defjef Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 I am about to upgrade to 11. from 8.52. I am currently using both PC and Mac versions on desktop machines, both about 6 yrs old... and working fine. My intention to get a PC laptop is to be able to work outside the home-office and take advantage of wireless connectivity to the WWW. The intention is to install the 11.5 on the laptop and use the larger flat panel monitor when working in the home office and use the old PC for back ups and legacy software files. I am leaning toward a PC and not a powerbook because some navigation software I intend to use is not MAC supported...and having additional navigation capability is a redundancy and would be prudent on the sailboat. So... What features/ specs do I want in this new laptop.... and which brands should I be looking at? And which ones should I steer clear of? I intend to get a wireless mouse... so recommendations would be handy there too. Thanks for your help in advance! Quote Link to comment
CEA Posted March 11, 2005 Share Posted March 11, 2005 I use a 17" 1 ghz Mac Power Book at home- it has been great, and a real pleasure to use. I also have a Mac wireless mouse for the powerbook. The 17" screen is great for drafting work. I have a 21" monitor at work, but I do not miss it while using the 17" laptop. The 15" screen on my previous laptop was too small for me. Too bad you cant use a Mac. For me the larger screen is key. Portability is secondary. Quote Link to comment
gjefcoate Posted March 13, 2005 Share Posted March 13, 2005 I use an Acer Travelmate 8003LMi and have given up on using the desktop in the office. I would make it very clear that to use a laptop with the dongle is an absolute nightmare. We've already lost one (and it costs approx ?120 to replace and took us over 10 days to receive a new one) and the replacement dongle, sticking out the side of the laptop took a knock and had to be glued back together wtih superglue. Please bear this in mind. As with CEA, I used to use two 19' monitors in the office and now purely use the laptop display. Somehow, I don't miss the larger displays. Strange huh? Quote Link to comment
wv_vectorworker Posted March 14, 2005 Share Posted March 14, 2005 I use an iBook with a Acer AL1713 at the office, and a Sony 16" CRT at home. Dongle has not been a problem. I use an iCurve stand for the iBook, and plug in a standard keyboard and mouse. Are you sure there is no navigation software for Mac, I seem to recall reading about someone installing a Powerbook on a gimbal on a sailboat . . . http://www.gpsnavx.com/ [ 03-14-2005, 03:06 PM: Message edited by: wv_vectorworker ] Quote Link to comment
defjef Posted March 15, 2005 Author Share Posted March 15, 2005 There very well may be some dual platform nav software...or even mac only ones, but not the products I am interested in are PC as far as I know. I am not familiar with the use of a dongle. Could someone explain this? Could I install one license on the laptop and a desk top...or it is one machine per license end of story do not pass go and so on? Quote Link to comment
fsung Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 quote: Originally posted by defjef: I am not familiar with the use of a dongle. Could someone explain this? A dongle is a piece of hardware is a mechanism for ensuring that only authorized users can copy or use specific software applications, especially very expensive programs. Common mechanisms include a hardware key that plugs into a parallel, seria, or USBl port on a computer and that a software application accesses for verification before continuing to run; key diskettes; and registration numbers that are loaded into some form of ROM (read-only memory) at the factory or during system setup. quote: Could I install one license on the laptop and a desk top...or it is one machine per license end of story do not pass go and so on? The EULA specifies one machine per license. Some companies allow users to install the same license on both a desktop and a laptop as long as only one copy of the program is running at time. I don't know whether or not Nemetschek permits this. I suggest you contact Customer Service. Quote Link to comment
Hugo Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I run Vectorworks 11.5 on an iBook G4 and it performs excellent. iBooks are fast and silent. And GREAT battery life. Be sure there is no Mac compatible software before deciding. [ 03-14-2005, 10:27 PM: Message edited by: Hugo ] Quote Link to comment
gjefcoate Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 I seem to remember reading somewhere in the Vectorworks licence that it can be in installed on more than one machine at a time but may only be used on one machine. This is where the dongle comes in, you can only plug it into one machine at a time. I may be completely wrong here though. Quote Link to comment
wv_vectorworker Posted March 15, 2005 Share Posted March 15, 2005 that is exactly where the comes (goes) in. Quote Link to comment
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