Comment by noodle | Hacker News Reader

Comment by noodle | Hacker News Reader

well, i disagree with some of the points of the article as a netbook owner ($350 1000HE)

the battery life issue is dubious. my netbook with default battery lasts for about 6 hours. its advertised at about 9, but thats at low settings, i need a brighter screen. but the point is, 6 hours is still long, much longer than the reported "at most 2".

talking about how netbooks have problems running a lot of programs or powerful programs is obvious. of course an atom processor and 512 of ram is going to have problems with outlook and eclipse open. netbooks aren't designed to replace full powered computers. they're designed to run simple stuff and web apps. if you need more, don't buy a netbook. don't try and roll your razor scooter down the interstate.

screen res and quality is valid, but you kind of get used to it.

My netbook has 2GB of RAM. The proc is limiting, and I suspect the network throughput (and associated proc hit) are constraints as well.

I found myself want the small form factor more than the experience. A refurbed MBP was a nice price point, though more expensive, but a much, much better experience for day to day use. But that's just me.

i agree. i wanted what the netbook was selling. my priorities at the time were for a smaller laptop that is easy to travel with and something that was cheap. i love MBPs, but it didn't meet my price point i didn't care that much about the power.

I like my netbook and didn't encounter the issues you are describing. Battery life is 4.5 hours, which is quite ok-ish, and the new EEE netbooks have 8+ hours.

The cpu speed is also ok, although i don't play games or process very large files. And, Atom dual core is comming...

Regarding the screen real estate, 1024x600 on 10" is enough for me. I did some customizations in apps, for example in Firefox I use Tiny Menu extension, so all my navigation buttons, menu, and URL box is nicely placed in just one toolbar, and statusbar is switched off. Or in Microsoft Word (my second most used program), I usually write in full-screen mode. So you are right, no ribon for netbooks. ;-)

I think it comes down to personal preference. I've been a "desktop guy" and never owned "normal" laptop...I just consider it too heavy to carry. I also don't own a smartphone, since I don't find it necessary. The combo powerfull desktop + netbook does it for me.

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