Is it worth travelling to Rotterdam from Paris for laptop/notebook?
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| henri Jul 05, 2010 3:02 AM EDT |
I am a South African working in Paris for the next three weeks. I would like to buy a new laptop/notebook (maybe even netbook if the specs are good enough) but in Paris it seems all keyboards are French. I would expect Dutch keyboards to be pretty similar to the usual keyboard in ZA i.e. 'international' (=US). So ... it seems train tickets Paris/Rotterdam can be as low as E35 (but price is not a big issue), trip takes 3 hours so the whole thing can be over in a day ... but the question is: WHERE to go in Rotterdam/Amsterdam to buy a computer? WHAT computer to buy (in particular, which computers are best for Linux ... there should Linux-only machines? distros I like include Ubuntu, Debian and PCLinuxOS, no clear brand favourites for brand name of machine but would like something that will last well)? WHY? Well, I have a few hundred euros to spend, a trip will be fun, and I can get good machine! |
| hkwint Jul 05, 2010 4:03 AM EDT |
I can't decide if it's worth it or not, but I can try to help. When it comes to shops, Mingos / Arnhem http://www.mingos.nl/ubuntu-laptops.html sells pre-installed Ubuntu boxes. BTO assembles them on their own, they sell from Geldrop (leave the TGV in Rotterdam, take train to Eindhoven, than go there by bus:) http://www.bto.eu/html/list.asp?q=1⟨=nl&DisplayPartnerI... Both shops would probably be able to send it to Paris as well, though I don't know if that's any cheaper. Or you can buy a pre-installed Windows-netbook and wipe it. Then, the most usual place to go would be MediaMarkt. You can go to the one in the Centre, but I think the one in Alexandrium (the big mall) is bigger, and it's open in the evenings. You could try Saturn in Rotterdam South (Zuidplein, two miles southeast of the Feyenoord Stadium) as well. If you insist on not wanting Windows, maybe you could bargain a good deal. 5% to 10% discount when simply 'confidently' asking for it has been reported as being possible. When travelling in the Netherlands by public transport, use 9292: http://journeyplanner.9292.nl/ |
| henri Jul 05, 2010 5:01 AM EDT |
Thanks, Hans. Coupla qs: What is Mingos' reputation for durability? I am not going to get repairs under guarantee in Cape Town! BTO seems to indicate the OS is Windows, couldn't see where I could deselect this in product spec, am i just failing to navigate the site? (Very interesting that their most popular model dates from 2007) |
| dinotrac Jul 05, 2010 7:09 AM EDT |
And -- for what it's worth, Computer or not, you could do a lot worse than a day trip to the Netherlands. |
| hkwint Jul 05, 2010 7:18 AM EDT |
Dino should know, he worked in Rotterdam! (So did I ). Don't know about Mingos nor BTO, just stuff I found using Google. Might be really outdated, I can't tell. BTO lists Windows as 'optional', meaning if you don't select a version, it's 'not installed by default' (bit clumsy / confusing, but that's what it says). Whenever you choose a Windows version from the list, it becomes more expensive, but without adding a certain Windows version, it's €0, so from what I understand you don't receive a Windows license. If you know Dutch, there's probably more you can find. TuxTop in Weert sadly doesn't list products anymore it seems, which seems it's a "home-company" that may not sell products anymore (looked it up in Streetview). |
| henri Jul 06, 2010 11:41 AM EDT |
All sorted Hans, thx. Not sure the trip is gonna happen, tempted, it's on the maybe/maybe not list! I am sending this for its Linux content: your link gives a curious Microsoft-centred error, here is what the browser displays, as text: " Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80040e0c' Command text was not set for the command object. /html/list.asp, line 129 " and the "address box" i.e. where the URL goes contains "http://www.bto.eu/html/list.asp?q=1%E2%8C%A9=nl&DisplayPartnerID=1&PartnerID=1" ... not so Linux-friendly, after all? (seems I can't include a screenshot in message ... too much effort to find out how to post it) |
| hkwint Jul 06, 2010 12:42 PM EDT |
I know, you should leave the part after .eu I suggeslt. |
| Bob_Robertson Jul 08, 2010 11:00 AM EDT |
Closest I ever got to Rotterdam was the movie _Snatch_, and they were in Antwerp. |
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