would probably look at buying them one of those PDA cases with the pad of paper in it.
Write notes by hand, transcribe them into a laptop or desktop PC later. Transcription is one of the best ways to get the content into memory at a pace that's good to learn by, and in the process you can stop and "flesh out" the contents of lecture by checking references, following interesting digressions, etc.
Good luck doing a full-text search on that.
This doesn't fit as a response to any one post, so...
Definitely don't skip out on the dead tree. Get a paper notebook. As far as computers go, unless you are a Math/Physics/CS/EE major, a laptop, Desktop and Palmos combo should run less than $800 for a completely usable set... Think PII IBM Thinkpad with Erasermouse for around 400, Athlon 1GHz desktop with monitor for $200-400 depending on monitor and a Visor for $70ish. That will meet the needs for papers, etc and portability. Obviously if you need heavy computational power for those hard homework problems you will need more Horsepower. Obviously you could do something similar with MacOS but I'm not as familiar with the pricing there. Most important thing to remember is that you don't need to pay bleeding edge prices to get usability, functionality and a decent weight to carry around.
Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
...especially on college campuses. If you get a laptop, be militant about security. Keep it in a bag on your person at all times unless you're actually using it. If you're keeping it in your dorm, get a lock for it. I kid you not, leaving your laptop alone on a table ANYWHERE -- dorm, cafeteria, library, study lounge -- for sixty seconds is an invitation to have it and all your notes, email and passwords stolen.
Even if it's not stolen, a careless friend with a soda is all you need to have it ruined completely. So keep all your vital data for the entire semester online as a backup -- you should get a healthy storage quota just for enrolling as a student.
One good suggestion I heard was to keep your laptop in an ordinary knapsack instead of a special laptop case, to make it less obvious that you're carrying one. Pad it with a couple of shirts on either side and you're good to go.
While in school I used a Palm m130 for my much needed help in organization. But as far as taking notes I stuck to the pen and paper method.
I started with a large desktop system, and then went to a laptop. Tried using both for a while, but the tiny dorm desk did not help at all. The laptop was much easier on move in and out days than the old box and 17 inch CRT too. Eventually I used only the laptop. It remained at the desk most of the time, tethered by a mouse, speakers, power supply and an ethernet cable. But the ability to go portable was great when I needed to get out of the room or if the power went out.
For crying out loud, don't you know where the word "nerd" comes from?
Keep a notepad in your hip pocket, and your pens in your nerd bag [pocket protector that goes in your white starch short-sleeve shirt].
You can also keep your slide-rule in your nerd-bag as well -- keeping it in your pants pocket isn't advisable, as you might break it.
P.S. If you *do* have a slide rule, you definitely do not want to break it. Those things, just like fountain pens, probably will gain a good deal of value as antiques.
Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
Consider using a small (paper) calendar to keep yourself organized. If you do choose to go with a PDA, check out Due Yesterday from Nosleep Software (great homework organizer).
As for class notes, I use a 5-subject college-ruled notebook to keep all my notes in one place.
YMMV but this works for me.
Your brain will hold more when you've been forced to process things in *two* areas of your head one wile listening and the other when writing it down.
Typing is much to linear for actuall notes, unless you have a mindmapper running and are top-notch at operating it.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
I'm currently taking Software Engineering at Mcmaster University in Ontario, Canada. I do own a Sony Viao, however, I never take notes in class with my laptop. The darn thing weighs a good 10 pounds, and it really adds to all the books we have to carry around. The only time I use my laptop is when I'm studying for exams with my friends and I'm too cheap to print out all the solutions for my assignments/tests.
Anyways, my recommandation for this problem is to buy a laptop w/ an external keyboard and mouse and don't bring it to class for all the people in science or engineering. In those classes, the prof will write down way too many equations and diagrams for you do draw quickly on a laptop. Most profs post lecture notes on the web before a lecture. I've learned to take notes the smart way. Listen to the prof while absorbing the material, understand it in class, and only write down the important stuff after you understood the material. If you still don't understand after the lecture, just wait until the assignment time and make sure you figure it out. Most of the time, I do not refer back to my notes even for my exams.
I'm also taking a few commerece classes, and even in there, no one uses laptops to take notes. The only class I could recommand bringing a laptop to class might be humanities, and even that is a little skectch.
On top of all these reasons, it is very distractive having a laptop in class, and I know I will bring a movie or CS to play in class.
Anyways, I'm just trying to say that it is unnecessary to purchase a laptop for note taking purposes because it will do more harm than good for most students.
Pretty soon students won't be able to find their class without a GPS unit. College doesn't take much thought. Everything is repetitive, even the due date on homework. You shouldn't be in college if you forget to do a project or exam (but I went to college anyhow).
than worry about this now, enjoy one of you last remaining free summers and then do your research or whatever in August.
Get an Apple powerbook. Unless you are into sciences (math, physics,..), then get a pencil and a huge pile of paper. Latex is great, but not for taking quick notes. Or perhaps an Apple powerbook with Inkwell. Can't comment on that though.
The TI calculator is all you need. I personally like my TI92 because it features a semi-featured keyboard, I can hook it up to a computer and link it, also don't forget the games.. Frogger and Tetris are a much better alternative to Partial Differential Equations.
Whatever you get, make sure it's quiet. I attempted taking notes with an old-old IBM laptop at one point (one of the ones with LCD screen and 2 3.5" drives in it, ya know?). Was politely asked by professor not to bring it back the next day. Too noisy.
I also got some odd looks when I toted a full-size keyboard around to use with my IIIe Palm and Happy Hacker Cradle during later college.
Finally I used a Visor Deluxe with Targus Stowaway and it worked a bit better. Except in statistics class. Pesky PDAs, no keys for Greek letters...
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
1. Are you majoring in computers?
2. How long will you be going to school? (In other words, does your computer need to be upgraded often?)
3. Do you plan on using it for multimedia? games?
4. Are the schools computer labs sufficient if your computer isn't portable?
5. Do you need your software with you to do your work, or just your files (laptop or PC with zip drive/cdburner)
http://unmoldable.com W:"No one of consequence" I:"I must know" W:"Get used to disappointment"
I wish I had a wi-fi enabled laptop, and my University had a wireless network. Then I would have been able to read /. during boring lectures!
I want my rights back. I was actually using them when our government stole them after 9/11.
Get a digital camera with a good optical zoom. That way you don't have the write down everything or draw out any diagrams. Use a cheap voice recorder for the lecture and you're set. If you're prof doesn't allow photos, just hide your cam in a box with a hole and just say it's your bday gift.
.smell my feet.
Durring class: Buy a seperate ruled notebook for each class. This way notes for each class will be much easier to wade through. Take notes with a black pen. The black pens have higher contrast than blue pen and don't smudge like pencil. Some argue that pencil is waterproof (so get waterproof ink and that won't be a problem) and that pencil is eraseable (you won't have time to erase while notetaking; just cross out mistakes and move on).
Out of class: Utilize pencils (erasible because now you have time!), highlighters for notes, textbooks and the like, and pens for marking up printouts and photocoppies (red pen shows up better on a printout). Bring along your own computer to your dorm room. If you happen to have a laptop, that's great, you're mobile. It doesn't need to be a power-house; just enough to surf the net for research and blowing off steam, and printing papers. Basically you need a 'puter you can bang on when the labs are full or closed. Your school should have the computer facilities for any resource intensive computing you need to do.
Above all, ignore your technolust! Just use what works to get your learning done.
I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned this yet, but a tablet pc may be the way to go, if you must have diagrams and easy to write notes and lectures. I know MS is not really popular in these parts, but the Digital Ink that they developed (I think...) is a godsend. Its like having a binder, except heavier, easier to organize, and with wireless Net access if your College/University has the appropriate hardware.
Canadian Cynic, canadian politics is less boring than you
There is no better combination. Period.
The tablet is great for those nasty diagrams, and the Palm is a must have for schedules and keeping track of all those people in the group projects.
Then again, it's been years sense I've been to school formally as a student.
Ted Tschopp
Fantasy remains a human right; we make in our measure and in our derivative mode... -- JRR Tolkien
I had a Samsung SCH-8500 for the first couple years, and it was amazing. Great place to keep reminders, due dates, group meeting times, etc. It's also very convienent. I've never owned a PDA, but it doesn't look like something that's easy to carry around all the time. A bit to big to clip onto your belt/pocket and go in a bar with. I have my cell phone on me almost 24/7.
And if you do need a cell phone, carrying around both a PDA and a cell phone is a bit excessive.
Earlier this year I bought an SPH-A540, which is basically just a newer model of the 8500, and it's just as great, and even a bit smaller (in fact, my old 8500, which was 'tiny' when I bought it, looks huge compared to this thing).
The only downfall to the cell is that you're paying a monthly fee (I don't think there's many decent pay-as-you-go phones that can compare..). But there is the convienence of being able to be reached all the time, no matter where you are, and to always be able to make calls out.
Oh, and be sure to turn the volume up to full with some really obnoxious ringer when you're in class. Professors love that!
Speak before you think
My solution has been working brilliantly for my first year of college (I'm a chemistry major with a minor in microbiology/premedicine if it matters), and I intend to bring it back for my remaining years:
For class: an HP Jornada 680 (~200 - 300 bucks on eBay). Small enough to carry around in a book bag or even a large pocket, but large enough to have a bitchin' QWERTY keyboard that I can type on faster than most people can write with pen/paper. The only place pen/paper beats this thing is for illustrations, and palm pilots aren't any better. It's battery life (7 hours defaut, 13 hours with the top o' the line battery) completely decimates any x86 laptop on the market.
For home: a big honkin' PC. I spent $1000 on just the computer, and added my own monitor and peripherals. It has the horsepower to do graphics editing and I'm not hunched over a little laptop when I wanna play a LAN game with the whole floor of the dorm.
It works well. You should try it.
And flip-flops. Bring flip-flops, or your feet will regret it.
"When I take a shower, I always wear-flip flops. The Dougler!"
In terms of paper vs PDA, I'd say it depends on the class. If you're just pounding out words, go with a B&W Palm (cheap, long battery life) and fold-up keyboard. If you need to draw diagrams or write equations, go with paper - you'll never keep up if you have to whip out the stylus, switch to Palm's notepad screen, draw, then switch back to Memo and return your hands to the fold-up keyboard.
The US Army: promoting democracy through unquestioned obedience
Seriously get yourself a nice video camera that will digitally record video and sound and that way you can just doze off in the room while the thing is chugging away. You can also leave it in the room (provided someone is watching over it) while you go get yourself a drink. Then, before the exams you can just fast forward to important places and skim the rest.
You can't handle the truth.
If you're ambitious enough to enter everything into your PDA, all the power to ya'. Otherwise, I found it handy for boring classes to be able to read the news (basically like bringing an electronic magazine to class). You may think it sounds funny and that only flunkies would do such a thing, but I gaurentee there will be courses you show up for the sole reason to either receive or hand in assignments. The rest of the time is just filler. If you do get a PDA, make sure you get 802.11 support with it.
I think the only device you really need is a good computer. Laptops are nice because you can take them to group sessions, but not necessary. A desktop will give you more features for a lower price. I would get a desktop and save my money to get a newer one in two years when it's obsolete. Most public campuses here in the Midwest seem to be Microsoft campuses, so you might as well get a Windows machine and buy/steal Office from your University right away (unless you're an Art/Music student, you'll want to check with your department as you'll likely find more value in a Macintosh).
If you get a laptop, get a wireless NIC with it! Printer isn't absolutely necessary because you'll have access to printers on campus or possibly at work, depending where you work. You'll probably want a decent sized hard drive for P2P. An LCD monitor is hella-sweet in the dorms.
Here's a tip: Don't buy a piece of crap, overpriced, used computer from "a friend your dad knows" or from schmuck in the newspaper. Dell and HP Compaq always have new machines for around $300-$400, and if you look around, they often have new machines in the low $300's, which leaves more room to add the features you really need/want. If you're really looking to pinch pennies, buy a machine from Dell with the things they offer cheap (like video cards and DVD burners) and buy the stuff they sell expensively from an alternate source (like Memory or CD readers). Make sure you get name brand memory, though, as Dell's can be a bit finicky with cheap memory. I've had good luck with Kingston ValueRAM in my Dells.
And let's not forget about the Golden rule of the dorms - he who owns a DVD burner and the right software makes the friends. ;) Dell often has a deal where you can get a DVD burner for $99.
I recommend a decent size TV too (~25") and a DVD burner that can read all types of media, because I know my roommates and I spent a lot of time playing video games and watching TV...unless you're a girl...then just get some rollerblades and some hot pants or something from Wet Seal or whatev.
Let's recap - a good computer (I prefer a desktop), a good TV, and a beer fridge. Any further questions? Oh yeah, and some helpful, off-topic advice:
Then you can use the money for beer.
Can someone explain to me this term you call organized?
I can't believe nobody has said tablet PC. Works like a desktop when you plug it in (USB hub and power are all you need), and it's a half laptop anywhere else (don't get one of the lame kinds with keyboard attached). Wireless is pretty much standard on all of them. If you're worried about external storage, get big a honkin' USB 2.0 hard drive and set it on your desk (lock it down too). That will set pretty much any college person for the whole year.
funny munging
If you are just looking for note taking, I would suggest the Sony Clie NX70V. Has a camera to snap pics or video. Can be used for voice recording. Not to mention several MS Word friendly document viewer/editors and built in scientific calculator. Then you can just dump everything to an inexpensive desktop in the dorm.
Other things that got me through school:
Cliff's Notes
Lighter
Hemostats
Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear to be bright. Until you hear them speak.
If you're going to a community college so you can get the early stuff out of the way cheap, don't bother with a laptop. You'll get a lot of strange looks if you're the only person using one to take notes. The classes in a community college that do require a bunch of notes should allow plenty of time for it, so any speed difference won't hurt you in the long run.
Some colleges, however, are requiring incoming students to have laptops of one stripe or another. That'll ensure there's nothing unusual about taking notes with the clickety-clack of a keyboard.
Either way, there are advantages to both laptops and pen & paper - I type more quickly and comfortably than I write, for example, but with pen & paper it's easier to scribble, doodle, or just draw quick arrows to easily provide visual associations to be used when studying later.
I wouldn't go with a Palm for note-taking, just because the writeable surface is too small to be comfortable when you're filling a class period with note-taking. Unless you buy a keyboard for it, in which case you're in about the same boat as you would be with a laptop, just with a smaller screen, a smaller keyboard (usually), and less money out of pocket.
Naked.
I go to UCLA and you'll see a few things that I think are indicitive of most campuses:
1)most people use pen and paper in class
2)a few use pdas with keyboards to take notes
3)a few more use laptops
4)very few people tape record lectures
(On this last note, I've noticed that people are replacing their tape recorders with their mp3 jukeboxes that can record)
Most people actually learn material better by physically writing it down, and if you are at all spacial or use diagrams or are in a class that is, you need either a tablet of paper, or a tablet PC (PC considerably more expensive)
As far as computers go, I have a desktop that I love, but I ind myself always using my roommates or my girlfriend's laptop to use on the bed, on the couch, outside, in the lounge, etc.
My recommendation is a laptop. As for games, if you know how to overclock a video card, get a desktop, but for everyone else, get a laptop, new ones run the newest games just fine.
If you really need a big screen (games, graphic apps, cad, mad code windows) a best of both worlds solution is to get a badass laptop and a big screen and a mouse and keyboard for your desk. Plug in when you need it and storm the world when you don't.
... a wallplanner, coloured marker pens and sticky shapes - a laptop or pda will never beat this combo for giving you a sense of the big picture at the end of a 3am revision session.
... a read&black bound notebook, to write down important information (lecturer's instructions, girls' phone numbers, etc.)
... an a3 drawing pad - for mind maps during lectures.
Spend the rest on good food and not-recommended text-books in your chosen subject matter (e.g. the Anatomy Colouring Book taught me all I need to know about the 'bag-o-bones' and at 1/10th the price of the recc'd texts).
Get an old desktop for your dorm room (not so easy to steal, great for frag-fests with neighbours, oh, and writing essays).
Laptops are great for email and IM and web browsing, but isn't that what computer labs are for?
PS: All you need isWork out the most you can afford, use half to buy a cheap (pref new) laptop and put the other half it in a good savings account as insurance (and keep backups of your work!). If you work on a particular computer you will become very dependent on it, and students computer is vulnerable both to rough treatment and theft, the loss of your computer could mean loss of a grades, you want to be in a position to buy again the same day
A laptop is the ideal student computer because its small which is good cos your flat is going to be small and being small you can easily lock it up when your out and take it with you if you go home for a weekend.
As for taking notes, I don't think you can take good notes directly onto a laptop (I've tried) because good notes frequently involve quick diagrams or annotatting leacture hand outs. That and paper boots faster when your late :-)
digital camera
I'm tempted to drink the Powerbook Kool-Aid as all the above programs have OSX versions, or can be run with Virtual PC. Can someone tell me if I'm gunna hose myself in the upper division with a Mac?
1. It must not be able to play games. If games are available, they will be much more entertaining than studies and you will play games to the detriment of your studies.
2. It must not be able to play music. You'll spend all your time perfecting your MP3 collection -- to the detriment of your studies.
3. It should be very, very heavy, so that it cannot easily be carried away. Dorms are rife with theft, so the bigger, heavily weighted cases are preferred. If you lose your computer, this will be -- you guessed it -- to the detriment your studies.
4. It should have a word processor, spreadsheet, and probably some kind of presentation software, along with email and calendaring software and a web browser. A lot of your assignments will be given from the professor's homepage and via e-mail, and some will even be able to be turned in on the website. Calendaring software will help you keep track of all your studies and project due dates.
MORTAR COMBAT!
Can anyone here actually say that they *honestly* find modern PDAs (Palm / PocketPC) to be anything other than a huge waste of time and money? They have tiny, murky screens with slick zero-traction surfaces that are horrible to try writing on. Any sort of user interface is infintely more clumsy than paper.
Paper is also several hundred times cheaper, less likely to get stolen and doesn't require batteries.
There is nothing wrong with a pad of paper, automatic pencil - and a cheap piece of crap desktop PC back at your dorm that you wouldn't care about getting stolen or destroyed. You never know, you might actually retain information if you have to read your notes when you write them up onto the computer after a lecture.
Forget the palm, if you have a light notebook you won't need it. Don't be afraid to "whip it out" in class. I've got a Toshiba Portege that wheighs in at less than My second piece of advice is to get a decent monitor for your room, that way you will feel like you can get decent resolutions when working at your desk.
nearly all small notebooks have 1024x786 for their screen, which is fine for in class, but not very good at your desk, but most of them will go up to 1600x1200 when hooked to an external monitor. Trust me on this one, I did half a decade of college and university like this and it suited me fine.
One final note, don't be sucked into bigger screens and faster processors, or even better price, in exchange for a heavier notebook... 7lbs might not seem like much, but your back will notice it after a month or two. 4 pounds is perfect, 6 should be a maximum if you plan to cary it around on a regular basis.
I'm a writer, a poet, a genius, I know it. I don't buy software, I grow it.
I guess geek girls are more impressed with cooler toys, whereas you might get away with "Oooh, what a cute thingie" for other kinds. Or am I mistaken? ;)
You only need like a 233 with a wireless card to play tetrinet during all your classes.
"What distro should I take to college?"
When you have something that no one else has, they will try to mooch it from you. Turn the tables from becoming the moochee to the moocher.
-Don't bring a computer. Use the lab or mooch someone elses'.
-Don't bring your CD's or MP3's. Listen to the radio (preferably someone else's).
-Don't bring a car. Ride buses or mooch rides.
-Don't bring something that other people don't have. Once word gets around, everyone will come by to mooch it (except SARS or AIDS).
Don't be too naive. And don't be overly generous with your stuff. Be sure to know how to spot the moochers.
A robot that looks exactly like you. that way you can party, while your robot goes to class! then Hilarity will ensue.
also, find a college that has a place near the campus that sell notes. so if you miss a class, you wont be completly screwed.
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
For most students, the combination of a desktop and a PDA is the best. A desktop is too big for someone to steal, and a PDA is small enough to be always with you. Don't use the PDA to take notes, tough - it will mostly likely be used to remember you of deadlines and tests. With the right software, it can also replace a cientific or business calculator, and edit Office documents.
Whatever you get, don't spend a lot of money. Get a used system. I'm typing on a three-year old PC with a 700MHz Pentium III and 384MB. It's fast for pretty much everything I need to do in school, including email, report writing, MATLAB coding, Powerpoint presentations, etc. I'll bet you can find a similarly equipped system for dirt cheap--PC or notebook. Don't get a top of the line system for two reasons:
1) It has a high likelihood of getting stolen (especially laptops). My friend just had his 2.0GHz VPR Matrix stolen (the one with the widescreen and $2399 price tag!!) right off his desk. Cut the security cable in half.
2) You'll be more tempted to play games and such that need the faster processors. Some people might say that's okay, but I know a couple people who just about failed out due to playing Quake so much. Plus, college is a great time to get away from the computer to meet new people.
Just my 2 cents
First, no matter what, always plan on the ultimate failsafe option, pen/pencil and paper.
Then no matter what you buy, have a lock/locater put onto it. This will stop it from wandering off. A good cable lock seems like a hassle, but it allows you to get up in the library without having to carry the computer with you just to grab a book.
Next, get your favorite hard drive encryption software. Plenty of good freeware. This stops your neighbor from reworking your thesis or enjoying the fruits of your labor.
Now that the easy part is done, go inexpensive. I like a laptop. It does not need to be fancy. You are using it for notes and papers. Download OpenOffice for the OS you are using and then buy yourself a good printer. You want one that is not going to fail and force you to find a kinkos in the middle of the night.
Check with your school and find out if they support wireless. Then ask them which type of wired/wireless card to use. They will certainly have a recommended one. Using theirs will limit the "we don't support those" when you cannot connect for some reason.
Assume someone will crack your box. Use good Anti-virus and pay for the live updates. Keep your firewall up and your important information in the encrypted part of the drive. If you really want to give yourself an extra 15 minutes, password the bios.
Many people will say "take notes with your laptop" but I find that difficult. The issue is noise, distraction, and paying attention. We have been trained since kindergarten to take notes while listening. In addition, the noise has become such an issue that some professors do not like laptops in the classroom.
I like my Palm but, I use paper for notes. I use the Palm for dictionary, thesaurus, bible, calendar, etc. Basic PDA stuff. I could live without it, but for the cost, it is difficult to imagine why.
Good luck.
I'm a senior at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology), and I can't say I've learned ANYTHING that wouldn't have been obvious after a few minutes of research.
I'm paying $26 000 a year for 5 years for a little piece of paper that tells the big boys that it's ok to hire me (and to have fun in college). I'm NOT paying for an education.
GeekNights!
Late Night Radio for Geeks!
I found the perfect mix for me.. I built my own computer for less than $500, and it's not shabby.. (AMD giving me the Athlon XP 2200+ didn't hurt the price at all). That takes care of all my resource-intensive computing like graphics and sound, etc. It stays running in the dorm 24/7 (and glows nicely, thank you very much. The dual monitors facinate people. "So, you can move the mouse from one screen to the other!? Lemme see again!) and streams necessary downloads, ISOs, runs Trillian, etc.
Then I have my Sony Vaio R505 for taking to class.. Now, it wasn't exactly cheap, but it's thin and light. No problem to haul to class (most people with laptops around here don't carry them due to the weight factor) and it runs any productivity app I happen to need, wherever I need it. Wireless is my sanity's savior in class, not only can I browse Slashdot, but googling the answers to a dead- in- the- air question helps recover some of the lost respect from the prof that instantly comes tied to having a laptop in class.
Taking notes is fantastic on the laptop.. Everything can be clean and organized, with charts you can toss together in class, editing is a breeze, and I regularly circulate my notes to peers who request them. I also managed to cut the amount I spend on books in half, as I'm able to look up a fair amount of the material while in class. Having a totally wireless campus doesn't hurt in that aspect. My next "productivity utility" will be a Zaurus 5600, but I don't have the cash for that.. Ever since I drove my last palmtop into the ground, I've been a little lost...
Using the Linux server I keep under the bed for UT2k3 games makes my fellow gamers happy, and it's a handy fileserver to keep things organized data-wise.. But that's just tossed together from spare parts.
A main computer for more intense things is good, and a light laptop to handle the mobile stuff is what I suggest. Yes, the laptop and wireless can be a distraction, but I pulled all A's last quarter, so it's a matter of moderation.
1 Obtain proof of dyslexic condition 2 Jump through hoops, fill in forms 3 Profit!!! Here in the UK there's somewhere around 4000GBP in benefits to be had for dyslexic university students, in two or three lump sums over the course of the degree all for computer equipment. Lemme see... 2000GBP at beginning of course will get you a top of the line PC/laptop with scanner, printer, LCD screen, DVDRW, and more. Then towards the end of the course, repeat!!! Some of my friends have THE nicest setups as a result of this. Of course, you have to be dyslexic to get it.
I start college in July, and, going a bit over budget, I got myself a Compaq Presario laptop with Athlon and accompaning DVD/CD-RW combo from Best Buy. It was a reasonable price, and I have maybe $350 in rebates coming back.
I still plan on using a lot of paper and pencil, as you really can't say "Don't start yet, I have a BSoD. Lemmie reboot." The laptop is more for in between classes and voice recording (I'm going to try recording lectures and playing them back as I sleep- I heard that that can help) and maybe even video recording.
Also, if anyone is going to buy a laptop, I highly suggest getting an extended warranty. It may seem like a lot when you get it, but as time goes and you have to replace the hard drive or CD-ROm for various reasons, those can cost a lot more on a laptop than a desktop, but a warranty can get those replaced free (at least mine can).
I do plan on bringing my desktop so that I can have a backup place incase my laptop gets stolen (I have things to prevent that, though). Oh, that's the other thing: If you get a laptop and plan to carry it around, DO NOT get a laptop carrying case. If you set it down for even a bit, it can be an easy target to those less scrupulous. I got this backpack that is made to hold laptops, so I don't have to set it down, just keep it on my back.
1. Get a laptop. 2 years ago I would have said laptops weren't necessary and that you could make due with the campus' workstations and a desktop at home. That simply isn't the case today. If your campus, library, labs, study areas, or clubs are wired then I highly recommend getting the laptop. It might not be as important during your first 2 years, but those last few years when you start taking upper-classmen classes, that laptop will give you a tool and an advantage to be more productive, flexible, and resourceful.
