My laptop at work is getting a bit long in the tooth and is due to be replaced in the next couple of months. I currently run Ubuntu on a Dell laptop. The laptop is elevated on a dock next to another screen. I have two choices:

Choice 1: MacBook Pro. Arguments in favor:

• Apple makes the best laptop hardware anywhere. Period.
• I'd be able to dual-boot to OSX, which I have nothing against, it's just not my preferred environment. I could hypothetically do things like play Steam with my OSX partition.
• Multitouch mousepad is so nice.

Choice 2: Dell E5520. Arguments in favor:

• The Linux support for the MacBook Pro is imperfect, especially wifi.
• I like the way I do stuff in Linux, and if I switched to OSX (for wifi, for instance), there will be a learning curve.
• There are docks (whereas MacBooks have some third-party stands but no real dock solution).
• 15.6 inch widescreen, instead of 13" (which I'd have to get to keep the MacBook Pro under budget).

What are your thoughts?

If you’re lucky, this is the last time you’ll hear me mention Windows 7 for a while. But I’ve received a number of queries about my continued use of it for a while now. I have some very excellent reasons that I figured I should put in writing for easy reference.

1. Proactive non-reason: I don't hate Apple. I think their hardware is beautiful and I think Mac OS X is one of the most usable Operating Systems around (although it's got a learning curve like any OS does). Their prices are on the high end of reasonable, considering the hardware is generally top-of-the-line and well-built.
2. Proactive non-reason: I am pro-open-source. I think Linus' Law is spot on, and I think that "Release Early, Release Often" is a faster way to quality software. But I'm not an ideologue. I run Linux exclusively at work, but also I use plenty of closed-source applications without complaining. I'll even purchase DRM-ed media without much grumbling.
3. I like to build my own computers. There's something about the hundreds of interlocking details that appeals to my nature. The challenge of learning (or re-learning) interfaces and chipsets and how memory works is exciting. (Aside: I find the enjoyment that I get from following sports to be somewhat similar. They're complex worlds with details that are almost entirely self-consistent. And its the exceptions and quirks that make them enticing.)
4. Unfortunately, Mac OS X doesn't work on non-Apple hardware, at least not officially. And I don't feel comfortable applying a delicate hack that will make that work on my every-day machine.
5. My wife needs Windows for phone syncing and work applications. As a doctor, there are a number of applications she runs on her phone and at home to access charts and medical databases. Some of them have iPhone options, and a couple have cripped web versions, but none of them that I know of yet have a full-featured client that will work under either Mac OS X or Linux client.
6. I like to play games. I do it less than I did back in college, but I still spend five or six hours a week playing Team Fortress 2 or Trackmania or a number of other games. There are few Mac OS X or Linux versions of most games: Windows is by far the most popular gaming platform. (Gaming works well in Parallels within Mac OS X, but you still need a Windows install/license.)
7. Dual booting is more trouble than it's worth. I have no problem with Windows. In fact, so far, Windows 7 is really nice and stable and it plays nice with all of my hardware. I have several good reasons to use Windows, but no compelling reason to use something else. So I have no reason to go through the effort to set up a second OS.

After doing yet more research on benchmarks and prices, I’ve backed away from my revolutionary stance on Intel processors. The Athlon 64 X2 represents a fair approximation, and the CPU and motherboard combo I’ve chosen will save me about $150 off of the Intel alternative. Here’s what I’m ordering tonight:

Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-MA780G-UD3H (780G chipset, ATI Radeon HD 3200 on-board, although I won’t be using it) CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600 (Dual 2.9GHz cores, 2x512K L2, 65W) Video card: Radeon HD 4870 1GB (My first PCIe x16 card! Note that this is actually a bump over the previous plan) Memory: G.SKILL 4GB DDR2 (1066 MHz, dual-channel, CAS 5. A tiny upgrade in speed) Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar WD6400AAKS (640GB, 7200 RPM, this hasn’t changed)

Add in an HDMI cable (my screen and current video card support it, but for some reason I never got around to buying one) and one of the best reviewed AM2 heatsinks on the market, and it all adds up to just over $550 including shipping. Even cheaper than I was expecting.

The savings will probably go towards an HTPC build from the old hardware. Details to come! Maybe!

I’ve got my new desktop birthday gift essentially planned at this point. I’ve been doing a lot of reading on Tom’s Hardware and Ars Technica, and both of them are pointing at Intel for solid mid-range desktops nowadays. There’s some disagreement over whether the Core i7 (Quad-core on one die! Triple-channel DDR3!) is worth the price premium over the Core 2 Duo. I’ve decided that, for me, it’s not. I don’t do enough video gaming anymore for four cores to be effectively utilized. Even two cores feels like a bit of a waste.

We’re still deciding on a case (although I really like everything Lian Li, like the PC-7B plus II) since the case is a part that I feel that M should have a say in. But the guts are going to be as follows:

• CPU: Intel Core 2 Duo E8500 (Dual core, 3.16GHz)
• Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-EP45-UD3P (Intel P45 Northbridge. X48 was tempting, but I don't need that much PCIe, and I probably never will.)
• Video card: Radeon HD 4850 512MB (This was a hard decision. The HD 4870 1GB would be so much faster, but in the end I don't game as much as I used to, and another $100 for the performance is too much.)
• Memory: G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) (DDR2 800, Dual Channel, CAS 5. The Motherboard has four slots, so if when I need more memory, it'll be simple.)
• Hard drive: Western Digital Caviar 640GB (7200 RPM, SATA 3.0Gb. I'm a hard drive miser. I could splurge for a 1TB drive, but I've never even filled my current 160GB disk.)
• Optical drive: I'll move the NEC ND-3550A DVD-RW from my current desktop. It's still solid.

Update, Mar 3: I just ordered the parts, but not before a whole bunch of stuff changed.

It’s been several years since microATX motherboards became commonplace, kicking the Home Theater PC movement into high gear. While researching hardware to build a new desktop computer, I ran into an interesting question: Can it be an HTPC? The “HT” part of the quotient would require it to be able to connect to my television, which is currently in a different room than my desktop, and I want to be able to still sit down at the computer. I don’t want heavy VGA running from the machine down the hallway. So it seems like I’ve only got a couple of options:

1. Run cables down the hallway, and hope M doesn't notice. (Good luck).
2. Wireless video. Half junk, half expensive vapor.
3. A thin client like a Sun Ray on my desktop.
4. Give up and pick either a new desktop, or an HTPC.

Right now, option 3 sounds the most promising. There are a handful of people who have talked about hooking high-end thin clients up to their TV to act as a home theater interface, but I’ve found no discussion of doing it the other way, as far as I can tell. I’ll be investigating this deeper over the next few weeks. But experimentation might be too expensive; I might just end up going for option 4.