well with Leopard OS'd Mac you can run Windoze as well. With a Tiger'd Mac and Parallels you can as well.
Best of both worlds that way. I do advice against using personal machines for work though.

You can perform a complex hack or download a huge image to shoehorn OS X onto a non-Mac X86 CPU but you'd need supported sound cards, graphic cards, wireless cards, etc with the correct firmware to run it well. Plus you run the risk of an OS update disabling your system because it can't figure out what Mac you're running on. That's fine for tinkering around but not for making a living on.

Yea.... just because you can doesn't make it a viable option.

That's my thinking and I agree about the personal machine for work. I'm not exactly sure why I started bringing my laptop in the office. I think it was related to testing one of our sites for Mac compatibility during development and it just became a habit. The Dell laptop I have is a bit of pig. The powerbook was easier to transport back and forth and since I can do 90% of my work on the powerbook I just kept doing it.

The other great thing about OS X is unix compatibility. We have a number of linux servers and it's been nice to be able create comparable test setups on my laptop.

How about just running Linux then? :D

oh oh he's one of those... Linux ppl :lol:

I actually have Debian running on an old laptop at home that I use as a low power/energy efficient server. Linux has gained credibility in our office largely due to my pushing it for use on our database and web servers, it's just not my preferred choice for everyday desktop/laptop use.

Okay, you're off the hook this time :beer:

Watch out, crazy Linux man in the forums :eek:

I ditched the laptop after lugging a MacBook around all summer.

Now, I use a portable firewire drive. I use it as my boot drive on an iMac at work and boot from it on a Mac mini at home. All my apps and documents everywhere I have access to an intel macintosh. Big screen, full size keyboard, best of all worlds.

I just take my MacBook on out of town trips.

+1.

(And don't tell anybody, but I am posting this with Kubuntu Linux... running on an old Mirrored Door G4! )

screw that, get a real computer like a macbook pro...who wants to save 3 lbs for a ****ty computer...

Oh lets not start that =) I can use my powerbook for everything I need to do for my job. Which includes terminal emulation for AS/400 and HP3000, windows server, unix/linux servers, filemaker... etc etc etc etc.

The main reason why I do want an Intel mac is to be able to fully ditch my PC desktop. Being able to run Windows is useful for things, like uh, running Outlook ;D Entourage and Mail sort of suck compared to it. Our Mac sysad is returning with a copy of office '08 though :D

Sorry if it's already been suggested, but why carry a computer at all? Desktop at work, or lock the laptop in a drawer. Carry a 2.5" HDD between work and home.

I missed this the first couple of times I read it. Please, for the love of all that is good and pure, make your people find a real database program!!! Actually, if they're using 8 or 9, that's okay, but we still have people using 5 and 6, and it's just terrible.

Does OpenBSD in Parallels count? I'm just a general UNIX nerd anyways. Don't particularly care for the current state of most Linux offerings, but OpenBSD and OS X get my motor going pretty good. I deal with Solaris and AIX all day long as well.

That said, I wouldn't ditch a MacBook (I have a 13" Black MB) or an MBP for the MBA. I said I would not. I didn't say you should not. Reasons being that my current setup wouldn't gain THAT much more storage room. We're talking one extra work shirt or something here, maybe. And as far as weight goes: Why trim 2 pounds off my laptop weight when I really should trim 50 from my body? I can do that at almost no cost.

Because I need my laptop at home, so can't lock it up at work. And I need it at work, so I can't leave it at home.

I don't need the data. I need the LCD, the keyboard, the operating system, and all the stuff that goes with it. Some of us actually need it both places. If you wish to donate $1700 to buy me a MacBook Air, I suppose I could leave that locked up at work and leave my Black MacBook here at home, and take my 250GB external around between them. Until that happens, I'm lugging the lappie around, just like I have since Sept. '06 when I started. 5,000 miles of commuting with a laptop and I have yet to break anything.

If I had a MacBook or a Pro I probably wouldn't consider an MBA either. What I have though is a Dell past it's prime and a Powerbook that's not that far behind it. What I'd like is a single machine that will both run OS X and Windows. I'd also like to get some weight off my back and I'm not comfortable keeping a laptop on the bike itself.

In the summer it's not as much of a problem. While riding on a road bike, the riding position means my arms carry some of the additional weight. When riding more upright on the mountain bike in the winter, my back carries pretty much all of it. I don't know how much difference 1.5 lbs would make but I'm betting it'll help.

Still haven't decided though. The battery may not be as much of an issue as I thought. Although not officially user replaceable, there's some rumors that it might not take much more than removing a few screws and the bottom cover. There's also rumors that you can have it done at an Apple Store with a much quicker turnaround than the 5 days if you send it to Apple.

i love my macbook and i wouldnt swap it at all ( well maybe for 15 inch mac book pro) i cant believe most people are still using windoze a truely awful experience in my humble opinion

It's used for catalog production =) The FM admins have like random ezpz DB's for stuff, but nothing serious. SQL and Oracle are I guess what we use primarily though.