2. Get a flatbed scanner. I'm sure you can type up your notes and you might have a PDA around, but the vast majority of people do not. One of the things in college that you learn is that you should not be working alone and it is almost always more productive to work with other people. Despite what many techies were hoping for, a paperless world will not come into exisitance. You can bet your life that you'll have to deal with papers and other forms of hardcopy materials. The scanner is important because it will allow you to digitize any written material (handwritten notes, sketches, diagrams, library books, reference books) and convert them into a format that is easily distributed by email.
3. Get a freaking watch!!!!
I'm not going to spend the time to justify this one.
4. Setup an alternate email address aside from the one you're going to get fromt the school. When email starts to become extremely pervasive in your college life, you'll want a backup addess just in case. Trust me on this...it's a critical problem now when the schools email system craps out. Just imagine how much worse it will be when the use of email in universities increases over the next 5 years. Another reason to get a 2nd address is because you may eventually want to hide the fact that you attend a college.
5. Cellphone. If you plan on making a lot of calls to home or want to make yourself easily accessible to others, I say consider getting one. You don't need a fancy-ass, $300 phone, with a $80 monthly payment. Get something that works and keeps you in touch with others. You're in collge now, so you needs to start communicating and network with people. Note "network" means establish a some kind of relationship with other people, not setup a freaking computer network. (I know some of you think this is pretty obvious, but I've been seeing incoming freshmens for the last 2 years and they just don't understand the concept much less of its importance.)
As a rising junior in a technical college, here's what worked for me:
That's my input. Good luck to the college-bound.
Take care,
Mark
There is a solution...
I went the laptop route (iBook), and the U of Calgary has reasonably good wireless access, so I'm pretty happy with the results.
What I like about a laptop in general:
-tunez wherever I go.
-wireless access in class keeps me awake when I'm bored to tears.
-My writing is slow and messy, but with a laptop I have enough spare time to actually try some of the stuff being discussed.
-The lab is crowded and noisy, but there are plenty of areas with wireless that are not.
What I like about an iBook in particular:
-good battery life
-small (12 inch)
-MacOS is pretty stable (usually reboot with every OS upgrade)
-The school's comp sci servers are Solaris, I have a Linux box at home... Moving between these is pretty much effortless, whether I'm sitting at the console, SSHing to them, or compiling code on them.
When someone might yell at me, it has to be OpenBSD.
I think I need to clean my contacts - I read that as "Big penis"
at least is been around a long time
Link
I wish I'd carried one of these in my CS courses.
You cannot apply a technological solution to a sociological problem. (Edwards' Law)
Unless you want your notes and assignments to be constantly being erased, corrupted and forwarded to big brother.
Touched enter key, sorry.
/. via letters!!!) and at writing, assembling and 'retouching' worked-over text (or layout for that matter).
Allthough that actually emphasises what I'm just saying: Keyboards and screen suck at emulating paper. They're a whole different thing with different advantages and disadvantages alltogether.
The computer is unmatchable at written dialog (email, slashdot, you name it (imagine
BUT: The computer *sux* at notes!
Notes you *allways* do on paper.
For the lectures and courses get yourself a top-quality pen and notepad (with high-quality paper and hardcover) so that it's fun writing on. That's what I allways do. I really dig cool pens in all kinds of flavors and with some real high-tech on them too. Spare no money when getting a cool notepad/book, you'll give extra effort to write in a way that you'll be able to read 10 years from now.
And trust me: You can spend a lot on cool Paper and Pens. But it still will be a lot cheaper and more hassle free than a comp.
If you want a 'puter for the gadgets sake, then get whatever you fancy. But you might want to keep an eye on battery-time, so I sugggest you get yourself a transmeta. If it really *has* to be a computer, that is.
The Fujitsu-Siemens Lifebook P with modular and power pack has 16 hrs. of real offline power. It's the only PC I'd consider for *real* working off the powergrid. Everything else is a wast of money, imho. Unless you've got an old, cheapo P150 Laptop somewhere...
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
When I was in Comp. Sci. at Carleton a couple years ago, I used an old EO 440 machine for taking notes, and a seriously hacked up Palm "Pilot 5000" as my calandar.
The Palm was absolutely indispensible for me. I found, before I had it, that I would frequently come to class and people would say "So, are you ready to hand in that assignment tomorrow?" to which I would inevitably reply "What assignment?"
Having a little box in my pocket that would beep at me two or three days before an assignment was due (or, better, an exam was coming up) made it so I never had to worry about this stuff (well... except in the classes I never went to, and therefore never found out about the assignments and exams :).
The EO (or, I suppose a Tablet PC, if you want to come into the 21st century :) is a much better device for taking notes than a Palm. The EO was much closer to a full 8.5x11" sheet of paper, which is what most of us are used to taking notes on. I usually even had doodles in my margins. The Palm just doesn't have the necissary screen real-estate.
I also tried using a laptop for a while. This works well for the most part. The exception is in math courses. It's a little difficult to quickly enter in a complex formula from a keyboard, especially one with many exponents/subscripts/greek letters/integrals. You'll find yourself developing little short-hands like "OMEGA" or "INTEGRATE(...)", but that can only take you so far, and it's still a little cumbersome. Physics classes had simliar problems, although there you find yourself trying to draw out free-body diagrams in ASCII art. Both of these problems are resolved on a tablet where you can just draw the formulas/diagrams.
But really it just depends on what your studying. If your focusing on history then maybe you just need some good notepads and a fountain pen. More engineering based could probobly stand to have a laptop. Those laptops need fast processors for all the computation they will do. CS majors will obviously want a linux compatible unit.
My GF is attending grad school this fall and is getting an IceCube (both compact and stylish) for her dorm room and just taking notes by hand in class. Since she is studying design she doesn't really feel the need for a laptop while in the class room.
the question is just a wee bit too broad for my tastes... find out what the person is studying and then ask the question again.
(Note: 3-phase power and flatbed truck for enhanced portability may be required.)
Roving Web-Teleoperated Robot
You don't see campuses requiring all freshmen to buy lightbulbs, but you don't see too many sitting around in the dark like dopes.
"Our campus is fully outfitted with MODERN indoor plumbing!"
"We're electrically literate!"
Yeeesh..... Something about learning to choose the right tool for the job and the ubiquity of computers in the US.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
Decide as if the computer will be stolen while at college.
Even while at a goody-two-shoes university, I knew people whose laptop disappeared during a bathroom break. Computers, bicycles, calculators, you name it, all get stolen at disturbing rates on college campuses.
A used computer might be a good bet. For example, you could be adventurous and get a computer that is useless to the average retarded criminal (e.g., an old HP-UX workstation with a 75lb monitor...though moving should be a consideration, too:)
Healthcare article at Kuro5hin
Comment removed based on user account deletion
I went with a new IBM R40. My campus is wireless and the new model has enough oomph to handle desktop and mobile tasks at $1600 MSRP.
Someone please MOD THIS UP,
/Ale
watch out if you get a P4 laptop for I got a Dell inspiron and its VERY VERY VERY LOUD, it is unusable in class since when main fan kicks it its VERY distracting.
I imagine most P4 are prone to this as well as some others, so check on noise when fan FULLY turns itself on.
ag007j@mail.rochester.edu
Do batteries in laptops actually last long enough to be useful?
There will be no shortage of computers at college. Save your money, you will need it for books. If you have extra cash use it to buy a bike and lock. This will save you incredible amounts of time getting from one place to another.
You will have computer labs in almost every building. You will most likely share living space with at least one room mate and he or she will probably bring a computer that you will be able to use when you are desperate.
You should get a job while at college. You will probably have access to computers to use at work unless you take a job working behind the counter of a coffee shop. There will be many jobs available where the work will not be demanding. You might not expect a computer nearby, but this is college and reality is distorted there. Jobs where you sit behind a cirulation desk or a counter checking identification cards will often have a handy computer there ostensibly for checking in and out or verifying student information. These can serve double duty for you to work on papers.
You might think it is a good idea to buy a notebook computer so that you can take it to libraries with you. There will be computers at the library which you will be able to use and they will all be networked. Notebook computers will not be a good idea for taking class notes either. Try to do it in a math or science class where there will be equations and strange symbols not on your keyboard and you will see what I mean. The other bonus of not buying a notebook computer is that it will not be stolen.
If you take CS classes, the CS labs will provide computers that meet the requirements for course work. Also, the staff of the lab will most likely be other CS students. The lab will barely ever close its doors to you after a few intro course if you are decent to your classmates because they will be working on their course there at late hours as well. Just do not actually work for the lab itself, that way you can avoid working help desk for all of the idiots in the lab.
If you are thinking about CS, then buy whatever you feel like. If you want to fiddle with BSD or Linux, just install that on your machine and a bonus is that annoying humanities concentrators will only ask once to use Word on your computer when they have hosed their machine. Make it a big desktop, the heavier and more unattractive it is, the less likely it will get stolen. But wait until you get to college to make the purchase. There will be many upper class students and some used computer shops where you can get great deals. Also you will get an idea of what to get based on what your CS program uses.
My freshman year, I had a printer. My roomate had a printer. Everyone I knew with one exception had a printer. We were all amazed that the guy didn't have one. Printers are necessary things to us, like keyboards or monitors.
Of course, p2p apps now fall under that category as well. ^_^
GeekNights!
Late Night Radio for Geeks!
Honestly, if you're going anywhere but the community college, the school labs will most likely have all the computing power you'll need.
I was a computer science major, and after freshman year I left my desktop at home for my parents and just used lab machines. The school bought new machines for at least one lab each year, so it was just a matter of heading to that particular lab if you really needed the computing power.
Using lab machines has the added benefit of getting you out of your dorm room/apartment. I knew very few people that could work effectively for any period of time with their roomates trying to tempt them into a game of beer die/pong/whatever.
Well, for most of the college classes I took, the most useful electronic device I can think of would be a Game Boy Advance.
Hell, all I had was a cheap keychain with Tetris on it, but I swear by all things sacred that had I not been armed with that, the last vestiges of my sanity would have surely slipped away.
"To confine our attention to terrestrial matters would be to limit the human spirit." -Stephen Hawking
IMO don't go for a Palm or any other expensive pda. You may thing that you will make good use out of it but you would be better suited to put that money into getting a laptop. Two years ago when I was still in uni I bought myself a Handspring VISOR and thought it would work wonders with my organisational skills. Truthfully it did help alot with keeping track of contacts and to plan my life.... but in all honestly I could have accomplished the same feat with a $5 paper organiser. My point is that if money is tight....spend it on something that will be TRULY useful such as an Apple iBook or some other laptop computer. You can still store your contacts and use calender programs on a laptop PLUS you can play better games than tetris on a tiny 3in screen. Laptops give you more features and will out last any PDA on an order of magnitudes longer. I have a laptop now, but I really wish I had one back then instead of a VISOR (as cool as it was) ;)
So go for the Apple iBook!
This is only if you find it neccessary to record lectures, just as a suggestion: you can get one of those Sony minidiscs (higher models + microphone), set the compression high (4X) and use that for recording your lectures. Haven't tried it myself, but it's a thought. It should be able to fit a lot more time than the tapes, so you won't have to get up to change the tape in those 4 hour lectures. Not to mention that you can put your mp3s on these things.
i enjoy having 4 computers and a zaurus lying around. i'd have more.... but there just isn't enough room.
I write code.
A digital camera. Turn off the flash, and they're silent. Use it to capture the prof's hard work scribbling on the whiteboard/chalkboard. Transfer the pictures to archive, burn to CD.
I brought a gaming rig to college and I have to say that while I have had untold hours, days, weeks, and months of gaming, the laptop is by far the better choice. With current technology you can play almost all the games available, and with many modern college campuses going wireless, the ability to download the online notes posted by the prof while studying in the library without waiting for a public computer makes the laptop the best choice for the modern college student.
and not only that, but when you transcribe the notes you are reinforcing that information - it's a form of studying.
You can also filter out nonsense and unimportant stuff that you were too busy to discern when you were taking notes. The transcribed notes become more clear and to the point.
Stupid sexy Flanders.
I had a 650mhz athlon in my dorm and a 400mhz G3 Powerbook Pismo (top of the line then!).
I tried using the computer in some classes and all it got me was failure. It was much easier and faster to use the pen and paper. If you have a scanner, scan it in or transcribe it (if you need to do searches).
The laptop will be exceptionally useful especially if you will be doing programming; many lab computers do not run Linux/Unix and in those classes I had a distinct advantage of bringing and supplying my own hardware and environment (you don't have to worry about a poorly installed or obsolete vi/vim, or other problems with the lab's installed software).
IMHO, Laptop's are worthless. I have one, and I use it once every 2 months or so when I need to do research in the library. Laptops are vastly more prone to failure, and are a pain to fix.
A friend of mine accidentally spilled water on his laptop keyboard. His laptop doesnt work anymore. On the other side, I spilled coke all over my (wireless) keyboard a few weeks later. After about 2 hours of cleaning the keyboard out, it is still churning along.
If you want to upgrade your PC, you can, with laptop's your limited almost invariably to only a ram upgrade, if that.
Battery life in laptops is still not as wonderful as it should be (unless you want to spend a fortune), nor is compatibility with alternate operating systems.
Nothing beats a rock solid desktop with a 19" monitor and a PDA for scheduling and minor note taking. Is it really that difficult to write down notes in class by hand? And besides, using only pencil and paper, you won't be nearly as tempted to play Freecell.
Don't *bring* a computer to college. Wait until you get there, see what you need, and see what's available. Because there's so much demand, college towns are always full of cheap computers, new and used. Plus every school has it geek crowd, who are always buying, selling, upgrading, and trading. So cheap computers are everywhere. It's even better if you don't need the latest/greatest. If all you need is email, word processing, and netsurfing, you can make use of the cast-offs that people have trouble *giving* away.
If this turns out *not* to be the case, you can always order what you need from Dell, IBM, or whoever. Save money by ordering refurbs, and don't forget the official company auctions on eBay, where you get a full warranty and everything.
The mother of all Graphing calculators!
You can take notes with it, surf
the net, link it to your computer,
get 4mb of memory, buy add-ons for
all your science and math classes,
and, in an emergency, even do math
problems! It is all you will ever
need for college!
Bring whatever computer you already have, assuming it's satisfactory for you now. You're probably going to be buried in student loans anyway, I'd avoid putting myself another $1000-3000 in the hole right off the bat if I could. Your school likely has a set of minimum requirements, but I doubt anyone on /. doesn't have at least one system that would meet them.
:).
Buying a really spiffy computer might free you from going to the computer lab a few times a semester, but this is a bad thing. As a geek, the fewer times you have to go outside, the fewer times you will go outside. You make friends outside. Real ones. Some might be girls. This is important.
Unless there's some curricular justification for it, taking a laptop to class looks stupid. Millions of people who are smarter than you did just fine taking notes on paper, you will too. Plus, do you really want to have to choose between sitting next to a lonely freshman hottie or a wall outlet during your third class of the day? I did CS at Ga Tech, and the guys sitting in front of the laptops in class were the same ones sitting in front of them on Friday night. (Of course, at Ga Tech, most guys are in front of their computers on Friday night, so maybe it was just a coincidence.)
Anyway, buying a computer isn't any more important now than it will be the hundreds of other times you'll probably do it throughout your life. If you need to get a new one (I feel that urge every few months too), just get one you like and don't worry about it. Good luck and have fun at college
Game... blouses.
If you're going to get a laptop for college (I'm planning on getting a 12" PowerBook), make sure you get insurance. Insurance from Safeware protects against theft and accidental damage. I was quoted at $200 per year for $4000 worth of equipment (their minimum). Think about it--would you rather pay $200 per year for a few years, or pay $1500 to replace an LCD screen that you spilled beer on? (Disclaimer: I don't work for these guys, nor do I actually do business with them yet--but I do intend to purchase insurance when I actually get my laptop.)
i used my palm. a lot.
...
there was this one chick who lived down the hall from me and
wait. you mean Palm the PDA?, not palm?
sorry. forget i said anything.
Mindy: "Well...desserts aren't always right." Homer: "But they're so sweet!"
we had an abacus and a pile of beads, and we were grateful for it...
Maybe it just seems that way, because I had an i386 with a whopping 1MB of RAM and a 9600baud modem.
I think a desktop is a good choice for writing papers and programs and net research, or a notebook if you like to go sit on the quad and do your homework.
But beware, too many people think that a computer is a magic device that improves educational quality with its presence. Don't let the computer get in the way.
Paper and pen are definitely great tools for taking notes but there are many advantages to having a laptop, especially if you can touch type fast enough. I used a keyboard and my palmV to take notes as an experiment during two summer sessions and I was able to basically take dictation and still have time to insert my own comments to be sure I would understand everything later. Theres no time to format when you're doing this so it forces you to go read over the notes again to reformat and study when its fresh in your head. I almost never re-read my handwritten notes. Another BIG plus is that you can still take notes with your eyes closed. No more fading off into illegibility. Of course, unless you have a tablet pc any diagram centric classes or math classes will be difficult. I just brought some paper and a pen and when a diagram was called for I typed, "see figure x" and wrote "figure x" next to the diagram i drew.
...the only machine a student will need... recommend the 15" for serious writing / editing / hacking.
Here's my .02 $ as a recent college graduate (Got my BS in Computer Science about three weeks ago).
....
....
Get a decent upgradeable desktop (preferably custom built, but Dell will do) and a light, CHEAP, laptop. Trust me on this, laptops fail a lot more then desktop thanks to the regular use/abuse they take as portable machines and unlike a desktop when they break you or your local geek friends/campus computer store can't fix them. So you'll be stuck waiting for weeks for the manufacturer to fix and send back your laptop. And no matter what anyone says you will need to upgrade at least once through college, let's be honest, 4 years is a long time in the computer world. That's where the desktop comes in, cheap upgrades, and easy repairs.
For a PDA the best thing you can do is NOT buy a MS imbedded OS PDA. Those things are less personal digital assistants and more Game Boys on crack. Everyone I know uses them to play games/music/videos. Get a cheap low-end Palm device; it does all the important things like keep track of contacts and events with a simple interface and the unit costs hundreds less.
Oh and when it comes to the laptop brand, try to avoid the Apples. I know everyone now hates me but as an iBook owner I can tell you this, their overpriced and underpowered. You have one vendor for your software and hardware and their hell bent on charging you out the nose. Steve Jobs said it best when he was hawking MacOS 10.2: "It has 120 features, THAT'S LESS THEN 1 $ A FEATURE." Riiiiight
Take it from someone who's been through it, there is a big difference between what everyone says you need and what you really need
If you value your notes more than the cost of paper, don't use pencil. I used pencil for all my math notes, and now they've faded just like my memory. Now I even do math homework in pen.
Flip-flops? Does it matter if you have J-K, D, or S-R flip-flops? Can you get away with a flip-flop built from discrete components, or does it have to be a chip? If so, do you need dip, or smt?
Oh, and what does this have to do with feet?
"I'm not impatient. I just hate waiting." - My Dad
For the love of God, please punish idiots who leave their phones on. I hope you are asking these rude people to leave the classroom when they receive a call. I can't believe the nerve of some people.
-- Solaris Central - http://w
I think that provides the most flexibility. I had both a desktop and laptop at college and the laptop helped me do a paper in the library, instead of being sucked into a game of cards in the dorm. All I really used the desktop for was games. If you get a laptop with a dock, you save yourself the cost of a desktop and in theory get the best of both worlds. One thing to remember, BUY A LOCK, even if you trust your roomates!
One thing about students is they often move around a lot. Christmas, other breaks, summer, sometimes during the year. Having a laptop has made this much easier.
Think about it: would you rather move a 50lb monitor, not including the cpu and other accessories, or a 7lb laptop? If you're flying, which is easier to bring on the plane? How about the bus, or even a car? Having a laptop has made me a happy man.
I don't even have a printer. The ones on campus work well enough, and I don't have to worry about maintaining one. I just upload my papers to my web server or email them to myself. Then, at school, retrieve them and print them up.
I don't recommend laptops for bringing to class. It's kind of big, and if anything happens to it, my whole computer is gone. It's just not worth the risk. For class notes, either use an inexpensive PDA with a folding keyboard or just use paper. Often paper is easier, cheaper, and faster.
Every CS program I've looked at will have you doing most of your work on their servers, either at the labs or remotely by SSH, so whatever power your machine has will be essentially worthless. Don't waste your money on Windows, because you'll have uninstalled it by second year. I find my mac works well, whereas people running Windows get really frustrated by having to use stuff like putty. If you are comfortable with Linux, you could use it to save money, but otherwise for CS you'll want a Mac.
For physics, it doesn't really matter, because mathematica and all that other stuff is all cross-platform.
For engineering, you'll want a handgun to shoot yourself.
I've done all three at various points. I like my laptop, but I never take it to class or anything, so it's not really that useful unless you're a commuter.
Try living in a FUCKING 5-FOOT-PIT for a MOTHERFUCKING YEAR with the gooks PISSING ON YOUR RICE BEFORE THEY FEED IT TO YOU... But you had to EAT IT ANYWAYS because it was either THAT or the motherfucking COCKROACHES or the LEECHES...
They already have plenty of computers there for your use. You'll learn more and meet lifelong friends in the computer lab without one.
Buzz
If you can get it. This is the Cadillac of WarDriving software. Go to their website.
Raging in an online forum won't do anything for the world around you. To see change, you must take action.
Some would say God invented the laptop. I say evolution.
Either way I'm not sure Apple invented the Notebook.
Could you provide a Link
Back in my day, all we had was a 2400 modem and the "toy computer" of your choice (Atari ST or Amiga) and shell access to the campus mainframe. VMS in my case. It was grand. It was all we needed to get around:
;P
-Usenet
-FTP
-Mail
I still remember using B.A.R.T. (Brode's Archive Retrieval Thang) from Umich to get my Atari ST software via e-mail in UUE files.
You younguns are spoiled with your web... and wireless... and laptops... and PDAs...
Un-news
Be careful, for example, that you do not inadvertently e-mail your recently found recipe for pot brownies to your entire 3rd year physics mechanics listserv. Or brag about how you beat everyone on the first exam in E and M while coming down off your first acid trip. Awkward monday mornings for sure...
Some of those moochers have nice little round asses that need some "mooching" of their own.
Offer that pretty girl with no laptop a view of yours. If that doesn't work run away because it's the only thing you have going for you. C|N>K
I was a freshman this year.
;) So, if you can only buy one computer, and you're price-conscious, I'd recommend a desktop. Mac, PC, really doesn't matter.
My setup:
A desktop PC was my main workhorse.
I had a palm pilot which I kept due dates and whatnot in.
Notes for all classes in good old-fashioned spiral-bound notebooks. Taken with old fashioned pens.
I was actually given a laptop as a gift midyear. Did I like it? Sure. Was the wireless cool? Yup. I could play games in my friend's dorm room with it. Did I take it to class? Nope.
For one thing, a laptop can't really take notes in math class. For another, it weighs five lbs. My notebook doesn't. And finally, they really are loud and annoying to those around you. If you do the math, everyone in that room for that lecture is paying about $50 to hear the prof speak for that hour. Don't be a jackass and IM away at your friends during that time. You should concentrate, and you owe it to others nearby to let them do the same.
So: laptop worth it? Sometimes it's nice to use in a library. But they usually have computers there from which you can send email back to your dorm. A desktop'll be cheaper, and will do what needs doing.
As for assignments, I was given the PDA, so I used it to keep track of them, and yes, it was handy. However, upon reflection, it was nothing that a small pocket notebook wouldn't have handled equally as gracefully.
So: Got lots of cash or lots of generous relatives? Spring for whatever you'd like. You'll find a use for it all, I'm sure.
Don't have infinite cash? Pen'n'paper tends to get the job done as effectively now as it ever has. Yes, you need a computer to write reports on. A desktop is cheaper, harder for others to steal, and you'll probably want the large speakers that accompany it, anyway, to play your monster MP3 collection on, rather than tinny little laptop speakers.
Just remember: it's not about what you buy. You're going to do the best in college by trying hard, staying focussed, and being a good student. Nothing you can throw in your backpack will make college "easier" or "better." Just try to learn something the best way you know how, and you probably will do okay.
(FWIW, the kids who were habitual laptop-in-class types tended to have lower GPAs than the rest of us, but that's just one observation, and a debate for another time...)
the fujitsu lifebook p2000 is the best item I could think of. it has a touchscreen for a display, is small and compact while still typeable, incredible battery life (9 -12 hours, w/ extra battery) and is very sturdy.
,you can write all the math stuff on the screen as word document snippets, or what have you. staying organized (as far as knowing where you're going) isn't that critical, since you have a fairly set schedule, but being able to database and chronicle your course notes easily is definately important.
taking notes in class = incredibly easier, provided it's not a mathmatics class. those humanities courses that tend to be more difficult arne't quite so, when you're able to quickly and easily take notes, and then ctrl-f through the notes before the exam to find the pertinent things that you don't remember. that is key, in my mind. plus, with this
that, and yo udon't have the shackles of a computer, meaning you can go out and socialize more. surf in a friend's dorm during a game, whatever - provided your campus has 802.11b. very convenient.
I would probably have this laptop, plus a small lan in my room with a desktop. if you're not a computer student, though, the laptop should be more than enough. having had it in the 2 colleges i've attended would have greatly increased my gpa, I'm sure.
~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
Not that I'm biased! Just look at my nick!
"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one " -Albert Einstein
Wow, someone's an elitist asshole aren't they?
I'm a creative writing major, I currently own an ibook (Powerbook G4 superdrive should be here tomorrow )... but...
I'm also the (mostly fulltime) Systems Administrator for a law firm and it's sister office, a Java/Objective-C developer, and I dabble in Final Cut Pro when I have some free time.
I spent a great deal of time as a CS major at GA Tech before I decided it wasn't for me (I left w/ a 3.0 for the record... so it wasn't "too hard" as others have implied). I'm in an artistic field (for college anyways) and I'm just as much as nerd as ANY slashdotter, yourself included. So do me a favor... go home elitist nerd ass-wipe.
And with a few pieces of wood, you can carry your desktop around with you like this guy.
"Can of worms? The can is open... the worms are everywhere."
For myself, the process of going to class and taking notes was an important factor in getting good grades. However, I almost never referred to those notes after taking them. It was the process of having to listen well enough, watch the blackboard, and filter it through my brain and onto the paper that mattered. Of course, not everyone's brain works the same way. (I also always took books and crosswords to class, crosswords are great for looking studious and busily note-taking.)
