Smarterware

Gina, you mentioned that you use Keepass across your mac and PC. How are you running Keepass on your mac? Are you using KeepassX with a 1.x version of the db or do you know how to get a 2.x db working on your mac?

Russ-yes, I’m using KeepassX on the Mac. I keep my master db copy there, and open it over the network on my PC.

Nice set up – although I’d add in there the option to be able to unfold it into maybe a 15.4″ for the times when you just don’t have room for the 50″ – like on airplanes and trains.

I haven’t created a fantasy computer in a while, but I bought this laptop after drooling over it for quite a while – the HP tx2510us (http://reviews.cnet.com/laptops/hp-pavilion-tx2510us-entertainment/4505-3121_7-33091175.html).

I switched to this from a 17″ Dell, and surprisingly it only took me a week or so to get used to the 12.1″ size. It was so nice to lose about 5 lbs, although my fantasy computer would be even more lightweight. I set it up to dual boot XP & Ubuntu instead of Vista, which would be the OSes on my fantasy laptop as well. Although I would move the wireless turn-off switch on the laptop to the side of the computer, or at least away from where my arms rest when I type. And my fantasy computer would feed my cat in the morning so I could sleep in.

I’ll take one of what Gina’s having, please.

My computer needs are modest — Firefox, Tbird for Google Apps IMAP, OpenOffice, EditPad Pro and a few other small applications.

It’s all about the workspace for me … but that’s another thread for another day.

My ideal computer would not have a keyboard. General text input would be spoken rather than typed, with a touch screen for input better handled that way (with iPhone-like multi-touch interface). In addition, picture/video input to collect handwritten or paper input (a la Evernote), but at the OS level rather than as a separate program.

I’m actually not that unhappy with my current setup:

I have three machines arrayed about me at the moment –
a G5 iMac running Tiger with a black MacBook running Leopard in front of it and a MBP (older model) running Leopard. All are connected and controlled via the iMac’s keyboard and kensington enormous trackball via Transmit, which passes clipboard content back and forth with the cursor. The trackball means I can shoot among the three screens with a flick of my fingers. With Fusion running xubuntu on one lappie, XP on another, I can do all my testing and coding and the like without a lot of window swapping.

Thanks to Foxmarks and DropBox, all my files are where I need them, whichever machine I close up and take home with me (where an external monitor allows me to retain a sense of the setup at my office).

It’s a bit of a kludge but is quite similar to what I view as my ideal setup: 3 massive monitors run by a MacPro tower essentially cloned in a new MBP that I could take home at night.

Why is the Apple logo covered in the pic?