UPDATE: Now Sold, looking for my replacement machine under 5,000 Pesos, wish me luck!
As I’m setting up a new NPO here in Philippines to assist motivated individuals to work online, I figured I should lead by example and switch to Linux from Mac. Sure, I could install linux on this amazing little machine, but the other truth is that I need to reduce costs, so cashing this MacBook Air in and finding an old x86 machine should yield a few pesos in the transition.
I’ve always been a great fan of *nux, but had come to love working in OS X due to less need to configure things, a great selection of apps and all the Mac coolness which oozes out of the hardware. Having made several Hackintosh’s, I could again go that route, but it can be a bit of a pain to configure and then will not be something every budding freelancer in struggling economies like the Philippines can do.
Umm, brief mention of Windows Winblows required I guess. In the past, I’ve been a Windows system engineer/admin and can challenge most people to a click-measuring competition in M$ prowess, but there’s just too much wrong with Windows, especially for beginners and people needing reliable systems so they can focus on getting work done. I understand many people here in Philippines and abroad are comfortable using Windows and may be better advantaged to stick with it for the time being. For anyone new to working online though, I think I’ll strongly be suggesting starting with Linux to keep costs low, security high and there is always the ability to run Windows in a virtual machine locally or log into a remote Windows box should certain jobs require M$-specific technologies.
As I make the switch, I’ll be detailing my old favorite Linux apps for software development, amongst other tools for personal entertainment, etc. I’m sure since last time I used Linux as my main machine, there have been an amazing amount of new software releases. When trying the latest desktop version of Ubuntu, I was really pleased with the progress the community has contributed (yes, Linux is community-driven, and FREE, the best reason for aspiring freelancers to get familiar with it). For my daily use though, I am a fan of installing the CLI (command line interface) version of Xubuntu, which is a bare-minimum install leaving you with basically just a command line, like old DOS days. From here, you can easily install JUST the software and tools you need and keep adding as needed. This saves hard disk space, keeps the system lean and fast and also helps you become more familiar with how Linux works.
Anyway, here is the MacBook Air I’m trying to offload:
Specs | Current Apple Store Philippines Price for new model: PHP49,990.00
Condition: Well looked after, wrapped in a smoky black protective case. A few screws missing from bottom plate, not affecting anything, not opened up, just a weird event led to them being gone! Latest OS X Lion installed, hardware specs as linked to above.
If anyone is interested, please contact me via this blog, FaceBook, smoke signals, etc.
I’m also eager to know where the best place to buy used laptops is here in PI…