Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

Spent the afternoon specing out computers on Dell's website. Replacing an old Gateway desktop. Undecided which way would be better. Looking at an Inspiron 560 desktop with 20" monitor with 6g ram or inspiron 1545 laptop with 4g ram. Everything else is very similar specs. We have dsl and Lynksys wireless router. Currently also have another Dell desktop and kids have a Dell laptop. The Gateway desktop has been our main computer and where the dsl is connected. WE are using an hp printer that is connected to the desktop but would like to connect it through the wireless to all the computers. Should I replace the desktop with another or would I be ok with a good laptop? Kinda on the fence here. TIA.

Views: 97

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

since either one would probably do the job for you, buy the one that would fit your workspace, and you would find easiest to see (the monitor) and to use (the keyboard) Most machines come with built in wireless capabilities these days, so its just plug and play. I like my laptop because of its portability, but when I am doing my books, I like the number pad on the desktop. Of course you can hook an ordinary keyboard up to a laptop, which I should do next time I'm number crunching. After awhile, I don't find the battery lasts very long, so dreams of number crunching under the shade of the big maple haven't really materialized.
I'd go laptop, less space on the desk, portable and unless you want to hook up all the fancy things too it like a gaming computer or something, in my opinion a laptop these days are just as good as a bulky desktop.
Originally I would say depends on what the purpose is. In my situation I need a desktop since the laptop has a screen that is much smaller than my current 24" and it is cheaper to replace parts or upgrade a desktop internally. I like to have multiple windows open at one time so the big screen is handy.
On the other hand I now have a PDA. I will never buy a laptop now. For the price of a decent laptop I can get a killer desktop and a good PDA. I rarely use the desktop since my PDA goes everywhere with me (fits in my pocket). It also syncs with my desktop wirelessly so you still need the wireless network.
Hi Guys:

I decided to go the laptop route...pretty inexpensive and with the wireless internet...pretty convenient.

Thanks for the feedback.
The laptop is becoming pretty inexpensive so that is likely a good choice for most people.
I think if you are using a computer to storage valuable data - accounting or production records - you may want to have a desk top...it is less likely to be lost, dropped etc. If you are good at backing up your important files to a disk then you may be ok with a laptop.
A laptop with wireless is a good way to go and should make it easier to do work with the computer...you are not tied down to the office desk.
One of my friends who farms alot of acres is looking at a laptop with a Cellular internet access so he will be connected in the pickup or tractor cab.

Joe

Reply to Discussion

RSS

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Canadian Cattle Young Leaders Travel to Kamloops Area for Annual Spring Forum

Canadian Cattle Young Leaders (CYL) mentees from across Canada gathered May 28–30 for the annual Spring Forum. For the first time, the three-day event was held in Kamloops, BC and the surrounding area. The 15 young leaders participated in a range of industry tours and training designed to enhance their Canadian beef industry knowledge and connections, specifically in the British Columbia region. The first day kicked off with industry experts sharing their insights on timely industry topics. The young leaders heard from Blake Lechkobit and Tammy Cox from Foundation Partner MNP about financial literacy and business planning. From our Platinum partner Cargill, Kristine Tapley spoke about sustainability in the beef industry and Cargill’s connection with the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB). To round out these sessions, the CYLs also had the opportunity to voice their perspective on industry questions brought forward by Platinum Partner McDonald’s Canada. After the speaker

GIFS at USask to welcome Dr. Karen Churchill as new Chief Scientific Officer

The Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) has named Dr. Karen Churchill (PhD) as its new Chief Scientific Officer. Churchill, an accomplished leader in Canada’s agriculture and food sector, comes to GIFS from Ag-West Bio, where she has served as President and CEO since 2019. Over the next few months, Karen will work with Ag-West Bio on a transition plan before joining GIFS full time. “Saskatchewan is home to a dynamic agriculture and food innovation ecosystem, which I see every day at Ag-West Bio. It’s been an honour to lead this organization and I continue to draw great inspiration and motivation from our team and its member organizations, including the Global Institute for Food Security,” said Churchill. “I want to thank the Board and everyone at Ag-West Bio for their work and dedication and am committed to working with our team to ensure a smooth transition. I am leaving Ag-West Bio with mixed emotions, but I know there’ll be opportu

New smartphone-based AI tool in development will strengthen grain quality data for farmers, buyers and processors

Today, Protein Industries Canada announced a partnership with Grain Discovery, Inarix and Sevita International to bring artificial intelligence (AI) into the palms of farmers’ hands and further strengthen Canada’s trusted grain quality system. The project will develop a smartphone-based grain quality assurance tool that builds on Canada’s existing dependable grading framework by bringing in digital capacity, supporting informed crop management decisions and expanding access to real-time quality data. By leveraging AI, specifically computer vision and machine learning algorithms, the project partners will provide options to complement grain testing methods with a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. Once developed, the platform will allow users to take a photo of a soybean sample using a standard smartphone and receive an AI-generated quality assessment in under 20 seconds. By delivering consistent, scalable and real-time results, the tool will help improve information flow throughou

Crop Report for the Period June 3 to June 9, 2025

Almost all Saskatchewan producers have completed their seeding operations with 100 per cent of the 2025 crop seeded. Rain was welcome in many parts of the province this week. However, in areas that did not receive as much rain, topsoil moisture is continuing to decline.  Rain fell in many areas of the province over the last week with the southeast and east-central regions receiving the highest amounts. The Calder area reported the highest rainfall amount at 36 millimeters (mm) followed by the Stockholm area at 35 mm and the Rocanville area at 34 mm. Regions that did not receive significant amounts of precipitation have noted that rainfall is needed soon to avoid serious crop damage.  With sporadic rain across the province, moisture conditions overall remained at similar levels as last week. However, some areas continued to see a decline in topsoil moisture. Cropland topsoil moisture is rated as two per cent surplus, 44 per cent adequate, 42 per cent short and 12 per cent very short.

Ottawa Police looking for farm equipment accident witnesses

Two teens in Ottawa were involved in an accident with farm equipment

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service