It's not hard, but it's another bill and ...

Post #333,164 by Another Scott 9/26/10 4:49:41 PM Reply	It's not hard, but it's another bill and ... I've debated for a long time about getting her cable and internet, but it's really a can of worms. If she has WiFi then she'll want to use it with her Vista laptop, and then the issue of keeping it running becomes a big concern. If I swap the laptop for the iPad, she'll think she's being deprived (she's a bit of a MS fan). Just getting WiFi without the iPad is too easy to break. I want something foolproof for her. At the moment I'm leaning toward the 16 GB iPad with WiFi/3G and the 2 GB/mo 3G data plan. It seems the simplest and least likely to break. If she goes over 2 GB/mo, she'll have to learn to be more economical with her web traffic. ;-) I'll keep cogitating for a few days... Thanks again! Cheers, Scott.
Post #333,165 by static 9/26/10 5:00:02 PM Reply	You've got an uphill battle. You said it yourself: "(she's a bit of an MS fan)" IME, people like that will have MS-type computer problems sooner or later. The only way out is to teach them to not be "a bit of an MS fan". It may take a disaster or two to do it; that was the only way my sister got taught to be wary of IE's security. Wade. Q:Is it proper to eat cheeseburgers with your fingers? A:No, the fingers should be eaten separately.
Post #333,166 by Another Scott 9/26/10 5:52:43 PM Reply	Tell me about it. :-) I actually think she'll like the iPad. She was after me for a while a few years ago to get her a BlackBerry (without really knowing what it was). She's not a "Microsoft or nothing" person. She mainly doesn't like feeling she's missing out. Thanks. Cheers, Scott.
Post #333,170 by folkert 9/26/10 8:35:41 PM Reply	Put Linux on the Laptop. She isn't missing anything.
Post #333,172 by Another Scott 9/26/10 8:51:52 PM Reply	:-) I knew you'd suggest that. :-) I might eventually, but not as the first attempted solution. $30 a month for 3G is better than $50+ for cable internet, plus I'm sure there will be fewer headaches. If the iPad doesn't work out for her, I can use it. IIRC, her laptop is a Gateway dual-core AMD Vista machine which was astonishingly slow even after I did a substantial memory upgrade. No doubt it would be better with Ubuntu, but not vastly better. And she has several Windows games she plays, so that might make her cranky if they didn't run.... I'm assuming she'll keep the laptop for her Windows stuff and use the iPad for Internet stuff. I will keep your suggestion in mind. Thanks. Cheers, Scott.

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