An Ancient Computer Language Is Slowing America’s Giant Stimulus

(Bloomberg) --

The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed aging, inflexible computer systems at the heart of the U.S. economy -- and a shortage of experts to fix the problem. This is slowing the government's effort to get billions of dollars in stimulus checks to millions of newly unemployed citizens.

The $2.2 trillion CARES Act passed in late March includes a $600 weekly increase in unemployment benefits. That money won't reach anyone until state agencies update technology systems to reflect the law and handle the flood of new applications.

Oklahoma is trying to implement CARES as quickly as it can, but some claims are taking as long as two weeks to process because of a mainframe computer that runs on a 60-year-old programming language called COBOL.

"It is the largest issue with regards to implementation in the CARES program," said Robin Roberson, executive director of the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. "Our mainframe is literally over 30 years old. It's very difficult to program, it doesn't do much. COBOL programmers are somewhat scarce."

Roberson started her job nine weeks ago with a mandate to upgrade the system, but the pandemic hit before any real progress was made. Other agencies in Oklahoma and beyond are suffering from similar problems, she said.

The Connecticut Department of Labor is telling people to be patient as it works with experts to update COBOL code to implement the government relief program. New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy appealed for COBOL programmers to help the state with its computers earlier this month.

This talent shortage has been building for years through a combination of techno-snobbery, limited formal training, an aging pool of experts, and a lack of employers willing to pay up for the few people who are still willing to do the work.

"It's a disaster," said Mahmoud Ezzeldin, 75, who worked for decades on COBOL computer systems for insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield and the Internal Revenue Service. "COBOL is difficult to learn and was not designed for the internet. College graduates like to learn something easier. I cannot blame them."

Ezzeldin, who lives near Washington D.C., is willing to volunteer to help ease the CARES computing crunch. But he's retired. That's a familiar tale. The average COBOL programmer is over 60, Gartner Inc. estimates. When the research firm counted in 2004, it found 2 million experts in the language and estimated that number was falling 5% a year. That compares with about 25 million software developers in total, according to UBS.

Usually, the technology industry adjusts when demand for a programming language outstrips the supply of capable coders. Computer science courses have multiplied at colleges in recent years, and there are coding boot camps that quickly train people in Java, Python and other languages. But COBOL is different.

The Common Business Oriented Language emerged at the end of the 1950s, before computer science was taught at universities. Without the embrace of academia, many COBOL programmers learned on the job at government agencies and in fields such as insurance, banking and airline reservations. They're considered the blue collar workers of the tech industry.

"I cannot really recommend current students study COBOL. All the work would be maintenance and wouldn't be very inspiring," said Gio Wiederhold, a retired professor from Stanford University, which educates thousands of computer scientists who go on to work at Silicon Valley tech giants such as Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google. Wiederhold said Stanford never taught COBOL from the time he moved there in 1979.

Last year, the U.S. Government Accountability Office mentioned COBOL 26 times in a report that urged multiple agencies to modernize critical legacy technology.

There are 240 billion lines of COBOL code still being used, according to Phil Teplitzky, chief technology officer of HP Marin Group LLC, which helps companies make better use of old computing systems.

There's little documentation explaining how these systems were built decades ago, so government agencies and companies often relied on programmers remembering how it was done -- COBOL "folklore," Teplitzky calls it. Many of these experts aren't around anymore, and now that the CARES Act requires major code changes, few people know how to do it, he said.

The way old COBOL code was written also makes it hard to update. Modern computing languages break programs into chunks, each with a specific purpose. COBOL programmers often weaved everything together, which means code changes can damage or disable other parts of the program. This phenomenon, known as spaghetti code, is more of an issue than any inherent difficulty in learning the language. But it makes the work hard and time-consuming.

Most of the mainframe computers that run COBOL are made by International Business Machines Corp. The company has been trying to help customers find COBOL experts and convince new trainees to take over for years. Last week, it announced a new training course to teach COBOL to beginners and refresh experienced professionals.

