SPUG: Bye bye XP PC!!! Hello Leopard Mac???

[Jim Ludwig]

Michael R. Wolf wrote:
>> My laptop PC's motherboard is fatally injured.
>> It's time to exercise Washington's newly passed
>> right-to-die initiative.
>> 
>> A lot's changed in the 6-8 years since I last
>> made this decision.  I'd like to consider a Mac
>> this time around.
>> 
>> I'd be interested in anyone's Perl-centric (and
>> business-owner-centric) pro/con list for both
>> sides.

I guess I'll weigh in here...

I've been developing in a *nix environment ever
since I've been developing, BASIC back in middle
school notwithstanding.

On my home machines I have Debian installs, with
an XP boot on one of them for (very very
occasional) games.

I hear Ubuntu works well for lots of folks -- I
gave it a try once, but I still preferred Debian
"unstable" -- but I've noticed a fairly, um,
noticeable trend the past few years, and that is
that many Linux folks are "defecting" to the Mac
world, people whom I thought would be running
Linux to the death.

And that includes myself.  I was given a Mac
laptop at work 2 weeks ago -- a year-old Macbook
Pro -- and, barring mail, I've already
transitioned all my day-to-day activities to it,
and very quickly.  Macs are easy.  Once I move
mail to it, I may have no more need for my Linux
desktop at work.

I'll regurgitate the standard hooplah, because it
applies: It seems to be the perfect blend of
elegant UI and nerdy command-line, where I still
find myself spending a fair amount of time.  I
especially like Quicksilver, which makes launching
apps a cinch.  The trickiest part about the Mac
transition seems to be training my hands about the
Apple command key.

Were I myself to be purchasing a laptop 2 months
ago, it'd've been with Debian in mind.  Today, I'd
be getting a Mac.  I really really like Debian.  I
just happen, it turns out, to like the Mac more.

YMMV,
  jim