| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Purchasing a 2nd computer for emergencies? Thread poster: Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez
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Hello guys and gals,
I attended a Webinar on tips to improve your productivity as a freelance translator.
The last point in the Webinar was about doing backups frequently, what I already do.
However, I was wondering if many translators have a second computer, just in case the first one stops working and has to be repaired. I am giving a thought to purchasing a second laptop, smaller than my main one, with only 8 GB RAM and a small SSD and a reasonable proce... See more Hello guys and gals,
I attended a Webinar on tips to improve your productivity as a freelance translator.
The last point in the Webinar was about doing backups frequently, what I already do.
However, I was wondering if many translators have a second computer, just in case the first one stops working and has to be repaired. I am giving a thought to purchasing a second laptop, smaller than my main one, with only 8 GB RAM and a small SSD and a reasonable processor speed.
The laptop I use works fine, but I purchased it in 2017.
I have been taking a look at different models and a suitable one to be used for emergency cases may cost around €350 and €450, what it is quite affordable bearing in mind that my main one costed €600 or €700 in 2017, and I invested more money at the end of last year to add a SSD because it counted only with an HDD.
Do you have a second computer just in case?
Greetings.
[Edited at 2022-09-17 08:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez wrote:
Do you have a second computer just in case?
I do. And I also have spare parts for them ready, so I wouldn't have to wait for days to get them in case of emergency.
| | | | Metin Demirel 
Türkiye
Local time: 21:27
Member (2018)
Italian to Turkish
+ ...
Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez wrote:
Hello guys and gals,
I attended a Webinar on tips to improve your productivity as a freelance translator.
The last point in the Webinar was about doing backups frequently, what I already do.
However, I was wondering if many translators have a second computer, just in case the first one stops working and has to be repaired. I am giving a thought to purchasing a second laptop, smaller than my main one, with only 8 GB RAM and a small SSD and a reasonable processor speed.
The laptop I use works fine, but I purchased it in 2017.
I have been taking a look at different models and a suitable one to be used for emergency cases may cost around €350 and €450, what it is quite affordable bearing in mind that my main one costed €600 or €700 in 2017, and I invested more money at the end of last year to add a SSD because it counted only with an HDD.
Do you have a second computer just in case?
Greetings.
We have an old one at home and I hope we never need it. Actually we had two old computers, but we gave away one of them. Last year I had also bought a Raspberry Pi in case all computers would fail and I would at least be able to open a Word or Excel file.
As for back-ups, I recommend using a cloud service. 1TB comes free with MS Office subscription, but I never used it. I use iCloud for all the devices at home (2TB). I also bought 200 GB cloud space from Google Drive just in case Apple fails (which happens). Because I can't trust Apple anymore.
| | | | Stepan Konev
Russian Federation
Local time: 21:27
English to Russian
| My old computers are just too young to dump | Sep 17, 2022 |
Until recently, I had 4 desktop computers. However I didn’t buy them with a backup purpose but accumulated gradually when I bought a new one when the existing one didn’t meet the newer software requirements any longer. They are still too good to dump  Recently, one of them has shut down forever. It was my working computer at my second place of residence. I replaced it with one of the three remaining computers and now I have... See more Until recently, I had 4 desktop computers. However I didn’t buy them with a backup purpose but accumulated gradually when I bought a new one when the existing one didn’t meet the newer software requirements any longer. They are still too good to dump Recently, one of them has shut down forever. It was my working computer at my second place of residence. I replaced it with one of the three remaining computers and now I have two computers all set for work at both locations. ▲ Collapse
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IrinaN
United States
Local time: 13:28
English to Russian
+ ...
| I always thought that the second machine is a must in our profession | Sep 17, 2022 |
I refuse to use Cloud and cut it off to the maximum extent possible. I don't know what it does on the background, if anything. Matter of principle, naive as it may be .
I travel a lot. I have two running laptops - 17" and 14", the first one stays at home connected to a keyboard and a 24"monitor. Anything bigger gives me headaches and dizziness. Before that is was a desktop. I use huge external hard drive and thumb dri... See more I refuse to use Cloud and cut it off to the maximum extent possible. I don't know what it does on the background, if anything. Matter of principle, naive as it may be.
I travel a lot. I have two running laptops - 17" and 14", the first one stays at home connected to a keyboard and a 24"monitor. Anything bigger gives me headaches and dizziness. Before that is was a desktop. I use huge external hard drive and thumb drives for various backups. When I come back from the trip, I download anything new and important to that external HD and I'm all set.
