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computer or not?
I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my
nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time...I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? |
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(Parallax) :
For a fun collection of little movies can I suggest: http://www.pocketmovies.net ? Earl Colby Pottinger -- I make public email sent to me! Hydrogen Peroxide Rockets, OpenBeos, SerialTransfer 3.0, RAMDISK, BoatBuilding, DIY TabletPC. What happened to the time? http://webhome.idirect.com/~earlcp |
"Parallax" wrote in message om... I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? Yes. I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. You can do that on a calculator. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time. We brought a collections of DVDs but found it easier to watch them using a DVD player and a TV. Our laptop is able to play DVDs but we rarely used it for such. ..I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. Using a computer for navigation is a great asset. But all our charts are backed up by paper charts. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? E-mail is a great asset and easy if you are a ham or pay a small fee for a service via marine SSB. Newsgroups are harder and much more expensive. If you have a cellphone then access is cheap and easy for both, pretty much the same as dialup but faster. At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. True. My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? Having a computer along is a great asset for a number of reasons. Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? If you are a ham then Winlink is free and great. Sailmail is available for marine SSB but costs $250/yr. Once again, if you are within cellphone range then that is a great option. Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? Only if don;t have a life :) |
Coming to this party extremely late, but...
"Doug Dotson" wrote in message ... "Parallax" wrote in message om... Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desirable or even practical? E-mail is a great asset and easy if you are a ham or pay a small fee for a service via marine SSB. Newsgroups are harder and much more expensive. If you have a cellphone then access is cheap and easy for both, pretty much the same as dialup but faster. Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? If you are a ham then Winlink is free and great. Sailmail is available for marine SSB but costs $250/yr. Once again, if you are within cellphone range then that is a great option. Several folks use a satphone like a cellphone (which, of course, is only useful near shore, with appropriate service on said shore, something not necessarily guaranteed in the islands. While I - at least at the moment - can't imagine that amount of financial overhead when we cast off, the economics of it aren't awful for those willing to spend more than we expect to. One I know of is sailcharbonneau.com, where you'll find the saga of the purchase of their phone. These folks are well endowed, and are in the last lap of a shoreside year for charity off their Island Packet 40 something boat, so perhaps they shouldn't be held up as typical, but I know that not all are as penurious as we will be. I look at it like/in comparison to my cell phone. When I'm off working on the boat, my usual local plan of few minutes and no long distance gets changed over to the unlimited access (go anywhere, call anywhere, in US), beginning at 450 minutes for 60bux. The Globalstar package is $100 for 400, and they allot the time not spent on the internet for calls home. So, given that it's viable most places in the world, I think that's a pretty fair bargain, the initial cost of acquisition aside (cell phones aren't "free", either). Mind, I believe they're also endowed with SSB (and perhaps Ham) and weatherfax and other goodies, so it's not for lack of ability to get it otherwise. We're in the prove-the-radios phase of our electronics, and at the moment, they're not proving, so I'm back on the table for various options. I'd originally expected to do Winlink (they'll sell you a great CD with all sorts of info as well as software to "practice" your tx/rx before you actually get out to sea), but at the moment I neither have a license or a working radio. If I have to start over with a new radio, the economics might change my mind... L8R Skip -- Morgan 461 #2 SV Flying Pig http://tinyurl.com/384p2 "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain |
Parallax wrote:
I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? To ask this question without saying how long the cruise is or where you're going is a bit meaningless. IIRC your boat is not large - do you have enough space that you can stash it in a dry locker and not worry if you never use it? I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. If you have a computer based hobby/business, then it would be useful. If you're into digital photography, you'll want to be able to save and edit pics - but you should know that already. If you like to use the computer (without being connected)when land based, there is a good chance you'll find a use for it while traveling. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time. A dedicated player is a lot better, and cheaper. ...I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. The last time I went out for a year I had a computer fully set up for nav, but found a handheld chartplotter more convenient. Nav gear is most important in the worst conditions, so I didn't want to become reliant on something I would only use in fair conditions. On the other hand there are many who prefer to use a computer - this is an area where everyone has to find their own comfort level. The odd thing is I have several different chart systems loaded now - I can bring up a chart of anywhere in the world in a few seconds, and I use it on a daily basis. On the boat however, I'm more interested in being able to do a running fix in my head while steering through a squall, so I try to practice mow basic skills. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? Most marinas will allow you to send emails, some have wifi, etc. And of course there are always cafes, etc. If you stay in touch with friends & family by email when land based, then you will want to do that while cruising. If you like to use a phone, find the best cellular plan for your trip. You can also send emails by cell phone. I used the computer for email, updating a web site (so grandma could see pictures) and for bill tracking. but I'd have to say that the one thing I missed most about be "boat based" was the instant access to the web for simple browsing. At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. You can build a "box" that uses the same power as a laptop, but then you need space for a monitor. Also, you can power a laptop off of a small inverter - its worth having one on board if you have any AC aplliances (tooth brush, power drill, etc.) My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. Sounds like you don't really get along with computers. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? You haven't given a reason why you need one. This is one of those things where if you know you need it, you don't have to ask. I used to take laptops with me, now I don't bother if I'm out for less than a month. Memory chips for the camera are cheap and I can even crop and print without a computer. I have a dvd player that's better than most computers. And for a limited time, I'd rather rely on books for research and intellectual stimulation. If I were going out for longer, I'd bring a computer. Nowadays, there are fair solutions for connectivity in some areas - I have a friend who has stayed online for most of the East Coast using a cell phone - in the next few years this may be more common. One big mistake is thinking your lifestyle will change dramatically while cruising. For instance, my wife decided that she would learn new cooking styles while traveling. I have simpler tastes, and I got my fill of "new tastes" while being a tourist in a new town every other day; on the boat I preferred more basic comfort foods. We came back with lockers full of the same exotic ingredients we left with. There were a whole raft of new hobbies I might have acquired, such as fishing, but in fact we tended to do more of what we did while land based. Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? You can email with a cell phone - it really depends on want you want to do. I used Pocket Mail from a Palm Pilot over a cell phone, that was good for short messages. Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? Yes! That's the only proper way to do Celestial Navigation! As a programmer for 30 years, I tended to write small programs to do simple calculations - now I keep a calculator handy because that's what I really need now. Maybe its time to dust off the slip stick. |
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 09:49:53 -0500, Jeff Morris
wrote: Most marinas will allow you to send emails, some have wifi, etc. And of course there are always cafes, etc. If you stay in touch with friends & family by email when land based, then you will want to do that while cruising. If you like to use a phone, find the best cellular plan for your trip. You can also send emails by cell phone. I find that marinas with hookup for an old-fashioned dial-up modem are less common. I will have to get a more modern machine with wifi and ethernet connections before next season. However, your last sentence caught my eye. I know when I first got a cel phone, maybe six years ago, it could browse only web sites translated by th eprovider, and couldn't be used for normal modem acccess. Is that different now, or are you talking about special ISP accounts at the cellular company? I don't want to read email on a cellphone, but if it will act as or with a modem for the laptop that would do me. Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a The destruction of the World Trade Center was a faith-based initiative. -- George Carlin |
In Rodney Myrvaagnes writes:
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 09:49:53 -0500, Jeff Morris wrote: Most marinas will allow you to send emails, some have wifi, etc. And of course there are always cafes, etc. If you stay in touch with friends & family by email when land based, then you will want to do that while cruising. If you like to use a phone, find the best cellular plan for your trip. You can also send emails by cell phone. I find that marinas with hookup for an old-fashioned dial-up modem are less common. I will have to get a more modern machine with wifi and ethernet connections before next season. However, your last sentence caught my eye. I know when I first got a cel phone, maybe six years ago, it could browse only web sites translated by th eprovider, and couldn't be used for normal modem acccess. Is that different now, or are you talking about special ISP accounts at the cellular company? I don't want to read email on a cellphone, but if it will act as or with a modem for the laptop that would do me. If you are happy with e-mail and internerconnections that match a normal (fast) dial-upp modem and it is enough to get the contact when close enough to the land that your cell phone is working, then the way to go is the GPRS-service. This is working with a card inserted in your laptop, it includes the operators card and works like a w-lan, but the speeds are only below some 40,000 bauds. You can check your favourite weatherstation (if they have www-service, receive pictures of your grandchildren in e-mail (not very big ones) and exchange ordinary messages. I tried it last summer in the Baltic and worked well in Estonia, Latvia and Sweden and Finland. I bet it will work in the whole Europe, even in UK, as the company providing the servive for me was Vodafone. - Lauri Tarkkonen PS: I believe that many members of the younger generation would not bee too happy with the speed provided by the GPRS service, but I must tell you, that I started with speeds of 110, and found the change to 300 a wast improvement and every step 1200, 2400, etc have always impressed me. Rodney Myrvaagnes J36 Gjo/a The destruction of the World Trade Center was a faith-based initiative. -- George Carlin |
Jeff Morris wrote in message ...