If you're doing computer science (IT or whatever) and do programming or computer labs, and if the school has a lab available, spend your time there as much as you can rather than on your own. You'll be able to ask people for help and (as important if not more so), offer help. Once you know a bit, the time you spend trying to help others will advance you much more than the time you spend being helped. But don't just give answers - thats a waste of time for both of you. I personally spend a fair amount of time talking to students in lab areas and I think that time is probably as important or more important than class time in many cases.
That being said, if you want/need a computer, get the best desktop you can for the money you have. If you're doing CS get one that dual boots windows and linux. If the campus IT people insist on windows only, make noise about it, talk to your professors about the problems - remember you are paying them to provide services . Also remember, They won't think so. They'll believe they're doing you a big favor by giving you anything at all.
$1000 laptop w/ DVD drive. Not only can you use it to type those long term papers but you can also watch movies. Also get one of those security locks from Kensington. It may not prevent someone with bolt cutters but it WILL prevent an occasional thief (like pizza delivery dude or soon-to-be-drop-out) from walking away with your loot.
Oh, and DO back up your data; "I lost 5 years worth of docs and my thesis because my pc crashed" won't fly with your professor.
I am currently in school and bought a laptop to take notes in class. I thought it would be helpful as I was doing computer programming.
Turns out that with my rather short attention span, the games got whipped out rather quickly, and the note taking purpose was down the drain as all the instructors just post their slides for download.
I did find it useful when final projects were looming and I could code everywhere I went, but for the most part, the back ache wasn't worth it. I'd go for a desktop and some pen and paper, which is what I'm doing when I return in the fall.
Pencil and paper with tape recorder backup.
All the tests are usually hand written still (aside from CS classes). Repetition is good. Hand write the basics, and anectdotes, as well as any other 'major concepts' that are mentioned during lecture. All the while that $15.00 mini tape recorder is getting the exact record for you. Transcribe to digital form later (2nd time handling data), both paper copy as well as anything gleened from tape that you missed. Study for exams (3rd time). Take the exams (4th time).
Why don't you go somewhere that provides a laptop computer with tuition? You're guaranteed to get the standard that works with the university, they'll take care of warranty repairs and software upgrades (and software support) and the faculty will use the computers in class because they know that everyone's got something and what it is.
-- Of course I'm paranoid. I'm a sysadmin.
You can get WiFi cards or Ethernet cards for them as well as ATA drivers and use compact flash (much cheaper and more storage than Linear Flash cards) with it. The screen is big enough for real note taking as well as sketches and such and you can get a keyboard for it as well. The Newton also docks with PC's as well as Macs and can print via IR. Here's what my recent purchases cost:
Newton 2100: 45.00
Keyboard: $10.00
Ethernet Card: $13.00
MP 120, 130: Free from friends no longer using them.
Serial adapter for Mac: $28.00 (Apple repair shop).
Army surplus Newton belt pouch: $13.00
The Newton runs Newtworks, which has word processor, spreadsheet. Also has several databases which can interact with Excel and desktop databases. There's even software that let it sync with Outlook Express/Entourage. Oh yeah, it can also sync with iTunes and play MP3's. I haven't used my year old Handspring for the last month. Will have to put it up for sale on eBay soon.
I drank what? -- Socrates
1) Laptops are only adequate for games. Their CPUs tend to be slower, and the embedded graphics cards are often only half as fast as a good removable AGP card.
2) Expandability is limited. What if you wanted to get into making your own music? Have you priced PCMCIA breakout box soundcard solutions?
3) Drive space is limited compared to standard PCs.
4) Fall once on your bike on the way to class and watch a semesters worth of notes disappear if your HD crashes (I'm sure you backed everything up religiously to CD though..)
I have a BS/CS from a well known school. At no time did I need a laptop. The only gadget I might have considered was a digital voice recorder. I could record the lecture during class, then archive it on to my home PC. A laptop with a good microphone would make this task easier.
Either way, you look like a tool tapping away in a small classroom during a lecture. Plus, it annoys your fellow students.
I have a Dell Latitude CP that's four or five years old now. I bought it used, and have taken good care of it. Should last a while, still. Also: It came with the mother of all docking stations. Built in enet and SCSI, expansion slots, room for extra drives. Sweet.
I don't know about now, but Dell used to make good stuff. There are probably a lot of old Latitudes floating around out there as portable workhorses.
N4st0r, trixx0r h0bb1tz0rz! Th3y st0l3 0ur pr3c10uzz!
most of the classes i take provide lecture notes on the web in some form. i usually find that for these types of classes there is no need to take notes. it is far better to just listen intently. using a computer in class usually means you aren't paying attention... and small devices are useless for note taking at any decent speed.
as for a computer, i definitely suggest a laptop. if you are in a dorm i'd suggest a laptop-lock so that you don't have to worry about it getting stolen (still possible, but less likely)... i'd say personall, get a nice mac ibook, they work and they're simple. and with OS10 you get a nice bsd core...
for most classes all you'll have to do is write, code, or surf. you can use anything to do that.
PDA's are a waste of time, unless you can check email on them. you will never do serious work on a PDA as the display is rediculous...
u
What is this, the dark ages?
There was a time docking stations were useful, but in today's world of wireless ethernet, firewire hard drives and what have you, all you EVER need is a 12" PowerBook.
Lucky for you they can be had under $1500 (with your student discount of course).
Hey freaks: now you're ju
you didn't specify a major or a school, both of these will influence your decision. as an engineering student at drexel and stanford, i found the following useful. 1. a cheap pda. a cheap pda (such as the zire) will keep all your appointments and contacts organized with the ability to search, read (this could be a big deal depending on your handwriting) and put notes on (such as an explanation of who this person is or exactly what you wanted to discuss at a meeting), as well as back up to your computer. no need to keep track of little slips of paper. 2. reliable desktop i've had desktops and laptops and don't find the portability all that useful. don't pretend you'll take notes on a laptop, especially not in classes that require a lot of figures/schematics, it just won't happen. plus, there's the danger of getting it stolen. get yourself a nice small form-factor desktop (these are more common all the time). 3. backup make sure you have a burner or other mechanism for backing up your files and do it at least weekly. you'd be amazed the amount of aggravation this will save.
the lack of funds most college students enjoy.
I remember this, it was one of the best parts of being in school and living in the dormitory. (Technically I was never in a dorm, but quite close...)
Going in on a box of mac and cheese with the other poor bastards. Pooling funds for beer, bread, and peanutbutter. These things were way better for comunity building than the stupid "mandatory meetings".
I suppose I should say something on topic...
Gadgets are useless but if you're going to get one... a firewire fufme, and a laptop with a digital camera. Stream that video onto the HD and play it back as needed. Or make movies and sell them on the interweb.
Personally though, I whish I had saved my money. You never know when your transmision/bike are going to bust. God help you if you loose your backpack.
I (physics undergrad) use a biro and a pad of budget paper for notetaking.
speaking of budget, I used to just take stacks of printer paper (often reams just sitting around the printers in computing clusters) to class and write on that. Add a 3-hole punch and a 3-ring binder, and you're set. If you're worried about the "stealing" aspect of looting the computer paper, I know others who would just take paper from the paper recycling bins next to the printers.
I prefer Extra Fine blue Pilot rolling ball pens, although they will occasionally pee ink on your fingers.
The computer equipment you get and the software you have to run will depend on your intended field of study. Don't let anyone talk you into buying anything until you talk to someone in the department your major is in and find out what types of things you will be required to do.
:) Also think about what you'd be willing to let friends and roommates use.
If you're planning on going into an Engineering program, CAD will be your friend which will likely cause you to purchase a PC of some variety. If you are going into Liberal Arts (design, music, film) you might consider purchasing a Mac.
As far as laptop vs desktop is concerned, you have to decide what you buy according to how responsible and attentive you are. At colleges, especially in dorms, things grow feet and walk away. Laptops aren't great for people who have a lot of company or those that forget to lock the doors to their dorm rooms. Also you should remember that the nicer your stuff is, the more likely it is to sprout feet and disappear, so don't advertise your goods.
Other things that are inherently useful are PDAs and pocket digital audio recorders. If you're an auditory learner, you definitely want to record lectures and play them back at your leisure so you can concentrate on taking notes in class. PDAs are nifty for scheduling the myriad of assignments, exams, and activites you will find yourself swimming in. If you're into the PDA/cellular hybrid genre, that'd make for one less gadget you'll have to worry about.
Whatever you do, make sure to get the extended warranties on all of your stuff and if you go for a laptop you might wanna see if you can get some insurance on it.
Preface: YMMV, of course.
I personally prefer a desktop, because it's a lot cheaper for the same level of performance, and you can play games for a reasonable price (my entire system cost ~$800, including monitor, which doesn't buy you much in the laptop world). My college (along with many others) has plenty of computer labs liberally sprinkled about, so if I need to access anything away from my dorm room, I simply log into one and SSH to my desktop.
As for notes, I rarely take them, because most of my profs make their course notes available on the internet; being CS profs, they have them written up in LaTeX already anyway, so it doesn't take them much effort to put them online. What isn't in the notes I can usually find in a textbook (or google). The few times I do take notes I'll put them in a good old-fashioned pen-and-paper notebook though, because it lets me do things like quickly draw diagrams and make arrows between bits of info I've written down. Many profs don't like laptops clicking away during their lectures anyway (partly because of the irritating clicking sound, partly because it's irritating talking to people hiding behind a monitor, and partly because they know you'll probably be talking on AIM and playing games on it).
So, in summary: unless you're rich or have special needs, go with a desktop. There's no reason to spend over $800 or so for a computer (possibly even less these days), and you'll probably be glad to have the extra money.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
for notes laptops are nice for things where you wont be writing a ton of equations (history, english, CS, etc), but are a pain in the ass if you are trying to take math notes (calc, physics, etc). also, i dont like using a laptop as my main machine, and if you are on the campus network, its nice to be able to leave your desktop machine running and access it remotely (especially with all the wireless that schools are using these days). of course, having a laptop and a desktop is pretty expensive, unless you already have one.
as far as a pda, i find i take mine to class for the first week, because i have room numbers stored in it, but after that, i stopped, mostly because professors were posting assignments and test dates etc on the web, which made keeping track of all that myself a waste of time, and more error prone. that is, of course, dependant upon the school and professors. my university has a lot of stuff set up to make it easy for non technicaly inclinded professors to publish the information, but others may not.
"we demand rigidly defined areas of doubt and uncertainty!" --Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
I'd have killed to have a Tablet PC when I was in college. A normal laptop wouldn't have worked, because I couldn't draw the chemical formulas and diagrams fast enough using a touchpad or pointing nub, but a tablet is perfect for that. Having an easy way to browse my notes on the computer would have been great.
I don't think I'd get a slate model (with no keyboard) unless I had another desktop PC to use for writing papers and stuff like that, but the convertibles are pretty compelling, if you don't play games.
If you go to a large school and have lots of large lectures, tape recorders are almost useless. Large lecture halls swallow sound, and the tapes are usually unintelligible.
I paid off my student loans within 9 months of graduating, not because I'm making a ton of cash, but because I managed to restrain myself and save massive chunks of each paycheck. Don't start setting yourself back now. You're about to go through the poorest four years of your life. Do you really want to spend the next 20 years (!!) paying off your education?
And if you think $2K saved now is nothing, well... Heh. You'll find out soon enough how important the pennies are.
Oh, and if you do get a laptop, keep it locked up in a watertight box on top of your dresser. You will get puke in it. Or beer, or urine if you're really lucky.
if only 3% of the poop. need it. damnit. meant pop. oh well.
My problem? I was perfectly gruntled, until some numbnuts came by and dissed me.
to clarify... video of your lessons. Unless of course you're trying to make a buck on selling it.
When I started law school, I purchased my ibook 700 just for the purpose.
Everyone tells me that you need windoze for this, that or the other, but I find the mac to be more than sufficient for everything I need at school, and I can continue my geekiness with it's OSX, my X11 install, and VPC for Windoze blazing... The one thing that I can't do, though, is take my exams on the book, as the lockdown software is Windoze only and it's purpose is defeated when run in VPC.
Snooze and you lose your sushi.
My computer use has changed a lot while I've been a student. When I was a dirt poor undergrad, I had a desktop machine. As I graduate student (working both a half and a fulltime job, so the money is findable) I find that I like laptops -- I don't have a dorm room on campus to return to, and computer labs are filled with those damn yappy undergrads. I've never wanted an electronic organizer, and I've never had any luck taking notes with anything but pen and paper, whether I was studying calc or body theory. Save your cash for beer. One palm = lots of beer.
I'm with the folks that recommend desktops. They're harder to steal, more powerful for the money, and you can use them as a cornerstone for your stereo/dvd/game console of choice. If you elect to go laptop, go Apple, and for god's sake keep the damn thing with you all the time.
I think APC needs to make a 'switch' parody to promote their UPS systems. There isn't any desktop that is immune to the crash caused by a loss of power.
I can definitely say my $100 UPS saved me at least a few times; I was able to finish typing a paper, save it, AND print it out. Not even a laptop can help you with the printing when the electric goes out. Not a definite requirement, but there may be that one time you wish you had one.
Hmm. You took notes in high school? I was in a bit of a dilemma with the survey question on the calculus AP exam that asked how many hours per week we spent copying notes in class. Do they mean how many hours _I_ spent copying notes, or how many hours we were _supposed_ to spend copying notes?
My process? I take notes on plain white paper, front and back. No lines. I use every little inch of the paper, and in the top-right corner i number what page i'm on. I then have nearly-indestructible plastic blue folders that have lasted me 3 years so far, and keep each subject with that (some classes and labs come with binders, but i always bring the blue folders anyway).
Then when it's time for exams, I put my notes in order and staple them. Everyone hates my notes because they're so damned hard to read, but for me, I love it, and can find anything within a minute.
The point is that you have to have your own process, and stick to the winning formula. If you're unorganized or don't have a system in place, it'll catch up to you eventually.
As a bit of background, I'm a junior (senior ranking) at a rather large national championship school studying Electrical and Computer Engineering, currently doing a co-op at an enormous and extremely successful corporation. Not to brag, i'm just saying that this works: I party at least 5 times a week, play water polo, lift weights 3 times a week, have more friends than I can fit in my cell phone, and run a 3.78 GPA. How? Because I have a system. I don't fool around online unless my work is done. I do my work early so that it's not rushed, it's done well (and not while drunk or on a caffeine high), and then I go drink afterwards.
It's all in your process. Get one down and you'll find more free time to do fun stuff than you ever imagined. A little hard work now pays off in fun or laziness later.
Berto
If you're mostly taking math/science classes, get yourself a note book and a boat load of pencils.
If you're mostly taking literature/philosophy, nothing beat having your laptop loaded with a searchable copy of the complete works of Plato...
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried. -G.K. Chesterton
You might be able to zoom in an see a tiny part of the board at readable resolution at a time but then you may find yourself fiddling with aiming your laptop instead of listening.
It might be useful with a prof who uses an overhead and writes big or maybe in a class with lots of large drawings being made on the board.
One of the higher end consumer digital video cameras might well be useful with a laptop however.
At least at my school, the course webpages all have schedule/assignment info on them. Since I can remember the courses I'm in in my head, all I have to do is periodically check the webpages to see what's coming up. And really, why a Palm organizer, not something on your desktop? It's not like you're a businessman scheduling meetings on the go -- the only places you have to be at specific times are classes and tests, and the rest is homework-type-stuff you can take care of in your room (for which a portable gadget is obviously not necessary).
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
No, just get a couple of free webmail accounts and send your work as an attachment from one account to the other. That way you'll have backups at two different servers, and some mail providers even backup their mail-spools. It works wonders for small-ish files, and it's free. And when your room mate's destillery explodes and burns down the dorm and all your equipment and all your CDs you still have your files.
Two words (well, one word and two letters): Tablet PC I have a Compaq TC1000 and it is irreplaceable for taking notes, doing homework, and, if you dont have a desktop like I do, it can handle some games (CS for one) and all the office apps you could need. Most users report good performance for coding and developing for you CS majors, and engineers (like myself) and architects love the ability to draw diagrams and draft digitally with a pen. Price is a factor, but its worth the couple $100 more than a slim laptop. Plus, if your school has WiFi, it makes internet access during class/breaks a lot easier than using a laptop. Now if you're like me and you do play a lot of games, yes, you'll still need a desktop. Beyond just the box you use though, one very useful thing I've found is my LCD w/ TV tuner. At 18" and 1280x1024 its a great monitor, and the TV function lets me watch TV or play GameCube without needing two bulky CRTs (one for the computer, and a TV). Space is an issue in dorms, so this helps. Cheaper alternatives would be a PCI TV tuner, but I haven't found one of those I like.
Depending on your habits (or those you wish to acquire) I would suggest a nice solid desktop for your dorm/room/apartment/shoebox/dungeon. If you are so inclined this can then support you in your gaming/music/browsing/hacking/compiling/creating/ destroying past-times and frankly, when it comes to writing papers or any other such late night (come on, we all procrastinate everyonce in a while) activities you'll want to be as comfortable as possible. IMHO that 20 pager is less painful with a big screen and comfortable keyboard and room for many many cups of tea.
As for taking notes that is your preference solely. Yes, there are teachers that are intolerant of laptops/PDAs/slab o granite and chisle, but another problem maybe that you cannot always plug it in (face it, as of now battery life is less than stellar). Of course, the temptation is always great, especially when the lecture is not. In an ideal world every student goes home and types out all notes- but in reality sometimes a good 5 subject notebook does the trick too (just don't loose it)
It's been helpful to have an old, used laptop (though more lightweight would be desireable) to have for sunny days outside or studysessions in the library, or any change of location for that matter.
As to the organizer- that is preference, again. You may like having a digital datebook and so on, then again, the old pen and paper organizers these days work just fine, too.
More important investment though- hot water pot and/or coffeemachine!
First before you plow 1200 bucks on a laptop, check to see how the computer labs at your university are. I would highly suggest getting a usb drive since they can easily hold your online classnotes, along with a copy of gaim and winamp. If you feel this isn't enough after a few weeks in school, then get a laptop.
Personally, I don't have a laptop, mainly so that I don't waste away my entire life sitting at a school building doing off-task things. Instead, I just keep a usb drive with everything I need and use it at the lab computers. I believe you'll stay on task with doing schoolwork, and you won't have to go through the pain of finding special software. On the other hand, I would suggest getting a laptop if you like getting work done outside of school, like at a coffee shop or something. Labs can sometimes become a horrible home you just want to escape.
Now, as far as studying in the dorm, especially with all the fun stuff going on, doesn't work. Just have as much fun as you can in the dorms, and study elsewhere.
hrm, hope this didn't seem too offtopic.
For general-purpose note taking, paper is great. Unless your brain works differently than mine does, you will find it too distracting and slow to take notes on a PDA, or even a laptop. And I agree with the people who said that transcribing your notes from scrawls on paper into computer notes will help you really fix the material in your head.
I think you should have a PDA. You can get a Visor Deluxe on eBay for $30 now, and that will work just fine. I really like my Palm Tungsten T, but it costs ten times as much, so don't get one unless you are really not worried about it getting stolen. You can listen to tunes with a Palm Tungsten T if you want, which is a major plus. (I listen to my Ogg files using AeroPlayer.)
For those times when you might want to take notes from a book in the library, a keyboard for your PDA will be great. I'd rather carry my Palm and a portable Palm keyboard, than carry a laptop around. And the keys are quiet on my PDA keyboard, so I don't make clicky-clicky noises to annoy other people.
As for a computer, I agree that you need to scope out the dorm rooms before you commit to a particular computer. If only a laptop will fit in your study space, do get a security cable to secure it. Don't plan on carrying the laptop around campus; it's heavy and annoying, and you are unlikely to actually do it for long.
You will want a nice printer. I suggest an HP DeskJet printer for all-around goodness. You can make very clean black-and-white pages for English papers, you can put color graphs in for science papers, you can put photos in for art history papers... with special paper you can even print photos. You probably don't want the tiny compact folding printer, because that holds very little paper. Just get a desk model that can hold a couple hundred sheets of paper.
Murphy's Law says you will run out of ink, or toner, or whatever your printer uses to print, in the middle of the night the day before a paper is due. With a deskjet, you can get a spare black ink cartridge for $35 or so. Cheap insurance. If your color runs out you can always print in greyscale, so if money is tight just get the black one; otherwise one black and one color cartridge would be good to get.
steveha
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
You're probably going to have stuff due every day, so is the thing going to beep at you constantly? You just need to learn to check your list of things to do (and keep it updated) every day, probably multiple times a day. Once you learn to do that, whether it's on a PDA or a wall calendar or a notebook doesn't really matter.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
I started off my Comp Sci courses with a cheap old 486 that just barly ran win95 (this was in y2k) During the 3rd semester I bought a good PII400 (good at the time...) by mid 4th semester I had a PII 200 laptop, along with the above computer, plus a couple of P166s networked together at my apartment running various OSes.
I found that in most of the boring classes (english, complementary courses, etc) I got along best with a pencil (mechanical) and paper, but in programming courses, I usually took notes on the laptop, since what I was taking notes on was usually functions that I'd want to play with later.
Really, for the classroom work, I would have been just as well off with just an old clunker at my apartment to type out reports and essays on, but when it came to lab work, the laptop was the best investiment I made. I wasn't exactally powerful, but it did the job, and was much easier to work with than the virus infested, and student mangled machines in the labs.
The network of machines at my apartment was far from necessary, but it came in very handy for playing around with the concepts that we were learning (with no lab session to experiment) in networking, and OS classes.
I'm not a Luddite, just a pragmatist. Remember, you're going to have to copy math formulas, charts, maps, and diagrams. Unless you're really sure you can get all of that into a palmtop faster than you can with paper, I'd go with the paper.
My setup has worked great. I have a Thinkpad for use in my dorm, or dragging to the library when needed.
FOr in class, and to stay organized, my Sony Clie comes in handy.
The key is to think adaptable. My laptop has WiFi ( a must these days), 56k modem, and Ethernet.
The Clie can be hooked up to a cell phone, and soon WiFi.
The trick is to stay connected at the lowest possible cost.
Works great for me, and the many others with a similar setup.
What is all of this talk of taking notes? I managed to go through four years of college without taking a single note. I stopped buying the books after Freshman year as well (that $400 a semester goes a long way at the on campus bar with $.50 drafts).
If you can find a decent price on a flat-screen monitor, that'll take care of most of the issue. It's really on the bulky CRT that's a problem, not the tower (you can stick that anywhere, and it's not too hard to carry when you move).
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Don't buy a PDA or laptop. They'll get stolen, you can't drop them more than once, and you can't put formulae into them without getting MathType. Also, you can't possibly type as fast as the professor talks.
I use books. Plain old pen and paper. I've got the free student journal they give out in September for organization. I put my own cover on so I can tell it apart from the other students'.
For notes, I use three colours of ink, a pencil, and a ruler. I buy bound books (like the Hilroy Neatbooks). I don't write down what the prof says, I write down what s/he MEANS. You can parrot back all you want, but if you can write it in your own words, then you'll cut down on your study time by a long shot.
Finally, to prove that I'm the Alpha Dork, I built a desk extender that clips onto the desks. They're too small to have two pages open at once otherwise.
---
ECHELON is a government program to find words like bomb, jihad, plutonium, assassinate, and anarchy.
i have a pc104 wearable with a monocular display
for kb/mouse is use the gyration cordless optical/tilt mouse and keyboard. i can't think of anything better for my current use, except maybe if i had one of the kopin-based covert hmds sold at aeinnovations.com that are unrecognizable and fit behind the lens of a pair of glasses..
All of this is made less complicated by the lack of funds most college students enjoy.
Bring paper & a pencil (or probably a pen).
If you have the money to spare, get a nice Apple Powerbook. If you need to get something cheap, get an ibook. Either way you have a solid *NIX box with lots of cool bells and whistles.
I am surprized to learn that most students enjoy their lack of funds.
you will find quickly that pizza can be delivered almost anywhere. college roommates are also miserable at taking messages.
12" iBook. Powerful enough for taking notes, writing papers, and writing software. Remember that OS X comes with a full development environment, so if you will be writing software, your set. I usually take notes in class with pen and paper (its quieter and quicker), then type it up afterward to reinforce. Most of the campus has wireless access, so the built-in 802.11b kicks ass. Long battery life usually means I rarely need to plug in. The iBooks seem to be less fragile than the G4 PowerBooks at a fraction of the price. If your dorm room is anything like mine was, there just won't be enough room for a sizable desktop machine ( let alone 2 or 3 - roommates too) unless you get a flat panel display.
20GB iPod. Don't laugh. I listen to tunes walking to/from campus. It's also a very small external firewire drive. If I'm using a lab/classroom with available macs, I can shuttle data back & forth on the iPod. It's much lighter than a laptop, and gets power over firewire, so I don't need to carry a power cable & transformer. I wowed a class as a guest lecturer when I just pulled my iPod out of my pocket, plugged it into the professer's PowerBook, and launched my presentation. It also replaced my Palm Vx, holding contacts and calendar.
Cellular Phone. Cheaper than a landline and statewide or nationwide free long distance packages are a dime-a-dozen.
Pens & Paper. Still a neccessity. Number 2 pencils for filling in those little circles.
PDA - NOT. I have a Palm Vx that sits unused. It had degraded to just holding my contacts. After moving them to my iPod, I found I just stopped carrying the Palm around.
Remember most Universities sell hardware to students at a moderate discount (5-10%), and software at a steep discount (70-90%), so check it out before buying on the open market. Apple also has educational discounts that aren't that great - the Apple discount is usually less than the sales tax you can save by ordering from the right online retailer. Look for bundles that add memory for free. If they offer you a crappy printer bundle, decline and ask for even more memory.
For me, using laptops in class is very diffocult. I have bad handwrighting, and the advantage that I had it diagnosed at a young ange as a written language disability, so I have to use a laptop for just about everything. My major issues were cost and durablility. I didn't want to spend a quarter of my collage tuition cost on a laptop that I would break after the first week. My solution was an Itronix XC-6250, $200 on ebay at the time of purchase, nothing fancy, just fast enugh to run Windows 95 and OpenOffice (Or, since I am a masochistic geek, Vi and LaTex). It only had an hour of battery life, but I went to a school with tiny classrooms, and I could almost allways sit along a wall and grab power from that, there might be problems with that. I agree that WiFi access can be important, but it is a destraction. I sat behind a guy with wireless in my CS107 and he did nothing but read slashdot all through class. My simple dime/2.5
and thus brain shall rule us!