"A light is being shined on the fact that there are some critical systems that may not have been focused on," said Barry Baker, an IBM vice president. "It's a case of selling COBOL and older technology to kids as a means to work on stuff that makes a difference. This is stuff that matters."

Gartner analyst Thomas Klinect thinks companies and other organizations must do a better job recruiting people to keep these machines running. That includes paying more.

"If you look at the postings, they have been entry-level positions which needed 20 years of experience," he said. "They wanted to pay you $35,000."

Chuck Robbins, the 53-year-old chief executive officer of Cisco Systems Inc., said he started his career as a COBOL programmer for the predecessor of Bank of America.

"The good news is that, as I recall, COBOL wasn't one of the more difficult languages," he said. "I'm sure some of these younger kids could figure it out."

For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

Don't Hug me I'm Scared

Computer Chronology: Collection captures continuum of technology

As millions of Americans sit staring into computer screens -- working, video chatting, playing games, buying groceries -- there's a new exhibit waiting for the doors to reopen at the Rogers Historical Museum that couldn't be more perfect. It's titled "Personal Computers: Early 1970s to Late 1980s," and it is largely the collection of one man who was born before a microprocessor was a gleam in Dell's eye.

Born three months before Pearl Harbor in Flint, Mich., Tony Militch started messing around with electronics when he was in junior high -- "back in the '50s before transistors," he clarifies. "I never had a formal class in electronics or computers; it was all self-learned. Electronics was something I just wanted to do."

FAQ

'Personal Computers: Early 1970s to Late 1980s'

WHEN — Scheduled to run through June 27; opening date remains undecided

WHERE — Rogers Historical Museum

COST — Free

INFO — 621-1154 or www.rogershistoricalmuseum.org

And that interest, he adds, was the catalyst for his career. "Electronics got me into audiology, and audiology kept me in electronics."

Audiology is defined as "the branch of science and medicine concerned with the sense of hearing." Militch started with a degree in elementary education, then a master's in deaf education, then a doctorate in audiology in 1971.

"In 1971, I also bought my first computer," he says, sounding like someone remembering the first great love of his life. "They called it a 'mini-computer,' but it was like a big box, usually put in an equipment rack, and you could hardly lift it. And that was just the processor -- no screens, none of that yet.

"Shortly thereafter, microprocessors came about," he continues the story. "I started building those from kits, and as computers got small enough -- and cheap enough -- I was developing systems to test hearing. I was one of the pioneers in that area."

Militch's goal was to work in research and development, and his timing was perfect. He moved into a new field called occupational audiology -- testing workers for hearing loss caused by their jobs -- and testing multiple people at once was key. "So I had kind of a market," he says modestly. "So in the late '70s and early '80s, I developed the first audiometers to test up to six people at a time.

"I'm one of a few people in the country that is a computer engineer and audiologist -- there are very few occupational audiologists," he adds. "I've designed circuit boards, I still write software, I'm developing a little team of people scattered throughout the country handing off stuff I do and focusing on research stuff. I've been an expert in the field since the late '70s, and now I'm 78 years old and still don't know how to spell 'retired.'"

But Militch has been fighting cancer for some time, and he needed to to find a home for his personal collection of vintage computers, some of them so rare they would fit fine in museums like the Smithsonian. Enter the Rogers Historical Museum.

"There are some computer museums around the country, but I like the Rogers Historical Museum," says Militch, who moved to Northwest Arkansas several years ago. "I want them to have a good home, and this is perfect."

"While we are not a technology museum, we cannot overlook the importance these historical pieces have played in today's world," says Terrilyn Wendling, the museum's assistant director and curator of collections. "The unique collection shows the changes from large minicomputers, which are smaller than mainframe computers but larger than desktop computers, to the first commercially available Tandy Radio Shack desktop computer. We'll also show how computers were able to get smaller with the introduction of the computer chip instead of punch cards and cassettes, plus memory cards and the evolution of the floppy disk.

