New Computer
As part of the process of changing employers, I needed to get a new computer for the new job (and return the old desktop to Oracle.)
I wound up picking this one... I didn't seem to be able to build it any cheaper (as of the date of this post) myself. And guess what... someone goofed! Instead of the 3 GHz Core i7 950, it came with a 3.2 GHz Core i7 960. Bonus! (Other goofs relative to the ad: the system has 9 GB -- but that's spelled out in the details, comes with a black aluminum chassis, and ships with a cheap logitech keyboard.)
I'm still using the stock load of Windows 7, and I'm both surprised (and maybe a bit embarrassed) to admit that the Windows environment (especially when replacing IE with Chrome) is actually quite nice -- fast and usable. Maybe running this environment (and running OpenSolaris in a VM) might not be so bad after all! (Ok, I'll go find some soap to wash my mouth out for blaspheming....) If I do this, besides being able to use Skype for work, I'll be able to use my Phoenix RC flight simulator without having to resort to borrowing the wife's computer...
Comments
I've had two blue screens in just this first week. Maybe its Microsoft's fault, maybe not (the drivers seem to come from other vendors), but ultimately you can color me unimpressed.
I really, really wish we could get the skype folks on board with OpenSolaris. With Boomer, it should be possible to port Skype to OpenSolaris.