Don't bring a nice new laptop to college as a freshman. It will get lost or stolen or left behind. Freshmen as a whole aren't responsible enough to eat and sleep regularly let alone look after a $1500+ piece of highly resellable easily left unguarded hardware. Bring the familys old computer and get a nicer better laptop sophomore year after you've had time to puke out your brains and grow a new more responsible one.
My personal view on notebooks: weight matters. I've seen time and time again that people buy notebooks, planning to take them places, but end up leaving them at home/dorm because they're just too heavy and bulky.
When my wife needed a notebook for school, we eventually chose the Fujitsu Lifebook P2120 - 2.8 lbs without the optical drive, 3.4 lbs with it, and very small dimensions. We've found that its size has been very convenient, and encourages my wife to take it with her even if she might not even need it.
When it came time to do my Masters (Defense & Strategic Studies, of all things!), I picked up an HP WinCE clamshell PDA. The thing had decent battery life and a keyboard. I started using it for notes in class. The upside: my notes were much more legible/useful to read. The downside: I didn't come close to gaining the memory retention benefits of having to recopy the notes. (Fortunately, there were no sit-down exams for my Masters - so legible notes turned out to be more useful for paper writing. I'd have had a much harder time revising for exams if I'd had to, though).
So, my recommendation is to get a nice desktop for your dorm room - you will want to use it to write papers, goof off (very important that you enjoy study breaks - taking breaks helps most students, believe it or not!), and recopy notes come exam time. A PDA with keyboard is fine for lecture notes, although a laptop would work just as well/better if you can afford it in addition to a desktop.
Finally, there is a lot to be said for having really nicely laid out revision notes come exam time - sharing/discussing them with other students (particularly the cute ones!) is another good way to increase retention, possibly getting laid while you are at it. :-)
Lead developer, http://wisptools.net
Maybe having not-so-great games to play will be better for school.
As a incredibly disorganized computer geek, the visor was a life saver. So long as I'd remember to check the calendar a few times a day (took awhile to get into that habit) I could see what was going on, as well as any todos that were about to come due (i'd use the to do list almost exclusively for assignments). The abilty to set alarms for appointments, brilliant! Granted, I'd have a half dozen or so alarms go off a day, but it sure beat string around the finger!
/bin/fortune | slashdotsig.sh
I'm attending a two year school at the moment to eventually transfer to the local university. As such, most of my load is "general education" type stuff, which is a joke. If you have a pulse, you have an A. The only real classes that have been throwing me for a loop are the math classes, and for those, its pencil, click-eraser (LOTS of spare erasers :), and paper. I can't imagine someone writting all the funny symbols and diagrams on a laptop. I suppose I could draw them up in a document later, but I have a hard enough time drawing with a pencil, nevermind a mouse.
:D
As far as general organization goes, I tried using Microsoft Schedulers and such, but so many features seemed like overkill for a schedule that was basically "Math @ 11:00. Study." every day. I've noticed that my TI-89 calculator comes in handly for jotting down little notes. I even used the built in "basic" language to write a little script to query the current time and find the next bus going home or to school. Handy when the schedule kiosk is empty. TI is supposed to be releasing some Organizer type software for it soon, but its taking a while. Might as well just write it myself. A little organizer that gets the job done for about $150.
And it'll save your ass in the next math test to boot!
Too Cool...
+1 Insightful, -1 Troll. What can I say, I'm an Insightful Troll.
I teach philosophy courses. I have had one or two students with laptops (I think it's because I teach at a state school where most students don't have enough cash for laptops, unfortunately). I encourage students to use them, and to bring them to class. I figure: getting them used to computers and developing good skills--this is more than worth a bit of keyboard noise. I have had students do video projects, and submit term papers as web pages. I encourage all of this--because all of this technology is part of what a liberal arts education is supposed to do--*liberate* you, free you (or in another kind of jargon "empower you"). If every college student I taught left college able to write a simple web page (or operate a web design program or blogger) I would be pleased. Increasingly I just see knowing how to post things to a webserver as a basic skill like typing.
The problem, in my experience, is that many faculty *don't* have these skills. And they are scared of them--because it changes the classroom dyanmics. When 20 students have laptops and huge databases on them, then I no longer "own" the information in the room--I have to show students some other kinds of value: like an ability to think, to reason, and to help them ask questions about what their values and where their assumptions lead them in their inquiries. I just see this as making the classroom what I always thought it was supposed to be about anyway: less about "facts" and more about reasoning skills, critical thinking and sorting out the deeper questions.
Bring on the laptops!
Now if we could just find a way to fund them and address the issues of equality and justice (not everyone has the money for a laptop).
Folks, I absolutely swear by the yellow engineering grid paper. For some reason, I am WAY more organized in my note taking when I do it on that.
Most of my school work is group presentations, writing papers, and using gcc to compile my CS projects. So my iBook 800mhz works well for me (but in retrospect, a tiBook 1ghz would have been a better choice for me)
I still find that I go home and use my desktop for extended periods of coding though, because the dual monitor setup is FAR easier to code on than any single screen system.
My reccomendations:
People doing more coding/scientific work: 15" or 17" airport equipped powerbook with a flat panel monitor for home.
People doing more papers/notetaking: Any PC or Mac laptop machine with wireless will work fine, don't worry so much about "cutting edge" because it costs more, and doesn't matter so much when all your doing is typing.
Heh. There's always that one girl. All CS majors will know the one I mean. Yea, that one. Of course you have to compete with the 99.5% of the class who ALSO wants to get with her. (99.5% includes all the CS guys who don't have girlfriends, but not the .5% of the class made up of females.)
ad logicam Claiming a proposition is false because it was presented as the conclusion of a fallacious argument.
That is all I have to say - GET A LAPTOP. I made the mistake of getting a desktop as my school computer, thinking that a laptop would be too limiting....and I have found the desktop to be much to limiting for my needs. Desktops are great when you are living on campus, but in my second year I found that portability is such a huge issue. You just don't know when things are going to get too loud at your house, or when your internet is going to go out, or any number of disasters will make you wish you could pick up your giant tower and run to a new location.... And especially now that you can get a laptop that can do everything a desktop can for nearly the same price, there is no reason NOT to do it. I got lucky, and was presented with an opporunity to get a clamshell ibook for cheap this year. I take it literally EVERYWHERE with me, and I would throw my tower out a window if it didn't have my CD-Burner and DVD player in it. I'm going to upgrade this summer to something that will replace both computers, and I am never looking back. Plus, being able to type notes is great, especially if you have the worst handwriting ever, like I do....and wireless internet is all over my campus, which means not waiting in lines in those pesky computer labs if I have to check my email during the day.... Yeah. Buy a laptop. And don't buy a printer. They aren't worth the upkeep when you can go and print for pennies a page, and not have to deal with the space eater, and the ridiculously expensive ink...
nice story, except for the fact that you forgot about the other pics you also took.
goatse.cx is part of a huge series of pics. i have them all, stile found them somewhere.
I brought an iPaq with me to class everyday and used it to record the lecture.
The mic performance was impressive. I could let it record and just set it on the floor with the rest of my books and It would pick up everything. It was also discreet, no one ever knew that it was recording. So no professor or student ever complained.
I imagine some of the new mp3 players probably have a record feature. It came in very handy because my note taking skills arent the best.
This old skool notebook is cheap (25-75 on ebay) has a full size keyboard and runs for about 15 hours on 4 AA batteries (get a charger and 8 AA recharable batteries for ~30 and you can use them with your other electronics as well). This is all you will need for taking notes in class. Yep its only got 32K of memory but you upload everything to your desktop each night using the serial cable so this is enough for a days worth of text-only notes. Its also dirt simple and all programs are stored in a ROM so its about a tough as a notebook can get (OK not waterproof so don't spill anything on it) If its gets stolen or run over by a car...meh... buy another one ebay. Save the 900-1200 you would otherise spend on a fancy, theft-prone laptop and use it for food and beer.
http://www.zapcom.net/~webtech/Tandy102/
A small form factor computer provides huge performance with a cube which is small enough to class as airport carry on. With a GearGrip handle the entire system can be carried at a moments notice . The Shuttle SN41G2 incorporates an nforce2 chipset with integrated dual head video (s-video output too) ethernet socket and six channel audio. Toss in an LCD, DVD/CDR drive speaker set, and a wifi card (or a PVR Card and a usb wifi adapter)and you have equipped the entire dorm room. The one challenge is incorporating a theft protection option.
The other option is a micro-itx based PC, which incorporates everything but fast 3d. Add a wifi card and you are in buisiness.
This looks like a job for...
DIA!
If you are uber cool, you will use a text-editor like emacs or somesuch and just type the XML that describes all your elements, and then import, and wallah!
All you have to do is move the traces around if you don't like how it looks.
Personally I haven't done that but I've shot through one such document making local/global changes and it's veeeerrryy useful. Fuck Visio!
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
For taking notes, use an Ampad evidence Dual-Pad. It's a rip-off notepad (with holes punched), so you'll also need some folders with pockets to carry around notes. Alternatively, if you look around in larger bookstores, you can often find decent ring notebooks. Be careful, though -- these things often have flimsy, see-through, off-white, not-quite-fully-perforated paper.
Why would you want to take notes on a computer? It's twice as annoying: For you, because formatting, putting in images, etc is a pain in the neck. For everyone else in the room because they have listen to the whirring disk drive.
A computer at college is mostly for playing games. So it basically boils down to: How serious a gamer are you? versus How ugly do you want your dorm room to look? If you're a serious gamer, buy a PC. If you want your room to look decent, buy a Mac. An LCD display is a must in either case -- it's impossible to study on a tiny college-issue desk with an enormous monitor taking up half the desktop.
Not Computer Science, but the University Computing dept. Most will have recommendations for incoming students and information on connectivity issues. For example, my old school has such a page - http://computing.wlu.edu/students/guide/index.html . Also, you can often purchase computers through your school, with the major advantage being that the school provides tech support for free, and sometimes you can get a deal.
Other than that, I'd say no a palm and yes to a notebook.
got biv?
First of all, you won't be taking class notes or study-group notes on a laptop because you'll be too busy paying attention to and scribbling down frantic notes about other people and their somewhat enlightening lectures (hopefully -- regardless, you don't want your face in a screen giving them the slightest inkling that you're not paying attention). Other people have said it, I'll reiterate -- pen and paper are the way to go during classes you care about. As are high-lighters.
;-)
;-), not to play with new techno-geek toys.
Second of all, most of your notes about books should be in the form of highlighter markings on photocopies -- otherwise you're going to take things wildly out of context by the time you've referenced it in a paper (probably). A laptop may be handy and efficient, but it's not a perfect solution -- and the $400 difference between a laptop and PC comes out to a lot of copy-cards and high-lighters.
Other than that, a laptop is a nice tool to have, but may not necessarily jive with the rough-and-tumble lifestyle of a college student running hither and yon -- they tend to get stolen, left behind, dropped and/or soaked.
A desktop machine, on the other hand, (with a sufficiently sized display) can easily double as a DVD player or even TV, is a lot cheaper to have powered-up for LAN games, and you can even get a secondary dedicated hard drive with which to play around with the fad operating system of the month. But it's a pain to take home on spring break and such, and if your roommate makes you want to flee, you'll wish you had a laptop. Choose wisely.
Note, however, that a handheld is not recommended. Modern cell phones can do calendaring -- get one that synchs up to a user-friendly UI on your main machine -- well-enough, can take down phone numbers exceptionally well, can give you nation-wide long-distance calling for much cheaper than those bloody phone cards, and give you a permanent phone number to put on your resume. A handheld, meanwhile, will be destroyed in a spontaneous courtship-rough-and-tumble with your future girlfriend-then-fiance-then-wife. On the other hand, the loss of that PalmPilot was well worth it.
But really, start with the basics of college: Mode of city-wide transportation (often a car), comfortable bed and/or working chair + desk, largest allowable personal refrigerator. Save the rest of your cash for things you figure out you want later -- Solis SL70 Espresso Machine, digital camera, boxed set of favorite anime series by which you can judge who in your building has good taste and who doesn't. That sort of thing.
Overall, my college experience taught me (rather too late, I'm afraid) that college-student toys have their limits (because there are lots of students who don't have them) -- so you go to college to learn about people (and this thing referred to as "the student body"
JM, graduate class of '99 -- majored in Public Relations, minor Computer Science.
Notes: Yellow paper and clipboard - easier to find in a stack of corrected material.
Palm: Expensive DayPlanner with a pretty good cribbage program, it's a life saver.
Personal Computer: Expensive terminal that acts as file server.
Lab Computers: Everything you need to get through university with, seriously.
Pen: Pilot V7, best pen ever.
Shower caddy: The bigger the better.
Perhaps we're not supposed to support the giant, but all fo these reasons are addressed in the use of a Tablet PC. You can write it down, make diagrams, save it all, make copies, check e-mail in class, and many other reasons. If you have the cash, I would recommend one of these babies.
This is my digital signature. 10011011001
Blog,Twitter
One interesting thing about tablet PCs, we found, is that the normal exponential curve of price/performance doesn't seem to apply -- the Toshiba is one of the most expensive ones out there, but while it's about 40% pricier than the other model she was looking at, it's about 40% faster, too, and has more memory and disk space.
I'm really having to restrain myself from ordering one of my own.
A light CHEAP laptop: Lindows Mobile PC. That's what I'm taking, along with a powerful desktop of course.
1: It's impossible to beat a pen/pencil and paper notebook for speed of taking notes/making diagrams. Battery life (infinite) is also hard to beat.
2: A voice recorder (e.g. mini cassette) is an excellent way to capture classes that you might sleep through or have a hard time keeping up with notes. Assuming a minicassette, get the '90 minute' tapes (45-minutes each side) run them at 1/2 speed to get 90 minutes per side.
3: Transcribing notes (written or taped) is a great study method.
4: A laptop is a useless bag-weight -- too unwieldy to take notes on, not enough battery life to be useful, too likely to be ripped off or vandalized if you leave it anywhere (e.g. the library). Leave the computer in your room and use it for typing up papers.
5: Unless the school you go to has standardized on PCs/Windows in a big way a Mac is a great way to go -- great tools, good hardware, not too expensive in terms of quality/usefulness vs. endlessly tuning some do-it-yourself system.
Good luck!
"But actually trying to use m4 as a general-purpose langage would be deeply perverse" --ESR
This past year in college, my son used a Sony Clie SL10 pda, and the Sony folding keyboard for doing all of his note taking in class. We picked up the WordSmith word processor, and some other handy utilities, and away he went.
His main complaints were centered on battery usage (keyboard and, when needed, backlight), and the screen itself. But these issues were primarily due to the fact that we did it on the cheap (less than $250).
I could see using one of the new Sharp Zaurus pdas (look like mini-laptops) like the model 750 in a similar, though more expensive, way. They look to run about $600 I believe.
We went this route because he wanted a full-featured PC in dorm, and something easy / light for note taking.
Cadmann
Wait, what the hell am I thinking? Woo hoo! My college days are over!
heh.
I was in graduate school when the Newton was introduced and I bought a Newton 100 with Newton OS 1.3 when it became available.
Although I did at the time have a laptop, I did not at the time believe laptops to be good for note taking. However, the Newton was just perfect. Here's why: I would take the Notes using "Ink Text", then after class I would go through and use the "deferred handwriting recognition" feature of the Newton. I often had to correct its interpretation of my writing, but I found that doing this was an excellent way to study the material. I found that the best benefit happened if I did this as soon after class as possible.
Also, when I was an ungraduate I used to donate blood plasma for money. I highly recommend doing this for beer money. Here's why: you'll donate twice per week and that gives you regular, uninterrupted blocks of time where you can do your reading for class. This was a necessity for me as I had (at the time) very little self discipline and mostly cared about partying.
I go to Northern Michigan University, where every student is provided (though outragous tuition increases of course) with an IBM Thinkpad. While not the best computers in the world, they are handy sometimes, especially as a computer science major.
I always bring my computer to my programming classes to take notes, try out code examples, etc. HOWEVER, it is a an easy trap to fall into, using your computer too much in class. One tends not to really pay attention to things. Actually, I usually take most notes, including code, on paper. Which can be rather tough, when the prof. remembers a bunch of stuff that needs to be "inserted" in the middle.
Anyway, the point on laptops is, they're at least as useful as desktops in my opinion (since almost all college computers are used soley for MP3 playing, email, web, and paper writing), and the portability is nice (especially for a CS major who likes to code camped outside of prof.'s offices and at the local coffeeshop.)
The snow doesn't give a soft white damn whom it touches. -- ee cummings
- Install generic postscript printer in Windows. Try the Lexmark C9xx series.
- Get a windows version of ps2pdf (free).
- Print to file using fake printer from first step, then convert said file into pdf using ps2pdf.
- Profit!
You can also try getting Aladdin Ghostscript for Windows which gives you a nice interface to do the PDF conversion, but while free, it's a bit heavy handed. You should never have to pay for Adobe Distiller, that's for sure.
THIS THING CAN TURN ON A DIME, MACROSSZERO STYLE ALSO FUCK BETA, ~NYORON
I just finished college in a high-tech major. I can say first hand that for the most part, a laptop is useless. Either get a cheapo desktop or just use lab computers. Palmpilots are for people with important things to do, not school. You will probabally be happiest with paper and pencil in class, and the desktop is just nice for internet/email/etc. If you want a game system, get a playstation. It will bring people over to you to play games instead of making you a hermit loser playing quake with people in craplakistan.
People who think they know everything really piss off those of us that actually do.
Alphasmart's DANA is the perfect college student machine. Only $400, runs palmOS, has a full sized keyboard (DVORAK support), USB, smartmedia (2 slots). Very rugged, 30 hr battery life. http://www.alphasmart.com
You also can download the online notes from a course at some other university you find on the web. If you have WiFi, of course, you wouldn't need to do even that. Thinking outside the box helps in study strategies.
So if you can bring 6 or 8 eBooks to the lecture and the library, you've made your life that much easier. I don't think you want to read the eBook on a little PDA screen.
Additional hint on dealing with courses that use the paradigm "Read the chapter then solve the homework": Read the homework questions thoroughly before you read the chapter. Then, when you come across the paragraph on, say "Relativistic stoichiometry" in the chapter, you'll automatically perk up.
I18N == Intergalacticization
On my girlfriend's campus they've been trying to roll out a program where students buy laptops through the IT department. They've put up a fairly extensive WiFi network, but every time they audit the program (mostly through access point usage) they're finding utilization is way below expectations. They finally asked some of the students why they weren't bringing the laptops to class, going to the library with them, and all the things they expected. Almost every one responded that the laptops were just too heavy to lug around for most of the day, when lab machines available around campus. Integrating technology into schools is great, but it has to be usable first. In this case, portability is the first step toward useability.
// Dumps core here
A lot of people who endorse the use of a laptop seem to assume that the principal use for a laptop would be note taking. I think those who are against a laptop are dead on when they say paper-and-pencil are a better solution (faster, non-linear, easier-to-make-footnotes, doodling, figures, complex-notation, etc etc).
But I think people are missing out on the best reason to get a laptop. Having all your data with you, and your programs, and your system configured the way you like it is uber-convenient. Granted, I went to a school that had decent labs, and I could always connect remotely to my desktop, but being primarily a Windows user, having my laptop with me was a huge plus. I had all the little helper applications I use, Office configured the way I liked it. And group work . . . being able to take my laptop to group meetings and things to work on a project was a lifesaver too.
And there are the perks, like wireless when you need to look something up, or you have dead time between classes and want to surf the web, chat, or email.
So, I'd wholeheartedly reccomend a laptop. Personally, I'd get an ultra-portable (I use an Inspiron 2100, similiar in form factor to an iBook) because then you're more likely to actually use it as a laptop, rather than as a desktop replacement.
Oh, and I have a Palm pilot too, but I rarely use it . . . it's more of a backup for me since I still sync it regularly, but 9 times out of 10, I rely on my memory instead of the Palm (though I did use the address book feature heavily before I got a cell phone)
What would have suited me best would have been a laptop. The place I went to college had a bunch of computer labs in every building, but they filled up quick during finals week. The best labs were always shut down at midnight. With a desktop, you won't be able to write your paper on your machine at 3 AM while your roommate is trying to sleep. With a laptop, you can take your paper anywhere you can put it. You can type your paper at the library without checking out books, using them for reference as you need them.
:-)
Get as much RAM as your laptop will take. Find the sites where you can get hardware upgrades for your laptop now.
Purchase a really good pen, something that's a pleasure to write with (in my case, it was a Parker). If you do essay tests or underline in books, this might come in handy. Get a bunch of pencils, whatever sort of pencil you like.
As someone else said, get a kensington locky thing. Also consider an external keyboard and mouse with your laptop if you can afford it. I wouldn't bother bringing your computer to class unless you have a wacom tablet. you will probably just annoy your classmates, and you'll have a devil of a time copying diagrams.
Someone already said this: absolutely do not get a dell inspiron. The battery will last two years or less, and most of them won't charge up a new one past that point. If you get a dell inspiron, get the 3 year warranty, and may god have mercy on your soul.
If money is in short supply, it may be worth it to wait to purchase your computer until you get to college so you can get in on the school's discount. If you're willing to pay for your computer over the next 10 years, you can finance it. Umm, you won't need matlab or mathematica unless you're going into Math. No, wait, this is slashdot. Yeah, you'll need Mathematica AND Matlab. You'll want one of those $4000 3d movie programs too. Whatever.
Macintoshes have higher resale values and tend to last longer before they need to be replaced in our school environment. They also tend to require less support than the PCs, but if you know what you're doing and you have a preference, that won't be an issue.
Or you could ignore all of this advice, buy a boltcutter instead, and steal someone else's laptop.
Lastly, have a lot of fun. There's a time and place for everything, children, and it's called college.
Well, at least I'm graduating before them... I was supposed to graduate in 1985, but I decided to become a software engineer instead. Finally took the time to finish school this year. I picked up my cap and gown today. I'll be getting my M.I.T. diploma next week.
...Nothing interesting here. Just move along...
my little 12" ibook 600 mhz with a 60 GB hard disk and Mathematica its all i need for my school.. (yes it also have airport) The battery life its great, its slim, good looking and easy to carry, and its not too expensive. And it runs Linux!!!
Unix its simple, but sometimes it takes a geniuos to understand the simplicity -- Dennis Ritchie
I only refer to notes when I'm in my room or a computer lab, in which case it's much more convenient to use a real computer.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Short-hand (Gregg)
1. Good desktop.
2. Throwaway laptop. I used a 486, then a PII. If it's stolen, I'm only out 300 bucks, but it's definitely hefty enough for wireless surfing. Wireless card.
3. Laser printer. Samsung makes some nice cheap ones, that are fast and cheap to operate. Since some schools are charging obscene prices to print (8 cents a page at local university... and you have to use their stored-value system... when you can print at home for 5 or less), this is practical, plus you don't have to queue.
It's just like a fascist dictatorship, without the punctual rail service!
I'm heading back to school this fall and have decided that I don't mind the extra weight of an Insprion 8500. I got the Nvidea chip too so I can play a little Ghost Recon on the weekends. I'm not particularly worried about someone lifting my stuff since I live off campus in my own house but for those of you living in the dorms, you would be wise to invest in a good lock and replacement insurance if you can get it.
There is nothing inherently safe about liberty. That's why so many people died protecting it.
I knew evil forces were conspiring to make M$ morons out of the big dogs. An attatchment to Word and other horrid programs seems to be part of the clueless indocrtination. I can only imagine what your teachers would tell you about Linux.
are that any laptop will be lucky to survive 4 years of college. Most of our laptops limped through the end of the 2-year program - and it didn't matter whether they were cheap or expensive.
I've got a 10 year old IBM thinkpad and don't see how anyone could destroy it. I got it because I watched one like it survive years of soils data aquisition at the hands of a truck driver who's favorite tool was a hammer. It's a little slow, but I was able to drop in a nice big hard drive and pc card wifi. What do you business dudes do to your laptops?!
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
I must say, whatever students learned Gregg Short-hand by the time they're finished with 8th grade, they're note-taking will be perfect and teachers will not need to repeat details to the class. I just finished learning short-hand myself, and I'm simply improving my reading rate as we're speaking. I'm thinking of re-writing the EMACS LISP language to be more short-hand correct and then computers will be faster because less numerical data will need to be processed.
The only thing I dislike about shorthand is how the letter "G" is expressed. It's always "Gay" and that is quite frightening...maybe after I short-hand encode LISP, I'll create an anti-Gay symbol, DIE or DOOM! Yes! har har har
f^~ '__-O'_,/^t -deranged ASCII shorthand for "Fuk Slashdot"
Don't buy until the end of the summer, to get the benefit of all the price drops and upgrades until then.
If you're getting a desktop, order it (by phone) or have your parents do it, on the first day you live in the dorm. That way, UPS ships it instead of you lugging it across the state or country.
Consider that, unless you're well off, you're going to have to use this for 5 years (unless you're getting another as a graduation present). So buy a box that will hold 4 gigabytes of RAM, but only fill in 1 slot with half a gigabyte. In a year or two, buy more ram. Nobody ever complained about having a screen that was too large or too sharp or having too much memory.
See if the school network has a printer in the dorm, this can save money. On the other hand, you can probably get a printer for less than the price of a single textbook.
Microsoft Word has an "Equation editor" that might be good for taking math notes. I haven't tried it. I'll bet that StarOffice and Open Office have something like it. I did a quick google on "Equation editor" and came up with even more alternatives. You could even ask a math professor.
I18N == Intergalacticization
DMCA, Hollings, Palladium. What might have sounded like paranoia is now common sense.
That's one of my big pet peeves. People who take that seriously should be shot. It really annoys the hell out of me when someone spends $3000 on a machine that will depreciate in value so quickly just for college. The point is to get a good enough education that you can remove the phrase "do you want fries with that?" from your vocabulary, not playing CS, DoD, GTA, or DNFU!
If you have to get a gaming rig, buy "middle of the pack" hardware. It's ultra-cheap, but still performs. You may take a hit of maybe 10 frames per second in Quake 3, but once that got past 120 FPS, it got kind of ridiculous. A little hint to all you wannabes out there: If the monitor refresh is slower than the FPS from your video card, YOU'RE WASTING PERFORMANCE! For that matter, Intel's got a better chip architecture than AMD. Trust me. I'm an electrical engineer.
