Which Laptop to buy?

Hi!

I am a retired geek after 27 years in the trenches...mainframes...fortran...card readers...unix...solaris...sun microsystems...novell...oracle...ARC/INFO GIS, Erdas Imagine GIS, Cold Fusion............bla...bla..bla.

I am doing some consulting because I like IT...im only 53 so i might be retired but i am not dead....i still use Oracle 10g, sql server, visual studio but since i am a unix guy i have issues with microsoft's OS., but all my potiential 'fun work' with clients is in microsoft...so I was looking at the Apple G-book or something like that with the Berkeley OS Panther...with Tiger soon to be out, but I need to run all these windows apps, it would be so cool to have an OS that is sophisticated but would do all the things I want and filemaker looks cool........OR I will get a Dell with XP Pro...I will pay up to $2500 for a new laptop...although $2000 to $2200 is more in my ballpark...

Anyone care to fill me in on the pros and cons of my thought process ...i could use some insight from others with their experiences and insight...before i spend my precious retirement money on a new box.........plus i was breifly looking at that new chip from Transmeta?..you know Linus Tolvarts...linux dude?...apparently there are some laptops available there as well...their thinking on that chip was to lower heat produced...because i need a box that doesnt have the fan running on it all the time like the gateway laptop i was using on my last job............so HELP?.......i thank you in advance.

the raven man

I do consulting too. Not strictly IT but some IT stuff. It depends what you're going to be doing for your client. I doubt FORTRAN. LOL But, you never know, I did some work on a system running a PDP-13 at work.

I'd stay away from all that LINUX, Mac stuff unless your clients would think that was a plus thing and stick with Microsoft/Intel. My clients would think I was a wacky IT guy if I showed up with a Linux laptop. They're conservative and don't want any problems with compatability. You need to be compatable with your client. Some contracts require the consultant to provide their own laptop and the client might want you to access their network or use their software versions.

I would agree with Lenny99 that you really should go with microsoft and intel or amd if that's what the clients are running. You might be able to get a mac and software to run most stuff, but the clients will prefer that you use windows for compatibility with their networks and a general sense of comfort with your work. True, apple notebooks look cool, but unless you're working for some pretty tech literate folks, they know only windows, and want you to use the same stuff they are.
I'd get something with the centrino technology for the lower heat output, longer battery life, and integrated wireless.