> 1) Will a high street dongle work with Linux?
IME, they tend to be just fine. But I've yet to get my hands on one that
promises to be supported :-(
> 2) If so I dont want to do any sort of contract I want to just
> pay
> £20 for some sort of 1Gb limit and chuck it away post use do these
> things
> still exist?
If you can get an unlocked dongle[1], a GiffGaff SIM[2] can be activated
for £10 (giving you £15 credit). You can then add a £7.50 data goodybag,
which will give you 1GB.
> 3) How good are these things really? Say I wanted to catch up on
> something on iplayer in between faffing about with spread sheets for work
>
> is this really feasible on a fast moving train?
Probably not.
A train is a large metal box. It's a *fairly* effective Faraday cage.
You'll get some leakage through the windows, but I remember an interesting
journey once where I had to time my data transactions according to when
the doors were open. YMMV, as they say...
There are also some trains that supply WiFi. This is an easier solution -
although what you're actually getting is a mobile connection through a
proxy.
> 4) Said laptop is 2009 vintage and Ive been thinking of getting a
> new
> one is it worthwhile buying a 3G laptop?
No.
Vic.
[1] An O2 dongle will probably be OK, but I haven't checked yet.
[2] If you want one, drop me a line - I get paid for handing out SIMs.
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