"The entire collection is amazing," she adds. "Most computers, the plastic yellows and cracks, and these computers are in amazing condition. The computers from the 1970s don't even look like what we all recognize as computers; they are large metal boxes with toggle switches and lights. Unless you have worked in the field of early computer technology, everyone will learn something. Seeing how unique these computers are will also be exciting, as you often only see them in movies."

An Automatic Send and Receive (ASR) is an electromechanical teleprinter, also called a teletypewriter. This model, manufactured from 1965 to 1976, was designed for office work, but is based on a more rugged unit originally built for the U.S. Navy. It has an internal punch tape reader, seen on the left of the machine, and used specific sized paper with holes punched along the edges. In the late 1970s the Rogers Police Department upgraded their computer system and installed an ASR at the station on Elm Street. (Courtesy Photo/Rogers Historical Museum)

Built in the mid-1970s by the Process Computer Systems company of Flint, Mich., the Micropac 80/A was not originally designed to be a stand-alone computer. However, through a deal with Intel, a microprocessor was installed in addition to a basic operating system. It is considered a minicomputer, which means it was sized between large mainframe computers and their smaller cousins, the microcomputers which came out in the 1980s. Of the 100 or so companies to have made minicomputers, only a small group survived. Each minicomputer had its own software architecture and operating systems, and they were designed for human interaction and communication, not calculations like their predecessors. (Courtesy Photo/Rogers Historical Museum)

By the 1980s, users wanted smaller, lighter and IBM-compatible computers. Several companies had achieved part of that wish list, but it wasn't until 1985 that Toshiba checked all the boxes. In 1987, the company improved on a previous model with the T1000. This model was compatible with IBM software, but unlike the IBM Convertible, it had an operating system already installed and ports for an external monitor. (Courtesy Photo/Rogers Historical Museum)

NAN What's Up on 04/12/2020

The Complete Half-Life Timeline - From Half-Life to Half-Life Alyx

Home-based learning: Parents struggle with laptops uniforms and more

© The Independent Singapore

Singapore — As part of enhanced measures against the spread of Covid-19, the Ministry of Education started home-based learning (HBL) from Wednesday (April 8).

According to todayonline.com on April 8, parents have been sharing their woes about trying to find laptops for their children, that the children are still required to wear their uniforms even though they are studying at home, as well as their struggles to manage more than one child at a time.

One such parent was 47-year-old Ragavan Nair, who has four children. His eldest child, who is a first-year student at Republic Polytechnic, taking human resource management, requires a laptop in order to do her work properly at home.

He said: "I wanted to go to Sim Lim Square but I was told by IT specialists that there were a lot of people trying to buy laptops and notebooks and that the brands I wanted would be out of stock." He was eventually able to order a laptop from one of the school's IT vendors  but delivery will be in about two weeks. In the meantime, his daughter will have to print out all her lessons in order to read them.

Another parent, Ms Vimala Vishnupalan, is worried that her three young children will just bother each other even if one attempts to do online school work. Her two sons are in Primary 4 and Primary 6, while she also has a five-year-old daughter at home with her.

The 42-year-old stay-at-home mother said the boys watched TV and ate snacks when they were supposed to do school work. She said: "The concentration and focus is not there when they study at home. If you have one child, it is manageable but it is much harder with three."

Meanwhile, another parent, Ms Gangadevi Routan, has been searching for a webcam for her desktop computer at home. While she has two laptops with webcams which are can be used by her 8-year-old and 10-year-old daughters, her niece also lives with them and requires a camera for her online classes as well.

She was concerned because most of the webcams in shops and online are sold out and shipping from abroad could take up to a month. This would mean that one of the girls will possibly miss a class or more if they are required to go "live" at the same time.

Aside from the webcam, Ms Gangadevi was also concerned that her 15-year-old niece is being made to wear her physical education (PE) attire during their online morning attendance. She said: "The whole purpose of HBL is for students to feel comfortable. So teachers' concentration should be in the delivery of content and whether students are absorbing the lesson, instead of how they are dressed."

