[NCLUG] Desire suggestions for college laptop

[bsimpson at att.net]

My daughter has just graduated from high school and will
be going to college in August.  I would like to furnish
her with a new laptop, and am looking for ideas on what
to get.  Some of my considerations:

- Can't be too flimsy, as it will be a college environment
  (though she does take good care of her possessions).

- A major brand is probably more desirable, as it would
  probably be easier/quicker to get repaired.  Which
  brands should I consider?

- Want wifi, but this may be a non-issue as I am presuming
  that most new laptops are likely to have this.

- Probably another non-issue is a hard drive large
  enough to add a decent OS (Linux).

- She's not going into Computer Science, and so the main
  use will be term papers, games, misc. school work...
  Therefore high-price/high-performance is much less
  important than dependability.

What other things should I consider?  What brands?
Stores (e.g. Best Buy) vs catalog (e.g. Dell)?  I would
appreciate any suggestions.  Thanks!

Brian Simpson