Maybe this isn't the greatest idea, but.

[j2k4]

I've been trying for some time to convince Ms. J we need another PC to free one up for her personal use and have a committed machine for the business, but to no avail; I believe, however, I may have struck on a strategy she seems to agree with-

Buy a fancy wide-screen laptop with great specs exclusively for the biz, one that will still take up less premium desk-space, but that I can leave more-or-less in place.

It would be mobile as well, that being the heretofore unconsidered variable, and one I would place great importance on, given that this capability might make taking a vacation easier.

What about the idea, though?

It's got to be dead-nuts reliable, hardware-wise, so...

[Detale]

In my humble experience I have yet to find a 100% reliable laptop. I hate the things, truly hate them. For the money you'll spend on a laptop you could build a no frills desktop and save a bunch of cash man. You could always build a micro ATX setup and get a KVM switch to share the screen.

I just bought my wife a netbook and she loves the thing, mostly because i promised not to touch it at all.

[clocker]

+1 on the laptop hate.
Especially for a mission critical, business machine.

NO computer is "dead nuts reliable" but laptops are touchier than a pubescent girl (and not in a good way).

D.'s idea of the KVM switch/barebones PC is a practical concept that I would prefer over a laptop any day.

[j2k4]

In my humble experience I have yet to find a 100% reliable laptop. I hate the things, truly hate them. For the money you'll spend on a laptop you could build a no frills desktop and save a bunch of cash man. You could always build a micro ATX setup and get a KVM switch to share the screen.

I just bought my wife a netbook and she loves the thing, mostly because i promised not to touch it at all.

Just got my own netbook (HP 5101, 160G 7200, Atom 1.66G, 2G DDR2, 6-cell batt...$505 US); it's 'da bomb.

Anyway, I understand that ultimately the lappie would be a bit less reliable, but I'd have QuickBooks duplicated on one or the other of our desktops, and, quite frankly, we'd be talking a machine that would only be used for anything else on the occasion of a getaway, so we'd be covered finally by our online backup.

If it went to hell on vacation, I guess I'd sweat until I got home, but.

Ah, well.

It was just an idea.

Ms. J also likes those all-in-ones (I don't).

D's idea has some merit, for sure.

I could still do the lappy-thing for a road warrior and use it as the on-site back-up...still doesn't solve the exclusively-for-her-use question.

Geez, now I need two new machines...

[clocker]

Think of it as j2's Personal Economic Stimulus Package.
You'll singlehandedly double the UP's GDP for the quarter.

[j2k4]

Well, if I could find a PC mfr. in Michigan...

[clocker]

I'm sure that shop down the road would be happy to set you up.

[Detale]

Maybe I'm missing something, as usual, but you can build a system can't you J?

[j2k4]

Sure, but if I'm going to build a system, I'm gonna light it up.

Along those lines, I've ideated giving Ms. J my machine in order to entice her to give up her dual-core Dell to the "office" effort.

Perfect solution.

There is also the "I'm used to XP and prefer it to everything (including Vista and Win7) I haven't tried" issue.

Regretfully - for reason's sake - my default solution ends-up being a new PC for me, and that'd be an i7-12G RAM-Radeon 5870-1000 watt-type of thing.

Hmmm.

Maybe I ought to shop that out...

[clocker]

Boys + toys + Christmas= happiness.