For others, their HBL issues are mostly due to technical glitches. Mr Winston Tay said his 12-year-old son missed all his morning online classes last Wednesday (April 1). Thankfully though, it would seem that these issues with the son's Student Learning Space (SLS) have since been worked out, allowing him easy access the next time around.

In order to help families successfully practise HBL, the ministry has provided around 3,300 laptops and tablets, and about 200 dongles for Internet access, to those students that need them. Meanwhile, other organisations like the self-help group Mendaki also promised to lend some laptops to those needing them. /TISG

Home-based learning: Parents struggle with laptops, uniforms and more

Spilled water on your laptop? Here’s how to fix it

So, you've spilled something on your laptop. Time is of the essence. You must turn your laptop off, unplug it, and remove the battery at once. Go ahead and press that power button until your machine shuts down. Do that now! Every second counts.

Okay, are you back with us? Here's a more in-depth guide of just how to handle this emergency.

In case of wet-laptop emergency

Step 1: Remove all components that are easily detachable. Unplug your mouse and any cables, and remove any flash drives and DVDs. Leave your laptop bare.

Step 2: Dry the outside of your machine. Open your laptop as far as it goes, hold it upside down, and wipe dry any wet surfaces that you see with a towel or another lint-free absorbent fabric. The type of liquid matters: Water is the least corrosive, while sugary and alcoholic liquids are both more conductive and more corrosive, and can quickly cause permanent damage. Either way, the goal is to mitigate their effects as much as possible by drying the computer immediately.

Step 3: At this point, we'd recommend you take advantage of the warranty if it's still applicable, or take your machine to a repair shop. If your brand has a designated repair store (like Apple) give them a call or bring it in. Otherwise, look for local repair stores that specialize in your laptop brand.

If you don't want to have a professional take a look at it for you though, there are some more steps you can take to try and dry your machine out. Note though, that neither Digital Trends nor the author accept any responsibility for damage caused to your machine from taking it apart.

Break it down

While laptops of years gone by made the process of opening them up and removing components easy, that's not really the case with modern-day laptops. We wouldn't recommend trying to take anything apart unless you have an older laptop model that isn't largely glued together. That said, here are some steps you can take if your laptop allows it.

Step 1: If you haven't already, and your laptop allows it, remove your battery. This can usually be achieved by pressing a switch or button on the underside of your laptop.

Step 2: If you're concerned about liquid leaking through to the whole system, to components like your memory and storage drive, you can remove those too. In some laptops, you'll find panels that allow for their removal on the underside. In most cases, however, you'll need to use a Phillips or Torx screwdriver to remove them. With the memory, press the side clips to eject each stick. With the solid-state drive or hard drive, you'll likely need to undo more screws to free it from the frame. Be sure to carefully detach it from the power and data connection ports or cables.

Story continues

Step 3: Examine each component you've removed to check for any sign of wetness or corrosion. Any wet parts should be dried, but if the liquid is anything other than water, you'll want to wipe it off (you can use a cotton swab) with 99 percent isopropyl alcohol – this will dissolve gunk without causing damage and evaporate without leaving a residue.

Step 4: Once you're done, you'll want to leave everything alone to air-dry for two to three days in a warm, dry area. A fan will hasten the drying process. Do not use a hairdryer, as this could cause static problems. Once you've picked your machine apart and given the components time to dry, you can follow the instructions in reverse to put your laptop back together and see if it works.

Hopefully, all will be well, but if not, you'll want to take it to a repair center.

If your laptop cannot be taken apart

What if you have a Surface Book 2 or MacBook or any other laptop that you cannot take apart or even remove the battery from? This situation drastically reduces your options, so you'll have to take it to a repair center ASAP.

Between the time that liquid is spilled on your keyboard and the time that you take it to the store, here's what you can do: Hold your machine upside down, wiping dry any visible wetness with a towel.

