PCMechanic Three-fer

PCMechanic has been busy lately. They have a three-fer in today.

OpenOffice.org
“A computer that is built instead of bought can cost as little as $500, and still be a full featured, highly functional machine. Software licenses for certain office suite can cost as much or even more than all of the hardware combined. Of course, one can steal an ISO off the internet or load up a cracked version from a friend, but what if one is building the computers for a business. Surely there must be a cheaper and more legal way to put a full functioning, Microsoft-compatible office suite on a Windows computer. Luckily, there is. Enter OpenOffice.org.”

Taking the Laptop Plunge
“Not long ago, Sweetie looked at me across the dinner table and said, “So how much do laptops cost?” This seemingly innocuous question paralyzed me with fear as my central nervous and digestive systems teamed up for a collective balk. As soon as the words left her lips, I knew it was only a matter of time before I’d be forking over a fistful of dollars for a new laptop.“

A+ Guide 2: Cases, Motherboards, and Processors
“Although it is relatively unimportant, there lie a few distinctions in classifications of PC cases. The case of the PC is the exterior body, or the enclosure, of the motherboard and all connected components. This includes the power supply, cooling equipment, hard drives, optical drives, and any expansion cards. The vast majority of cases today are beige, mid-tower ATX enclosures known as a “beige box” to describe the generic qualities of this case (this is not to be confused with the phone-hacking term “beige box” as I am sure there is an enlightened person reading this with some other connotations in mind concerning the term).”

Recovered from an Internet Archive snapshot of the InsaneTek front page.