Tis the season!
Folk start coming out of the woodwork about now asking questions about buying a new computer for themselves or someone else for Christmas.
I have one rule this year: buy inexpensive!
I don’t care what brand it is, what model, what sorts of features — the bottom line is to not spend a lot of money on a new computer. Laptop, desktop, netbook, tablet, anything. Unless you can articulate in excruciatingly boring detail why you need something else… don’t spend the money.
Come on. You’re going to: surf the internet, send email, play on Facebook and create some word processing documents. Ok, maybe you’ll upload a movie you took on your camera or watch something on Netflix. You don’t need an expensive computer to do any of that.
I just bought a new laptop computer (ASUS laptop, Win 7 Home Premium, 15.5″ screen, 4 GB memory, 650 GB hard drive, CD/DVD player — not Blue Ray, and all the usual assortment of ports) for $350. If I can do my job from that computer — I am the computer goddess after all 
– what are you doing, really?
Personal computers are now ‘disposable’ — that is, you use it for a year (maybe two years but 18 months max is my current rule of thumb) and then… well, you replace it. No messing with upgrading components or software. Just replace it.
Now the ‘green’ people are having a conniption along about now. Sorry. Computers have become another consumable item. Yes, they need to be disposed of properly and after 18-24 months, maybe there are places that will take a gently used computer as a donation. I didn’t invent this stuff.
So. Be cheap when it comes to electronics.
