New2grammar  +  509442 Sun, 04 May 08 04:24 PM With the limited memory your laptop has, it can only have 6 windows open simultaneously. With the limited memory your laptop has, it can only open 6 windows simultaneously. Do they mean the same? Thanks in advance! New2grammar Joined on Tue, Nov 21 2006 Veteran Member 7,676 Who wants to go sailing around the world with me?

	Doll  +  509483 Sun, 04 May 08 06:53 PM To me, yes. Doll Joined on Sat, Mar 10 2007 Senior Member 2,813

	Clive  +  509484 Sun, 04 May 08 06:53 PM Hi, With the limited memory your laptop has, it can only have 6 windows open simultaneously. With the limited memory your laptop has, it can only open 6 windows simultaneously. Do they mean the same? There's not a lot of difference in this context. However, let's look more closely at what these tenses indicate. #1 means you can open 1, then open another, and another, and finally 6 can be open at the same time. This is what the writer means, I think. Let's look at #2 carefully. It says that the act of opening 6 all happens at the same time. eg you push a button and  - bing! - suddenly 6 windows open. This is not really what is meant, I think. Best wishes, Clive Clive Joined on Thu, Oct 28 2004 Canada Veteran Member 29,663 El tango argentino es un pensamiento triste que se puede bailar (The tango argentino is a sad thought which can be danced) Enrique Santos Discépolo Tenses

	New2grammar  +  509614 Mon, 05 May 08 03:36 AM #2 can possibly cause confusion if the reader is not familiar with computers. So, I would say #1 is the better. #2 can also allow more than 6 windows open in total. It simply states the computer can't open more than 6 at one time. However, this interpretation contradicts with the clause at the beginning, therefore, the reader is likely to rule out this possibility. Because of this, I would say #1  is clearer. Am I right? Thanks! New2grammar Clauses

	Clive  +  509634 Mon, 05 May 08 04:46 AM Hi, Yes. But you're liable to hear both of these said. Best wishes, Clive Clive