[ale] New laptop

[Richard Bronosky]

On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 8:49 PM, Brian MacLeod <nym.bnm at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
> On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 7:27 PM, George Allen <glallen01 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> My home laptop broke, physically, after 5 years of abuse (IBM's stand
>> up well), so I am looking to buy a new one. Considerations are:
>>
>> -Thinkpad T or X series. - I've had a T41 (still running headless w/
>> dead LCD after 7years) and X32 (latest, cpu fan died) I like IBM, like
>> the keyboard, prefer the trackpoint to a touchpad, and am satisfied
>> with the durability. Also- IBM hardware generally supports linux.
>>
>> -Apple- always wanted one, couldn't afford one before now, am tempted
>> but realized I could even get the IBM X200-Tablet for the price of a
>> 15in macbook pro. Also questionable linux support, because I would
>> install linux on this. They seem durable, but I don't know that I
>> quite like the keyboard/trackpad much.
>>
>> So, what are anyone's thoughts on running linux on a 15in macbook pro?
>> Any other suggestions aimed at good linux support, and general
>> durability? Fast is good, but not looking for more business than a
>> gaming machine, although gl support would be nice. Target range 1500
>> +/-500 depending on specs.
>
>
> So, I'm going to go out on a limb here for just a bit, and make a slightly
> different suggestion, but this is highly dependent on your needs for your
> linux machine:
>
> Get the Apple, leave it running Mac OS X, but run your linux machine as a VM
> using (suggestions have been strong, and it is the one I use at home)
> VirtualBox from Sun to host it.  Then, depending on what you need, you can
> export your X apps to the Apple, or run a full desktop environment as a
> window on the Mac.
>
> My reasoning: when I need to get something done quickly (common office
> stuff, browsing, email), the Mac certainly fits the task.  When I need
> something more intricate, I can do what I need and easily acquire the
> software for linux.  I get the best of both worlds as far as productivity,
> and, if I do things right, can even revert changes I made to the VM or even
> spawn off a couple of clones. I also have Dropbox running on the physical
> and VMs as well as a Windows box elsewhere so I have access to my data.
>
> Now, if you're doing process/graphics intense stuff in linux, and the apps
> available on Mac won't fit/cost way too much, then obviously this suggestion
> may not work so well for you.
>
> And the touchpad on the Macs: once you learn the tricks, I feel I can do
> more (reliably) with the Mac touchpad than on any of my other machines.  Add
> Quicksilver to the Mac, and suddenly you can drive the machine by the
> keyboard pretty well too.

I agree on all points. I love my Mac. When I need a commercial
software that will only run on a commercial OS, I love my Mac. But
then again I often hate my Mac because of its lack of freedom. (Also,
without Quicksilver I'd hate it a lot more often. Oh, and AlphaBaby
helps too.)

It is a good Unix machine. The availability of Ports (ala BSD) from
MacPorts is a great boon. However, a good Linux machine it is not. If
you want to run Linux, don't get a Mac. That is not its strength. If
you are fighting the machine to get it to work, you are not getting
the Mac experience and are therefore wasting your money.

If you can live a Linux only life you should avoid the Mac. Seriously.
Think is not a snark. It's going to sound like a sarcasm, or
fanboyism, or something else non-sincere. But seriously. I'm being
sincere. The Mac will ruin you. Once you've owned one, you will love
the hardware even if you can't stand the software. You will then find
yourself constantly frustrated that Apple chooses to be 80% awesome
and omit the 20%. You'll decide that no other track pad will do, but
you'll want to hurt someone for putting a SATA drive in the thing but
not giving you an ESATA port. You will regularly find yourself wishing
you had taken the blue pill. Seriously.

.!# RichardBronosky #!.