I use a variety of machines to get my work done… none of them runs Winblows.

Development Machine
17″ Apple MacBook Pro - 2Gb - 2.13GHz - OS X 10.6

Home Machines
24″ Apple iMac Core2Duo - 1Gb - 2.4GHz - OS X 10.5
Mac Mini Core2Duo - 4Gb - 2.0GHz - OS X 10.6

Ultra-Portable
Packard Bell Dot m/a - 2Gb - 1.2GHz AMD - Ubuntu 9.10

I have access to a wide variety of Windows machines for testing at the office. Additionally, I maintain the HigherSites server farm of Dell AMD Opteron hardware and Debian Linux.

I moved away from Windows primarily because I got so fed up with re-installing computers. I have played with, used and supported all the Microsoft operating systems. Vista is a waste of space, quite literally. Microsoft’s server operating systems are generally pretty good, so there’s really no reason why they shouldn’t be able to create a stable desktop OS. Some might say they did with Windows XP. I simply say connect it up to the web without a firewall and virus checker and see how stable it is then. By all accounts, Windows 7 is a vast improvement, but frankly, I can’t be bothered to even try it.

I like OS X because it’s stable and it’s based on UNIX, which makes my life easier. It’s not without its own annoyances, but on the whole it’s just better than Windows.

I’ve used and worked with many different flavours of Linux, and my preference has shifted over the years from SuSE, to RedHat, to Debian. Debian is my current favourite for server OS. For a desktop OS, one of the Debian variants (Ubuntu, Xandros etc.) would be my choice. Ubuntu 9.10 is fabulous!

How do I rate my machines?

Well, the MacBook Pro 17″ is superb. The case does get hot, and it can be uncomfortable to use on your lap, but mine is primarily desk based with a separate keyboard and mouse, and a second TFT. I’ve had it in daily use for over 3 years now and it’s been superb. Just recently, the battery started swelling and going flat before it should have done, so I’ve had to pay out £100 to get a new one. The wireless card is starting to become unreliable, and the hard disk occasionally makes odd noises, so I imagine I will be replacing it next year sometime. The screen has always had some slightly dull areas, which are only noticeable when displaying whites. It never bothered me enough to chase Apple for a replacement, and it is pretty minor, but I would expect better from a laptop that cost £1800!

The 24″ iMac is just awesome. I need to put some extra RAM in it, but other than that, what a computer! Enormous screen, loads of power, small desk footprint - it’s everything I could ever want from a personal computer. Alas, my wife has commandeered the iMac for her photography and I am downgraded to the Mac Mini, but that’s fine for writing code etc.