-----Original Message----- From: Jim Devine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >I have had very good luck with my Palm III handheld computer. Among other >things, it's extremely simple. The system is much more like DOS or simple >UNIX and therefore doesn't have all the overhead that Windows has. Better, >the operating system doesn't melt down regularly, the way Windows does. Let me second some of Jim's enthusiasm. For my recent trip travelling in the Middle East for the last two months, I did not want to haul a laptop around, first because of the weight and secondly because of the short battery life and lack of plugs for recharging. So I bought a Palm III and a keyboard attachment called GoType. It was a great combo, since I could keep the Palm safe in my waistbelt at all times, then haul out the keyboard when I was interviewing various labor folks. Simple as pie, especially with the software readily available on line. And the batteries lasted for incredibly long times. Although the handwriting recognition is still a pain at times. It is amazing how hard it is even for the smartest computer to recognize the subtle differences even in printed script between people. Douglas Hofstater in his MetaMagical Themas has really interesting discussions of how amazing human cognition is in being able to make such distinctions compared to the almost hopelessness of computers in performing the same task. --Nathan