Then, lay it down on a dry surface, and give your laptop as much ventilation as possible — it may not help much, but it's better than nothing while you wait for a repair store appointment.

Some people recommend putting your laptop in a big bag of rice, a common piece of advice with several very large problems. First, a hygroscopic material like rice isn't nearly as effective when dealing with liquids that have sugars, alcohols, or other substances besides water. Second, rice doesn't efficiently absorb moisture trapped deep in your laptop, where it's already caused problems (remember, most damage from spills happens in the first several seconds after the spill). Third, almost all rice has lots of microscopic flakes of dust that can get inside your laptop and create even more issues.

If you absolutely cannot go to a repair store, then its important that you let your laptop ventilate and dry out for at least a day or two before you try turning it back on yourself. Trying to turn a laptop back on too soon after a spill is a recipe for disaster, as this can cause a massive short and ruin your computer.

Waterproofing options

To safeguard your laptop in the future, we'd recommend investing in a

KeyCover silicone keyboard cover

. Or even a full shell for the top and bottom of your laptop, if you prefer. You can also carry your laptop around in a great laptop bag. Be careful not to cover any ventilation holes, however, and use scissors to cut the skin if necessary to ensure that your ventilation holes are left free.

Or maybe you work in an environment where spills and moisture problems are just more common and harder to avoid. In this case, you may want to look for a ruggedized laptop that includes a sealed keyboard and additional features for greater protection, like one of

KeyCover silicone keyboard cover

.

Spilled Water on Your Macbook Here's how to Fix it - FAST

Apple MacBook Air vs. Dell XPS 13: An in-depth look at two great 13-inch laptops

The two biggest new laptops of 2020 so far are the Dell XPS 13 and Apple's MacBook Air. Both have been updated with new features and designs, and you may be wondering which is the better option.

I've spent weeks with both devices now, trading off the two laptops as my daily driver. Here's everything you need to know about how these two laptops stack up against each other.

The MacBook Air is more affordable

The XPS 13 and MacBook Air are both premium laptops. Neither represent the best value for the components that come inside. Instead, they package those parts in excellent build quality and world-class design. I prefer the stark white look of the XPS 13 and its ultra-thin bezels, but I won't say the MacBook Air isn't a looker. It hasn't changed in the past couple of years, but the full aluminum unibody is pretty as ever — especially in gold.

But let's get one thing out of the way right off the bat. Price. The MacBook Air is currently more affordable. with a starting price of $999 (or $899 if you're a student). The XPS 13 also offers a Core i3 $999 model, though it's not currently available for purchase. Even when available, it'll come with just 4GB of RAM and a 128GB SSD too, compared to double that on the comparable MacBook Air.

Not only does the $999 MacBook Air start with more memory and storage, it also has a higher-resolution screen. At 2,560 x 1,600, it has a sharper pixel density than what you get in other 13-inch laptops, including the XPS 13. Though the XPS 13's 1,920 x 1,200 display is delightful and bright, the Air is noticeably crisper.

Of course, the XPS 13 has much more room to grow in the more expensive configurations. The XPS 13 can be upgraded with 32GB of RAM and the same 2TB of storage, while also featuring a 4K screen.

You can spend even more on the MacBook Air if you want (up to $2,249), but because of the performance limitations, your money won't go as far.

The Dell XPS 13 is the faster laptop

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When you look at the price point where these two laptops intersect, the XPS 13 begins to take a steady lead, as $1,200 gets you a quad-core Core i5 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. While it's true that the screen isn't as pixel-dense, performance takes a huge leap. The XPS 13 is the most powerful 13-inch laptop I've ever tested. It offers raw strength that most laptops of this size don't. In top-tier configurations like the Core i7, it even outperforms the MacBook Pro.

However, the MacBook Air has a 10th-gen quad-core Core i5 processor as well, right? Yes. Starting at $1,250, this Core i5 model was touted as twice as powerful as previous models. But don't be fooled — it's a less powerful processor. With only 9 watts of power draw, it can't keep up with the 25-watt Core i5 in the XPS 13. A lower thermal profile means tighter restrictions on heat, and therefore, performance.

