I take textbooks to uni, there's no need to open them up in lectures tho, only tutes (accounting textbook is also very big).
Some people bring MacBook Pro's/Airs, netbooks are rare in uni, it's usually filled with MBPs and some MBAs followed by one random guy with a 17" gaming laptop which is huge and doesn't really fit in front of the guy in the lecture lol
the tables are enough to take notes on (UTS anyway) I've seen some USYD ones, I hate them and the leg room is non-existent in some USYD lecture halls, but UTS it's there.
Just print out the lecture slides and take them and write notes on the sides, or just in a normal exercise book when in lectures, most people do that.