GG> I managed to fall into a deal and last Monday picked up my new
 GG> toy. A "used" $2000 laptop for $500US. It's a 486/40 with 4mb
 GG> and 250mb hard drive and colour display. It started out with
 GG> the basic Windows VGA display but after visiting the Website
 GG> for Compaq, I ended up with SVGA drivers and an SVGA display.

  Whee!

 GG> The guy that had it was a real wanker and only used the thing
 GG> to play Solitaire with... he had got it in a divorce settlement
 GG> and "just needed the cash".
 GG> He had a good week to change his mind but luckily he didn't. I
 GG> don't think this has been used for much more than maybe 10
 GG> hours prior to my getting it. The keys still have that "new"
 GG> feeling.

  Here in Sydney, all the "cheap" computers are being sold by Chinese.
There are two levels of prices: the top level where the poor bugger is
selling his computer after two years and can't believe how much it has
dropped in price... and the low level where mad slopes buy whatever is
going and swap it all around! I don't think there is such a thing as
a straight computer in Sydney; they're all overclocked and tweaked
and totally stuffed around... by crazy chinks who don't have a clue
what they're doing.

 GG> OH, and better yet, it actually has a 16550 UART, external
 GG> comms/serial/parallel/video/docking bay ports, and a type III
 GG> PCMIA slot, and is upgradeable. The only thing I don't have is
 GG> the warranty since I'm not the original owner.

  I thought the warranty was on the *goods*. It is here, anyway.

  But you can't go far wrong for a $500US colour laptop that has to be
worth $2,000. They're selling mono 486/33 laptops for $1,000 here.

 GG> OH, and better yet, it actually has a 16550 UART, external
 GG> comms/serial/parallel/video/docking bay ports, and a type III
 GG> PCMIA slot, and is upgradeable. The only thing I don't have is
 GG> the warranty since I'm not the original owner.

  I find the whole business of laptops totally stunning! Everything is
tiny and it all works. Magic.

 GG> Geez, so many new toys, so little time... :-)

  You have to watch it. Once you start buiying it's hard to stop.

Regards,
Bob
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
@EOT:

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