Parallax wrote: I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? To ask this question without saying how long the cruise is or where you're going is a bit meaningless. IIRC your boat is not large - do you have enough space that you can stash it in a dry locker and not worry if you never use it? I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. If you have a computer based hobby/business, then it would be useful. If you're into digital photography, you'll want to be able to save and edit pics - but you should know that already. If you like to use the computer (without being connected)when land based, there is a good chance you'll find a use for it while traveling. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time. A dedicated player is a lot better, and cheaper. ..I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. The last time I went out for a year I had a computer fully set up for nav, but found a handheld chartplotter more convenient. Nav gear is most important in the worst conditions, so I didn't want to become reliant on something I would only use in fair conditions. On the other hand there are many who prefer to use a computer - this is an area where everyone has to find their own comfort level. The odd thing is I have several different chart systems loaded now - I can bring up a chart of anywhere in the world in a few seconds, and I use it on a daily basis. On the boat however, I'm more interested in being able to do a running fix in my head while steering through a squall, so I try to practice mow basic skills. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? Most marinas will allow you to send emails, some have wifi, etc. And of course there are always cafes, etc. If you stay in touch with friends & family by email when land based, then you will want to do that while cruising. If you like to use a phone, find the best cellular plan for your trip. You can also send emails by cell phone. I used the computer for email, updating a web site (so grandma could see pictures) and for bill tracking. but I'd have to say that the one thing I missed most about be "boat based" was the instant access to the web for simple browsing. At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. You can build a "box" that uses the same power as a laptop, but then you need space for a monitor. Also, you can power a laptop off of a small inverter - its worth having one on board if you have any AC aplliances (tooth brush, power drill, etc.) My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. Sounds like you don't really get along with computers. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? You haven't given a reason why you need one. This is one of those things where if you know you need it, you don't have to ask. I used to take laptops with me, now I don't bother if I'm out for less than a month. Memory chips for the camera are cheap and I can even crop and print without a computer. I have a dvd player that's better than most computers. And for a limited time, I'd rather rely on books for research and intellectual stimulation. If I were going out for longer, I'd bring a computer. Nowadays, there are fair solutions for connectivity in some areas - I have a friend who has stayed online for most of the East Coast using a cell phone - in the next few years this may be more common. One big mistake is thinking your lifestyle will change dramatically while cruising. For instance, my wife decided that she would learn new cooking styles while traveling. I have simpler tastes, and I got my fill of "new tastes" while being a tourist in a new town every other day; on the boat I preferred more basic comfort foods. We came back with lockers full of the same exotic ingredients we left with. There were a whole raft of new hobbies I might have acquired, such as fishing, but in fact we tended to do more of what we did while land based. Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? You can email with a cell phone - it really depends on want you want to do. I used Pocket Mail from a Palm Pilot over a cell phone, that was good for short messages. Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? Yes! That's the only proper way to do Celestial Navigation! As a programmer for 30 years, I tended to write small programs to do simple calculations - now I keep a calculator handy because that's what I really need now. Maybe its time to dust off the slip stick. Basically am a math physics geek who dreams up weird optics for a living whenever I am s'posed to be doing other things. A lot of this is pencil and paper but ya know, spread sheets are nice. I got no probs pokin round in the innards of a computer but have learned to hate the seeming arbitrariness of software. I could still program in Fortran if needed but Vis Basic is nice. I really wouldnt use it for movies and would only send e-mail to family which is redundant with a cell phone so the only reason for having it is for when I get bored and wanna poke around at some problem. |
