And what OS would you run on this new box? 
Right Now look for a notebook with a Core Duo or a Core 2 Duo Processor.
Make sure the notebook has 1GB of RAM (so that it can run vista or Leopard)
You should pick the OS that is right for you
Mac,
So glad you responded! Am going to begin a new thread re a Windows user switching to Mac. I have many questions.
**I want to hear what others would choose if they were going to purchase a new laptop, so I donāt what to ask Mac questions here. Iād prefer their feedback.
Regardless of what others might say Mac is on the money in the form of you first have to ensure your new laptop is going to be up to the job, whatever OS you choose.
If you are considering switching to Mac now is the time to make your decision as you canāt buy a new laptop and then install OS X on it it has to be a Mac. So it could be an expensive purchase if you decide to go witha Mac, you would have to purchace another system.
There is no point in choosing XP Home as it is no longer supported by MS, so that leaves you with XP Media center edition XP Pro or Vista.
No one can really suggest an OS unless they know what you intend to do with the system.
Hi David,
I couldnāt tell what notebook youād buy from your reply! Please tell me, for I value your opinion!
I know you need a Mac to run OS X onā¦ Windows isnāt supporting XPHome any longer? There are a lot of PCs for saleāI guess they are pre-purchasing Vista upgrades. Iāve hated having Home & not Pro. Even MS paid support doesnāt know Home. Your hands are always tied with it. Iāve yet to read Macās post āAll youād ever want to know about Vistaā I wouldnāt want it for another year or more after the release anyway.
Iād want to be able to do everything except gaming. And it wouldnāt be an adjuct PC with a desktop. It would be my main PC.
Been reading reviews at PC World, CNET, Laptop Magazine & one other spot. Thereās some overlay as to the āpicksā. I love the source where real people do the reviewsāyou get details from wrist pain related to unbevelled edge typing to loaded with trash apps garbage details. I spoke to Dell re modifying the packaged deal & you could do many things, change around options, but you could not take the trash apps offābest he could do is give me a choice between AOL & Earthlink (I have cable & want noneāparticularly the 1st of theseā¦ a deal breaker in my opinion) & he could subtract from the cost of the PC itās preinstalled AV once the trial was up, but not remove it (The Dell guy personally used Avast by the way). The PC manufacturers must be paid well by the applications.
So David what would you buy?
That has to be based on your requirements, mine donāt point to having a laptop. I donāt need the portability, so I couldnāt live with the small screen (I use a 20.1" wide screen), nor the small keyboard without key pad.
If you are intending on going towards a Mac then I would say get one with the core 2 duo processor and as much RAM as you can afford up to 1GB, this will give you potentially the best future proofing.
The same is true of non-mac laptops since they arenāt that easily upgradable so again you really should be looking at core 2 duo and 1GB RAM and as good an integrated graphics as possible. Vlk has recently announced a beta version of avast, which has been optimised to improve scan speed and much of this optimisation is based on the core 2 duo, so it would make sense to ensure you get the best from the optimisation.
Personally I would have a Dell if you gave me one (well probably), I donāt like the proprietary stuff that comes with it and what some would call adware in the form of myway (I think that is what it is called) and the Trash Apps you mention.
More like trackingware! When the EULAs are foul, they wonāt go on my machine.
Okay so Apple is not the way youād go. So maybe Iād give you a ThinkPad! Tell me why you wouldnāt like a Mac desktop then.
Am looking at Core 2 Duo & 2GB --am pretty certain on this part. Wish I knew more about alternative OSs. I have no experience with Linux or Ubuntu, or any of theseāam willing to learn but donāt want to need a couple of degrees in computer science.
***Anybody Else:
If you could have any notebookā¦
Iām not saying that Apple is not the way Iād go, at no point have I said that my points about laptops screen, keyboard, etc. are generalisations.
Any point I have made about Mac (Apple) relate to your thinking about switching so I feel you should make your mind up about that before making any decision about a laptop because you canāt install the Mac OS X on non-apple hardware. No point in buying a laptop and then make the decision as that would ultimately be more expensive having purchased two systems.
There are some Linux distros that are more user friendly and the major issue is the installation of additional software and a general lack of available help for Linux problems. Iām certainly considering it in the future but even I feel it is a very big step as I would effectively be starting from scratch and rebuild my collection of software utilities, etc. The more I think about that the less attractive it is. Dual boot is an option but I canāt see the benefit of flip flopping between OSes to use my windows software.
As far as simplicity goes the Mac OS X will be more user friendly than Linux I believe but again it is a big step where help and software are also issues, whilst there is by all accounts free software for the Mac there isnāt anywhere as much free software as for windows or linux, so that would be an additional expense.
From what I have read Lenovo laptops are the most trouble free & have the best support. I donāt own one so I canāt recommend a Lenovo. IBM sold out their computer business to Lenovo. Thinkpads now bear the Lenovo name.
I own a Dell laptop & will never buy another Dell!!! No recommendation for Dell here.
As for Linuxā¦I did have Xandros on my 'puter as a dual boot with XP sp2. There are problems with downloading & integrating software. I got rid of Xandros. When I want to use Linux I put in a live Mepis cd. I have tried several Linux live cds & prefer Mepis. I also tried a BSD os on live cd. I didnāt see any difference between BSD & Linux. I think Mepis is the way to go with Linux.
As for Appleā¦never used a Mac, but Iāve been thinking about trying one. Iāve read some articles in Mac magazines. One said āweāve all had trouble removing software (on Macs)ā. He suggested putting the software in question in the shared folder then creating a second user account & putting that sw in the 2nd account then delete that account. Iāve never had any trouble removing software or anyone else in Windows (other than malware). Mac users are very enthusiastic & donāt tell us the cons of Mac os. Maybe .:Mac:. will post here with both the pros & CONS. All recommendations should always include both p&c.
to remove software from the mac just delete it.
David is right on the money as usual
rdmaloyjr look in the other thread im working on several posts for that one
Now regardless of weither you choose a Mac or a PC check the price of RAM sometimes you can install the RAM yourself much cheaper than ordering it BTO with the RAM already installed.
I just want to thank each of you for contributing to this thread! 