[gacuna]

Hi,

My name is Guillermo Acuña, just this Tuesday Dec. 18, I got accepted into college, Indiana Tech to be exact, a long way from South America, but I have decided to go back to the states and study in College and not stay here in Peru where I have been living gracefully for many years.

My question is, I start my fall term in august so there is no rush, I was wondering if someone knows where to get a really really really cheap laptop, keep in mind, that I am solely depending on my mother who has a very limited budget, we live in a third world country, so yeah wages are pretty low. I mean college is an expense itself, and my college requires me to own a computer, so I have no idea, I mean my family has no money or anything. Any ideas on what to do?

I just have no clue, and I mean I am acting early to get as many ideas as I can. My major? Computer Science, imagine a computer science major without a computer, I am willing to send or fax acceptance letters to anybody so that I can get a discount on anyone who is willing to please help out this newly inducted college student in dire help. I can fax the acceptance letter, with appropiate ID, or whatever requirements you need, so that you know this is not a scam or whatever. I need help.

I know that you must be thinking why doesn't he get a job? It is kind of impossible to get jobs in a third world country, actually it is impossible, more than half the population is umemployed and the working conditions are bad. Even if i worked for two months I wouldn't be able to afford anything. I have looked on ebay but everything there is expensive, as I said before PLEASE HELP!!!!

Much Thanks,
--Guillermo

[druber]

What do you need it to be able to do? Just typing stuff, or internet/testing/office/etc? I have a 145B which can do next to nothing, but it's a computer and it works. Free if I can hand it off to you. Laptops hold their value much more than desktop computers. A cheapo desktop would be easier to find..

[vmarks]

Guillermo, I don't know how you are on student loans, but you may want to look into one.

There's the Apple Education loan for new machines.

There are bank loans that you could use for a slightly used machine. I know you have little for funds right now, but the iBook 500 is $900 at PcConnection.com right now until the end of the month. I can't afford one either.

perhaps you can get a loan through your school that will absorb the cost into your tuition. At any rate, as a computer scientist, you need something you can run a compiler on. My vote is either something that will run OS X (an upgraded powermac will do it)

or something you can run Linux on (an old pentium computer will do it.)

Locally I can get a pentium 166 for $35.00 that will run Linux, giving you all the email/web browsing/ word processing tools you need, and letting you compile stuff for your class. still, newer machines are definately better.

Other than that, I'm not sure what to tell you.

[mattstoton]

$300 will get you a good capable laptop. Around $50 will get you a really old B/W laptop that is good for word processing only. I was able to pick up a 3400 (very nice) for $200. I actually have a chinchilla... an animal native to Peru

I had 7 Chinchillas before I moved to Florida funny little things. My advice: Try ebay...you can pick up decent units at incredible deals. www.ebay.com just make sure the seller is willing to ship internationally. Hope this helps.

J

[seanyepez]

I just went down to Peru and set up a few schools with network connectivity last summer.

My father is Andean, and we did work for the Jesuits who he knew as a child. The reunion was quite awkward, though everyone was very happy to see each other after decades of incommunication.

If you want a screwed-up PowerBook G3/333 you can have mine. Just arrange for shipping and you can have a headless PowerBook G3. It's basically all of the internals of the machine. No battery is included, but I think I could sell you the AC for $50. Keep in mind that this is a headless G3 PowerBook with no LCD screen and no keyboard.

[ 12-22-2001: Message edited by: seanyepez ]

[gacuna]

Well this is just to update you guys on my progress. I gracioulsy thank the man who posted the thing on PCConnection.com, that was a good starter, we were excited, but the other ended. My mom will be going back to the states in Jan and coming back to Lima in Feb. So that would be a key time for shipping and any other things.

I would also like to thank the people for their donations, but what I was looking for was the G3, and well that was good offer, but buying an LCD and keyboard is just to hard for us here in Lima, I think it would be too much of a hassle.

Now let me remind you, I have a price-range of I think that gets to 800 dollars and I am willing to go 50 bucks or a little more above it. Well again I would like to thank everyone for your help you have been wonderful, if u here anything, just let me know, or if u have any more just post it.

Thank you so Much,
--Guillermo

http://www.powerbookcentral.com/cgi-...=forum&f=1

Hi Guillermo, have you tried the powerbookcentral.com -- link above?

I Think you can get a good deal on a g3 there for your budget. Consider the Wallstreet !! (233, 266 and 300MHz) range is $500-800 USD. Bronze 333s are in your budget, but personally I'd go for the Wallstreet II.

Ebay may be harder for you because not everyone wants to ship out of North America. It's worth a look though.

Good Luck,

Michael

[ibr80]

Guillermo !! you speak grat english considering you from a third world country, and Im asumming your writing to us from a ciber cafe in a thrid world country or a friends computer in that same computer..why dont you ask them how they got one..

[gacuna]

Actually, third world country doesn't mean that we don't have computers, it means that the economic conditions are bad. I do have a computer at home, but it still has to be used my mom, and brother, and I have a cablemodem, it is not that bad. I have a iMac 233 Rev. B. It is not that bad.

I just need a laptop to goto college, you are thinking of me in a hut or something, it is not like that, hahaha.

But because I have a computer and cablemodem and house that is not a hut doesn't mean that I am below standards. I mean my mom is considered poor in the states, but here we are above middle class, but still, not enough. We barely make ends meet.

Well I also know english because I am originally from Chicago, IL, and well I always go back to visit family, and my mom is American, and well I goto the American School here where my mom teaches.

Cheers,
--Guillermo

Guillermo ,

I have an iBook G3 300MHz (tangerine color) that I would be willing to sell to you. Here are all of the tech. specs.:

300MHz Power PC G3
320MB RAM
CD-ROM Tray loading drive
Airport ready
6 GB hard drive
Includes carry case (tangerine in color)
Power adapter
Orignal CDs containting Appleworks 5 and Mac OS 9
Mac OS X version 10.0 Full install CD
Mac OS X version 10.1 upgrade CD
Mac OS 9.2.1 Full Install CD
12" color LCD monitor

If you are interested please email me at joshcisn01@mac.com for more info and a price. I hope I've been of some help to you.

Applefreak01

[gacuna]

People apparently the search is over, I have ended up buying a iBook 500 with 320MB of Ram, etc, etc, etc, for 900, good price, I will be getting it soon. It seems like everything is in order.

Can't wait to get it. Thanks for all your help.

--Guillermo

[Captain Obvious]

Originally posted by gacuna:
<STRONG>People apparently the search is over, I have ended up buying a iBook 500 with 320MB of Ram, etc, etc, etc, for 900, good price, I will be getting it soon. It seems like everything is in order.

Can't wait to get it. Thanks for all your help.

--Guillermo</STRONG>

Congrats, Its a solid machine. I have the Combo version and I use it more than either of the other two desk tops i own. You should be very happy with its performance, and X should chug along fine with that amount of RAM. Best of luck at school, and for god sakes if its a state school consider rushing.