<END RANT>
Those who have suggested paper and pen are on the right track. Granted, it's been about 12 years since I was in a classroom, but the best way to learn the material is to write it a couple of times. You will gain nothing but a couple more pounds to carry with a laptop for classroom use - plus some odd looks for sure.
Do yourself a favor. Take notes in one notebook while in class, then that same night rewite the notes into a better format in another notebook. It will cut your study time significantly around cram time.
I'm a tech savy College sophmore, and this past year, I hardly needed anything. I brought my PC, because I'd die without it. Unfortunately, IT DIED on me, and I ended up just buying a new one--something that I needed anyway.
I brought a printer but didn't end up using it and I did all of my Word Processing at the Computer Labs or the Library, because I just couldn't concentrate on anything in my room.
I never wrote down assignments, because they're typically on a professor's syllabus anyway, and because you only have to worry about 2 or 3 classes a day (instead of five) it was easy to keep straight what you had due the next day.
I took notes using good old fashioned pen and paper, and for classes that I had serious tests in, I'd then transfer those notes over to a typed form, something a little easier to study than sprawls of paper.
A quick aside, I'm going to a good liberal arts college in MA, and I've found it to be much easier than High School was. My work, while I do put more effort into it, gets good grades, it's easier to keep track of assignments, and you have so much free time, you don't know what to do with it.
Good luck in the fall!
Mike
I went to school before computers but I doubt the list would be very different.
Engineering and Science courses
1. pen and paper because one can't type greek and mathematical symbols by hand.
2. good programmable calculator
This could be a good cheap basic pda with a good calculator. I might love to have a simple pda with a keyboard for typing text only because writing by is tiring(some lectures might be 20pages/hr) and have a pen and paper to augment the pda, or some type of digital pen input. But no way would I want to carry a laptop, books, notebook(paper based), lab book, etc. The extra weight is terrible. I would probably use a pda.
3. I liked the flip flops too, dorm bathrooms aren't very clean.
4. Stereo, now it would be a basic computer with cd music
TVs and movies and video games are a big waste in college dorm rooms. Study hard and Have fun. Hang out with friends, Explore the campus, Sports, Dances, Parties. Talk to professors, think about research. Talk to classmates.
Oh yeah, lock up your toothbrush in your dorm room. You never know what pranks might be pulled and you don't want to know. Yuck.
WhatMeWorry!
For the past couple years I've been using a laptop, and it has some pros and some cons. The biggest pro is that, being in college, setting it up is easy. It's easy to bring it home on breaks and stuff. The biggest problem I've had is that it has limitations because of drive space and RAM. Bottom line, laptops (at least most of them) simply can't do what your regular PC can. But, to me, just the simplicity of its size has been worth it.
Ideally it would be nice to have a small Wi-fi notebook to carry around campus. HOWEVER... PCs are often available almost anywhere on a college campus (unless your campus has a long wait line). I'm a senior in college currently, and I've enjoyed having my TV-Card installed in my custom built PC throughout my college years. With that and with a pretty good Soundcard/Speaker set, a student can eliminate the space problem of an often cramped dorm room with this consolidation of the TV,VCR, Stereo, and PC.
--Bahamlabs
Now, for that desktop, I highly recommend a flat panel monitor, because dorm rooms can be pretty tiny. I have a single dorm room, and with my CRT monitor, keyboard, and mouse on my desk, I literally cannot fit a sheet of paper on my desk surface. This summer, I'm gonna get a flat panel to remedy the problem, since they've come down in cost.
If you are like a good portion of students, (ie. broke) get a $50 crt and build a box for $500.
If you need, get a slighly outdated laptop (as long as it can run notepad and winamp, you should be fine)for a couple hundred.
Oh, and a cell phone. Every college student needs a cell phone, and you'll be left out if you do't get one.
Screw the cell phone. (free phone in 95% of dorms), unless you are getting it for the 'Bling' factor.
Spend the money saved from not buying the flatpanel, high end system, and cell on friends, women, beer, books... IMO I would rather spend a little more of the scarce $$$ on having fun than a couple extra fps in Metal of Honor. Unless of course you have the extra money, then go nuts. Yeah, a high end system is cool, but you shouldn't need a brand new $3000 system to do your cs projects.
Do not buy them thinking they will change the way you do things.
Don't already have an organizer? You probably won't use a Palm/PocketPC for more than holding telephone numbers of people you hardly ever call, since your average cell phone can already handle this task.
Do you already organize your time with a calender? If not, don't bet on using the Palm/PocketPC for more than birthdays.
Do you have a portable gaming system, or have you used one often in the past? If not, you're probably not the type of person to use this feature much after the novelty wears off. True mobile gamers probably already own a Gameboy Classic / Color / Advance.
Web, Productivity? Forget it. Nobody does it on a regular basis because the screens are too damn low resolution.
Man is the animal that laughs.
And occasionally whores for Karma.
PC's last two years?? Allow me to introduce you to my computer of the last 5 years, a 450MHz AMD. My only upgrade has been the adding of some extra RAM and a new OS. This computer will continue to serve me faithfully until I have enough money to get a new system.
already exists. Atleast one such system was developed at GeorgiaTech by Prof. Gregory Abowd & Prof. Beth Mynatt, among others. It was supported for some time, and then taken off because the research issues to be investigated were found answers to -- and nobody had the manpower to keep supporting it on a regular basis.
I have a lot of experience with this working at the University of California (@Riverside). While we don't have a policy forcing students to purchase a laptop (or even a computer), Campus Computing and our department (Student Computing) strongly encourages the purchase of a laptop.
I think the main reason students don't buy a laptop is cost. They don't want to spend X thousands of dollars on a laptop. Granted you can get a used laptop or a low budget laptop for about a grand, but generally students think laptops are too pricey.
What I've always recommended to students who come to me and ask for advice is:
1. Get a laptop that will last four years. This means get something that will have a 3 or 4 year warranty, has one of the top CPU speeds available for a laptop at the current moment, a large hard drive, etc. This saves the time of worrying about upgrades later on.
2. Try to get a good balance between functionality and portability. I use a Dell Inspiron 8100 in my office, and while it is fully decked out with a 15" Ultra XGA screen, it weighs almost 9 lbs. But at the other end of the spectrum, I wouldn't get a slimline like the Sony's that have external cdrom drives.
3. Don't worry about the cost. Of course, don't go out and spend $4000 on a laptop. That would be stupid. Shop for a good price, but don't cut corners on specifications. Most students can afford to finance or credit card a laptop and pay it off by the time they get out of college. Plus, most schools have a loan program for a computer which carries a very low interest rate.
4. Get wireless. Even if a student doesn't think they'll use it, they will eventually, and they will end up using it a lot. 802.11b/g/whatever is just too convenient.
5. Check with your University about software pricing. If the school has a good site licensing program, you can avoid buying any software bundle options with the laptop.
As far as platform, I've been a big Mac fan ever since the dual-USB (white) iBooks came out and OS X went to 10.1. The current iBooks and Powerbooks, in my opinion, are the best laptop designs on the market. Sleek and stylish with OS 10.x, it's a great mobile computer. I ditched my 12" iBook for a 15" Powerbook, and while I love the 15" widescreen, I often miss the footprint of the 12" design.
For the Mac-phobic people, I simply point to Dell or Gateway and tell them to run XP Professional (not Home!).
And no matter what you pick, always buy through the educational store/catalog. I've noticed that service tends to be better if the laptop was purchased under the edu program.
If I were an incoming college freshman again (God forbid), I'd get a 12" Powerbook and build a low budget x86 workstation (for gaming... err... a backup system... Nah, for gaming).
with all this concern about hardware, whatabout software? my only saving grace is a search function on my PDA(palm). but I hate it's catagories being limited to only one section deep.
But honestly.. any machine or hardware that doesn't allow you to scan though notes and find a subject heading, is equivilant to paper. personally (and probably alone in this) I use the brain to keep note type data. searchable and VERY quickly structureable.
Anyone else found some good software for note taking and organizing (other than notepad and folders)?
As for the hardware, laptops are great, but unless it boots instantly, has a long battery life, and can jot notes like a tabletPC i'd find it more of a hinderance. and since college students can't afford a tabletpc, it seems we are back to palm type devices with a keyboard.
THE WORLD IS GOING TO END!!!! eventually.
Okay, I have a notebook too (2.9lb sony vaio bought on the cheap). If you're gonna buy a notebook, go for one of the slower (850 mhz) small ones... It'll do you good, and you can usualyl get them for around $1000 or so.
More important that the notebook, GET A DIGITAL CAMERA (At least 2 Megapixels). Why? You can use to to take photos of notes on the blackboard, of your paper notes, you can take photos of book information instead of spending time to write the info down, etc, etc. Then, depending on which way your copy-privilege door swings, you can also use it in place of a copier for the overpriced course-packets.
My best investment thus far, I'm afraid (Minotla Dimage X).
get iRiver IFP-390T player. So small that it fits in palm of your hands, runs on 1 AA battery for over 20 hours, plays MP3 and Windows Media files, and records lectures with direct MP3 encoding. You can also hook up any audio input to it's Line-in and it will directly encode to MP3. It also has built-in FM tuner and recorder.
It also acts as a portable hard disk and can be attached to the keychain.
But best thing is ability to record hours of lectures in MP3 and then move to your computer via USB.
The best thing I bought ever...
IFP-390T Website
User reviews on CNET
If you don't practice writing, you'll get screwed when it comes to the 1.5hr essay-based final (and maybe multiple during the course of the same day).
So you're sitting at the test, trying to put the answers down on paper, and your hand starts cramping up. Not to mention that you have to write slower than you normally do, so that it's actually legible for the teacher to grade. And your spelling sucks, as you've gotten so dependant upon spell check.
Some people forget about the features in a pad. And although the teacher may put all of his powerpoint slides online, it's the teacher who writes the tests, so pay attention to him, not the slides.
Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
They have, depending on the model, close to full functionality of a laptop - which is much better than a rarely used pda. They have wireless access, and TabletOS comes with some really good handwritting recognition software (I showed 99% accuracy with no training when trying to write even somewhat legibly). The journal is a great way to take notes in class.
I had the benefit of being able to use one at work for a while, and I was dying for meetings to go to where I could easily jot down notes and pictures and convert my notes to text where neccesary.
Highlighting and editing notes afterwords is great, no more losing notes to spilled drinks, once written you can never change it, or pointless notetaking.
Also, with a docking station and display the tablet pc pretty much becomes a desktop system. While you wouldn't want to play brand new games on it (just as you wouldn't play them on a laptop), they are still powerfull enough for just about every other use.
Recent improvements in graphics drivers, hardware, and support from OS make the Tablet PC much more attractive than anything else like it I have seen.
The downsides are 1) Expensive and 2) Not enough gfx power for the latest games.
Thats just my opinion.
I was first dreaming about an Alphabook2, predecessor of the AlphaBook1...but until then, I settled for an ES40. Of'course, you all think I'm smoking crack for toting a 100lb ES40 around my college...let me explain how I smoked the crack! It's all about supressing it at the right moment. You see, most so-called "teachers" say you can only use electronic means to assist note taking and only if you are qualified whereas you are in-fact disabled. Well, after the first meeting to that asshole college administrator, I went back home and had my little brother watch me smoke crack until my arms and legs turned blue, then to put bleach in my koolaid and spill it on my shirt before the ambulance arrived. My success? Yes sireee! I am now an operator of one of those quadraplegic tanks and my trusty ol' 64bit supercomputer, an Alpha ES40, is fastened right behind my chair! I'm the talk of the school of all the nerds and all the horny cheerleaders. Why the cheerleaders, you ask? Because everyone knows that a 64bit sex monkey IT guy willing to deprive his body's external organs of oxygen is obviously hung like a horse. I got 64bits, for crying out loud! Look at me! I'm on top500.org! nobody alive can reach my quadword length! Thus, cheerleaders swarm around me because I'm non-fertile and they want to be hammered! Those girls, they want that wheeney! That's why they mostly hang with jokes^H^H^H^HJocks. Horny^H^H^H^H^HCheerleaders know jocks are nonfertile from how much steroid they pump themselves up with, so they know they can't get pregnant. I'm the real thing...a 64bit horsehung quadword computer jocky! C'mon ladies, check my data rate! First ride is free, afterwards it's a buy-one-ride get-one-ride-free sorta deal!
It's the condom of computing and colleges are the Bangkok of computer STD's.
the major advances in civilization are processes which all but wreck the societies in which they occur - A.N. White
I was in a similar situation, and after attending one semester I decided that I wanted a laptop because it suited my needs as a college student living fairly far away from his apartment.
;)
Also, my old PII 266 was making some very interesting noises everytime I booted her up, and she was definitely in need of retirement
I wanted a laptop that would basically serve as a desktop replacement, so I got a Dell Inspiron 5100. The battery life is roughly 3 1/2 hours with a 15" screen, and I've been very happy so far this summer. It's heavy, yes, but I really don't care too much about the weight.
I'd do what others have done, though, and try the paper and pencil route first. I bought this laptop because I was already going to buy a computer anyways. Laptops are much better suited to the needs of a college student.
Also, as far as note taking, that's a personal issue. I have TERRIBLE handwriting, so a laptop really helps me.
Also, I'm an International Relations major which means I'm taking a lot of poli sci courses. Poli Sci professors have a tendancy to talk so fast it's IMPOSSIBLE to write down everything they say, so the laptop REALLY helps me out in class.
Well, I don't have time to write much else (off to class...), so I hope that helped!
Apple laptops are actually cheaper than most of the Wintel ones, and comes with tons of powerful programming tools and best-of-class apps such as iTunes, iPhoto, iMovie, iDVD, iChat, iSync, iCal, Mail, Safari, etc.
Best of all, you get the best looking and rock solid UNIX machine that runs thousands of open source programs and MS Office plus lots of professional and consumer software from Adobe, Macromedia, Corel, OmniGroup, and more.
I am a professional software designer and use a 700 MHz iBook for all C++ / Java programming and graphics and Web design. Don't let anyone tell you that the iBook is not fast enough, I am very happy with mine. It's virtually silent, and the battery life is great. I love the instant sleep and wake up feature, and use it more than 10 hours a day.
But if you can afford it, buy the 12" PowerBook with BlueTooth and faster wireless (54 mbps 802.11g), and maybe the SuperDrive for burning DVD.
Whatever you do, just keep clear of Windows - it's boring and full of security flaws.
Get a cable lock for every major component of your setup. If you have a desktop model with a flat screen, secure them both with cable locks. Having a cable lock on the main CPU box also tends to keep the unit closed so RAM and the processor stay put.
Invest in some serious eye-bolts, run through the wall or set firmly into the floor. A little covert drilling to get those eye-bolts firmly secured is absolutely necessary, otherwise your table leg will just end up broken off or your bedframe broken.
Each cable comes with 2 keys, take the spare and label it clearly and leave it with your parents or friends off campus. That way if you lose your keys, you can get the second set sent to you. Never leave your copy of the keys lying around in your desk drawer, otherwise your cables are just one more thing to be easily stolen.
Spilling guinness is a major faux-pas, you must be more careful with your drinks.
the AC
Hemos is like...sci-fi fans;he thinks technology is cool, but he hasn't bothered to understand the science it's based on
My curiculum called for many hours in the physical computer lab as opposed to coding at home, so my personal computer didn't matter as much.
My PDA came in very handy. Remembering meetings and due dates, plus that handly little alarm...all this for under $150. A very useful tool for those of use whose memory is shot to hell.
I'll be returning to school this summer to finish up my degree... I'm not returning without a tablet PC.
Current generation of tablet PCs are not powerful enougth to be my main machine(at least for me) but I'm still willing to shell out $2000 for it. I heard that Acer already has their 2nd generation tablets out and their 3rd generation is coming out in the winter. Other manufacturers are will be coming out with their 2nd generation tablets very soon.
Tablet PCs give the perfect medium to take all the notes you'd ever want.
1) It's great for liberal arts courses because you can type 60~80wpm.
2) It allows you to take notes in Math and Chemistry...
3) In addition to having your reports and personal library on hand, you can make notes directly on each article.
4) You can color code your notes without any hassle.
5) They're powerful enough for most people to use as their main machine.
6) Franklin Covey has awesome personal planners so your tablet pc can help keep track of schedules, addresses and much more~
What more could you ask for? Although there's a note-taking software, M$ is developing OneNote and more tools are becoming available.
In my second year at college, and I currently have a home-desktop machine that I use for most CPU / power intensive tasks, like burning, etc. and then a light, PentiumIII older laptop that I carry with me to classes, etc. It works nicely for the most part. I highly reccomend getting a laptop however. Having a desktop as well is a bit of an added luxury / bonus. Pencil / paper is generally the best way to take notes still - but occasionally the laptop comes in handy.
For notes, nothing beats the Paper and Pen system. You can edit, revise, and imput in a non-linear fashion. You can do such without annoying your classmates. As most notes will never be looked over again anyway, it is a great form of muscle memory that other imput sources just can't match.
For scheduling, a PDA. A $100 clie should be just fine, with a protective case of some sort.
Timmy should bring a bike, too. Don't buy Timmy a car, or else he will discover drinking, dancing, and dating. He'll probably also get a job, take up hobbies... Basically he will mature and have a real life. But you want them to study all of the time, so keep them on campus with a bicycle.
Timmy needs a whiteboard to communicate with his roommates. F2F interaction can be so daunting, and it's much easier to write "If you have to study at 6 in the morning on a Saturday, turn the #@*$ing radio off," than it is to pull yourself out of your hangover long enough to be comprehensibly annoyed.
Likewise, a Cellular phone with free nationwide long distance is a lot cheaper than a landline, especially when Timmy discoveres the love of his life is a graduate student of Journalism at Colombia University in New York City. Besides, that way you might actually have a chance of speaking to your cutie-wootie widdle child, rather than his roommate who can only speak in Simpsons quotes.
If a laptop is too pricey for our little Timmy, look into a USB keychain drive. Assuming the campus lab people only disable the running of executables and not the mounting of drives, you can keep a lot of papers on a 128MB partition.
Our Timmy is obviously going to be spending a lot of time at the lab... He needs a portable Swedish Foam pillow. Hardworking college students need to get the idea that they will be sleeping in labs, between classes, at the library, at binges... Basically there is no reason for a college student to actually be in their room. And neck pains kill productivity, so a good portable pillow is worth it's weight in percocets.
Speaking of percocets, you might want to give your child an ACLU approved booklet of what to do when you get arrested.
The ______ Agenda
In order to keep track of what I had to do, I threw together a PHP HomeworkTracker that I used until I learned the patterns for each class (e.g. homeworks due Tuesday, next one out Thursday). The interface is crude, but it does support multiple users on the same server. Maybe someone can take this and improve on it.
Obviously some people will not remember to put their stuff into the tracker, but for me, that was not really a problem.
My server
If you really want to get the most out of your college experience, you'll leave all your gadgets at home. Those commercials you see on television in which people buy new mobile phones and suddenly get beautiful friends - that's a lie. I just finished my first year of college. I have a TI-89, a PDA, a mobile phone (with camera), an mp3 player, a minidisc player, a laptop, and two desktops. Although I am a computer science major, I can truthfully say that most of these gadgets serve one purpose - to annoy me - and have actively played a role in preventing me from socializing with other people, which is a HUGE reason (if not the only reason) to actually go to college instead of staying home and reading textbooks. Are you really going to keep an electronic calendar? If so, do you realize that everytime you have to schedule an 'appointment', you'll be fishing one of the above gadgets out of your rucksack and messing about with it? As for a laptop in the classroom - don't do it! All it does is distract you. The best thing to do is to take a notebook and a pen, and NOTHING else. Trust me on this. Your fellow classmates do NOT want to be interrupted because you forgot to turn your mobile phone off. Besides, anything you take in there, you'll be playing with. You may not believe this, but consider: On a recent day in one of my CS classes, about 30% of the students brought a laptop to class. I casually took a visual survey of what they were doing - only one was actually typing something that looked like notes. The others were surfing the web, chatting on IM (severe affliction - the prime reason NOT to bring a gadget to class), and several were even playing Counterstrike! The electronic classroom is a myth, folks - don't believe the hardware companies when they tell you it's the future. It's not, if you want to learn anything. So, as I've said - if you want to make the most of your college experience, leave the gadgets at home. They aren't worth it.
Back when I was in highschool, the fukn teachers expected us to use the Texas Instruments Graphics Calculators model TI-80 and recent. Mine was stolen in Physics class, bought another, and was stolen again. In MicroBiology class, the students would play blackjack, poker, pong, and tetris; even multiplayer over the cable when the teacher was looking, and would lie to the teacher saying they're transfering data to be computed and an analysis rendered in vector graphics form representing the data...
Mind you, these were Texas Instruments calculators, the ones that had a whopping 32K of data storage, with a mutated form of BASIC as if someone wanted to play with a third testicular tumor. I hate the world. The only things teachers do with their "class requirments" is cause pain; all-in-all, thiefs of the school district (teachers, asshole students, same thing) forced me to spend $250 in calculators over 2 years. I finally pissed off the teachers and the thiefs who stole my Texas Instruments graphing calculators by purchasing a Radio Shack graphing calculator at half the cost...I figured those sucked so hard they wouldn't be allowed to be used...guess again, that one was stolen. I hate the world.
PS: Before anyone replies with question whether I live in Australia (hence all the theft)...NO, I live in Huntington Beach--California--USA
Sheeeeit! A Powerbook for a buck sixty? Hoogly moogly, I'm heading over to the Apple Store right now. ...
Hey.... wait a minute...
At Mississippi State I mostly used the Furthurnet program for sharing losslessly encoded live music (with the artists consent. (Dead, phish, etc)). I frequently downloaded over a gig a day, and with a bunch of shares I uploaded over 10g daily. never a word from the admins. you might not be so lucky, but be prepared running out of space sucks.
I would recommend a laptop but not necessarily for taking notes. I remember many a class in college where boredom would soon become an issue and made me wish I had a laptop to have something intersting to do. It also makes the professor seem like you are doing something important while you're really just playing around.
Browse the Information Directory
Get a laptop. An old laptop. Install the weirdest OS you can find that has a networking stack. Make sure you have a couple of battaries that hold a charge so you can take it to the library, coffee shop or lobby while your roommate is busy contracting and spreading chlamydia, or whatever STD is popular on your campus.
Here's the reasoning: you want to make sure that you cannot play games on your computer. You know as well as I do that if you can play games, you will. Intead of doing your homework. I know whole Counter Strike clans that failed out of expensive private universty educations. You must avoid this fate at all costs.
Sound lame? Yeah, it is. But think of it this way. You (or your parents, or the government) is/are paying tens of thousands dollars a year to send you to a place where you can aquire an education. It's very likely that this is the only shot you're going to get, and that if you screw up bad enough, you've got a rewarding carrear in burger flipping.
That doesn't mean that you shouldn't have fun; on the contrary, you should have as much fun as you can. But, keep in mind that you are packed into a tiny, grubby place with thousands of other people your age, some of whom are worth getting to know. Keep in mind that there are proffesors and staff who've dedicated their lives to educating punks like you. Keep in mind that there is probably an interesting city or town to explore. Keep in mind that there is probably a gym that's flat-out better than any fitness company you could find that you can just use, for free. And you're probably miserably out of shape. Keep in mind that there is probably a world-class library crammed with books you should have already read by now. Exploit all of these things to the maximum extent permitted by hours in the day and callories in your diet, and maybe you'll get your money's worth.
As much as I like video games, they are mutually exclusive with these goals.
So, get an old laptop. Resist the urge to splurge on anything more ostentatious than a Pentium II 500. Your friends will laugh at it. Tell them you're poor, and that they should fuck off. Instead of playing games, amuse yourself with your creaky old hardware by hacking cool software. Or whatever you like, so long as you're creating something. You don't need fancy-pants graphics to run vim, screen, ssh, gcc, mutt, LaTeX and xterm. You might need a little more oomph for javac, or mzscheme, perl, or the like if your classes need 'em. Gaim, naim, or ICQ if it improves your social life. xmms, but don't go nuts on the P2P networks. It's a waste of your time. If your roommate wants to waste their time, mooch of of him or her.
Trust me. If you think you need anything else, you need to re-evaluate your goals.
In spite of the suggestions and all the tests that I have made, I have not cavato a spider from the hole.
For years in HS I heard teachers strict and cool bleet the same old line: "You must get organized or you'll FAIL in college!" Terrifying, every teacher can't be wrong, right? Well I tried with varying degrees of success to get myself organized but in all honesty I often grab the wrong note book or don't really realize how much time is usually passing so I run late, forget to check organizers, don't look at my watch for 3 days, show up missing stuff, etc. So finally 2nd semester senior year I threw caution to the wind and tried an experiment in DISorganization. What I did was this: I got a trpper-keeper like 3 ring binder and a bunch of paper. Affixed my generic weekily schedule to the inside cover and did not separate notes from classes. I'd go from one class to the other and just continue taking notes (and I take lots of notes) on the same page. The system worked great for me I never lost stuff everything was in one spot and I only ever needed to carry around one binder. So I suppose my point is this, don't necessarily buy into the "fact" that you must be organized, if you are naturally disorganized by classical standards go with it. There are some disciplines in which disorganized people flourish.
You brought up a good point about site licenses. I'm only going to be a sophomore, but I found out my school had site licenses via its MSDN academic subscription. For us, it's just developer tools, but that includes XP Home/Pro. But still, if you want to save on money.. ask your school if they offer software and what titles they have in case you plan on buying the same thing.
I suggest a 12" iBook or Powerbook, it's the perfect size -- super portable, and non-distracting if you want to use it to take notes in a class.
An iPod is also a nice accessory -- it will replace any need for a portable CD player and collection of CDs -- and it can store calendar/address book.
I don't suggest a PDA. I had one, never used it. I used a regular paper planner. I found it eaiser.
One reason why I suggest not bringing some uber-powerful computer or laptop, because then you'll be tempted to sit around playing games and such all time and missing out on the social atmosphere and such.
Also, some sort of calculator would help. I had my trusty TI-86.
"We shall show mercy, but we shall not ask for it" -- Winston Churchill
What can I say. It was free and it runs Linux like a champ, aside from a needing trivial patch to the kernel source to prevent it from thinking it's running on a PIII. And it does the job.
In spite of the suggestions and all the tests that I have made, I have not cavato a spider from the hole.
