h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Or mouses-

The optical mouses are much nicer looking and the ball doesn't fall out as often. It can go over uneven surfaces, like a hand. The optical mouse isn't always as reliable, and is more expensive, but the ball doesn't fall out

Mouses with other special features can include one or more of the following-

- A wheel on between the left and right buttons that moves the page up and down

- Some mouses are molded for comfortable places to put a thumb or pinky finger on the side. The mouses look a bit odd, especially when they're shaped to go to the mousepad at a strange angle

- Special buttons on the side can be used as a back button or reload on browsers

it's mice

"The optical mouses are much nicer looking and the ball doesn't fall out *as often*"
??
i thought they didn't have balls
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Guru
CommunityArtist

I was having a bit of fun

Those "comfortably shaped mice" are designed to cause cramp in the human hand. They were not designed by beings of this earth....

Erganomicaly terrific!

i want a decent home computer for playing/kids homework/downloading, etc.....

about £700 - £800......

any advice??? is pc world reliable or comet, etc best???

They're not reliable, but there aren't really any better people either. Best thing to do is to look around a lot at different people, and see what they're offering.

But if you get the games bug... say bye bye to that budget.

ta!!!

i posted my views on this in another thread ( "to avoid problems in the future")
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Guru
CommunityArtist

Magoogy, I think the best thing if you are to buy a new computer, would be to build it yourself from scratch. Or, if you don't dare do this on your own, get someone else you know to help you out. If you know someone who runs a small computer company, they can usually help you get the right parts that fit together, and, normally, at a very nice price. Otherwise, order the parts over the web. I should avoid bundled computers at all costs. They are often tricky, and the warranty voids if you attempt to upgrade them.

If you know of no friends that can help you assemble the computer, I know there are a lot of companies that specialize in tailoring computer systems for their customers. I can point you to one, but, as I live in Norway, I don't suppose it would be a lot of help to you...

Also, if you are going to use the computer for gaming, you will need a VERY state-of-the-art computer, and you will need to upgrade it to have it remain that way. This means, build it yourself, it's much cheaper, and you can make it totally up to date from the moment you buy it. Home made computers are usually a lot more upgradeable than the normal corporate bundle.

You will also be able to decide on the price based exactly on how much money you intend to spend, as you may buy every part separately. Though, make sure they are all compatible with each other.

its meeces other good thing bout building them your self is the satisfaction you get from the feeling inside when you plug them in for the first time and the reconizeable "PHUTZZ" BRIGHT FLASH AND WHIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr as the screen flikers momentarly as the fan abrubtly ceases to function

Hahahahahaha...
You seem to have a somewhat different experience with building it than I do. I made one mistake, though:
The first time I built my computer, i plugged the cable leading from the on-button on the wrong way, meaning that i switched polarities on the socket, - became +, and + became -. So, when the time for the great on-turning came, nothing happened at all, and I had the biggest fright of my life, trying to figure out which essential bit wasn't working.

I figured it out in about five minutes, though, and I haven't regretted building the computer ever since. So I would still recommend building one from scratch...

You'll be able to pick up a decent 2nd-hand Mac for that. As I don't play games on my Mac, I've no idea what the market's like;

The Mac will be easier to use, much more forgiving (no arbitrary crashes, only the occasional freeze-up) and dead simple to mend (usually only needs rebooting or a go with one of several Utilities programmes to keep the hard-disk in order).

A cable-modem will plug straight into the ethernet port and you'll have high-quality video/high-speed downloads on demand. If you want 56K modem, they're external and much slower....but there's a port on the back for that, so no need for the extra card.

You've already got computer-access as you're posting on this site, so you're familiar with some of the technology. Don't expect a Mac to work the same way a PC does; this is what baffles most PC users at first. I learnt a Mac in 10 minutes after switching from a PC and keep looking forward.

There are some simple software technologies out there to translate files between PC and Mac if you or the kids want to swap text/graphics files. A Mac can do more than a PC does because Mac knows that it's living in a PC world. There are some things a PC 'won't' do that Mac will.

This probably sounds evangelical. So be it. I prefer a reliable, easy to use computer that rarely needs repairs and I can do my own simple maintenace on. Perhaps you do, too.

Fruitbat

I don't have any mice here (actually, that's a lie, theres one on a shelf somewhere). I've swapped everything out for trackballs, some with two buttons, some with three, and one with seven (ideal for design work).

A couple of engineers at the office were getting RSI problems, and I suggested they try one for a couple of weeks. After a couple of days getting used to it (and starting out very skeptical in one case), they are now sold, and will not be going back to using a mouse again!

Trackballs are more expensive than mice, although not that much; you can get a basic trackball for around 15 to 20 pounds, although a 'real' trackball, with a ball the size of a tennis ball, is going to set you back atleast a hundred. You'll be amazed just how accurate one of those things is.

Mmm, I've used cheap ones and I got a sense of the potential of it, although I would've needed one with a much bigger ball to really be happy with it I think.

What always puts me off getting a trackball is attempting to play games with the thing.