Bon Journal

Return of the laptop

My very first laptop was given to me on the fourth day of my first job as a management consultant. It was a heavy Toshiba laptop which I carried proudly from London to Singapore. I took it to the client's office.

My second laptop was lent to me by a good friend - when my Macintosh II si started to trail behind the personal computer. That laptop enabled me to finish my thesis.

My third laptop was given to me in December 2000. I had specified every software in the world, and as a result, the Dell Latitude cpx was as heavy as the Toshiba. I had forgotten about the ratio between processing power and weight.

I carried the Dell laptop everywhere until July 2002, when I switched to my upgraded PC.

When I turned on my laptop again last month, it coughed and hiccupped like a reluctant cat woken from its long hibernation. It refused to come alive, and I agonised over it for days.

What was wrong? Was the battery dead? Did I break it in transit? Has it come to the end of its life?

Without my PC, I need my laptop to work. Can I sell it and get a new one?

Sadly, technology is the last thing one should hang on to. I've been told that you need to upgrade every 18 months. And pentium II's are now considered slow. I had ignored its calls for "Critical Updates" and now risk a slow and bothersome operation.

But while I have it resuscitated, I might as well as use it before it dies again.

15 October 2003 Wednesday