On Mon, 29 Jun 2015 10:02:57 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

"Ed Huntress" wrote in message
.. .
On Mon, 29 Jun 2015 08:47:09 -0400, "Jim Wilkins"
wrote:

snip


For engineering work I prefer older, larger (heavier), more capable
business-class laptops, which approach the expandability of desktops
but are portable on internal battery or external 12V. My Dell
Latitude
Ds accept both a boot SSD and a Terabyte spinning HDD in the CD bay,
Cardbus plus ExpressCard plugins which I use for USB2 and USB3 or
more
datalogging serial ports, and a DVD or another large HDD in a
special
higher-power USB expansion bay.

I have a 2006 Latitude 14" that weighs like sin, but I lug it with
me
on business trips, whenever I have to do a lot of writing. It has
the
best keyboard of any laptop I've used. Ir was my son's machine all
through college and he's moved on, but it's just too good for my
work
to get rid of it. I've loaded it with RAM, fast Wi-Fi, and an
ExpressCard USB3 adapter. It still rocks, even though I hate lugging
it around.

--
Ed Huntress

I've seen a stack of still-working Latitudes whose metal shells had
been mangled or punctured in transit.

These people sell individual replacement key caps for them:
http://www.machinaelectronics.com/store/

The keys aren't easy to replace but at least it's possible.

-jsw


Thanks. I've saved that one.

--
Ed Huntress