So far I haven't lost anything important in 30 years and I'm not obsessed with keeping my masterpieces for future generations. It is my strictly personal and very strong opinion that in our trade we can not consider ourselves reliable without a backup computer.
Also, I don't trust repaired/refurbished computers and any other electronics in general, I just replace it. So at times I had 3, two good ones and one lame. Usually one serves me at least 5-7 years, first as a prime, then as a backup.
Translation makes a very small part of my income these days, it's almost all about interpretation but I can't imaging calling a customer and mumbling that my computer has failed and I need a break after presenting myself as a pretty big shot who demands real rates
Also, I have a 30,000mAh external battery pack and a backlit keyboard. When last winter during "Texas Freeze" we had power outage I was able to help out my customer and translate a short file. I was lucky to lose it for 4 hours only, some lost it for days, and I did the job like nothing happened. My fireplace took care of keeping my hands warm.
[Edited at 2022-09-17 14:11 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 20:28
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Buy the one when the other one breaks | Sep 17, 2022 |
Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez wrote:
However, I was wondering if many translators have a second computer, just in case the first one stops working and has to be repaired.
Computers (and particularly laptops) become old very quickly. So, if you were to buy a brand new one today and your other computer breaks two years from now, you're suddenly using a 2-year old laptop, and two years is a long time in laptop land. Wouldn't it be better to keep the money for the laptop handy, and then when you really need to have it, buy it at that very moment. (This doesn't help for e.g. if you really, really need a new computer over the weekend or you live far away from computer stores.)
You can agonize over whether this or that fancy feature in a new laptop is better, but ultimately what determines the value of a laptop is the price. Expensive ones are better than cheap ones. So don't be too worried that you might not buy the very best laptop at the very moment that you buy it.
Also, you can sell the laptop when the crisis is over (if you sell it quickly, it'll still get a reasonable price). The difference between the purchase price of the laptop and the second-hand sale price of the laptop is just a cost of doing business. Ask yourself: if you were to buy a EUR 500 laptop and sell it for EUR 300 a month later, would the EUR 200 make up for the fact that you weren't left stranded without a computer?
Do you have a second computer just in case?
I do have a holiday computer, but it's not nearly as fast as the main one. It main aim is to allow me to accept small jobs from clients during my holidays, so that I don't lose them as clients.
| | | | | 2nd computer | Sep 17, 2022 |
Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez wrote:
Hello guys and gals,
...
Do you have a second computer just in case?
Greetings.
[Edited at 2022-09-17 08:55 GMT]
Absolutely, yes. Almost throughout my whole professional life (actually quite long) I had two computers and as soon as I could afford it I got myself two Mac computers which both run Parallels+Windows, so that almost makes four computers.
[Edited at 2022-09-17 15:55 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-09-17 15:58 GMT]
| | | | | 2nd computer | Sep 17, 2022 |
Wolfgang wrote: Jorge Rodríguez Rodríguez wrote:
Hello guys and gals,
...
Do you have a second computer just in case?
Greetings.
[Edited at 2022-09-17 08:55 GMT] Absolutely, yes. Almost throughout my whole professional life (actually quite long) I had two computers and as soon as I could afford it I got myself two Mac computers which both run Parallels+Windows, so that almost makes four computers. [Edited at 2022-09-17 15:55 GMT]
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:28
Member (2008)
Italian to English
I have an old MacBook Pro that runs El Capitan, and every month I run it for a while just to make sure that it's working. It's my backup for emergencies.
Importantly, I store it off-site at another location so that if there's a disaster at home, for example a fire, I have a fallback.
I'm not using El Capitan any more so I would probably have a lot of hassle getting things to work, but at least I do have a backup, email, Internet, etc.
Additionally I do a... See more I have an old MacBook Pro that runs El Capitan, and every month I run it for a while just to make sure that it's working. It's my backup for emergencies.
Importantly, I store it off-site at another location so that if there's a disaster at home, for example a fire, I have a fallback.
I'm not using El Capitan any more so I would probably have a lot of hassle getting things to work, but at least I do have a backup, email, Internet, etc.
Additionally I do a complete clone of my hard drive to an external USB hard drive, every day so that no matter what goes wrong, I'm never more than one day behind. This backup can be extremely useful on a daily basis.
"Regular backup is one of the Buddha's Three Paths to Enlightenment" - did they teach you that too, at the webinar ?
[Edited at 2022-09-17 16:54 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Think outside of the box | Sep 17, 2022 |
Is it important to be prepared? Yes.
