Netbook going to cut it?

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BovineArmy

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Hey all. I've currently got a 18" hp laptop, and I'm in the market for something I can carry back and forth to class a little more convieniently with a decent battery life. The wave of netbooks have caught my attention, mostly because of their compliance with my wallet.

All I'm looking to get out of it would be a word processor and a compiler. I was told that the cost friendly netbooks don't come with the power to compile, but these statements came across as more of a guess. Guess my question is:

(1) Can the netbooks out handle word processing and compiling?

and, if not:

(2) Is there a lightweight alternative that CAN handle this stuff and not add a terribly large amount to at the register?
 
I have an eeepc. It's great. I'm not so sure about the compiling, but word processing is amazing. I hate those high priced laptops that aren't worth crap. If you're like me and are all about portability, you can not go wrong with a netbook. it really depends on what type of compiler you're running. If it's a stripped down compiler, and that's it... you should be just fine. :)
 
Thanks for the reply. I wouldn't think the compiler would be too taxing, probably Eclipse or Dev c++, depending on what language the professor has decided to use. Either way, I wasn't planning on adding much more than (maybe) an online poker program and a browser. Multitasking won't be an issue so I didn't think I would be bogging it down.

Any evidence to the contrary would still be appreciated, otherwise I'll probably go ahead and purchase one within the next couple days.
 
Just make sure you get a higher end netbook. Compiling does take some power, however I don't think in class compiling will be anything it can't handle... but you'll love it... which one are you looking at getting?
 
I hadn't given it much thought, I wanted to be sure looking in depth was worth my time before I invested much time. Any suggestions on who has the edge in the netbook world?
 
Im posting this from an Eee Pc right now, and i absolutely love it. You will love a netbook as well for class for its portability. As for compiling, you shouldn't have any problems on say an Eee Pc 1005HA and dev C++( i would definitely say that Asus has the edge in the netbook world with better battery life and quality). Now keep in mind that while you will be able to compile, the netbooks only push a 1.6 ghz Intel Atom processor...So it wont be nearly as fast as on say your quad core desktop.

I use my Eee for pretty much everything when im not at home, written tons of papers for class and the like and it's always served my needs quite well. Haha one benefit that i didn't know when i bought it is that it's a total chick magnet...seriously....i've gotten more dates because some girl thought my computer was "cute" hahaha....i think you'll do well with a netbook....good luck with your programing classes!
 
I really appreciate the feedback. I've noticed the specs on processing power, and have set my expectations accordingly. I've been planning on transferring unused items off of the netbook, pretty much using it for currently projects/papers only. Really the increase in portability (over the heavy 18") is far worth the loss in processing power when travelling via bike. I'll look into Asus within the week.

Again thanks for the feedback, it's been a huge help!
 
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