<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><br><div><div>On Oct 18, 2010, at 9:16 AM, Rich DeMARS wrote:</div><blockquote type="cite"><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000"><br></font>There are also Macbooks out there that in my option are one of the best hardware engineered notebooks on the market, though yes very very very locked down in choice. </div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>I was going to give you guff before I read on below. It's not a lockdown if I can wipe the OS completely, and run either Linux, BSD, Windows, (or whatever else will go on the hardware) in any fashion I wish. It's just premium hardware at that point. Once you're off of OSX on this hardware, this argument doesn't hold. Behold, Bootcamp!</div><div><br></div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div> But I will say one thing about Apple, they don't hide the fact that the are locked down or a bundled system. And at least they don't stop you from installing Linux as the OS for their systems yet.<br></div></blockquote><div><br></div><div>Which is sort of the point I'm making above. You can put anything on it you wish. In fact, if you want OSX, it's just $30 and a bit of your time. If you don't, load up your Linux of choice, BSD of choice, or >gasp!< Windows if you must. I maintain that this is the most open hardware platform there is, as it is the only one that will natively run any modern OS of your choice, all at the same time, and all on the same hardware. (hackintoshes excluded on a straight intel platform)</div><div><br></div><br><blockquote type="cite"><div>Voting with our dollars is the own choice we have in this matter and teaching others how best to vote with their dollars is our only future.<br><br></div></blockquote><br></div><div>Which is the essence of freedom.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks for the words, Rich.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>--j</div></body></html>