(Did you see what I did there with that pun in the title? Instead of writing “Slumming it” I wrote I.T. because… oh well, I can see you aren’t interested…)

Anyway, Darling Wifey needs a computer that runs Windows because the government agency that she marks GCSE exams for decided in their infinite wisdom to set up the software to work in that one platform only. So I bought one of these. It’s a lovely little machine…

Yes, you’re right – there is a “but.”

1. Going through the setup procedure for a new computer took four hours
2. While it logged on to my home wifi no problem, it threw a hissy fit when I plugged in my mobile broadband dongle. Problem status: not yet fixed.
3. Four attempts to get our copy of MS Office working all failed. We gave up and installed Open Office.

But I’m going to stop there, and list everything good about the machine:

1. It weighs next to nothing
2. The only moving part is a fan
3. The screen is excellent
4. There are two memory card slots, three USB ports and more than enough internal memory
5. The nine-cell battery pack we’re ordering should give it ten hours battery life
6. And it cost just over two hundred quid. It would have been a lot less if we could have had the Linux version.

Back in 1999 I bought one of these – I wrote my MA thesis on it. This Acer, which is only slightly larger, reminds me of that little machine.