i'm going to start of by saying that computers are something that i have a hard time spending money on. i don't know why, i use one every day, both at work and at home. i think i just have a hard time justifying the cost of them, esp. when it seems that no matter when you buy one, it will be outdated only a few months later.

i got my first computer as a gift when i went away to college. (sidenote - i almost put how long ago that was. but seeing the number of years in writing kind of freaked me out a little). it was a sony desktop and it lasted me all 4 years. right about the time i graduated it started to have some problems, and i ended up using an old computer of mikes for the next couple of years. it was free and it worked and those were my requirements at the time. when i decided to go back to grad school i decided it was time to get a laptop. mike had a laptop that was a couple of years old, but again, it was free (to me) and it worked. i used it all through grad school even though i cursed it on a daily basis because it was the slowest thing ever once i installed photoshop and autocad. plus it was always crashing. about a year ago it finally just died and i've been using the desktop (something mike built a few years ago) since. do you see a pattern? i use a computer until it dies and then just rely on whatever computer mike has at the time. we have not gotten a new computer since we have been married.

long story short - i miss having a laptop. but i don't want to spend the money on a new one. if money was not an issue, i would get a macbook. maybe someday...

lately i've been thinking about getting a netbook instead. they are a couple of hundred less than a laptop, and really, would do almost everything i would need. plus they are smaller and lighter which could be nice, esp. since i will probably end up mostly using it while sitting on the couch.
anyone out there have a netbook? if so, what kind? any recommendations? i was reading some reviews of the samsung pictured above, seems like it could be a good option.