i am haz nyu laptop

[lobelia321]

I hate buying a new computer. I hate the way the computing industry has us by our short and curlies and forces us to "upgrade" (REVIVES THE AIRQUOTE JUST FOR THIS PURPOSE*) and to fall prey to in-built obsolescence and landfill plastic. I want to buy a computer like a typewriter and then have it for the next 30 years!

So what to some might be a day of joy (ooh, new shiny! MacBook Air, ooh!) is to me a day of vexation and the sense that I've given in. Also, there is the foreboding knowledge of a depleted bank account and the constant panic of "what will we eat?" Already I'm on a frugality drive: 54 ways to prepare minced meet. Cabbage, your friend. How to survive on nibbles served at gallery openings.

So why did I also buy NEW SHOES? (I blame cherrybina...)

Anyway, this is typed on my old machine as I am now warily circling the new one like a dog not on heat. I just know there's going to be more vexation coming: the desktop won't look IDENTICAL to the one I have; there will be glitches linking up to the printer; it won't be able to read MS Office unless I buy a new fucking overpriced Brian Gates product because my "licences" have run out.

I still remember the nightmare of when this laptop was new.... I remember ringing birdgerhl in a complete panic when my entire document library was wiped. *weeps*

I suppose some good will come of it: I'll be able to watch youtube properly again. I'll be able to do anything properly again (there's a reason I needed a new one). I'll be able to type without a powerpoint for longer than 75 seconds (yay! no more dependence on cafés with adequate socket supply!). I'll be able to shlepp the thing about without brokebreaking my back.

So. Hmph.

Comments

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

How to survive on nibbles served at gallery openings.

... a handbook for those new to being poor. (Part of the 'Rough Guide to Britain under the Coalition' range).

Satire. I duz it. Oh yes.

Do you get the minced meet at the gallery openings, too? Is it short for 'minced meet and greet'?

Ok, I've taken this too far now. It's past my bedtime.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

It is all those vintage stories of yours, m'dear. They are surrealifying your brain.

Apparently, you can live in London by flitting from free event to free event. I once happened on a promotion for Little Big Thing (that computer game? can't remember the title) and the free buffet had prawns and meatballs and baguette and fruit and hot things and was amazingly filling!

Coalition cuisine!!

[msilverstar]

There's a program in the Utilities folder of the new machine called "Migration Assistant". Run it and follow instructions and it should move everything you need from the old machine to the new one!

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Aha!! The laptop prompted me to do this when I opened it for the first time today (yes, I stared at it in fear for 2 days before even taking the cellophane off; I am clearly not fit to own anything electronic...) Thank you!!! I will try this... tomorrow? *cowers*

[physicsxmagic.livejournal.com]

re: MS Office Docs – I believe that Open Office can open all the files.
And if you'd rather get another overpriced Apple product, iWork also opens all the files (at least I've never had any problems) and can also save files in the "older" Windows file formats (so .doc but not .docx, but you can open them both).

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

i second openoffice. i do have it on mac, but it is the only office-type package i have on my eeepc, and it works just fine.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

Well, this comes so highly recommended from two most trusted sources now I am in a mind to get it! But will others be able to read this? I need to send Word and Excel as attachments to colleagues all the time.

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

you can save documents from open office's word processor into word formats. it also has its own spreadsheet app, from which you can save stuff in excel formats. and its own presentation app. etc.

[birdgerhl.livejournal.com]

it's free and open source, how much more encouragement do you need??! :P

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

What is Open Office? My MacBook Air opens the Word docs in TextEdit and the lay-out is crap. No footnotes. :-( The machinery of buying the Word cheaply via education discount is grinding its slow way through my institution.

iWorks: that's the application that used to be AppleWorks and got rid of databases!!! I am in revenge-mood here and will resist buying them. *stomps foot*

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

I've stopped being silly now. I use Open Office and it's perfectly fine. Unless you want to double space an RTF file, of course, in which case it is perfectly useless.

[lobelia321.livejournal.com]

A third recommendation!! Wow. But can others read it? i.e. colleagues whom I need to send Word and excel files to?

[sheldrake.livejournal.com]

Yup, see bg's explanation above. :)