Will you notice the difference? Yes, though it depends on the workload. If your daily routine consists of Chrome, Spotify, Netflix, Slack, and YouTube, you likely won't feel the disparity in processing power. Even with dozens of tabs and many applications open, the Core i3 MacBook Air will be unfazed. As I noted in the review, you can even pull up GarageBand or iMovie to do some light content creation.

But if you're a photographer working with high-resolution photos in Lightroom, or an extreme multitasker looking to power multiple 4K monitors, the extra bandwidth of the XPS 13 is helpful.

It's also the go-to choice for a laptop to travel with. The XPS 13 is both thinner and lighter than the MacBook Air, and thanks to thin bezels, has a significantly smaller footprint.

It will also last a few hours longer than the MacBook Air on a single charge to let you squeeze in some extra work on that long work trip. There's a caveat there, though. The MacBook Air will maintain similar battery life no matter what configuration you use. The XPS 13 will dip by a couple of hours once you equip it with the optional 4K screen. When upgraded, the XPS 13 is closer to the MacBook Air in battery life.

Windows, Mac, and Apple

Then there's the ecosystem to consider. There's no question that iPhones, Apple Watches, AirPods, and MacBooks pair really well together. Having iMessage, iCloud, and AirDrop across all platforms is undeniably convenient. It's what Apple has always done so well, and while you might hack together a similar solution with Windows apps (Dell offers a Mobile Connect app that can deliver phone notifications to your laptop), it's not the same.

When you purchase Apple's MacBook Air, Apple's suite of applications also comes free. Microsoft's Office suite is preferred by most, but you'll need to pay extra to bundle that in with the Dell XPS 13. While neither the Mac App Store or Microsoft will knock your socks off, Apple's Mac Catalyst program is seeing more iPad apps ported over to the Mac. That could have some serious potential for the future of the Mac app ecosystem.

Most people strongly prefer Mac or Windows. But today, there's far less difference than there used to be. Mac offers better trackpad gestures, while Windows has full touchscreen support. Windows has facial authentication for quickly unlocking the device, while Mac's TouchID can be used for things like payment and user profile authentication.

Both Windows 10 and MacOS are modern pieces of software supported by annual software refreshes and security updates. Neither gets the kind of development attention mobile platforms get, but in terms of stability, you can't go wrong.

Apple MacBook Air vs. Dell XPS 13: Which should you buy?

In its latest iteration, the MacBook Air once again has a good keyboard and is appropriately priced. That makes the $999 model an easy recommendation at that price.

However, once you push into the higher echelon of configurations, the Dell XPS 13 leaps ahead. It offers better performance, more attractive design, and an excellent optional 4K display. XPS 13 models priced above $1,500 defeat not only the MacBook Air, but also Apple's MacBook Pro 13.

Dell xps 13 vs apple macbook air! !! Full specification

Best laptop bags of 2020: top bags and backpacks for your kit

The best laptop bag is naturally going to be the one that can protect your laptop well and make it easy to tote around. But, just about any bag can do that, so part of the equation is going to come down to style and the extra features you'll find on laptop carrying case.

We've looked over all sorts of laptop backpacks, satchels and bags to find some of the most capable options available. This way, you can worry more about a style and feature set that works for you and worry less about whether a big might be low quality.

We picked out laptop bags from a wide variety of manufacturers, giving you a great range of options at a number of different price points. All of them will do the job of holding your laptop securely, but beyond that, they'll offer their own approach to securing the rest of your items.

So, here's our pick of the best laptop bags and backpacks for business users, students or just day-to-day use, based on our expert research from around the web, picking the popular options we think you should check out.

Of course, you'll want a laptop to go in your nice new bag, so make sure you check out our pick of the best laptops.

If you're looking for a laptop specifically designed for business use, visit our best business laptops guide.

