My husband has been pestering me about what I want for Christmas, and normally I tell him I don't really have an ideas. But over the years I've found this tends to backfire on me, since if I don't give him ideas I'm quite likely to find nothing under the tree with my name. He does mean well, but doesn't have much of a romantic bone in his body. When it comes to technology he's king, as long as there's something I do actually want.

The other day he tossed out the idea of getting me a netbook. Our current laptop is on it's last legs...I use it for writing and anything online, from research to playing a few games here and there, to Facebook, etc. Can anyone help me in the decision of whether I want a new full sized laptop vs a netbook for all of this?

I also would love input on software to use for my writing. We currently have Open Office on the laptop and the desktop...and it's okay for the actual writing. But would like some input on programs to use for organizing research, notes, scenes, characters, etc that can possibly be separated out by each piece I'm working on. Would also like to know what word processors, or other types of programs work well for journaling.

On the forums for NaNoWriMo, I've seen some people are using programs such as: yWriter, Roughdraft, Page Four, Free Mind, XMind, Open Office, and Microsoft Office for their novels. How well do these programs work for other types of work and research, like poetry, journaling, or freelance articles?

Any input would be greatly appreciated!