Well my MacBook Pro running Mac OS X 10.6.6 is currently in the shop for repair. My 2 year warranty with Best Buy is expiring next month, so I could wait no longer to get it in and fix the DVD/CD drive that has not been working for at least 6 months now. Yeah, I don't use it much but when I need it it's nice to have it. Those slot-loading drives by Matsushita are NOT very reliable. My son has a MacBook (aluminum) and it too has a dead slot loading drive after less than two years. Anyway, due to the excellent service Best Buy offers (read: very sarcastic and do not recommend it), my MacBook Pro will be out for 2 to 3 weeks! Just to swap a DVD drive. Yeah, Best Buy service is the worst. The only reason I went with them and not Apple Care is because there is no Apple store near me and Apple does not offer accident insurance and Best Buy does. I tell ya though, it's not worth it. I'm getting Apple Care next time and I'll just send it in or drive to Las Vegas to get it serviced (2.5 hour drive).
So, I have to work though. I just can't be without my laptop for 2 to 3 weeks. I work from home and that is what I use. Well, I'm using the company provided Dell right now. But, I can't stand Windows. So, this Dell - an old, beat up D630 with 4 GB of RAM and a 1.8GHz Dual Core processor is running Ubuntu Linux. I'm using Oracle's Virtual Box to run Windows XP for the couple apps I need. But the other apps I run from Linux. This has been working out good. With the combination of Evernote's web interface (I used that daily for work too) and MobileMe's web interface, I'm covered in that regard.
Though I am only on day three of working with Ubuntu Linux full time as opposed to my MBP and OS X, I must say I am very happy with Linux. I've always been a fan, but have never been able to really switch to it because of software and compatibility limitations in the past. Though I won't be dropping my Mac any time soon due to OS X and the awesome software on that platform, I am enjoying my little drive through Linux-land.
I'll report back after the two weeks are up ... unless it takes the full three weeks to be reunited with that awesome OS! :-)
In the meantime, a BIG thank you to the Linux community for making an awesome desktop OS. If Ubuntu 10.10 was in 2004 what it is today, then when I moved away from Windows I would have considered this option more seriously. As it stands, I can see this operating system as a no-brainer replacement for Windows users who spend most their time in email and a web browser anyway. Plus it has a lot of free apps to go with it too.
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