You can have your computer and save money, too

November 12, 2008 By Lou Dolinar

Ever wonder how much money you could save on computing if you put your mind to it? PCs and Macs can be fabulously expensive if you want peak performance and bells and whistles. But a fairly modest investment is good enough for the basics of Internet and office applications.

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• twango - Nov 13, 2008
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  Here we are, 24 years after the Mac was introduced, and still reading articles that are oblivious to anything but PCs.
  
  There's plenty of good, free software for Macs too. It takes about a half-hour to find and write about.
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• raron - Nov 13, 2008
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  How is it possible to mention Adobe photoshop in an article about cheap computing, and not mention GIMP, or GIMPshop? http://www.gimp.org/
  http://www.gimpshop.com/
  
  They are open source and available for Windows, Linux and Mac's, and in most cases, more than good enough for the casual user. And the more advanced ones too, I'd say.
  
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• h0dges - Nov 13, 2008
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  And the Acer Aspire One! Awesome laptop!
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• raron - Nov 13, 2008
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  h0dges: I couldn't agree more!
  
  Currently running Ubuntu 8.10 on it (A110, 1.5 GB RAM), with compiz. Amazing stuff! I followed some hints from this guide: https://help.ubun...One110L, in particular the video 3D and wireless stuff. Works like a charm! And "the cube" works without distorted windows and smooth turning!
  
  There is also an Ubuntu 8.10 umpc (ultra mobile PC) install I haven't tested yet: http://cdimage.ub...release/
  Maybe I won't, in a while at least. I really like it as it is now, even though there are some minor issues with the low screenheight resolution (1024x600).
  
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