Yes, there is that also - my GF needed a laptop for basic work stuff - Word, Excel, email, etc. and I was able to pick up a dual-core Pentium system that came with 2GB RAM for about $265, and it came with Windows 7.Another $15 or so took the memory to 4GB. That machine is more than sufficient to run JMRI, but I don't dare commandeer her machine, besides, I already have one of my own. It's just a consumer model, I got it at Walmart, but Target and others sell the same one, in this case a Compaq branded machine from HP. It would be a little light for some of the things I need to do for my job, but it's more than adequate to run JMRI and surf the web and create and edit documents.
And if I needed another computer that didn;t need to run virtual machines and database servers and run development environments that I need for work, I'd definitely buy another one of these over a Netbook. For one thing, I'm way too used to high resolution screens - not that a $265 laptop has a super hi-res screen, but it IS significantly larger than any Netbook in that price range. And significantly more powerful. IMO the Netbook fad is over - that sort of niche is now filled with the larger size tablets, and where you need full Windows, these low-end laptops work great.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
I had a Dell NetBook that was a gift from my son. It only had 1GB of memory and runs JMRI just fine. The small size is great for taking it on the road to regional/divisional meets. I even use it for Power Point presentations/clinics.
If you are looking for a NetBook, try one first. A lot of the more 'inexpensive' one has a pretty poor keyboard/touchpad. The current prices on small laptops has really cut into NetBooks. $200-300 for a small 14"-15" screen laptop is pretty typical now. And tablets have cut into NetBook sales as well. The larger screen size of a laptop can be convenient(most NetBooks have a 10.1" screen).
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
It should run on a Netbook. You might want one with Linux instead of Windows, they are kinda of sluggish with Windows. Many of them use the Atom processor, my train room computer is one I built with an Atom system board, it's supposed to be ablle to run Windows but with the limited processor power I decided to put Linux on it, and it's quite speedy. JMRI runs fine. Works with both my PR3 to my dedicated program track and also my Locobuffer via a USB to serial cable that is connected to the layout.
I'm new to DCC (less than 2 months) and a friend of mine recently let me borrow his LocoBuffer USB to connect my Mac Book Pro laptop to my Digitrax Zephyr Xtra. WOW! I love programming locos and even running them (via the onscreen throttle) on this thing!
Although, my Mac Book Pro is mainly used for Video/image editing and music recording/production, as well as web design and general MS Office programs. Am I correct in assuming that DCC, and JMRI in particular, isn't very memory or processor-intensive?
In other words, my Mac Book Pro is overkill for DCC, I want an inexpensive, yet compact replacement. So can I use a cheap PC netbook for JMRI?