As a Mac user ever since CP/M was taken over I've rarely been disadvantaged by the turf wars between the platforms and, for years, I've noticed that 90% of the things that 90% of users want to do can be done on quite old versions of both hardware and software. Most of us (especially students) find it difficult to ignore the bells and whistles of endless possibilities though.

But there are some hardware and/or software items that, apparently, only work on things that aren't Macs; without wishing to start diversions into contrary examples, GPS and GIS things come to mind. I am told that the latest Macs, with their Intel Core 2 Duo chpis, are sold with Wondoze XP and can be set up so that Windows is either piggybacked on top of OSX (and able to run most Windows applications as well as the Mac ones) or installed separately with a 'Berlin Wall' between Windows and OSX, so that those Windows programs that do require direct access to the chip (like most GIS software) can run properly. Or you can install Windows in both configurations.

Never having done it or used such a setup, I'd be interested to know the ins and outs of such operations on a laptop.

Cheers, Rowan