3.134 laptops, cont. (59)

Willard McCarty (MCCARTY@VM.EPAS.UTORONTO.CA)
Sat, 17 Jun 89 15:26:07 EDT


Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 3, No. 134. Saturday, 17 Jun 1989.


(1) Date: 15 Jun 89 10:33:50 bst (8 lines)
From: D.Mealand@EDINBURGH.AC.UK
Subject: Laptop

(2) Date: Thu, 15 Jun 89 09:22:00 EDT (31 lines)
From: N.J.Morgan@vme.glasgow.ac.uk
Subject: Re: 3.104 laptops (45)

(1) --------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 15 Jun 89 10:33:50 bst
From: D.Mealand@EDINBURGH.AC.UK
Subject: Laptop

I find the kaypro 2000+ a good machine because of its ega display.
Some laptops are cheap and fuzzy (CGA), others are faster but much more
expensive. This kaypro is a good compromise if you want clear display
of accents etc but don't need a fast processor. David M.
(2) --------------------------------------------------------------42----
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 89 09:22:00 EDT
From: N.J.Morgan@vme.glasgow.ac.uk
Subject: Re: 3.104 laptops (45)

Douglas de Lacey's reference to Sinclair's Z88 "*quiet enough to
use in a library*" prompts me to write and ask fellow humanists
about problems with access to reading rooms and search rooms
for scholars using laptops.

In Scotland we have had many problems; the concensus seems to be that
"old noise [coughs, sneezes, chatter, sweet/candy wrappings, scratching
pencils, distant typewriters] is good noise", whereas "new noise
[computer keyboards] is bad noise". So we still have problems
with access to the search room of the Scottish Record Office (although
the curatorial staff are trying very hard to find a solution to
quell the new noise (but not the old)), and have had it indicated
that access to other repositories is not guarenteed.

Someone did suggest that we could silence the keyboard of our Toshiba
(does anyone know how ?); we looked at the Z88 but it was, to quote
one colleague, "like typing in wellington boots". Our SRO friends
are looking to design a perspex cover to sit over the keyboard
and operator's hands. What, if anything, happens elsewhere ?
I would be delighted to hear.

Nicholas Morgan (Janet) N.J.Morgan@Glasgow.vme
(Bitnet)N.J.Morgan@vme.Glasgow.ac.uk


And can anyone explain why my Humanist mail arrives in a totally
random order, like a Xanaduu [TM] system gone [more] crazy ?