I carry my Acer laptop to work everyday on a backpack. I tried a messenger bag for a while, but it kept shifting and was a general PIA. And I hardly can feel the 3.5 kgs plus papers, books and, at times the groceries that I pick up on the way home.

For what it's worth, My MacBook is about 14 months old, I got it shortly after they released the second Gen C2D macbooks. It's the faster of the CPU Speeds as well. With that, I've got 353 cycles on the current battery and I can't tell any difference in run-time. With the screen moderately dimmed like I have it when I'm indoors and surfing the web it still runs for more than 4 hours. Play some tunes or kick the brightness up to 3/4 or so and that gets cut down to a notch under three hours. Running full tilt with full brightness and heavy CPU Usage (like iTunes visualizations at 60fps or Windows 2000 running in Parallels so I can VPN into work) it still runs for close to an hour and a half. I'm betting the MBA battery will last you quite a while before you need to go to the Apple Store with your tail (and pocketbook) between your legs.

As far as riding with it on your bike, a good padded cell does wonders. On my road bike, I just throw it in my panniers. When I switch to my Mountain bike, there are a few considerations for my situation:

1) I switch because it's snowy/icy season and my road bike doesn't handle slippery surfaces well. Still on a MTB I'm prone to fall over, so I choose a backpack with my MTB. I don't want to break my bike's fall with a MacBook.

2) Since my MTB isn't up to the 30 mile round trip (or rather, I don't want to ride a slow, heavy bike that far every day), I use the bus to shorten my ride to a more manageable 5-10 mile RT. Wearing a backpack for less than 10 miles a day isn't too bad.

Now, I've had two really good tumbles with my MacBook in the backpack. One of them broke my face and a bunch of teeth, but not the MacBook. This is a padded laptop-specific backpack, though. I've also had one really good tumble on my road bike with the laptop in a pannier, protected by a padded cell.

I also had the same padded cell fall off the back of my hybrid's rack at about 18 MPH. I had it bungeed to a rack back when I first started commuting, bad idea. This wasn't my MB; it was carrying the G3 PowerBook I had before I got this MacBook. The G3 Wallstreet, as well, survived just fine. A quality padded cell in a pannier will ease your mind and get the weight down low and off of your back.

Mac kicks ass. I just discovered the macbook air yesterday.. {droooool...}

They're expensive for what you get. But, well, since I made the switch I've never gone back.

Be thankful you're in the US. 1100 QUID here, that's like 2600 bucks now. Jesus tap-dancing christ what a bunch of ****ers.

Mac kicks ass.

I cannot find words to express my love of their new wireless keyboard. WOW.

I have a new sony vaio for the work dog. I would love a macbook but there's no justification for me to have one. The Vaio is nice, sure. But Mac is in a league of its own, what with the software difference as well and all. The magnetic power plug is fonkin awesome.

I was thinking about getting one of the wireless badboys as an external KB for the my MB Pro... good are they ...I love the sliver of Alum

Yeah, it's beautiful. I was waiting for them to upgrade it. About time - the last one was godawful.

The white crumb catcher or clear with black keys? Right up there with the round puck mouse.
Johhny LaRoue as I live and breathe.

white crumb catcher. and god forbid should you ever spill any liquid on it.

I've got a MacBook Pro, a 2007 Dell XPS, a 2004 Dell XPS and a 2000 IBM Think Pad [dated, but still works]. If I had to get rid of all, but one I'd keep the MacBook Pro. I run OS X and have XP loaded in a virtual computer if I need/want to run it as well. I keep windows around because it is ubiquitous, but I "have to" run it only once or twice a month.

The Air is a good idea that needs some more time and development. I don't need a cable ethernet [never use it now and it is available], an optical drive [there is always another computer around I can read a DVD from using wireless]. I like the metal case and that it is heading in the direction lighter and more mobile while still very functional. I'm not rushing out to buy one, but I'll be looking for a new laptop in 2009 and an Air will be on my list of models to check out for sure.

When I first saw the Air I thought..."..perfect for my bike commute to work...."

Let's see -- underpowered, limited upgradeability, takes 5 days to change the battery (what's the deal with that -- we can get just about any internal component in our servers or desktop fixed in one?), and all yours for $1800?

What a ripoff. If you want to lighten your load, tell your boss to buy two normal priced laptops. If they'll spring for that overpriced POS that has nothing to recommend it other than size and looks, it shouldn't be too hard to convince them to buy two machines since that would ultimately be a more flexible arrangement. Keep one at home and one at work. You can use the network or a flash drive to move your work around. No need to lug the computer on a bike at all....

I don't think I'd want a laptop that thin. The thinner something is, the less torsional rigidity it will have, and twisting circuit boards is not good for them. For that kind of money, I'd rather have a panasonic toughbook for my commute. Those things handle rain, snow, 3' drops, you name it. No need for panniers, just bungie the thing to the rear rack and go. If you have someone you can share a tandem with, you can let the other guy be the captain, strap the thing to the back handlebars, and telecommute while being the stoker. Try doing that with some pansy-ass mac!