[CS-FSLUG] Laptops and iBooks

[Nathan T.]

Hi CS-FSLUG list

I've got a job now and I've already saved up quite a bit so it's
almost finally time for me to get that laptop I wanted; I've got a big
dilemma though, I can't choose what to get.

Tim talked me into looking at iBooks, and I did but I've heard some
things about those that have thrown me into doubt:
 - Mac OS X needs at least 512 Mb of ram to run comfortably
  - 12" iBooks are problematic, and have a reputation for being so.
 - Apple is pretty bad for honouring warranties over issues that don't
actually cripple the laptops and arise through wear and tear, even
though the machines are still covered.
 - Apparently a lot of people have been complaining about memory leaks
in dashboard guzzling up ram.
I also have my own problems with this decision:
  - I've never used Mac OS X before, I really don't want to toss a
huge load of money towards something I don't know I'll even like. As
it is the button ordering in Macs is backwards just like in Gnome
compared to what I'm used to, and I like KDE and am not about to give
it up any time soon.
  - I want a platform for every day apps, but also for writing
software, I want to get good development software that I can use with
Qt an Allegro with a minimum hassle, I don't want to lose all my data
every time an OS upgrade comes along, and  I don't want to have to do
frequent re-installs like with Windows.

I really think that an iBook is a huge investment, just taking the off
the shelf configuration and increasing the ram to $512 MB cause the
price for Canadian customers to jump to $1346. I don't know if I even
have that much patience, and that's for something that has a small
screen which may be hard to read at a 1024x768 resolution which by the
way is what I've heard is the highest it'll support.

I've got other options, there is a Radio Shack here (now "The Source"
(branch of circuit city)) and there is the Staples I work at and a
future shop all offering noticeably more affordable laptops that are
still over CAD $1000 in some cases but still don't reach the price
range of Macs, and in just about every case have a bigger screen. I've
been looking at Acer mostly because they seem to be the most
affordable ones and they are available in the stores in town so I
won't have to pay for shipping and wait forever just to find out some
damaged occurred during the shipping and I'll have to send things back
for an exchange at my own expense.

I'm looking for something with a long battery life, a DVD drive in it,
and at least 2 USB ports but I would prefer 4 or more. I want a laptop
that doesn't weight a tonne, has a tiny screen which can't be read at
a reasonable resolution (developers needs higher resolutions btw :-) )
and whether it runs Mac OS X or not I want to be able to run Linux on
it with all the important hardware supported. I also want to be able
to suspend the thing to disk and have it wake up without freezing
under Linux unless it's a Mac since I'm willing to make a few
exceptions for anything that runs OS X and I want it to last at least
a few years.

I know this all sounds blunt, I've tried to be as detailed as possible
but on my wages I can't be too picky. I'm hoping to get some advice
from the rest of you, but please keep in mind that Apples are really
really expensive and can't even be bought locally here. If I can't run
Mac OS X I'll probably make due with some Linux distribution, although
truth be told I'd almost rather use Windows as long as I'm going to
encounter usability bugs in all the current "commercial" distributions
that give MS fan boys an excuse to laugh at me.

BTW. I've looked into the Apple educational discounts, and I don't
seem eligible. Having done my research it seems that they only sell
the things with educational discounts to the staff at K12 schools and
college/university students. I don't qualify as a university student,
and my shool would not go out of its way to help me get the k12
discount, especially since I'm not a member of the staff, so I won't
be able to get anything off the price.

It would really help if I could get some real information on Mac OS X
instead of the usual Mac sales pitch, I would like being able to
actually try Mac OS X before actually buying an iBook even more but
there aren't any of those here or anywhere near here that I can get
to. Apple doesn't seem to offer any kind of in depth information on
the OS, I'm a hands on kind of guy and all these reviews which I've
read aren't enough for me to base a decision on. I've considered
running Mac OS X in PearPC before, but I don't have any way of getting
Mac OS X without buying a Mac first.

Does anyone have any advice to offer?