Jon,

I used to think the same thing about "how long am I going to want to keep this almost instantly outdated thing?"... Then I talked to my mother, who was finally looking at replacing her 386, because she was finally shelving WordStar and Quicken1.0 and upgrading... This was in January.

Buying a computer should be taken a lot like buying a car. Figure out what you need it for, do the research, find a price you're willing to pay, and stick to your guns. If all you're doing is home office work, chances are you don't need the VoodooGrafix 3d Blaster card, stereo quality speakers, 3d support, etc.

Remember if you go to a Mortar 'n' Brick computer store - chances are that just like the car salesman you'd be dealing with on an auto lot, the computer salesman you meet is probably on comission. Beware.

M