Can a laptop use a flatscreen or crt monitor ?

Hi,
Can a laptop be plugged into a standalone monitor, the type purchased for desktop or tower PC's ? Of the current flat screen variety and also deep back CRT type ? I ask for a few reasons. A friend of mine prefers viewing monitors for quality of picture, I do also. I wish to find him a dirt cheap laptop, one that takes a mouse, and if its screen is a duffer then that should bring the price down ! He wont be carrying it anywhere, simply using it like a desktop, but he hasnt room for a desktop or tower. The laptop can be stuffed onto the bookrack, or taken indoors from the workshop when cold and damp out there ! We cant both study the screen on a laptop at once as angle off gives peculiar effects.
I also could do with one myself. Mine I might wish to plug into my CRT screen, or a spare flatscreen at work.

I doubt they come with a suitable connector, but some clever techie might manage it.

Another thought for cheap is get two, one with dead screen, another dead except for screen ! Mate the two together via the cable ?

Cheers

DBenz