If you happen to be laptopless (not topless), or own a behemoth 17’’ or greater laptop that weights 11 lbs or more, you’ll be surprised to know that you can still be just as productive on the go with an ordinary desktop in a computer lab. Okay, of course the computer lab must be nearby. Every campus and library should have one. You may even find one at the hotel you’re staying, just start looking.
The common problem with computer labs from what I have encountered is the lack of software installed which strictly correlates to productivity; it’s almost non-existent! With the exception of internet browsing and some office work, you cannot realistically expect to do any high end work. I’ve been using the same computer lab at a major University that only has IE6 installed. WTF! I must say. So here is the solution: Keep these portable programs installed in your USB drive at all times.
Firefox – Real internet.
Notepad++ – Powerful text editor that supports many programming languages.
OpenOffice – office productivity.
Gimp – Image editor.
BlueJ – Java compiler. Just install Bluej and JDK onto your USB drive.
Find more top programs at portableapps.com