Rodney Myrvaagnes wrote:
On Mon, 15 Nov 2004 09:49:53 -0500, Jeff Morris wrote: Most marinas will allow you to send emails, some have wifi, etc. And of course there are always cafes, etc. If you stay in touch with friends & family by email when land based, then you will want to do that while cruising. If you like to use a phone, find the best cellular plan for your trip. You can also send emails by cell phone. I find that marinas with hookup for an old-fashioned dial-up modem are less common. I will have to get a more modern machine with wifi and ethernet connections before next season. Many marinas will let you use their second phone line (usually used for credit cards) for brief email checks. Maybe now that they can charge for wifi use they push that instead. However, your last sentence caught my eye. I know when I first got a cel phone, maybe six years ago, it could browse only web sites translated by th eprovider, and couldn't be used for normal modem acccess. Is that different now, or are you talking about special ISP accounts at the cellular company? I don't want to read email on a cellphone, but if it will act as or with a modem for the laptop that would do me. Actually, I was thinking of text messaging for short emails, and pocket mail for somewhat larger messages. Neither are as nice as real email, but they're enough to let people know you're alive. Sprint has a system where the phone can be wired to a computer and it serves as a modem. My friend claims it was rated at 140 kbaud, and actually did about 110 kbaud. It is geared towards phone only use but works with a computer. The plan my friend has is a $10 surcharge on top of the $39 plan, however, I think they have "wised up" and now charge a much larger premium for computers. However, for some the fees would be worth it. I noticed the Sprint unlimited data business plan is $80 per month. But ATT has "unlimited mmode" for $25 that might work with one of those new phones with a keyboard. But ATT has been bought by Cingular and their system is down now ... Verizon has plans where a limited amount of online time can be combined with phone minutes so that limited surfing can be economical. One more thing - I've never done it but a number of people have said they can connect at about 9600 baud using analog on a cell phone. |
Parallax wrote:
Basically am a math physics geek who dreams up weird optics for a living whenever I am s'posed to be doing other things. A lot of this is pencil and paper but ya know, spread sheets are nice. I got no probs pokin round in the innards of a computer but have learned to hate the seeming arbitrariness of software. I could still program in Fortran if needed but Vis Basic is nice. I really wouldnt use it for movies and would only send e-mail to family which is redundant with a cell phone so the only reason for having it is for when I get bored and wanna poke around at some problem. So why are you wasting our time by asking if you should have one? Either do it or don't, it really doesn't matter. You haven't given any reason to have it other than maybe it would be nice if you dreamed up something to use it for. So why are you asking us? |
Jeff Morris wrote in message ...
Parallax wrote: Basically am a math physics geek who dreams up weird optics for a living whenever I am s'posed to be doing other things. A lot of this is pencil and paper but ya know, spread sheets are nice. I got no probs pokin round in the innards of a computer but have learned to hate the seeming arbitrariness of software. I could still program in Fortran if needed but Vis Basic is nice. I really wouldnt use it for movies and would only send e-mail to family which is redundant with a cell phone so the only reason for having it is for when I get bored and wanna poke around at some problem. So why are you wasting our time by asking if you should have one? Either do it or don't, it really doesn't matter. You haven't given any reason to have it other than maybe it would be nice if you dreamed up something to use it for. So why are you asking us? I suppose that I am wondering if it is really useful for anything else. Posting all of this has just about made up my mind though, NO computer. I realized all I really wanted it for was fun, not communication. |
I just bought a laptop with DVD player and a television output. I can watch
DVD's on the laptop screen or hook it up tp my TV at home. Works nice. "Parallax" wrote in message om... I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time...I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? |
VERY, VERY late to this thread, but you need to look at islandtimepc.com .
