Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!spool.mu.edu!cs.umn.edu!msi.umn.edu!noc.MR.NET!mac.cc.macalstr.edu!sjbutl
From: sjbutl@mac.cc.macalstr.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.laptops
Subject: Re: Windowing system for "regular" PC/laptop?
Message-ID: <1991May15.095739.527@mac.cc.macalstr.edu>
Date: 15 May 91 15:57:39 GMT
References: <9105081832.AA01240@wugate.wustl.edu> <18820002@hpspdra.spd.HP.COM> <1991May14.105234.9451@cbnews.cb.att.com>
Distribution: na
Organization: Macalester College
Lines: 28

In article <1991May14.105234.9451@cbnews.cb.att.com>, djb@cbnews.cb.att.com 
(david.j.bryant) helps out (in reply):
> On "Suggestions for stand alone laptop?", tomm@hpspdra.spd.HP.COM writes:
>>   ... I've been advised that to properly run a windows
>>   environment (which would make the computer a bunch easier to use
>>   for an occasional user) it really takes a 386 at 20MHz.  Otherwise
>>   the computer (and in particular the pointer device) doesn't keep
>>   up.  Can anyone comment?
 
(David's Geoworks comments skipped)

I run windows 3 on a Trac 286-12 (albeit with 4 megs of ram) and can't complain
too much.  The "speed" (technical term!) of the screen can't really keep up
with windows on my pokey machine, so I'm not sure if a faster cpu would help
too much.

Yeah, msword gets kinda slow, but I just finished a 60 page paper with lots of
mathematical doo-hickies and it was quite tolerable for the most part.   Of
course, I don't get all the benefits of a 386, but then again, I can only do
one thing at a time so I never miss multitasking ;')

You might want to try out windows on a 286 laptop. Its far from perfect, but
its good enough for me - but then again I only use word, qvt, and play games!
Oh yeah, I also worked with turbo c++ under windows...I thought the compilier
was kinda slow (much slower than zortech) but that might be the compiler and
not just the sheer brute strength of my 286-12!

- john