Decision 2008
[2007-12-08 07:35]

Pretty soon, many of us are going to be faced with an interesting decision, if you haven't already made your choice. We have a number of candidates from which to choose, each appealing in some ways, and each flawed in others. Yet decide we must.

I am, of course, talking about your Operating System. One of these days, you're going to have to decide between Windows Vista, Mac OS X, and Linux. Each has their share of devoted followers who believe their candidate can do no wrong, and the others can do no right. So I guess one question you'll have to ask yourself is Are you living in a Red(hat) state, or one that's more Aqua?

Me, I found myself having to decide sooner rather than later.

Historically, I've been a Windows guy because I thought it was the better choice. Over the past few years, though, I'm less certain about that. There are some things I like about Windows (I particularly like Excel), some things I don't like about it, and a few more things that I don't like about Microsoft. So, the last time I was in the market for a computer (a laptop, specifically), I went with a Mac PowerBook G4 -- my first Mac, ever. As with Windows, I discovered that there were things I liked about the Mac and some things I didn't like about it. But, I liked it enough that it became my primary computer -- my Windows XP/Linux dual boot machine left to gather dust.

Unfortunately, I started having problems with the PowerBook, which put me in the market for another computer. This time I figured I should get a desktop computer instead of another laptop. But which kind should I get? In researching more Mac options, I've discovered some things about the Apple company that I don't like either. Apple allegedly has done some things that rival Microsoft in the Lack-of-Ethics department. As a result, I found that this was not an easy decision for me, as the character of the company is an important factor in my decision.

What I wanted was a computer with enough graphic ability for playing World of Warcraft, The Sims 2 and Neverwinter Nights. Also, my PowerBook seemed like it occasionally came close to needing more than 2GB of RAM. So, I decided my next computer should have 4GB of memory, just in case. I also wanted a computer that could support several hard drives configured in a RAID set (I'm optimistic about the amount of pr0n I'm going to download from the Internets).

For a Windows PC, I looked at the various models Dell has to offer. It seemed pretty clear that a Windows computer would be cheaper than a comparable Apple. It's also likely that I'll be using Windows computers at my next job (wherever that is), so having a Windows computer would make it easier to work from home (if that is an option). But, well, it also means getting Vista. Even if I get a computer with Windows XP installed on it, it means I'm likely to be "locked in" to upgrading to Vista eventually. Essentially, it means I'll still be chained to Microsoft, and that's unappealing.

For a Mac, I decided to look at the Mac Pro. The Mac Pro comes in a tower chassis and is comparable to a high-end desktop. It can be cracked open and components can be added or removed much like a PC. The main drawback is that it costs twice as much as a PC. There are also some grumblings in the Mac community about Apple ignoring the needs of their high-end customers. Many of these misgivings are related to Mac's choice of video cards for the Mac Pro. Unfortunately, the default card is not very advanced, and the best card one can choose is reported to have overheating problems when playing certain games -- namely World of Warcraft. Doh. I'm also a little leery about the fact that my PowerBook only lasted about a year and a half.

For Linux, I first looked at Dell, who offer their Inspiron desktops and notebooks with Ubuntu Linux 7.04. Having heard interesting things about Ubuntu, this was an intriguing option. However. the two models offered by Dell are surprisingly low-end in terms of components. It's also clear that Dell doesn't really support these products as much as their other ones, what with the "Dell recommends Windows Vista Home Premium" banners, and the fact that you can't get to the Linux products from their main website (at least, I haven't found the links yet). Some research also led me to a couple of reviews that suggested that there are problems with the Dell Inspiron 1420N laptop and Ubuntu 7.04 -- nothing major, but enough of a nuisance to throw off someone who isn't Linux savvy. One reviewer also mentioned that many of these problems are supposed to be fixed with version 7.1 of Ubuntu.

Not so easily dissuaded from Linux, I checked out options from Pogo Linux, from whom I purchased my last Linux desktop. Their computers seemed higher powered than the Dell offerings, but three things jumped out at me while spec'ing a new computer: the price wasn't all that much less than the Mac Pro (although it was a slightly unfair comparison since I specced the Linux box with 4 hard drives and the Mac Pro with only 2), the video cards offered aren't known to work with World of Warcraft, and the price calculator on Pogo's website came with the disclaimer "Price valid today (1 07 2007) only". Uh, today isn't January -- it's December. I notice that this notice has changed to "8 07 2007", but that's still not very comforting.

In the end, I voted for the Mac Pro, but it was not an easy decision. The winning factors were that I trusted it would work more-or-less right out of the box (my PowerBook did -- for awhile, anyway), I could set it to dual boot and run Windows on it (whereas I cannot run Mac OS X on a PC), and I already have the install disks for my favorite games for the Mac platform. My plan is to look again at the Dell Linux notebook once Ubuntu 7.1 is released, assuming that Dell offers it.

By contrast, my support for Barack Obama was a much easier and clearer decision. I wonder if he plays World of Warcraft.