IF you are thinking of buying a notebook computer, there are a number of points you need to consider.
Memory size is obviously important, as is the weight of the machine, screen display quality and battery life. But, in most new notebooks, you will find there is another factor to think about - the awkwardly named PCMCIA (Personal Computer Memory Card International Association).
PCMCIA has long been touted as offering the freedom to travel light. Certainly the idea that you can carry your hard disk inside a shirt pocket is an attractive one. But as is often the case in the computer industry, freedom is sometimes in the mind of the vendor.
The association was formed in 1989 with the idea of setting a set of universal standards for the increasing number of mobile computer products.
It came up with a card, the size of a credit card but a little thicker, which could provide software storage or hardware functions, and with specifications that all makers could share.
At first, it appeared to be something that would only be useful in the personal digital assistants produced by companies such as Sharp and Casio. But the association has proved to have bigger aspirations.