Question for the computer experts

[Dina Lerret]

On 6/26/06, Wolfie! <wuff at internode.on.net> wrote:

> If you know someone else who has been to the shop and feels happy
> with the service, then it might be worth the effort.
>
> We had someone like that locally who would do a really good job,
> give advice on all the good innards of the thing, order the parts
> and build it and install the software.
>
> I do like this sort of option.

Even though I personally wouldn't use a Dell PC nowadays nor am I fan
of their means at achieving lower costs, if you want to define the
choice as 'lazy', it's that but I don't think Carol's first thought
was 'will this help the US economy'. ;-)  I think the "little guys"
are good for consumers who want more guidance and options**, but from
my impression, Carol wanted something she could 'use and forget
about'.  Dell will probably be around long enough to support longterm
warranty since I don't know how much 'use and abuse' Carol puts her
computers through for her to bring up warranty issues and it sounded
like she didn't need a specialized computer.

**My Athlon tower was made by a small online shop that's specialty was
video editing computers.  This tower was specifically designed for
each part to be compatible with a MatroxRT editing board.

I'd advocate the smaller shops (and bigger guys like Gateway and
Apple) but it depends on what your needs are.  I think there will
always be room for small computer shops but they need to carve a
'specialty niche'.  For example, I'd like some nice artwork applied to
my computer tower, but I also know custom art can be expensive.  Then
there are 'mod shops' for individual (vanity) modifications. {g}  With
the amount of 'teh pr0n' on my computer, I want my towers looking like
'pimp mobiles' complete with bling. {chuckle}

I went through an 'arts and crafts' stage when I was younger, and
since then, I've gravitated toward technology and practical usage.

Dina