Laptops can make life simpler for you. There is a lot of material on the internet which could make all the difference in the world and having a laptop would make things easier for you. Depending on your college, the computer lab might be at a cumbersome distance from you.

Talk to the seniors from whichever law school you’re going to, there shouldn’t be a dying need for a laptop.

Thank you so much fr the reply…I am surely going to get a laptop…what i was wondering was that if I get one of the new Google chromebooks, will it be OK? ..as they do not run windows but google’s Chrome OS…if we only need to surf the Web and maybe use apps like Word then chromebooks will do…but in law school are there any windows specific tasks?

Regards,

Rohit.

As far as I know, there aren’t any legal software for which you need Windows specifically. Pretty much all are on the web these days and accessible over the browser, I think. Maybe someone at law school can confirm?

Another option, if you’re a little bit computer savvy or know someone who is, would be to get one of the cheaper laptops online somewhere, which doesn’t have Windows installed on it, and then you can install Ubuntu or Xubuntu Linux on it (or some might have Ubuntu pre-installed already, which would make life easier). That can pretty much handle everything college-related you can throw at it and you won’t be limited to the stuff on Google’s still somewhat deficient Chromebook platform (no Skype, Google Docs is not great, in my experience, for complex docs, etc).

Then again, a Chromebook might be easier out of the box, though I’ve never used one so you might want to read some reviews and check if you’re ok to become completely dependent on Google Docs, Gmail, etc. This is a good summary, and there’s plenty more online:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2014/02/08/living-within-limitations-trying-and-failing-to-get-along-with-chrome-os/

Thank you for such a speedy reply!

Actually chromebooks are much more economical and they r very fast and I an an avid Google user so I am very comfortable in the Google ecosystem.

Plus they seem to be a rapidly growing phenomenon. Absence of Skype is solved by the presence of Google hangouts. And if needed I can install Linux on a chromebook too, if required (I don’t think it will be from what you say)..but if it is I can always get Linux on it and still not sacrifice on the ultrabook like form factor and really zippy performance. As for the same amount of money I will get a really clunky windows laptop with almost a perennial lag.

Another thing most law colleges in India are fully wifi enabled right?

Thank you all so much!

I am really looking forward to owning a chromebook soon! (First lemme get into a law school..-_-).

I use a linux, specifically Joli cloud. It makes my computer a netbook, it’s sort of like chromebook. During my five years at law school I have never used windows, but that came at a price(figuratively, because linux operating systems are free).

Stuff like compatibility of Microsoft Office with Open Office can be a pain. Also, with my netbook, access of data on the computer in the absence of internet can be a major problem.

Besides these two, lack of a viable gaming platform and people not understanding what’s up with your computer(which is cool in a mysterious way); using Ubuntu or any Linux based operating system is a great experimental experience with its share of cons, like the drugs you’ll be taking in law school.

But I’d day go for it. Even though there is nothing that matches a Windows 7 in the market.

Lol!

but there is easily available Internet in most law schools right???

And I can use MS office thru the Skydrive (or Onedrive as they r renaming themselves)…so tht is not a problem.

But wifi enabled campuses rt?