Want your company or services to be considered for this buyer's guide? Please email your request to desire.athow@futurenet.com with the URL of the buying guide in the subject line.

1. JanSport Baughman Backpack

A classic backpack for your laptop

Key Features: Fits 15-inch laptops; fleece lined media pocket; front flap with organizer; front zippered pocket with removable storage pouch | Dimensions: 17.5 x 12.6 x 5.7 inches (H x W x D) | Weight: 2.4 pounds

15-inch laptop sleeve

Removable storage pouch

Fine canvas look and feel

No weatherproofing

The tried and true JanSport is tough to go wrong with. A full-canvas bag with nylon mesh inside including a 15-inch laptop sleeve, this version of the JanSport comes in several colors for a variety of prices. Included in the price are also a media pocket lined in fleece as well as a removable storage pouch, making it an excellent business laptop backpack.

2. Eastpack Out Of Office

Classic design, yet also modern

Key Features: Fits 13-inch laptops; main compartment with front pocket; padded shoulder straps; multiple designs | Dimensions: 17.3 x 11.6 x 8.6 inches (H x W x D) | Weight: 1.10 pounds

Comfortable design

30 year warranty

No weatherproofing

With a simple, yet stylish, design, the Out Of Office laptop backpack is ideal for business users that makes carrying around your laptop comfortable, while also protecting your device from the rigours of daily life. One of the best features about this backpack is its 30 year warranty, which means you shouldn't have to worry about getting another laptop backpack for a long, long time.

3. Mammut Xeron Courier 25

A great bag for the daily commute

Key Features: Roll-top closure; Front pocket, laptop compartment, back plate for additional comfort and strength | Dimensions: 22 x 12.2 x 11 inches (H x W x D) | Weight: 2.55 pounds

Great for cycling

Comfortable to wear

Design won't be to everyone's tastes

The distinctive design of the Mammut Xeron Courier 25, along with the name, suggests that this is a laptop bag that is designed for people who work or commute by bike. Even if that's not your usual mode of transport, this is a business laptop bag that's still worth considering thanks to its comfortable design that protects both you and the laptop when worn.

4. AmazonBasics Laptop Backpack

Gets the job done for cheap

Key Features: Fits 15-inch laptops; zippered Speed Pocket; organization panel | Dimensions: 14.3 x 7.8 x 19.8 inches (L x W x H) | Weight: 1.6 pounds

15-inch laptop sleeve

Super affordable

Quick-access speed pocket

Lacks premium look and feel

If you're not looking to pay huge amounts of cash for a laptop backpack, then this is a great budget choice. Made and sold by Amazon through its Basics program, this all-black backpack has a laptop sleeve for machines up to 15 inches, and several types of pockets, for but a pittance compared to most.

5. Herschel Pop Quiz backpack

Everything you could need

Key features: Fleece-lined laptop sleeve, front pocket with organizers, sunglasses compartment, waterproof zipper | Dimensions: 17.5 x 11.75 x 6 inches (H x W x D) | Volume: 22L | Weight: 1.11 pounds

The Herschel Pop Quiz backpack is clearly designed with students in mind. It has a simple style and reasonable price, but comes with no shortage of features to meet your daily needs. It has a padded laptop sleeve with fleece lining to keep your computer safe, and its front pocket includes built-in organizers so you can keep all your school supplies in order. It even has waterproof zippers to help protect all your belongings. And, with a wide variety of styles, you can find a design that fits your personality.

6. AmazonBasics Laptop Bag

Another great budget choice

Key Features: Fits 17.3-inch laptops; zippered Speed Pocket; organization panel, shoulder bag design | Dimensions: 17.5 x 2.8 x 13.5 inches (L x W x H) | Weight: 1.1 pounds

17.3-inch laptop sleeve

Low price

Accessory storage pockets

Lacks premium look and feel

If you like the sound of a budget - yet dependable - laptop bag, but you don't want a backpack, then Amazon also does a laptop bag. This can be carried over your shoulder and can fit larger laptops as well. It's not as fancy as some of the other bags on this page, but it does the job well, and for a low price.