They offer a very low power computer that operates on 12 volts and supports DVDs. chartplotting, email, TV, whatever you might want a computer to do. I have a good friend who has one and he loves it. I'm buying mine soon. Its based on a line of Windows supported computers that are optimized for low power applications. pander Parallax wrote: I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time...I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? |
The problem with a system of this type is that there's no easy way to
bring it to shore to an Internet cafe to download e-mail. If you want a general purpose computer, then this looks OK. IMHO it's expensive for a 1 Ghz macbine. -- Geoff Pete Anderson wrote in : VERY, VERY late to this thread, but you need to look at islandtimepc.com . They offer a very low power computer that operates on 12 volts and supports DVDs. chartplotting, email, TV, whatever you might want a computer to do. I have a good friend who has one and he loves it. I'm buying mine soon. Its based on a line of Windows supported computers that are optimized for low power applications. pander Parallax wrote: I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time...I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? |
On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 14:36:43 GMT, Geoff Schultz
wrote: The problem with a system of this type is that there's no easy way to bring it to shore to an Internet cafe to download e-mail. If you want a general purpose computer, then this looks OK. IMHO it's expensive for a 1 Ghz macbine. Any kind of specialty PC (extra-rugged, low-power, whatever) will cost more, and I think the "best buy" here can be dictated pretty easily. 1) Portability. A laptop is always more expensive than a box, but a box can be better protected. On the other hand, you can't take a box ashore. 2) Flexibility. Box wins for component upgrades and configurations in most cases. Also, the various "black boxes" that bring nav, GPS, weather and radar data to your PC are going to connect more readily to a box than a laptop in many cases. 3) Power draw-down. Are you "on" constantly or not? Even a bulky, hot 350 W desktop unit won't draw much if you leave it off most of the time. On the other hand, if you are building your electrical system (charging, inverting, etc.) around the idea of having electronics, then any PC while running probably draws less than say, any radar and many common items like spreader lights and running a hair dryer. 4) Current software requirements. Laptops are always less bright for the buck than boxes, but you have to look at the software requirements to determine if this is a problem. I can't find any charting/nav or comm software that requires more than, say, a PIII, 256 Meg of RAM level of "strength", and that means you can spend, say, $400 for a superannuated "fleet" Dell or Compaq laptop and run nav all day long. 5) Thieving and replacement. Laptops can be stolen, but if you put a PC inside of a locked vented mini-locker, it looks like any miscellaneous electronics. If you use a "mini-ATX" motherboard and case, you can make them quite inconspicuous. Wireless networking can reduce the cable runs, as well. Taking all this into consideration, I would say I would have a reasonably current "box" PC squirrelled away on board with a portable LCD monitor and wireless accessories. That way, I could swing a charting screen into the companionway on an armature and use an IR mouse to change screens/displays. I would have a three year old laptop, strategically covered in duct tape, to take ashore or to compose e-mails on deck or wherever. It would be networked when needed to the box and used to back-up logs, ongoing work and "ship's data". Of course, I plan to work while I cruise. Your situation may vary. R. |
This is a basic mini-itx that you could put together yourself in a few