Hint #1: Don't waste your money on a laptop. Spend your money on a good desktop and a high-quality monitor.
Hint #2: Resist the (strong) temptation to install computer games. During my freshman year at Vanderbilt, something like 1/5th of the guys on my dorm did not return for their sophomore year due to bad grades. Nearly every one of these guys (and I was one of them) spent hours a day screwing off on pointless games like SimFarm and Quake and this was back before dorm rooms were networked.
Hint #3: If it's crap, don't bring it to college with you. You'll find that certain dorm rooms tend to be centers of social life. If you want your friends to hang out in yours, make it sophisticated and tasteful. If you can fit it in your room, buy a couch and some cool lighting. My RA built a really cool elevated bunkbed thing above his couch and it held a 40 gallon freshwater aquarium at one end. It was sweet. Invest in a good stereo and TV if you can afford it.
Hint #4: Drink with your friends but not to extreme excess. Stay away from drugs. You'll probably regret your choice someday if you choose to use them.
have fun and work hard.
I'm suprised that people feel this way. I was exposed to ideas that would be tough to find outside the university atmosphere, philosophy, poltics, history. It would be very difficult to dig through all the material of any subject just to get a good enough bibliography just to understand most of the material without the professors and fellow students. I think a college education is like everything else, you take from it what you want. I learned Latin and Spanish, I studied art history, criminal justice, history ? especially about the Middle East ? creative writing, the history of the English language, etc. In fact I enjoyed it so much, I'm going back. If you go for a diploma then its a means to an ends, but I think there's so much more out there, but most students just want to get through. Plus think of all the exposure to beaurcratic haggling, that's worth a degree in and of itself. Just for the original question: I use Pen and Paper, then transcribe things to my Powerbook 15" which I've had almost two years. I use my iPod and CD-Rs to back up data, and I carry it everywhere. I like just having a single device that holds most things and I use my own little scripts to keep track of stuff. Plus the keyboard can't be beat for banging out papers, and then w/ OSX hooking into a printer almost anywhere.
Anyone who whines about being modded down should be.
Can you name one college student who enjoys lacking funds!
Restore America: Dr. Ron Paul for President!
Over the Christmas break, I inherited a friend's laptop because it had stopped working, and his parents promptly bought him a newer, better one. I fixed the old one as best I could, and despite a funky LCD and a bad power source, I kept it running for the next 30 months (the CD-ROM died after 6 months, and I kept Windows 98 up -- problem free and virus free -- for the next two years ... go me!).
For the next four semesters, it was made ridiculously obvious that taking notes on paper is ridiculously inefficient. I can write maybe 20 words per minute at best, and my hand cramps up. I can type maybe 150 words per minute, and my hands never get tired! That, and I had dictionary and encyclopedia software installed for on-the-fly simple research. I didn't have to flip through several pages of notebook paper scouring for information -- a quick CTRL+F and I can find any subject I've studied. Oh, and copies were much easier. I could email my notes to friends for studying, and they can copy or highlight/emphasize the text they need most... And writing papers? Just copy my thoughts out of my notes and work them into coherent essays. CTRL+C is much easier than, well, the old way...
As for keeping up with little things, I've found that a combination of Outlook's calendar (or any other program with Outlook's calendar features) and a pocket calendar-booklet kept me on track, but most of the time they were only useful for reinforcement. I relied on memory to get most of my assignments done.
I guess the point here is that the portability and utility of a laptop is very desirable. When my friend's old laptop finally kicked the bucket in March, I had already ordered a new one (coincidence? luck?), and it has been the best investment I've made in quite a while. Nothing like keeping my notes, homework, and music in my backpack...
Short, short version: I recommend getting a laptop, unless you don't expect to take notes very often.
It really depends on the user, but the key is finding your information and recovering from crashes/computer left/WW3 on your dorm room, etc. Most people find that taking notes on paper is the easiest fastest way. They don't boot up, they don't crash, etc.
I wonder if a tablet PC, one of the models with a keyboard, would help. Type the notes and then when you get to a diagram just sketch it in. I have no experence with them so I can't say if there really all there cracked up to be.
As for me I take paper and pen notes (if you can manage not to lose one, buy a nice pen), and write asignments and meetings down in a Palm III I bought freshman year. Back in the room I have a Windows PC for games and Word, and a headless Pentium 200Mhz Linux box as a file server for music and movies and writing all of my delicious Perl programs.
Having good networking software set up can really save you in a jam, install VNC on all of you computers and put a copy of the client program on a network share you can get to. If you set up properly secured network shares you can get to your files from any machine on campus so if you forget to bring you paper just print it out in a lab. Also if you can find a copy of Exceed (a rootless X server for windows) you can save your self tons of trips to the CS department labs.
I find most profesors don't care about laptops, but a lot of CS professors (the kind that talk about punchcards) don't like you touching computers in the lab classrooms. If you bring your own they don't care though. As long as you tell them "I'm taking my notes on the computer" they don't mind.
...
That's the sound of oodles of slashdot readers laughing in your face at your outdated keyboard policy. Between this and your pizza policy you've almost formed your own little classroom dictatorship.
At my alma matter, the student lounge (aka "the pit") was probably the safest place to have a laptop--we had one guy who would leave his there ALL DAY and he had no reason to worry about it walking off. No lock, no password--in fact, passersby who knew this guy would frequently surf the web a little bit or check e-mail.
Why? Besides the fact that it was old, we all trusted each other. Even if you didn't know somebody by name, you recognized them from seeing them around the engineering building every day. No need to lock up the laptop, somebody was always there who would keep an eye on it while you went to class, ran to see an instructor, whatever.
The library was another story. You can bet that I kept my laptop tethered to the table, a nearby water pipe, whatever, when I made my rare journeys to the library. Nothing happened in the engineering building; it all happened in the library or on the liberal arts side of campus.
To stray back on topic: get a laptop. Dorm rooms are small enough as it is, and a laptop will save valuable desktop space and allow you to work elsewhere on campus when your roommate is on the verge of driving you batty.
Government's idea of a balanced budget: take money from the right pocket to balance...oh who am I kidding?
And we LIKED it!
Since they don't have any games anyway... ok ok, WC III... but still nothing so addictive as Counter-Strike
Really, all you need is a swiss army knife like macgyver! You can then build your PC out of scrap metal scavenged from cafeteria silverware and ramen noodle containers.
You won't be too cool to take notes in class you'll be too stoned to even attend them.
Pay more attention to getting a nice desktop rig, with lots of hd space so you can be the man for having the network share with the most pr0n.
But don't actually waste time using it, unlike what they say, the party doesn't have to stop after frosh week.
Oh, I guess for summer school you'll probably want to stick to pen and paper, its really the only fast, effective and convenient way to remember important things once your memory goes.
First, laptops are cool. I own one. I wouldn't make it my machine for school though. The interface of a desktop is just that much nicer for something I'd be dealing with all the time.
The real reason for not getting a laptop is simpler though. A dorm is not a place I'd leave several thousand dollars sitting on my desk. That is excactly what you are doing when you leave your laptop there when you go to the bathroom. The other option, locking your door all the time or securing the laptop while out is plausible although unlikely. My freshmen year, our door didn't get quite shut before we went to sleep and in the middle of the night someone came in and swiped my roomate's CDs. Better CDs than a computer!
Space, the big consideration! I didn't do this, but my brother did and I think it's great. Shift some of your cash away from a beefy computer and get a nice flat panel monitor. Your desk will be too small. Save space on it with a flat monitor while still having a large enough monitor to manage projects that have data/essay pages/drawings on in differant windows and simultaneously viewable.
Taking notes: Laptops generally suck at note taking. If you're gonna type in everything that's said you might as well bring a tape recording to class. I never did that but it isn't a bad idea. Lot's of the most interesting things you'll be discussing will involve diagrams or graphs or other hard to type items. Notebooks and pen and paper are simply the best for this. Someone will say something about Palms here, but I firmly believe the Palm type interface is too slow for notetaking. With the added keyboard you might have success but I doubt it.
A few things could reverse my position on laptops. One would be if you had no interest in games. The second would be if you had the cash or insurance to replace a stolen laptop and consistently moved your files elsewhere. Remember that when your laptop is stolen, your 20 page paper is stolen along with it. Third would be prolific presence and use of ethernet jacks in the classroom. With these, professors can push you notes and examples while lecturing. This is likely a common model for a future classroom but was far from full implementation at my university (University of Colorado - Boulder School of Engineering and Applied Sciences). Fourth would be the advent of really awesome tablet Pcs.
Last summer I decided I was tired of the P120 Mhz windows box and needed something new. So, I spent $200 dollars on a linux kit to make my Playstation 2 more useful. I've moved fewer and fewer things to college each year I return and the Playstation now helps this. I use it as a CD Player, Game rig, NES (with PS2pad support), email client, web browser, word processor, mp3 player, porn archive, DVD Player, internet radio. All I need now is a lcd monitor with a built in tv tuner to reduce my required dorm hardware to two pieces.
As far as class notes go; pencil and paper. You can easily remeber where specific notes are relative to each other and if you use three ring binders with loose leaf paper they are easy to reorganize and insert related homework in with notes. I have to turn in all of my MechE work on engineering paper anyway so you might as well learn how to write.
My twin sister purchased a iBook to do her architecture work and regrets it all the time; she should have gotten the Ti for her Form Z work, which is a little more intensive than note taking.
I am about to start a medicine degree and i ablsolutely agree withyou that you dont want games. Problem is that anything old enough to limit games is also going to be (in laptop years) too old to be reliable. My Toshiba celeron 300 would be my first choice - if it still worked!!
I figure that an Ibook with a 3 year extended warantee is my best bet as it is small and not too fast, and runs MACOSX which is not a game friendly as windows.
If you have any other reliable options i would love to hear them.
m
My humble opinion is that if you have a computer already, go to college with that. Give yourself a few weeks to see how everything works out. If you're like me, you'll find that a good desktop is all you'll need. Computers were plentiful in the campus labs, so I could easily work away from my room, and I could access my computer from anywhere in any case.
Now, the coolness factor of wireless access all over campus might've tipped the scales in favor of getting a laptop. But, we didn't have that at the University of Michigan by the time I graduated last year.
If you don't have a computer already, I don't know what to tell you. It depends on your budget and how eager you are to make the decision right now. IF you can, I'd still wait. It won't kill you to be without a computer for a week. Besides, maybe you can get good deals through your University (maybe).
You don't need a computer at college. They provide them for you. Using the ones at the school will make you less sedentary, less likely to mess around with things other than your assignments, and manage your time better.
Seriously, try it for a year while leaving your PC at home. Involve yourself with clubs, social activity, and extra studying in your spare time. Make enough friends and involve yourself in enough activities and the computer becomes nothing more than a tool to be used for assignments.
First, take a close look at what you will be using your laptop for. Writing an assignment, taking to the library, probably most of all, taking notes in class (pens are dead...). The best and cheapest way to do this is via a desktop computer in the dorm and a nice, compact, cheap, palm pilot and keyboard combo. See here's me buying one on ebay for $12.12, can't go wrong (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ite m=3025884957&category=29851&rd=1). A laptop is so much more expensive; it's simply overkill.
I use my Powerbook a ton at school. It is an extremely versitile machine. With its wifi card I get internet all over campus, not to mention near apartments all around campus that aren't locked dow. I don't do the PDA or any fancy note taking, though I do have my laptop with me almost all the time. Sometimes I use it for notes and writing down my assignments...but I find a good old fashioned notebook is the best way for me to stay organized sometime.
Definately look into your school's wifi network though!
Could Jesus microwave a burrito so hot that he himself cou
Most manfacturers sell pretty good "office" computers at great prices. You don't get a dozen expansion bays or a Geforce 4, but you get a solid computer that is designed to last for a good number of years. Most of them already have 10/00 cards (although these are becoming more standard) in them. Plus, most of these computers have room for enough expansion that you can meld them to fit your interests. If you're into games, you probably already have a computer with the parts you need or have them in your parents machine. They aren't going to need your GeForce 4 or CD-RW, so just take them out and swap them with parts from the office machine. Your parents most likely will never notice the difference. So once you're done salvaging parts, you have a fast computer that suits your needs, and the computer you're leaving at home is fine for most anything your parents need to do. You save about 500 bucks in the process which is much better used to go partying when you get to college. P.S. Don't be that guy who sits in class with his Palm keyboard clicking away. Nobody likes that guy. That guy doesn't get any girls.
It's not stupid. It's advanced.
Screw it, buy the biggest, baddest Alienware you can afford. Anyone can run a compiler, but you my friend will be able to do it while burning a CD and playing Half-Life 2 at 60 FPS.
Anything you might ever need to say about anything has already been said better by Penny Arcade.
Sorry, but I have to disagree with the slant against video games, or at least against video games combined with education.
:o)
When I have that evil performance review or testing document to write, and I've got writer's block, and I'm about to kick my screen in because Word wants to "think" for me for the 302nd time, a good session with Sonic is just the thing. Platformers aren't cutting it that day? No problem. Break out SOE, or play some GTA3 and run over people.
Most any decent emulator (MAME, dgen, gens, ePSXe) can work on older hardware. Besides, if folks took your advice to its logical conclusion, they'd write their own emulator so they can play Scorched Earth or Jill of the Jungle anyway.
I think the trick to staying sane, having fun AND passing all your classes is moderation.
So bring the ghetto laptop that doesn't cost a lot, yet runs anything. Don't make the mistake of leaving the PS2 or GC at home, tho. You will regret it.
--
Me spell chucker work grate. Need grandma chicken.
When I got into college was when the 486 DX2-66 was the hottest thing out there (okay, so that wasnt *that* long ago, but that still makes me older than some of you, right?). I went in with my old 286, some single-digit-clockspeed clunker without a case cover (it managed to get torn off at some point). I figured I'd use it just for typing things up and email. None of the current games would run on it.
Strangely enough, I did have a copy of Wolfenstein 3d installed it, which I almost never played since it made me rather nauseous. However, a kid on the same floor happened to stop by one of the few times I had it loaded up.
From that moment on, he would come a-knocking at all times of day, all times of night, sometimes even at four in the morning, asking if he could play Wolfenstein.
"Can I play wolfingthing?!?"
"Hey, you using your computer? I wanna do that pow pow yeah hahahaha thing you know, the guys some German thing! hahaha!"
"Ah, you're not sleeping, are you? Hey, I'm gonna hop on your computer and play that Worfespang thing, don't worry, I'll turn the sound low and won't wake you up."
...and he would sit and laugh maniacally and smash on my keyboard for hours at a time. Sure, we tried to tell him we were busy, but he always found a way. Always.
...and that's how I got into computers. I spent so much time writing little executables to replace Wolf3d.exe that would make it seem as if my computer was having the most incredible, fantastic, epileptic conniptions that... hey, actually, it didn't teach me anything useful other than how to make a 286 bleep and freak out.
I don't know what kind of work you are doing at school, but I've put together a web log chronicling my experiences using a Mac at the Harvard Business School: the Mac Experiment.
This is a pipe dream, but...
How about scheduling all the classes at a sane time (like... after 10:00am)? That way, only the laziest would miss the classes.
But alas, school seems to be about pressing everyone into the 8-5 mantra. I know if I had my way, I wouldn't show to work before noon, but I also wouldn't leave before 09:00pm or so.
--
Me spell chucker work grate. Need grandma chicken.
I went to Clarkson '88. We were the 2nd class required to have a computer. Supplied w/ your dorm key & part of your tuition. Clarkson was the 1st college to have computers for every student in '83.
;-) It costs a bit more, but for school, it's worth it!
Anyways, notes on paper are best for classroom. You can get all the words, diagrams, charts, and formulas on them. I assume most profs still use the chalkboard. We had projection screens, but they really didn't offer more then chalkboard or overheads. Maybe times have changed.
Everyone had a computer & used the college supplied software. If the college has a standard, use it. If everyone else uses it it's easier to collaborate. Plus the school has discounts.
I vote for a laptop with a good lock, a backpack to put it in that doesn't look like it has a backpack, and an extra power cord to keep in the bag. Get a backpack that's good for other things.
I prefer a laptop to a desktop. You're going to want to go to the library to study. Or someone else's room. Or in your bed. Or while on a trip home. Or someplace away from your loud dormmates having a party the night before an exam
I watch a few "hot deals" websites for parts and computers. There are some great deals if you're going to buy parts, or just buy a whole computer. If you wait for a few months, eventually you'll spot a great deal.
The two best that I watch are Passwird and Dealnews. I'm sure there will be some good stuff before the summer is over!
definently the best option is paper and pen. Or nothing at all. I always found that the classes I did best in were the ones where I just sat back and listened to the professor rather than trying to keep notes on everything he said. (in computer science) it's all about understanding the theory and applying the logic -- you need to use your brain not your cpu :)
If you're going to a private "geek" university, pick up a decent laptop (with wireless if your school supports it) and a pile of extra batteries (and an external charger if possible). Laptops are damned near fashion accessories at many private universities. Bonus style points for a Powerbook. Go ahead and use it to take notes: everyone else will, and the professors (in the tech classes, at least) will often be wearing microphones to be heard over the typing. Really.
If you're going to a public university, the rules are different. Spent the money on a good monitor and an okay PC. Got an awesome custom case? Leave it at home. See if you can ram your PC into a POS Packard-Bell case scavanged from the neighbor's trash, and throw a brick in the bottom for good measure. Cover the monitor (not the vents!) and PC case with stickers to crap it up. You want this thing to scream "too crappy to steal!" Use a composition book (the kind with stitched pages) for each class. No laptops: the clicking will piss off your classmates. No spiral-bound notebooks: you will crush the spiral wire and end up switching notebooks mid-semester.
Regardless of university: get a small, cheap PDA. Don't use it for notes. Use it as an alarm/calendar and carry it everywhere. Set an alarm for 15 minutes before each class and recitation, and an alarm for two hours before each homework assignment is due: you want to allow time for the "Oh, shit!" followed by an emergency trip to your dorm/apartment to pick it up or (if you completely forgot) time to put something quick and shoddy together so that you can get partial credit. For major projects, put a reminder in for a week before it's due so that you can ask questions, get missing materials, etc. from the professor. Oh, yeah: sync religiously. Since you'll be packing this thing everywhere, you're going to lose or destroy at least one of them (beer and PDAs are mortal enemies).
Get a printer. Speed doesn't matter, but if you have a roommate, noise does. Whenever you want to print, so does the rest of the campus. Always keep an extra ream of paper and extra ink on hand.
Forward, retransmit, or republish anything I say here. Just don't misquote me.
There is now software that will print out additional pages for large projects, as well as identifying your values and synch with PDA's and Outlook should you need it. Outlook is great for setting appointments and communication but nothing beats a Franklin Planner for setting goals and reaching them!
Of course, you'll need a machine to type up papers, an old laptop will do the trick, and a good quality printer like the Canon i950 if possible.
Namaste
Reading through the responses so far, some common responses resonate with me, as in "boy, that's how I should have done it during college!"
... next semester. Or when you've backed up to hard drive, or otherwise extracted the valuable bits. You might be able to sell extracts toward final exam time ;) There are also some decent-looking MP3 recorders, shame about Ogg so far though ...
...), use a keyboard that's comfy for you. It could be the one that's built into your laptop, or it could be from the $2 shelf at goodwill like the one I'm using right now. If you type a 10-page paper just once, you'll be happy to have a decent keyboard. USB PS/2 adapters are cheap, and so are PS/2 AT adapters.
;))
The things I'm listing here all require money, but need not be extravagant. (Besides which, wearing clothes takes money, eating ramen takes money, etc. Serving Suggestion, YMMV, etc, not every*thing* is for every*one*, why when I was a boy we didn't have "feet" -- we were too poor, yammina, yammina, yammina.)
1) I favor notebooks for students (iBook, ThinkPad, etc) but not for notetaking. Aside from games and recreational use, they're good for research and for typing your papers. Paper notes are often better than typed, so "laptop to class" (for notetaking purposes) is overstated in value. YM(and your Professors / classes / note-taking style)MV. However, if you have the discipline to do so, scanning your notes in (and Hey, maybe eventually retyping them) can give you a *lot* of notes very portably. If you do have a notebook, you can take all your notes with you for quickly reviewing.
2) minidisc for recording lectures. Buy a bunch of discs, don't erase anything until you're absolutely sure you ought to. Re-use them
3) Whatever computer you have to use (spankin' new Tadpole SPARCbook, borrowed junker your roommate doesn't know you're borrowing
4) Laser printer. Share it (and split the cost) with your room- / suite- / hall- or housemates. It can be a used but working old LaserJet, or whatever brand's cheap at CompUSA. My lexmark was $100, lives an easy life but has not complained yet. Check the toner once in a while, keep it in "economy" mode. Inkjets have ruined lives. Just say No! to inkjets, except for printing out high-resolution photos on $1/sheet paper. (And if you're even thinking about considering that, you better be a photo major unless you've taken care of the earlier items on this list
timothy
jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
Very true indeed.
Exactly why I do online classes. If I don't feel good one day, I can either watch my class while laying down on my couch, or wait for another day. Fast forward is definitely a must if you have one of those know-it-alls in class. Watching that one lecture you were unclear about helps a lot when studying for finals.
This space intentionally left blank.
VT100, at least that is what I needed when I went to school.
Thing is though, friend of mine who was at a state university (north carolina at charlotte) in two semseters saw maybe *one* guy taking notes in class with a laptop. I know at least two people who's parents got them laptops for college...i dont get it. Dorm rooms arent THAT small. If you can afford a laptop you can certainly afford a PC and an LCD monitor (and likely still save some money)
Furthermore, how many college students type fast enough to keep up with a professor? I use computers for hours each day and I know i couldnt keep up with some of my teachers even back from highschool, and that's not even counting math classes, where the notation is entirely different.
If you can't see the value in jet powered ants you should turn in your nerd card. - Dunbal (464142)
Depends on your classes. I'm a physics major and i found that once you get to high level math/physics, the only things that help are a clipboard, lots of pencils and lots of paper. That's it. Early on I took simpler classes where i was able to use my palm/keyboard for note taking, but now most of my notes are in the form of complex math equations and pictures, so it's kinda useless.
But remember, the point of college is NOT the classes. I go to class, do all the homework, keep a 3.5 GPA, but all of that is just a tiny speck of my time. I use to be a shy nerd, but I was willing to take a chance in college, and I definitly feel I'm a better person because of it.
Only dead fish swim with the stream...
For Computer-related majors, I'd have a laptop forso you can work on your assignments in class or between classes.
;-D ) and 89s/92s are good for everything, but might not be allowed on some tests because of exactly how much they do.
:P
For computer, math, engineering, and sciences majors, have atleast a TI-83. 83s are good for Statistics, 86s are good for Calculus and Games (
Music and art majors (minus computer graphics, ofcourse), dun worry about it.
Knoppix, 512+ mem stick.
I started out with a purple imac, which has served me well, though a lot of my friends have been less fortunate. Half way through I picked up a used latitude and wireless card, and it's been wonderful. I put linux on it to learn about it, and finished my final college paper this morning using OpenOffice.
If I could do it again, though, I'd go for an ibook. battery life is great (my latitude currently gets 45 minutes if i'm lucky, whereas my friends with bronze powerbooks still get 2-3 hours), they're small and rugged, etc. We're completely covered with wireless here (inside and out), so you can just pull it out anytime and be online. Especially in the summer, being able to write a paper sitting out on the grass is really nice.
I'd have to echo what another poster said about software though... don't spend your money until you find out what your school already has. Photoshop, Maple, Matlab, and a huge host of other products are available here, either via site licenses or a keyserver. MS office can be had from our campus store for $20 if you're a student. Talk to computing services at the school and find out what is supported (if you care about getting help when things go wrong), and what is available for free/discounts.
I go to San Jose State University as a Computer Engineering Major and live on campus. Before I left for school I picked up an iBook. With me to school I brought my desktop, and all my PC crap as well as my Hand Spring Visor (with 4.0 student). Maybe its just me being lazy but I found it much much easier to take notes with pen and paper than the ibook, and I found it much easier to record all of my assigments in the back of the notebook (opposite direction as normal) than in the handspring. If you want to record classes on your laptop I sugest bringing an external Microphone because otherwise you get a lot of great sounding key-clicks but not much of your class. While I've never been asked to turn off my laptop when I do use it the proffessors are lest trustworthy of the few people who have laptops, because they tend to believe that you're playing games or chatting on AIM/posting to slashdot. If you're going to be an Engineering Major I strongly suggest picking up a PC laptop so you can actually run stuff like Matlab and AutoCAD. The advantage to having a wireless enabled laptop mac or PC is that you can go to the library, student union, study area or just about anywhere and work on your 10 page english paper or engineering report.
Just my 2 cents...
-sonic
You just try and sue your teacher. You will be bounced out of court so fast ... Show me a reported case where a student has sucessfully sued.
What about scanning your text books and using the laptop as a book/note taker/organizer?
I started college with color-coded handwritten notes in course-specific color-coded spiral noteboooks (anal, huh?). Then my Palm Vx w/ Stowaway keyboard saved my ass when I had to write a paper and the lab was full and my desktop was 25 miles away. Now halfway through my grad program I switched to a 15" TiBook and haven't looked back. Sure battery life's gonna suck after a while (but I'm starting at 4 hrs. w/ Wi-Fi) and you gotta watch out for it "growing legs" but it's worth it.
USC Tuition: $26,000
Apple PowerBook: $2,000
E-mailing the paper that you just wrote to the prof 2 minutes before class starts, AND THEN whipping up a powerpoint presentation while others are doing there's: Priceless
You geeks know the rest (I ran out of space in the subject line).
I am a college student and I just picked up a 17 inch Powerbook. Truly a remarkable piece of machinery. The best damn computer ever. Big screen. Great Keyboard (for typing many lines of code, especially late at night with the lighted keyboard). Great OS. Not all that heavy (6.8lbs). Very Quiet. And much much more.
If you can afford it get it. It will last you a long time to come. You won't regret it.
Ha Did I Make it?
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
... a good pocket protector. This is for inkpens, #2 black warrior pencils, and two mechanical pencils. You also have a small 4 inch rule, and one ink pen has been modified into a scribe, with springs and a weighted end.. On the hip you have a nice oiled holster with the appropriate slide rule installed. For sport during zzzz inducing lectures, you lug a large dictionary that has been hollowed out, inside you have the *only* "transistor" in the entire area. You always leave with the earbud wire carefully snaked down inside your shirt to your sleeve end, for easy insertion into the radio when finally at your desk. The bud end keep tucked just below your collar, in anticipation of your "classic" studious mode you aquire at rest, carefully concealing the bud as you lean on one arm......