Still looking? Here are some extra option we've picked out: Adidas backpacks | backpacks for kids | best camera bags | Amazon backpacks | best school backpacks

Laptop Bag under 1000 | mi Business Casual Backpack 2020

When a N.J. principal needed laptops for students during coronavirus crisis a TV star came to the rescue

The golden bows that represent hope for principal Charity Haygood were spaced six feet apart, neatly attached along the fence at Avon Avenue School in Newark.

Haygood was thinking about her students and their parents, and how she could have them safely pick up 125 Chromebooks last week, so they could be ready for the district's online learning program on April 6.

Some families came. Most didn't. You see, not everyone has a car in the city, and it's hard to practice social distancing on a bus with the coronavirus lurking. Many of her students' parents, Haygood said, were too frightened to walk to the school because they didn't want to violate the city's shelter-in-place order.

Haygood, a Newark resident, understands what her kids are up against if they don't get online. Already out of school, they likely would fall further behind without the ability to learn digitally during the lockdown.

"Over 90 percent of children at my school do not have a laptop or internet access and the rest of the world is getting online," Haygood said.

So, she hit the streets last week in her yellow Jeep to deliver the last batch of laptops to her 561 students in the K-8 school, making house calls with the help of teachers, substitutes, paraprofessionals and her husband.

They had already dropped off or had parents pick up 377 devices from the school's computer lab when Mike Rowe, the star "Dirty Jobs" on Discovery Channel, heard about Haygood team's effort -- and that Haygood and the school didn't have enough laptops for all of their students.

Using his new show, "Returning the Favor," a reality web television series on Facebook Watch, Rowe figured Haygood could use a favor, too.

When she was duped into appearing on the show on March 28 -- supposedly as part of an education roundtable to talk about the district's online learning -- Rowe sprang the surprise: the Chromebooks, valued at $25,000. The district, with the help of Altice USA, threw in 60 days of free internet access.

Her husband, Ryan, was in on the ruse. Producers had him recording her the whole time, so they would have video to include in the episode. Since it aired on March 30, the video has more than 4.7 million views.

Here's how it went down:

When Haygood logged into the show using her cell phone, she could see someone sitting with their back to her.

"Hello?" she said.

"Is that a voice I hear behind me?" said Rowe, who spun around in his chair.

Haygood was stunned.

"Get out of here," she said. "You're the 'Dirty Jobs' guy."

Rowe explained that his show was a huge fan of what she had been doing. When Rowe asked what she needed for her students, Haygood, unaware of Rowe's new show, explained that she was short on Chromebooks.

"We think 125 Chromebooks from us to you would be the least we could do," he said.

Haywood cried at the generosity, and when the show aired, she cried again. The gift will help the district eliminate "a digital divide in our city," Superintendent Roger Leon said. In all, the district distributed 8,000 Chromebooks from the schools' computer labs afterto schools shut down.

Rowe's laptops arrived Wednesday at the school, where Jarheina Anderson picked up two of them for her children.

"I was shocked that she was going to come (to my house)," Anderson said. "I think she's an awesome principal. She does everything she can for the kids."

By Friday, 100 Chromebooks still needed to be delivered. Staff members gassed up their cars to help. Haygood finished around 9:30 p.m., but Ryan, her husband, made a special delivery at 11:30 p.m. to a family who couldn't get to the school earlier that day because a grandmother had died from the coronavirus.

With the future uncertain, Haygood preaches hope. Those golden bows on the fence symbolize their abilities during this scary time in their lives. Together, they will get through this.

"You can do it," Haygood tells them.

Yes. They. Can. With a principal like Haygood as the wind beneath their wings, how can they lose?

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Barry Carter may be reached at bcarter@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL. Find NJ.com on Facebook. Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips.

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Charter schools give out laptops for remote learning