But to purchase a second computer if you don't already own one? Not so much.
It also seems quite wasteful. There are other solutions, which of course come hand in hand with a solid backup policy.
For instance, in such an occurrence, I can use:
1. The computer of a close one or a friend (social capital)
2. My smartphone with Linux and a Bluetooth keyboard, with or without an external monitor
| | | | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
| Respectfully disagree | Sep 18, 2022 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
Computers (and particularly laptops) become old very quickly. So, if you were to buy a brand new one today and your other computer breaks two years from now, you're suddenly using a 2-year old laptop, and two years is a long time in laptop land. Wouldn't it be better to keep the money for the laptop handy, and then when you really need to have it, buy it at that very moment. (This doesn't help for e.g. if you really, really need a new computer over the weekend or you live far away from computer stores.)
Jean Dimitriadis wrote:
Is it important to be prepared? Yes.
But to purchase a second computer if you don't already own one? Not so much.
It also seems quite wasteful. There are other solutions, which of course come hand in hand with a solid backup policy.
I suppose it depends on your definition of being wasteful. My preference is to salvage secondhand ThinkPads that were about to be thrown away by the previous (corporate) owners. I’d like to think of this as a way to reduce e-waste. They’re still perfectly usable, why letting them go to the dumpster? Besides, I can use them as something to experiment with.
Jean Dimitriadis wrote:
2. My smartphone with Linux and a Bluetooth keyboard, with or without an external monitor
As much as I’d love to get me one of these, in reality it is going to be more wasteful. They won’t be available at our local stores considering how niche they are. The only way I can get them is to import one, but this is not a very prudent move because:
a) the customs is going to tax me to death, and;
b) IMEI whitelisting policy by my government.
Mobile communication devices need to be whitelisted and logged in the database of our government by using their IMEI numbers. If it isn’t there, I can’t use my SIM card with it. Hence, what’s the point? I don’t believe the developers of Linux smartphones would have the muscle to lobby them, just so they can get into the cool kids club.
What did you get? A PinePhone?
[Edited at 2022-09-18 17:14 GMT]
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Mr. Satan wrote:
I suppose it depends on your definition of being wasteful. My preference is to salvage secondhand ThinkPads that were about to be thrown away by the previous (corporate) owners. I’d like to think of this as a way to reduce e-waste. They’re still perfectly usable, why letting them go to the dumpster? Besides, I can use them to thinker around.
My original post wasn't very clear.
By wasteful, I was mostly referring to purchasing a second (new?) computer for the sole or primary purpose of "just in case".
Keeping your old computer around or salvaging a secondhand one would definitely not belong to the same category, especially if that computer is getting some real use.
[Edited at 2022-09-18 19:45 GMT]
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| Desktop PC... | Sep 18, 2022 |
which is my main working horse, + laptop as backup/travelling tool. Simple.
| | | | Kevin Fulton
United States
Local time: 14:28
German to English
| Old PC is my backup | Sep 18, 2022 |
I believe in backup equipment. At one time I even had an emergency backup dog.
I replace my PC every 4-5 years, a practice I've maintained for about 25 years. Rather than reinstall Windows (or, in some case, install a new version) which might extend the useful life of the device, I buy a new, faster machine with greater capabilities. The previous PC with older versions of my working software goes into a spare room, and is available in the event of failure of the newer machine. It's ... See more I believe in backup equipment. At one time I even had an emergency backup dog.
I replace my PC every 4-5 years, a practice I've maintained for about 25 years. Rather than reinstall Windows (or, in some case, install a new version) which might extend the useful life of the device, I buy a new, faster machine with greater capabilities. The previous PC with older versions of my working software goes into a spare room, and is available in the event of failure of the newer machine. It's come in handy on several occasions over the years. In one particular case, after buying a new machine, I discovered that a regular client's MemoQ server could only be accessed via the configuration of the older computer. There was no explanation for this, but I wasn't about to mess with the current main computer and run the risk of limiting my access to other clients. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | I have one and I recommend it | Sep 18, 2022 |
Do you have a second computer just in case?
Greetings.
I do indeed, or rather I did because it's currently on the fritz and needs a little maintenance. My main workhorse is an HP desktop, I don't have the specs to hand right now but it does its job well. The backup is an HP laptop.
I decided to get a backup after my previous computer failed right in the middle of a largish job several years ago. That was... an interesting day. I highly recommend having a backup if you can afford it, though modern smartphones and tablets are probably fast and powerful enough to pick up the slack in a pinch.
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