WHAP!!!
oh... it's 2003.....
err... ehh.. never mind... carry on lad, buy one of those mechanical brains, I hear they have gotten popular.
iBook
An iBook has everything one could want:
"Weird Al Yankovic
The world?s best jukebox featuring iPod auto-sync, 10-band equalizer and MP3 CD-burning
Making digital movies is just as easy and fun as using your iBook
Download, save, organize, share and enjoy your digital photos
Keep track of your appointments and events with multiple calendars and share them online
Impeach Bush
I have a desktop, a laptop, as well as a palm. None of them are anything special, they just work. If you're strapped for cash, laptop is definitely the way to go. I'm pretty busy, so I take my laptop with me everywhere --but not for taking notes... I only bring it around to program in between classes... I have the palm because I'm pretty active on campus (fraternity, double-majoring, on-campus job)... it keeps my appointments and interviews organized. If you're not a CS major, or you're not too involved in the campus community, there's always the option of using school labs to program while on campus so just a cheap desktop would suffice... although on-campus WiFi is definitely something you should take advantage of.
Depending on your major and your pace, you may find yourself busier than you ever imagined. I know personally, I can't even do all my work - I have to chose what I am going to do, and what I am not going to do.
I see people have breakdowns a few times each month. It's just part of being a music major. Games can be a great way to help relieve and deal with the stress.
That said - I second the recommendations, a laptop with GOOD batteries that you can work on and get stuff done (I have a 500mhz ibook that can hardly keep up with my typing - I'm more productive using it than anything) and it is so nice to go to the coffee shop and sit on the deck, and get stuff done.
Also, I have a computer in my room with afb/samba/ftp/ssh/web/ as many access points as possible. I use it to back up work from the laptop, and access and save stuff from all over campus. It's extremely useful, almost a necesity, considering all the problems people around here have with zip disks. I also use it remotely.
Also consider a variety of platforms. I have my mac laptop, linux server, and windows desktop. For my marching band class I have to use software that only runs on the mac. Saves me from the noisy lab - thank god!
So, yes go out out meet people and have fun, and remember the fitness center is not only for you to become hot, but to check out other hot people...
Have as many options open as possible. That means laptop + server + games! The works!
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
at least while a prof is lecturing. Just make sure you read the assigned reading before class and then reread the assigned readings and take notes. Then while the prof is lecturing, simply allow the lecture to flow through you and let your mind wrap itself around the information. Only jot down the occasion note that absolutely can't wait for the end of class (e.g., theorem not found in book but is on the test). Then, after class is over, while the lecture is still fresh in your memory, write your notes. I think you'll find, proximally and for the most part, that you will get the most out of your classes by utilizing this meythod.
The one thing you will want to do is check with the Campus IT group for compatibility.
As a Sys Admin for a prominent small U, I have just implemented a 802.1x + TKIP wireless network. Your average POS Linksys card does not support this security functionality. During our beta, there were plenty of students that had Netgear and Linksys cards that could not access the WLAN. It sucked telling them that they had to buy new cards, especially when the info was posted on our website.
Otherwise, Dell makes great laptops from desktop replacement, to lightweight mobility. Most schools will have a deal that you can jump on to get a discount.
sticky notes, a palm pilot... a basic laptop and a desktop for serving files/printers, or playing games on... and thats all ya need as far as I'm concerned :-)
o yes, and DUCT TAPE
I rarely leave home without my GearGrip Pro http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/bags/37dc/ and solid dependable desktop
My personal experience in College is that a desktop is more than adequate for the needs of an average student. However, I'd suggest checking with the program that you're going into. For example, the University of Dayton (I'm an alumni now!) is starting to require all students to obtain a notebook, and they're going to do their best to integrate the use in the classroom. The school of business administration is especially utilizing the portability aspect. Even if you aren't going to be able to use the notebook in class (i'm going to agree with people and say that paper and a pencil is vastly superior for note taking in class) it might be your best choice for a few reasons. 1. You don't have to lug a freaking desktop around. Monitor either. Especially if you want a nice big monitor but can't afford an lcd. 2. Solitare. Nuff said. 3. Some schools with technology on the brain are adding wireless everywhere; check to see if this is available, cause surfing the web outside in the grassy areas of campus is cool. Just some of my thoughts. Oh, and if you're going to game, then the answer should be obvious. Buy the big honking box!
I personally can't stand sitting next to some guy who's typing away all lecture long. It's as irritating as someone chewing gum really loudly.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Whoa! Do you have pi memorized to that many digits too??? I actually have it memorized to the 419... I just noticed your sig and name and thought that was really cool. You might be the first girl I've seen besides myself that thinks pi is awesome. Aw yeah!
The Present is the point at which time touches eternity. - C.S. Lewis
The definition of a public place does not extent to all government-owned facilities. You do not have an absolute right to tape-record in a public university any more than you have an absolute right to tape-record in the White House or near an open window of your local police department headquarters.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
1. If you were sitting next to me typing away on your laptop and did not have a quiet keyboard, I would politely ask you to find a quieter way of taking notes so as to not interfere with my education.
2. What the hell is this bullshit about discrimination? Requiring laptops might be socio-economic discrimination, but banning them is not, unless you have some sort of a disability that prevents you from using pen and paper.
3. The legality of tape-recording depends greatly on the state. In many states is it illegal to tape-record people without their permission. If I were a fellow student in your class, I would object to you tape-recording the questions I asked during the class.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
In addition to those mentioned in the other posts recommending them, Tablet PCs would have the added benefit (without extra work on your part) of easily sharing your lecture notes (nothing else, of course) with others and maybe even making some extra money by selling them (yes, this is legitimate) to a school service that sells them to other students.
i love my 12" ibook. utexas @ Austin is almost completely covered with 802.11b (aka airport), and it's portability cant be beat (cept by the 12" powerbook). the i/power-books are all the rage in the CS dept of my campus.
The guy that has to sit next to you and listen to you type will think you're an ass. Double so if he has to sit behind you and is contantly distracted by stuff flashing on your screen.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
I'll quote what jwz has to say about laptops:
I have since been convinced that laptops are not the way to go; laptop hardware is just too flaky. Pretty much everything about a laptop is inferior to a desktop machine, in terms of performance, reliability, and expense: their only benefit is that they run off batteries. They're also hellaciously difficult to service: if something goes wrong, you throw the whole thing away and get a new one.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
You can find a VAX at your nearest Toys "R" Us. Not for sale, yet. In the back running all the day to day stuff. Of course when I convince them to switch over to Linux you may be able to pick them up cheap.
How touching.
If a computer is not listed in the stuff you need for a particular class, then use the one in the lab or the library.
Why? because you will drive yourself crazy trying to keep track of it and keep it from getting stolen!!!
A good PDA like a Palm would work nice and you could keep it in your book bag or on your belt.
If everyone has a laptop or computer in their dorm, you will probably not have much trouble keeping yours... However, if everyone does not have one, then you are more likely to have yours stolen!
but buying the books is essential where I go. You could take away the professor, but please leave me a book...
-------
Incite and flee.
I just finished my first year as an Electrial Engineering and Comp Sci major, and to cast my vote in with all the others, despite how technical the major was, few people (maybe 2 in a class of 500+) used laptops in comp sci lecture, and absolutely 0 in diagram and funny-symbol intensive classes like physics. Actually, laptops are more common in my humanities classes (especially in business classes I've noticed), where the professor may very well not ever use any diagrams, or one maximum per day which should be quite simple to type out (usually a simple 2 column chart). This is all despite the fact that a vast number of students have laptops, but never take them outside their room. Actually, I know at least several friends that plan on returning only with desktops instead. Think about it- do you want to lug a 7lb thing around campus for taking notes in only select classes in which it might be advantageous to, for a bare minimum of .5 miles/day, not counting amazing volume-sized textbook, and do something that can easily be done with pencil and paper? That discouraged their use most of all I believe. There are however some select cases in which it would be advantageous to have a laptop, which I actually myself have.
;)) among other things. It's great for gaming, doesn't overheat, and comes with a laptop and mouse that are much less prone to giving me carpal tunnel in the long run. I also had a laptop with which I take notes, since I find that they often become illegible some sentences and other times I like to cover more information. That's just me though, I've never been much of a writer. The laptop itself was nothing fancy- 6+ years old, originally had Windows 95, slow as molasses. I instead ran debian on it and typed notes in vim. If you ever take notes on a laptop, all you'll really need is a glorified notepad or text editor. Laptops more powerful could be stolen, you never know, and Linux could have been a deterrent with the login stuff. (But to add to that, I personally never knew anyone who had computer equipment stolen, but it can happen when you let your guard down, so dont, just use a lock and you'll be fine).
My primary computer is actually a desktop, from which I run a Linux server (that is, I can keep my webpage running 24/7 without mom complaining about the "household power crisis"
Unfortunately, the last week before finals my laptop had a little incident with a staircase and the display no longer works, so I'm out looking for a new one. As of right now, it seems most likely that I'll get an iBook- it's lightweight, cheap (releative to similar small laptops), and sturdy (your backpack can provide a beating, and computer bags often don't carry enough for you other gear so you'll probably use the former). Those are about all the requirements you'll ever need for note-taking only.
Keep in mind that I don't expect to use my laptop for much- it lets me multitask in boring classes, a bad idea unless you're sure you have a strong grip on the material already, meaning that only comes into play at most for a single class or two a day out of many more. Stick by the desktop instead and get a laptop if you feel you can't adequately take notes in class- try it out for a month or so perhaps. Comp sci classes will of course have labs, and the library likewise, so non-note-taking activities can almost all be done without your laptop. As for music, etc in your lab, I streamed mp3's off my desktop with shoutcast. Things can easily be done if you're resourceful. If you're outside, go read a book instead, toss a frisbee, or chill with some friends. You'll gain a lot more that way.
As for other accessories, don't forget the cell phone. Pda's are useless when you go by a rigid weekly schedule, but make sure you have a big honking wall calendar to mark midterm dates in bold text- they come up faster than you'd think. If you need to know that the latest reading assignment is on the road, just keep a copy of the syllabus with you.
Also, don't forget- with the desktop, get a flat-panel display if you can. It goes a long way to save space on a messy desk in a cramped dorm room.
The Bong
OK, from that statement alone we know you're lying...a *real* programmer prefers dual or triple screen which you can't get with the iBook unless you want to void your warranty.
Best of all, you get the best looking and rock solid UNIX machineYeah, umm I do believe the part about doing web design and graphics now though. Beautiful as in "Look out for the oversized high-lighter!!".
(READ: High Quality, we swear!)
until Microsoft pulls the plug because it doesn't need to keep Apple around anymore that is.
Don't let anyone tell you that the iBook is not fast enough...We're all glad that you think it's fast enough, but you are slow...so your opinion doesn't count.
It's virtually silent, and the battery life is great.I'm writing this on a Sony Vaio. I hear nothing but the clicking of the keyboard. Woohoo, Apple has sure out-done us this time!
I love the instant sleep and wake up feature...Can't get that on Windows...no way.
Think about it...the iBook is much less powerful than an x86 laptop running Windows...don't you think it would use less power? Apple's marketing department is at it again trying to turn a negative into a positive...it doesn't fool us.
But if you can afford it, buy the 12" PowerBook*If* you can afford the 12" one?? Don't you think it's a little odd that something with a diminutive screen costs so much?
Whatever you do, just keep clear of Windows - it's boring and full of security flaws.And what is so exciting about the Mac OS? Oh yeah, it's so exciting that they couldn't even come up with a name for it. And here's a tip about security: the more people that use an OS, the more flaws will be discovered, the better it will get. You don't discover security flaws on the Mac OS because nobody uses it, therefore nobody attacks it, therefore nobody cares!
BTW, thanks for the entertainment, it was fun to read.
I got a laptop from a friend who picked it up at a garage sale- http://www.sinasohn.com/cgi-bin/clascomp/bldhtm.pl ?computer=outlap
One of the first Mac clone portables. I bet I can really catch some hot chicks with this baby! 15Mhz! 640x400 monochrome screen! Hot damn I'm gonne go play UT on it...oh wait.....damn....
"What use is power to the Keeps of Balance?" -Disnt of Nightmare LpMud
And I would politely tell you to get over it or move somewhere else, it is just the sound of a keyboard.
What the hell is this bullshit about discrimination? Requiring laptops might be socio-economic discrimination, but banning them is not, unless you have some sort of a disability that prevents you from using pen and paper.If there are exceptions, then it is not necessarily bullshit. How do you know I don't have a disability?
The legality of tape-recording depends greatly on the state. In many states is it illegal to tape-record people without their permission. If I were a fellow student in your class, I would object to you tape-recording the questions I asked during the class.Federal law trumps state law and the Supreme Court has stated that conversations can be recorded with the consent of only one party. You could object all you want, it would not be a legal requirement for me to stop my recording.
ASCII tastes bad dude.
Binary it is then.
For attendance at lectures, forget the gadgets - none of them is as convenient as a pen scribbling corrections on your notes when you're reacting to something the lecturer has said. Get a real thick ring binder to put printouts of your pre-class notes in, and put your scribbled corrections into your computer when you get home.
Also, if you're using a laptop you have the whole problem of jostling for power points, and if you forget to disable the speakers before starting up your laptop in class, you're going to piss everybody off.
After that, if this is your first degree, beer. Lots of beer. Provided you don't live in one of those backward-ass countries that doesn't let you drink until you're 21, in which case I suggest violently overthrowing the government.
How could you resist?
I'm really sick of hearing stuff like this from professors. I'm graduating from college in two weeks, and here's the way I look at it: students are paying for a service. The professor is paid by student tuition. The professor is an employee who is supposed to be serving the student.
As long as a student is not disturbing other students in the lecture hall, they should be able to do as they wish. That means that students can come and go as they please. It just requires a little common sense so that other students are not disturbed (if you're going to leave early, sit in the back on the aisle, etc). Mandatory attendence is stupid. If a student chooses not to go to a lecture, or to doodle the whole time, or to sleep, that is their choice. The student is paying for a service, and if they choose to pay but not to take delivery of that service, that is their right. They can suffer the consequences when they are evaluated on the midterm or final.
Turn your cell phone off. A ringing cell phone disturbs everyone. It's been months since I got through a whole class without at least one cell phone ringing.
I feel no sympathy for a professor who gripes about the clicking of a notebook's keyboard, or who is disturbed when somebody falls asleep or leaves. A professor is a public speaker and should not be easily distracted by such things. I've never heard a notebook computer that was so loud that it should derail a professor's train of thought.
I have noticed that most professors have the attitude that the student is bound to abide by whatever rules the professor sets. That's simply ridiculous. I pay a lot of money to attend a university; I am paying to have my knowledge of the material that is presented in a given course evaluated by the professor or teaching assistants, and to receive a grade based on that evaluation. Last year I took a statistics class. It was a general education requirement for which I chose the pass/fail grading option. I never went to lecture. I took the tests and passed. Proceeding in this manner was perfectly within my rights. I fulfilled the requirments of the class without going to it.
Sorry for the long post; what all of this boils down to is simple: the professor is the students' employee, who is being paid for a specific task, which is to lecture and then provide a means by which the student can demonstrate their understanding. The professor should in no way be allowed to make stupid classroom rules like "no notebook computers" because the student is not paying tuition to serve the professor's wishes and desires. A professor is a public speaker who should be able to lecture through small distractions. The student is only bound not to disturb the other students. Therefore the professor has no authority to ban notebook computers, or chewing gum, or coming late and leaving early, or not attending at all.
The Supreme Court ruled (in Maine v. Mouton, among others) that it is not constitutionally required as a right of privacy that all parties to a telephone conversation consent to recording. It did not rule that it is constitutionally required to permit recording in cases when all parties to a telephone conversation do not consent. Furthermore, it applied specifically to admissability of recordings at trial, which is somewhat different than the legality of simply making them. The argument was "my telephone calls were taped without my consent, which constitutionally should make them inadmissable as evidence in court," and the Supreme Court ruled that this argument was invalid, since the Constitution does not protect against your phone calls being taped by the other party to the conversation.
This of course leaves open the door for the federal government or state governments to pass laws adding those requirements. The federal government has not -- FCC rules only require that at least one party to a conversation consent to the recording. Several states, notably California, have added laws requiring all parties to consent, and AFAIK these laws have not been struck down.
Furthermore, if it were true that any recording in public places were permitted, then even the FCC rules would be too stringent -- you should be able to place a recording device in a public phone booth and retrieve the tape at a later time, which is illegal (as recording phone conversations without either party consenting is against FCC rules).
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
This may be true at some private universities, but at public universities the professor is an employee of the state, paid primarily by taxpayers. If you can't behave in a respectful manner, there are plenty of other students who'd be happy to take your place; there's no shortage of college applicants these days.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
failed out because of CS. didn't matter. got a job and learned more out of school than in school.
I had a laptop for the last half of uni. I never made use of it until I got a 2nd battery. I couldn't be arsed to lug around the powerpack, but with a 2nd battery I got 7-9hrs of battery life out of it. It was great, I picked up a cheap wireless card my friend found on eBay or somewhere similar and sat in the lecture halls on the net, and reading through the lecture notes for the current class that I was too lazy to prepare by printing them out before the class. Overall, I doubt having a laptop helped my average grades, but it was a luxury well worth having. Now, 6 months after graduating I can't live without a laptop. I like to leave my desktop at home and work pretty anonnymous - I don't bother installing many apps on them. I keep all my mail and stuff I always need on hand on my laptop.
Grammar Nazi 101:
... ah fuck it.
However, since its not to early to think about the Fall semester for incoming freshman,*SNIP*
I don't even have a HS diploma, and I know the correct
Ponderous man, fucking ponderous...
If you expect to need computers while outdoors (geology majors, film school, etc.), consider getting a NEC Versa Daylite E120.
Not the best bang-for-the-buck laptop, but my god how wonderful it is to be able to work under direct sunlight! And it is a nice lightweight unit.
The screen is just shy of adequate indoors, however, so make sure you consider that.
I love trying and using new technology in my education, but PDA's are largely a joke. Unless you're an uber-geek willing to strap on an external keyboard for awkward typing on your Palm Pilot, these devices are entirely worthless for taking any sort of decent class notes. I've tried every form of handwriting recognition out there and IMHO they ALL suck. Even using the datebook effectively requires continual syncs to a regular desktop PIM suite. b/c you never really see the big (whole semester) schedule picture.
Laptops v. Desktops
Laptops now accomplish 90% of what a desktop can do and allow the possibility of taking one's research, music, photo, and movie collection with them where ever you go. They allow in-class preso's from a student's own workspace. They allow group collaboration in impromtu meeting times/locations. They allow organized and rapid text-based note-taking in-class. Continued work/research (not to mention less chance of theft) over school break periods when a laptop can come home while the desktop sits in wait to be stolen in unattended dorms. Even recording a lecture for later reference is a simple as firing up iMovie (on a Macintosh), hitting "Record" in the audio section, and exporting to standard MP3/AAC audio.
The only advantages a desktop have over a laaptop are: raw speed, component upgradeability/expansion, 3D acceleration (gaming), and price. For the average student, *none* of these issues is significant enough to warrant choosing a desktop over a laptop. You can now get the highest-reliability and best-serviced (per Consumer Reports) Apple iBook laptop which is smaller and lighter than most first-year textbooks, with 5 hours of battery life, USB, Firewire, and external display connectivity, best-of-class networking/compatibility, and more software than shake a stick at less than $1k (that's less than $300/year). Have the parents snag an extended warranty and you can count on having a complete repair of your Apple laptop mailed in, repaired, and back on your doorstop in *literally* 24-48 hours. I send out nearly a dozen laptops/semester and i can attest that Apple's service and repair operations has improved dramatically in the last 24-36 months. Turn-around time on repair of Apple hardware in education is simply mind-boggling.
If your campus has invested in a decent computer lab infrastructure that is open late hours (you'll need this) consider the purchase of an Apple iPod or other form of external Firewire drive. At $300, 10GB, and universal compatibility these devices are simply the *best* way to keep all of your academic papers, presos, research, and files in one place. Unlike a floppy/ZIP you'll *never* run out of space and unlike a computer, you can capitalize on your university's own investment in computer hardware while paying only for the storage costs of your projects. Given the amazing transfer speed of Firewire, you can even install an entire OS onto these devices and boot a computer off of them as if it were you own computer if you so choose.
At minimum consider a $100/year online storage ala iDrive or Apple's .Mac service for the transfer or storage of your academic work. Unless you truly enjoy losing a term paper for no apparent reason, floppies, ZIP, and CD media will be the bane of your college experience. Online storage drives function exactly like floppy/ZIP media and allow reliable/secure access to your files from anywhere with a network connection.
Where it's at in EDU:
-Laptops over desktops
-Wireless connectivity
-Reliable storage/backup
-No-hassle repair/troubleshooting
HTH.
clif
questions/comments:
hirtle@nospam.sou thernct.edu
Until I dumped 5 years of contacts in a mud puddle. Backing up a palm is easy. A paper contact book is another matter; you CAN, but you're not GOING to. I bought a palm the next week - I splurged and got a Palm -Pro-, I still have it, it even still works.
I bought a Palm m500 a year ago for $240cdn. These are not high priced gadgets anymore. Get one used off Ebay for peanuts and use it.
..don't panic
Am I that old? I was doing 3D graphics in my upper div CS class, which included wire-frame rendering, and I was doing this on a 486-66!
As a side note, I was showing my 3D dinosaur to my GF (now wife), in college. It took ten minutes to compile. A little while ago for fun, I brought the beast out, and compiled it on my 1Ghz PIII, and it compiled in like 10 seconds! Where was this puppy when I was in college?
...at least get a laptop WITHOUT the bells and whistles. Be practical. By avoiding the frivolous details, I've graduated with a 4 year old laptop that still runs great.
Try to balance processing power with graphical ability. You do *not* want to be caught playing games in class.
A manual volume knob is a big plus if you don't like drawing attention with your latest sound scheme during class.
General advice: make sure you don't skimp on the keyboard! Whether the laptop has a large onboard or you opt for a compact external, make absolutely certain it won't be hell on your wrists after a few hours of typing. This goes double if you plan to take notes.
Finally, be sure it's light and durable. Plan to do plenty of traveling with it on campus, especially if you're going to live in a dorm. Don't get something so small it'll be crushed if you put it in your backpack or satchel. The last thing you want is pulling out your beloved laptop smashed by an AI or Calculus hardback, with a month's worth of notes gone.
Celeron laptops are now around 700 dollars and with a 15 inch screen !
Apple computers are overpriced and offer nothing unique anymore since 83 and macintosh was introduced.
Be surprised if Apple is in business 5 years from now.
I speak from experience. I just went through my first 2 semesters of school and I used my Powerbook Ti 800 for notes in all my classes. Why do I recommend Apple laptops over PC laptops?
Well, battery life #1 (every PC laptop user I saw was always looking for a wall plug)
#2 Stability, OS X is very stable and wakes from sleep very quickly when you are ready to take notes.
#3 All the software you need to do assignments can be found for the Mac, that's right... Windows may have millions of programs written for it, but how many do you really use everyday???
#4 Sad but true their are less games available for Macs, however this will keep you from wasting time and money playing them instead of studying.
Final Reason They just look much cooler!!!!! Woot!!!
...you'll be bored as hell with it once you start dropping acid and getting laid...
Import a toshiba Libretto L5 (a little larger than a VHS tape) from japan. beats the shit out of any other laptop out there on account of it's size.. uses a transmeta 800 chip. 1280x600 lcd (owns). also, you will probably have the only one that anyone will ever see, so you will actually impress people. That is, impress them vs. looking like a moron toolbag with a mac. Anyone with an iBook - you know will be a future Snap-On salesman.
"Daddy, what does regret mean? :)
Well son, the funny thing about regret is,
It's better to regret something you have done,
Than to regret something you haven't done.
And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend,
Be sure and tell her, SATAN, SATAN, SATAN!!!"
Not if you exercise a little (*gasp*!) self-discipline.
I am on my laptop with a wireless Internet connection in most of my classes. Sometimes, during times where the class drags, I'll be talking with someone. Other times, I'll be looking up data that has to do with what is being discussed. When your instructor is struggling to scribble a diagram of a binary search tree, it's nice to hop on Google and find one even before she's able to get her shit together. Or if a function in some API is being discussed and I'm not getting it, I can find documentation on it online in 10 seconds.
Sometimes, I goof off. Sometimes, I read Slashdot. But I'm usually on top of things. The times where I goof off are times where I would just lie my head down or read a magazine or doodle if I didn't have a laptop with me, so there's really no net change there.
I lost a scholarship due to computer game and internet addiction, which probably would not have happened if I had not been able to afford a decent computer. Worse than that was a fairly severe depression I went to because of events that I now realize are because I was addicted. Just letting you know it's true.
Most of the courses I took were defined by the stuff the lecturer wrote on the blackboard or O/H projector equivalent. Ie if you didn't copy all that stuff down as fast as they could write it you didn't know what would be in the exams. We certainly didn't get time to consider what it was, understand it and then write down extracts. You needed all of it, and when lecturer got to end of board / transpancy it was taken off, ready or not. I would have loved a video camera with sound for those.
I have never found a laptop that did calculus symbols or flow charts or tree structures or chemical diagrams as fast as pen and paper or chalk and blackboard, and we had to keep up. I have a pen tablet now but I couldn't use it to take notes.
Unfortunately, by the end of first year uni, I'd learnt to take notes in my sleep. I would have faithfully copied down everything, but if you asked me what was in the lecture, I would not have been able to tell you. At least those notes were good enough to use later for study. And it sort of proves that sleep education doesn't really work on its own. I still use the technique today to appear interested at public speeches of other varieties.
BTW, since laptops were not available when I was at uni (gawd my age is showing again), we did program the computer games into the Uni Vaxes. We had snake, caterpillar, and star trek among others.
-- it must be true, it's on the internet.
Whatever you decide on, buy two.
Keep one locked away in your dorm/apartment. Call it the "spare". Take the spare out only to test it and update the software. Otherwise, leave it at home under lock and key.
Work on the other one, the "field" model. Backup the field model to media every day or whenever you wrap up your work. Then store the media AWAY from the field model, eventually storing it back with the "spare" model under lock and key.