hours for about $400 less. If you have some parts lying around (I had a notebook dvd player, plus various keyboards and mice) you can save more. I even had a small disk with win 98 loaded, but ended up with a bigger disk and XP. You can buy all of the components from the company that makes the case: http://www.caseoutlet.com/shopdispla...2DITX+Syste m Or you could shop around and save a bit more. It really is quite simple to put it all together. If you buy a place like caseoutlet, they should do all of the assembly for you. Overall, I'm happy with mine, but I am a bit disappointed with price/performance. You can get a better performing laptop for less money. Also, it was advertised as "silent" but the case came with a noisy fan and it took some experimenting to get it as quiet as I wanted. (I used a small cpu fan.) On the plus side, this is a notebook-like system that I can replace any or all of the components on. For instance, I can upgrade the motherboard for about $140 and an hour's work. Pete Anderson wrote: VERY, VERY late to this thread, but you need to look at islandtimepc.com . They offer a very low power computer that operates on 12 volts and supports DVDs. chartplotting, email, TV, whatever you might want a computer to do. I have a good friend who has one and he loves it. I'm buying mine soon. Its based on a line of Windows supported computers that are optimized for low power applications. pander Parallax wrote: I thought I'd have left on my cruise by now but am still finishing my nesting dinghy so while that is happening, I am wondering about taking a computer. Is a computer really desireable on a cruise? I like to do weird calculations with spreadsheets and work out bizaare optics for fun and profit. Supposedly you can watch a movie on a computer although I have never done so and am almost unable to watch movies but a cruise on a sailboat has a lot of free time...I would never trust my navigation to computer charts so that isnt a reason. Is being in touch via e-mail and news groups really desireable or even practical? At work, we have a plethora of new computers but all are too big and run on 110 volts. My electrical capacity will be limited to when the engine is running, whatever charge is in my 2 batteries, and whatever my 10 watt solar panel makes. This argues for a laptop. My last experience with a laptop had me trying to get it stolen in airports but nobody ever took it. Even though it had a damned crappy power supply, I kept it going far longer than I should have by open-chassis surgery and soldering iron. When it finally did die, I gleefully extracted its hard drive and installed it in an adapter for my current home computer so that every time I see it I imagine it as a brain in a jar and I have gotten my revenge. I can almost imagine it saying "Dave, I know we have had our problems but.....Daisy, Daisy...." So, what do y'all think? Is there any practical way to do e-mail while underway? Should I just go back to using my slide rule for calculations? |
On Sun, 05 Dec 2004 14:36:43 GMT,
Geoff Schultz wrote: The problem with a system of this type is that there's no easy way to bring it to shore to an Internet cafe to download e-mail. If you want a general purpose computer, then this looks OK. IMHO it's expensive for a 1 Ghz macbine. -- Geoff I have a "multilayered" approach to this. Mostly because I like buying doodads and playing with them. I have a Laptop, nuff said. I also have a Pentab (old Fujitsu 1200, P120) running Linux, which happily connects via wired ethernet, wireless, USB, or IR. (USB requires minor h/w hack, but the newer versions of the HW don't) They run about $100-$200 on ebay if you keep an eye out. I also have a USB key (128MB) with a 64MB bootable partion and a small Linux install, the other 64MB contains some apps for MS-Windows (putty, an ssh client, and a couple of others) and my home directory. Usually I have a Knoppix CD also, which will boot on most any modern intel machine, and happily use the USB keydrive for storage. With this stuff, I can use pretty much any option of connection, modem, ethernet, wireless, booting some other machine, or IR via a cellphone. I suppose I could add an accoustic coupled modem, maybe an arcnet card, but I think I'll skip that... -- Jim Richardson http://www.eskimo.com/~warlock Must I hold a candle to my shames? -- William Shakespeare, "The Merchant of Venice" |
My wife and I are full time cruisers. Have been for 4 years.
We have several computers aboard, 1 laptop & 1 desktop (Singapore Shuttle) Use the laptop for navigation, weather-fax and sat phone connections & the Shuttle for marina applications. A word of warning about power supplies. We were caught in a storm when using the laptop via the inverter. Water entered the boat & caused a fire as a result of a 240V plug being shorted. Fire was quickly extinguished. Since that time only use the laptop on a voltage doubler or from the house batteries. Most laptop will work on 12-14VDC. ACER Travelmate. Hope this helps. Regards Tony S/V Ambrosia |
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