This may sound a little extreme, but this is what I learned from what I saw at school.
Students steal. Turn your back for a second and your laptop could be gone. Or your CDs. Or disks. Or your bag. Whatever isn't nailed down, if you aren't paying attention to it, there's a chance, however small, some jerk may steal it. Or you may forget where you left it. (And in the time it takes you to retrace your steps, your gear may get claimed...) This is only one reason why never to keep your media with the field machine. If your disks or backups are in your bag with your laptop, and suddenly your bag goes missing... now you've lost everything.
I knew a guy who spent 4 years on his Statistics thesis, storing everything on floppy disk. He made multiple backups, rotating thru a set of floppies, which he kept all in one single floppy disk box. Yeah. Guess what happened. Nobody really knows, but he never found the box of disks, and he basically dropped out of school after that.
Beside protecting yourself from theft, in college time is crucial. There's lots of time to waste, but always a deadline to meet or something you should be doing. If something happens to your machine where you have to play the UPS "exchange" game to get a problem fixed, you could miss a deadline at school.
Some might say "this is what computer labs are for". I disagree. Labs get full at the worst possible times. When you get busy, so does everyone else at that time in the quarter, and many of them head to the computer lab. And also people go to the lab to relax, using the computers for fun or romance. So at best, I would look at the school's lab like a big Kinko's. Just use it occasionally for things they have that you personally can't afford, like Photoshop or a DVD-R burner. Kinko's has this stuff too, so I would find the closest one and take a Saturday to go bother the manager with a thousand questions. FE, you can keep a cheap printer around for drafts and email your final draft over the campus broadband to Kinko's. Then drive over and pick it up. If your school's labs get full quickly, this might be quicker than waiting in line to enter the lab, then waiting for your job to print on some poorly maintained, overloaded LaserJet 4.
Even if you're poor, you can use this two machine system to your cost advantage. Buy an affordable "field" machine (or have someone buy it for you...), then pay as little as possible for a spare that's just adequate for the job. Say Dad buys you a Dell Latitude, and you pick up an old Toshiba Tecra or an IBM Thinkpad off Ebay for $50 as your spare. When your circumstances improve to where you can afford an upgrade, demote the Latitude to "spare", and unload the old spare onto Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Repeat as necessary.
In any case, usable computers are ludicrously cheap now. What type of computer you really need, if any, depends on your major. Whatever that is, just keep access to two of them, and two different computer labs, say the generic school one, your department's lab, and a Kinko's or a friend's house. In college, the two biggest IT problems are data loss and not having the tools you need at hand.
Just don't be one of those dorks who uses their nifty PDA to meet people. When strangers ask about my handheld computer, I say "Oh, this junky thing is just an old organizer a coworker gave to me for free. I still think he got the better deal. I think these crusty stains on the top are dried-on cereal, or maybe I just hope they are." Most people last less than 30 seconds before they lose all interest.
Democracy. Whiskey. Sexy. Pick any two.
Find a comfortable computer lab on campus and buddy up with the attendant. With permission you could do most of what you want, minus fullblown games, but that's good, right? Free tech support if you need it. Top of the line computers that are upgraded almost every year to 18 months. Free printer access (quota, however). With a USB thumb drive you can store all your personal docs and apps. I keep a copy of Firebird (the browser) and trillian along with whatever paper I'm working on at the time. If you're nice enough the attendant may let you boot knoppix for a better enviroment and personal apps. You can print papers out literally 5 minutes before class because its just down the hall (closer than the dorms).
I still suggest having a desktop at home.
Urgo: "I want to live. I want to experience the universe and I want to eat pie!"
Jack: "Who doesn't??"
Leave the laptop in your room, at least at my school, it's considered really turkey (not cool, gauche) to open one in class. Hitting keys creates a lot more noise than using a pen, and people will glare at you. Some people use Palm organizers, although I personally still use a DayTimer type thing.
The biggest thing is -- and I cannot stress this enough -- lose the cellphone in class. I've only ever seen two cellphones ring in class, and both times the reaction of the professor was fierce enough to make me never, ever, want to be that person. If you're an introverted person, I can only imagine that it would probably do permanent psychological damage.
My college isn't the most tech-savvy...I'm sure at more technology-oriented schools, everyone has laptops for notes. But in my experience, they really only exist to be moved from the dorm to the library (and maybe on the quad, when the weather's nice) and back. Still, they are very nice for that.
I personally use an Apple iBook, the 12" (smallest) one, and like it. It fits nicely in my backpack, so I don't have to go wandering around with a laptop bag. The only other thing I've learned is that, if you're going to take notes for 5 or 6 hours a day, get a good brand of pens. Those Bic things cramp my hands--I use Pilot P-700s, but that's a personal choice.
And ditto on the beer. Lots of beer.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
You must be an American Cultural Studies major....
Nobody else has that much free time.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my killbot features Lotus Notes and a machine gun. It is the finest available."
A good PocketPC with external keyboard is better solution. Battery life is much more than laptop's and keyboards for PDAs are comfortable enough. Of course laptop or desktop pc for home is important to have too - to sync info between the devices. You can also write freehand on PocketPC 2002 devices - character recognition is much better than PALM's grafiti.
in a laptop. You need to be able to think during a lecture, not be tap tap tapping away all the time trying to get every word on the page. So buy yourself a really good pen and a nice pad of paper. Added advantage - when you do type up your lecture notes after the lecture this gives you a change to clarify your thoughts and revisit the subject, thus being a form of revision mid-semester before exams.
Unless you're in mathematics, engineering, or doing a statistical class, you won't need much more than a word processor, so save your cash for living expenses. I'm a thesis student and use only SPSS, Word, Endnote, and the Internet which doesn't require too much processing power (thesis submitted for examination TODAY! yay!).
A list I'm on is currently discussing the value of tablet PCs for journalism students. I don't see the advantage. The hallmark of a good journalist is a listener and someone who can initiate a dialogue, not create fancy charts.
The professor pays taxes too, no doubt more than you do. If you being a taxpayer is what makes him serve you, then him being a taxpayer means he serves himself.
The other problem is that professors aren't really around to serve students. They're primarily around to do research for their university, and insofar as they're there to serve any students, it's to serve the graduate students they serve as PhD advisor for. Teaching undergraduate students comes pretty far down in the list at most colleges. You can be a great teacher, but that won't get you hired if you don't do good research (and if you do great research, you can teach like crap and you'll still get tenure).
And in any case, my main point was that you being a student doesn't give you any sorts of automatic rights (beyond some very basic ones). The professor should help you, but it's not like you've hired him as your personal tutor so he has to listen to everything you say. My final comment in the previous post was to point out that you don't really have any bargaining power -- if you don't like it, you can either put up with it, or leave. Leaving would be a threat if it was really "you paying the professor" and him being there to serve you and whatnot, except that it's not -- there are thousands of other kids ready and willing to take your spot if you don't want to put up with it. So there's really no reason the professor should change.
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
I must conclude you are one of the aforementioned CS clan dropouts. No way you could have graduated from college with: battaries carrear proffesors callories Sorry, had to say that. BTW, I'm one of those gamer almost-failures myself. Barely passed college. This is good advice.
I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
Illegible handwriting is not always correctable. If someone is diagnosed with a variety of conditions that result in poor fine motor coordination they may be incapable of legible handwriting. However they may still be able to type or otherwise manipulate an input device. You can not always tell by looking at someone that they have such a disability.
Moreover a number of conditions (ADD, ADHD, Autism, etc.) can interfere with legible handwriting in a distracting environment. Remediation by practice and training is not always reasonably possible.
By federal law reasonable accomodation must be made for those with disabilities. I would consider use of a laptop in a classroom to fall well within the "reasonable" spectrum. If you have to let those with disabilities use a laptop, is it so unreasonable to allow the rest of the class use of a laptop?
I strongly recommend that you take paper notes at the lectures and then find the time to type them in. The act of writng them once in class starts the process of understanding them and the act of then having to reread your notes and enter them into another medium reinforces that. Don't just copy; read, interpret and then type. You may want a simple graphics package for the diagrams. In the worst case, redraw your diagrams neatly and take them to the library scanner.
As for "what computer", first find out if your college has a policy. If not, take whatever can support the O/S you are most familiar with using. Finally, spend as much money as you can afford to futureproof your investment as well as possible. If your college has wireless setup definitely exploit it.
I would also recommend blank paper rather than lined paper for lectures. It just seems easier to add in additional notes in arbitrary locations as the lecturer wanders randomly around the subject.
These guidelines served me well in a three year undergraduate and a one year postgraduate course. Of course, the computer then was a serial terminal to the IBM mainframe, but the principle applies. I studied maths and converting notes into TeX taught me clarity, TeX, brevity, the editor and how to make friends on the computer. Slashdotters should have no problem with the last bit of that. 8-)
Those who do not learn from Dilbert are doomed to repeat it.
The small hard drive means that it's for home use only. I had tried for a time to use if for work but could not fit more than one devel project at a time. Zip drives were a good work around.
Beta is broken and the link to classic doesn't work. Stop wasting our time or there won't be anybody left here.
I don't mostly practise what I am about to preach but during lectures...pay 100% ATTENTION!
It's tough, we tend to get distracted by many things, our thoughts, that cute girl sitting a few rows ahead and how to look cool, etc. But there are times when I do enter a state of flux and paid very close attention. Those are times when the mind was too busy following the lecture for me to take down notes. The only time I recall taking down notes during those times is when I absolutely don't comprehend the illustrations given by the lecturer and I didn't want to stop the whole class by interrupting. So I'll take down notes about the areas I don't understand and ask the lecturer later.
But all in all if you understand the points made you don't need to make any notes at all. It is automatically filed and stored somewhere in your mind. Hope this helps.
Reality is what we taste, smell, see, hear and touch yet we cannot comprehend it...only approximate it.
Get an old P-166 stripped with stripped down Win98 or Linux/FreeBSD.
This way when the latest/greatest game comes out, you GPA won't go to the corner and commit suicide,
so to speak.
Of course NetHack runs on anything, but maybe it's not your style.
...when the instructor makes their notes available.
I spent two terms with the same particular professor for a history course. For both terms, she made the course notes available in the library.
I found the course very interesting, and I took notes in class. The first term, I ignored the course notes... I didn't see the point. I just took notes the way I did in other humanities courses: I wrote down what the professor was trying to convey, and some of the interesting points which came out in class. I didn't take down every little thing the professor was putting on the board.
Before the midterm exam of the second term, I grabbed the course notes. They were great. I began taking notes on top of the copies of the instructor's notes.... it was far more useful. I could also 'preview' the material much in the same way one can do in the sciences, so that I don't have to waste all my time taking notes about things which really didn't matter.
I know what you mean about writing things down to remember them, but I didn't have any problem. Whenever it mattered, I just elaborated on the existing notes.
My first term notes were almost useless to me. They were just chicken scratchings taken down while I was busy paying attention to the professor. My second term notes were invaluable... they were chicken-scratchings taken down alongside the clearly written course notes which the instructor provided.
Everyone has their own system, but IMHO, if a student is spending all their time taking a detailed transcript of what the professor is saying, they shouldn't bother showing up.
As an aside... I hate keyboards in lectures. Anything you can do to get rid of them, including just giving the students notes and letting them not show up, is better. I'd rather they not showed up than show up with a laptop and frantically type every word the professor is saying. Ugh. It's horrible.
I tried the no games thing a couple years ago myself and found myself tinkering with bash scripting, setting up the latest beta's of kde and gnome and just trying to get things to work. I dropped out real quickly.
Today the situation has improved thanks to the abolishment of rpm's and more stable distro's but still I want my pc as boring as possible.
I am going to school again this fall and decided the best thing to do is firewall port 80 and 21 and install Windows2k and create a supercomplex password for administrator. The goal obvisouly is to prevent goofing with my system. Be it games or setting up themes in Windowmaker. Windows2k gets pretty boring quickly without the web but as a bonus I still have email so I can email my work at the labs computers to myself.
I already cancelled my isp account and go on slashdot only twice a day now from work.
http://saveie6.com/
As a recent college student. I'd say get something that was yesterday's top of the line that is highly upgradeable. If you think you will actually study in the library, something I had no part in, a laptop with a dock is probably your best option. Being budget minded, I would go with a desktop, probably Athlon XP processor and plenty of empty slots upgrades. You can probably get a basic system like this for around 700 with a monitor (you may want to upgrade to a TFT if you travel and/or becuase of dorm room space constraints) and it should last you four years with a few upgrades along the way.
-T
The teacher of course gave us reference material (books, magazines) which I would consult as required (in the library, books were mighty expensive for my budget).
A computer is a distraction. PDA ditto. YOu are not suppossed to transcribe all what the teacher says, you are suppossed to understand what is the topic and then go and study it yourself.
Do yourself a favour and don't waste your monies in electronic toys. Nowadays you may need a desktop to produce reports and to acces the internet for research purposes, but other than that computers and PDAs are a sonsumerist distraction for college students.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
No nerd^H^H^H^H geek will ever accept that hot is a very relative term, specially if one is overccoking it.
IANAL but write like a drunk one.
Get some balls dipshit. You call me an idiot yet you post AC. How pathetic that is.
In some utopia, you can run whatever minimalist software you want on whatever ancient hardware you want.
In the real world, you have professors that mail you MS Word docs and Excel files, refusing to put them in a standard format. You have Java programming classes that require you to have a machine with the latest GUI browser and SDK. You have your Game Engines class. You might even have genetic algorithm projects that take long enough as it is on that 2 GHz. If I were a graphic design student, they would laugh at anyone that couldn't run the latest version of Photoshop -- for which you better have at least a half-gig of RAM to do anything serious.
As much as I want to agree that students should do whatever prevents them from being slacking, fucking, beer-chuggin frat wastes, there's a line between what is wishful thinking and what is really doable. Believe me, I tried long and hard to get my professors to tone it down on the software and hardware requirements. It's a phenomena known as "tyranny of the majority": it's just not practical for an entire department to switch its methods for one person.
And really, not everyone is a CS major. And really, some people think they will be, but end up in chemical engineering or public relations instead. Common sense says get something versatile, and then learn a little self-discipline -- something it seems is in short supply these days. If you think it's hard to stop yourself from gaming, I have a few other things for you to think about. Like how you are going to get your class NWN mod to run on that PII 500. Or how you are going to log in and register for classes and online exams with systems that require the latest version of IE. Or how you are going to perform those app-specific competencies on Linux.
I'd consider the middle path, if I were you. A poor laptop may help your work in the self-discipline area, but you'll make up the work in compensating for what people expect you to be able to run. And I thought we got rid of the self-flagellation with the end of Puritanism...
You're so smart that you actually replied to this :)
Asshole.
First off where are you going and what are you doing? For reference I go to Kettering University and I'm an Electrical Engineer.
Most schools have pretty good computer labs (including Unix ones). Unless you want to do your work in your room, you can rely on the schools pcs for getting school work done.
There really are only 2 things having your own computer is good for:
1. You can take it to class and use it there for doing circuits, solving diff eqs, notes, etc.
2. You can use it for entertainment (movies, games, music, p2p). If you are into this, go on and get a computer that can do what you want, and learn to excercise a little self control. Plus not having to go to the lab to do VHDL stuff is nice. I've known guys who couldn't get their act together and played games and failed out; but these guys would have failed out even without the games, they wern't serious or interested and would have found another way to not do work. Don't let the parrent convince you games are bad, not being able to manage your time that you should watch out for.
Laptop vs. Desktop: Laptops cost a lot more and don't have the power. I looked into it and decided to spend my money on a desktop instead. I spent a lot of cash and went from having a 400Mhz PII to having dual Xeons. Making CS levels and doing 3d modeling (my hobbies) was a lot easier. Now that I'm in higher engineering courses, not having to go to school (I live off campus) to do work is nice, and I wouldn't have much use for a laptop in class. I'd still go with the desktop (actually I'd get a shuttle system since they are small).
Remember, to have fun and try new things, the most important parts of college are in the social skills and experiences you have outside of the classroom.
The policy of the United States is worse than bad---it is insane. -- Ludwig von Mises, Economic Policy(1959)
This the best idea! Once I figured out how to read the text before class and then go to class with a highlighter, textbook, and pen, my grade point average went up by about 0.5 points.
The oddest thing was that I never saw anyone else doing this in my 4 years at college.
Same here, ADHD is hard to fight, I keep my laptop game free and internet free while I'm in collage.
I still sneak into a computer lab during lunch to go online but in the evenings I have nothing else todo but study. I still find my self stareing at the walls or playing with bits of wire (I'm an electronics student)
Internet almost cost me my last semester, The computer labs were open in the evenings so I was in here all night reading on slashdot and stuff.
God, root, what is the difference?
Get one of those sexy new Camino laptops, format it, put Debian 3.0 unstable with Gnome 2.2 on it, and mock the windows losers in your CPS classes =)
think for yourself. question authority.
The Supreme Court ruled only that the Constitution does not make them illegal. The sentence "if they are admissible in court, then they must be legal" is only true if there is no other law. If a state passes a law making them illegal, then they are no longer admissible. The Supreme Court merely ruled that in the absense of any such law, the Constitution itself does not make them illegal -- there would have to be an explicit law doing so (which exists in California, among other places).
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
The recordings may be legal, but this is not the same as saying that preventing them is illegal. You can bet that if you're snooping around the police station and they catch you they'll ask you to leave, and will be well within their rights to do so (and will arrest you if you do not).
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Theft was far too prevalent on my campus, particularly with something like a laptop, which has a high resale value. The person who suggested an old laptop with the weirdest OS that still sports a TCP/IP stack is again right in this regard. An old laptop is less likely to catch the eye of dorm's resident thief. An older laptop (say, a P266) still has plenty of oomph to get you onto the net with your favorite OS, write papers, etc. And it's cheaper to boot! (bad pun - sorry).
"Can't you see that everyone is buying station wagons?"
In that state. However, if it was appealed to the Supreme Court, I am confident that the law would be overturned based on the precedent of previous rulings.
ASCII tastes bad dude.
Binary it is then.
I suggest you bring the oldest and junkiest computer you can find. Get a 386 and run Win95 or earlier. Better yet, have Windows2.0 or lower. Make sure to install a very rare network card. 3COM, DLINK, LINKSYS? Forget about it! Go to one of those computer shows where all the Japenese shops sell Japanese hardware. Pick up obscure things there. Try not to get one that uses CAT5 cabling. Go for the earlier connection types (I forget what it's called, looks like a coaxial connection).
Now here's what you do, suggest to your local network helpers that you need help connecting your computer from your dorm. Imagine the look on their faces when confronted with your computer! I suggest capturing the moment via a webcam. Remember kids, there's only one thing that the student network techies hate more than a non-Windows systems, a non-supported Windows system!
Maybe use a PIII 700-1000Mhz with Linux. More than enough, for X, and almost any program you wish to use. OpenOffice.org, games, browsers, whatever.
"Your effort to remain what you are is what limits you."
Definitely SMP. You know the people who are impressed will be your friends.
There are only four things I find computers useful for in my physics and math classes (those are my two majors, I take nothing outside of them): email, access to course notes, Maple, and LaTeX.
Buy a little calendar book and live by it assiduously. Get one of the snap closed folders with the dividers in it, put in a label for notes for each class and problems for each class, put a big pile of plain white printer paper in the back pocket, and label the front one junk and use it for paperwork that's supposed to go in shortly and other such trivialities. Get a pack of the disposable mechanical pencils. We're reached about a $15 budget here. Just make sure you put the date consistently on all your notes and problem sets. There is no excuse for sloppy handwriting.
You need a laptop. You need a laptop that will run Linux. You don't need a powerful laptop. My officemate has a cheap KDS that runs it just fine that he likes. Most science departments have facilities you can access for number crunching, when you have to.
Spend the money you saved from not buying an expensive, silly toy like an iBook to get a couple books and an alarm clock. Set said clock for 7AM. Don't ever use the snooze button. Get up at 7. At first you have to force yourself, but it quickly turns into a habit and you start waking up before the alarm, and your sleep cycle adjusts to account for it so you feel more rested.
Since everyone else is mentioning what worked for them...
I use a Psion Revo (a.k.a. Diamond Mako in the USA - it's a small 16MB palmtop with a keyboard, which might have been worth $200 a couple of years ago) as a diary. It's complete overkill for a student, but the screen's larger and clearer than the 2MB Psion 3c I used for 3 years before that (similar price when new), I can run Zork and Nethack on it if I want something to amuse myself, and the "busy" view in its agenda applet is wonderful for seeing at a glance how much time I have. (And, yes, I do find it better than a paper diary, if only because it's small enough that I always carry it.)
I take lecture notes with a pen and paper though. (I'm a maths student on a known-to-be-hard course; if you write down everything our lecturers say, you get a complete set of notes for the course, but it's pretty dense and you do need to write *everything*. Your course may vary.)
I'm planning to get a laptop at some point, possibly an iBook or Powerbook, but I doubt I'd take notes on it during lectures (I might give it a go in a course I don't care about, but I doubt I can type that fast); I might scan or even LaTeX my handwritten notes after writing them though, since if I do that, I'll be able to carry a complete set of notes around a lot more easily.
For general computing I've been happy with desktop computers (I have a quiet slow one as a fileserver and firewall, and a fast noisy one for games and general "workstation" use) but I'd prefer a "workstation" that was actually quiet, which is the main reason I'm considering a laptop.
Depending on your major, you might not need an (expensive, late model) iBook. Older Mac laptops offer reliability, limited game availability, ease of use, and much better screens and keyboards than most WinTel machines. They can run Windows usably if necessary (and Win emulators can be reinstalled much faster and easier than the real thing), and you can also install any of several Linux versions (probably for free, w/ your school's broadband.)
If you have an OS X capable machine, you have built in BSD for your classes and a slick modern OS at the same time (no rebooting.) OS X has somewhat better Internet support and gaming, but runs slower overall, especially Windows emulation.
If you need to program in C or Java, get a copy of CodeWarrior Academic: the Apple tools are free and many are useful, but they just don't compare in speed, stability, and ease of use. (YMMV - I'm a commercial Mac developer doing an MSCS on the side.) They ARE the best way to access the (dreadful) Apple documentation, if you're using MacOS API's.
The Mac edge for CS: build your command line programs w/ CW's console library, then run them from the regular command line when finished. It might take a little experimenting the first time to get it working seamlessly "crossplatform" but it's still 10X faster and easier than trying to develop software the "unix way."
but trust me on the sunscreen!
Don't know why that just popped into my head.
my sig
My advice is to bring a desktop and a high end PDA to school. Desktops are cheaper, faster, more reliable, and harder to steal than notebooks. With the money you save buying a desktop, get a 17" flat panel monitor (so you can type code and view documentation simultaneously) and a high-end PDA with Wi-Fi capability (I use an Axim and a Wi-Fi cf card.) When not in use, you can carry around the PDA in your pocket, ensuring that it will always be on your person and not in an easy to steal location (e.g. sitting unattended in the library.) Use the PDA for the odd occasion when you need to type something up for a class or take notes for someone else. Also, use it to IM people in between class and surf the web while you do your laundry.
If your coming to Dartmouth don't bring an overweight full tower. They make you move every summer about 2-4 times depending if you want to stay in between terms or not. If you have a leave term in the middle of the year that's another 2 moves. You can easily subsist off of a laptop or a smaller computer. If you're worried about people stealing it lock your door or get one of those security cables. You can still hook up a good sound system and a bunch of external drives.
However, If your college lets you stay in the same room for the entire time then bring whatever suits your fancy.
What better to play Nethack/Rogue/Moria/Angband on there...
Trust me. If your are looking to enjoy yourself on a PoS system you can and you need to revaluate your ideas.
And un-install Freecell and Solitiare Meches, we know what you do at work!!!
cut this crap!
Addiction is a personality trait, If CS or any other game don't get you, alcohol will, or drugs or sex or something else. Follow this advice, and apply it to whatver distraction you might encounter.
Hey, how come no one has mentioned Tablet PCs? (Sorry if I missed it.) I have been a computer nerd since the days of Altair and IMSAI, and I must say that even though I have owned and still own a variety of PCs and Macs, my Tablet PC is the form factor that I've been waiting for, for a very long time. It's a small laptop when you have the keyboard attached, it's a real PC, not a PDA, and, with RitePen installed, you can write anywhere on the screen and the current text based application will capture the recognized text (and, yes the recognition is very good!). An excellent alternative for taking notes. As well, Micro$oft's Journal app lets you capture your handwriting as "digital ink" so you can write to your heart's content, and also draw, scribble, doodle or whatever. My only disappointment is that Apple doesn't make one - I'd rather have OS X than Windows XP, but there's no doubt in my mind that a Tablet PC is the way to go for real mobile computing.
IF (big if) you are one of those fast typists who types faster then they can write then by all means use a keyboard. If not your better off handwriting your notes. PDA's do have a place, you are far more likely to record info on the fly with a PDA then pulling out a laptop, as compared to a pda on an inside jacket pocket or waist clip. More so since PocketPC all act as tape recorders. My personal solution, at the end of the last millenium, was a PocketPC (yes, a microsoft product) with a keyboard. I used a couple over the years including nino's, everex, and more. Today's choices are faster and allow you to surf the web wirelessly with a cheap cf card (50$-20MIR at compusa occasionally). they even allow you to send IM's. I see Dell palmtops (400mhz 64meg) on sale for around 250. (check bensbargains.net-deals all the time on these) Keyboard is another 90 though. I would back this up with with as physically small computer. Dorm rooms are small! I saw a 900mhz compaq all in one for 165$ used. About the size of a full size dictionary volume, and in a verticle form factor, it is way smaller then a standard desktop. Alternatively some type of desktop (under monitor) configuration would be good. CDRW definately and DVD would be nice. I regularly see 19" monitors at computer shows used, working, for under 100$. depending on the room and budget a flat screen may be justified. Or cheaper yet, if your roomate is running Windows XP just ask him if you can have a profile on his machine. Then instead consider like an Archos a cheap one 150-200$- its a giant mp3 player and your info store. You could even store a backup of your profile onto the device and upload it in a new profile with all your favorites and documents. As an alternative to the above, I would also consider the low end laptop, but only if its an ultralight. I see sony 505 series ones for around 500 on ebay. I know its all windows.
I own a computer and use it for hours on end. Call me old fashion but it just seems easier to go to class with a pen and a notebook then lug around a computer. Plus you don't have to worry about losing files or the always unexpected "blue screen of death."