What's your Mac image editor of choice? Lemme know in the comments.

Yes and no. It depends, of course, on what kind of battery you have. Battery technology has come a long way over the years, and surely in 2009 you don't have to worry about how long your laptop's been plugged in. However, one major notebook manufacturer (which ships Lithium-ion batteries) thinks you should, and suggests adding a reminder to your calendar to deplete and recharge your battery once a month. To quote: "Apple does not recommend leaving your portable plugged in all the time."

My friend, however, has a two-year-old Dell. Cursory Googling for her model didn't turn up the equivalent of Apple's definitive statement, only lots of opinions which ranged from "it's a non-issue" to "yes, it kills batteries!" Dell.com's battery recommendations page doesn't say anything about not keeping your notebook plugged in. HP's battery tips page doesn't answer the question, either. I pored through my wife's ASUS Eee PC user guide and didn't find any warning about continuous charging. A non-mention might make you think it's a non-problem, but if this is an issue for Apple notebook batteries, it is for PC notebooks with lithium-based batteries too. When I asked, my Twitter followers returned mixed replies, but many notebook users (both Mac and PC) DID report anecdotal battery problems when the machine was plugged in constantly.

Other folks more educated about the differences in battery types than I am dropped knowledge about which ones are problematic and which aren't. Here's what they had to say about their notebook batteries.

I asked: Is it true that keeping your laptop plugged in continuously degrades battery life? GOOG turns up conflicting reports, need authoritative source.

wilw said, "Anecdotally, I can tell you from personal experience that it does. I've replaced 2 MBP batteries for that reason."

kevinmarks said, "it depends on the kind of battery you have in the laptop."

howtogeek said, "A bunch of good info on the topic"

YourGoToGuy said, "No research. But my Dell battery just went dead after a couple of years for that reason."

ethnicomm said, "guess it depends on if the battery has *memory* - I thought it was best to run it down to almost nil before recharging."

cfarivar said, "if so I'm screwed!"

aloncarmel said, "asking the same. Apple answer about Mbp is that it doesn't harm the batt. I dunno. I still drain it."

CoreyHarris said, "I have always heard the same thing, But I don't like to run off battery if I don't need to."

room214 said, "I have set my battery to only start charging when below 88% and stop at 99%. It should help increase the life of the battery."

brandon_wirtz said, "depends on what kind of battery you have. Lead Acid (heavy short life like your car has) Nope. Just LI yes. Li polymer no."

brandon_wirtz said, "Some Battery types get a memory, some don't some only charge so many times some don't"

brandon_wirtz said, "Also depends on if your laptop has a good Voltage regulator for charging. Faster charging laptop is more likely to wear battery"

bonsai said, "With modern LiPoly or Ni-MH batteries, it's all about the charger rather than batt. chem. so it actually depends on the laptop."

andrevr said, "Pretty sure that's not the case anymore. Smart charging circuits and battery tech have kilt that one."

andrevr said, "Here's some real data for you to consider. My Air has spent ALOT of it's life connected."

FrankRamblings said, "absolutely true. I completely killed a thinkpad battery in 9 months that way. To the point where total batt life was 12 mins."

scorpusmaximus said, "I'm no expert, but I agree with Ray Maxwell on the battery question. Charging and partial charges degrade them quicker."

bwhalley said, "it does, for fact. if it's a desktop that's portable, only put the battery in when you need to move it."

alexknight said, "This happens with Lithium Ion batteries. Apple has a kb article that explains you should drain your battery once a month."

dariomartinezb said, "PLS, share your findings. I keep my laptops connected all the time... I've found batt life to be really short for some of them!"

GBendinelli said, "that was true for Nickel Cadmium batteries, but isn't really true anymore. It's good to deplete it 100% after every 25 charges."

davidleary said, "depends on whether or not you Laptop manufacturer is in the Laptop Battery replacement business too"

jtimberman said, "Depends on the battery type. Apple's info for Macs"

diesh said, "for lithium batteries this is a good heads-up from Apple."

thompsonpaul said, "recommendation is to remove battery when under AC power for long periods."

thompsonpaul said, "Yup, it's true, at least for Lithium Ion, as stated in ASUS's laptop usage guidelines. Will try to find you online src"

thompsonpaul said, "Worst condition is keeping charged batt @ elevated temperatures, which is case w/ running laptop batts. http://cli.gs/BrvPnY"

revtristy said, "It's true for me. I kept my laptop plugged in most of the time and now my battery shuts off randomly when not plugged in. Sad!"

ChrisKubica said, "If u have a Mac, this app helps u see info re yer battery's life. A pic"

chrisbarber86 said, "Yeah it does, ideally you need to either remove the battery, or charge it up full, run it down 99% flat, then charge again etc"

tchachra said, "I have a laptop at home on my desk always plugged in. Never had a battery issue. Mac's and or PC's."

haselhurst said, "i believe this is true. my battery was fine, then left laptop plugged in continuously for 2 years, no buggered."

Cocodmonkey said, "experience says yes."

GitEmSteveDave said, "I pull the batteries out of mine occasionally."

emilsit said, "My bet? Depends how smart your charger is (and what battery technology)."

gdarklighter said, "no. Modern power supplies are smart."

biggsjm said, "According to Apple you need to cycle once a month. Run down to empty and then recharge."

joshbrez said, "My first MBP battery ran down enough w/ it always plugged in for Apple to replace it for me"

yedmart said, "sure does."

UnreadZigmund said, "I've also researched this after buying a netbook but couldn't see a consensus."

sameersama said, "well as far as personal experience is concerned then it does mess up the battery."

theogor said, "Yes and No."

puneetsarda said, "yes it does My laptop's battery life has fallen to 35-40mins"

robert_wheeler said, "from experience supporting many laptops yes leaving them plugged in degrades battery life but it can take months to happen"

jaskirat said, "No way. Using your laptop on battery all the time degrades battery!"

guscuddy said, "I'm no expert, but my last laptop battery died after a little over a year (and all of a sudden) because I kept it plugged in."

emhs said, "At the Shack, we have a policy to not keep the battery in demo laptops. Not quite authoritative, but close."

Update: This Bit About Batteries (see the "Calendar Life" section) explains details of Li-Ion battery life under different conditions. Thanks @ChrisKubica!

Of course, the best way to find out is to RTFM for your notebook and battery type to be sure,. My primary notebook is a MacBook Pro, and as per Apple's suggestion, I don't keep it plugged in continuously at my desk. (Because I'm on my second battery already, I'm paranoid and pull the plug a couple times a week.) Image courtesy of andrevr.

The folks at Mozilla Add-ons do a great job of nudging their extension authors to make their work compatible with new versions. Still, a few add-ons aren't there yet, notably Google Gears (not hosted at Mozilla Add-ons) and Tab Mix Plus. Update: Testers tell me a developer build of Tab Mix Plus is Firefox 3.5 compatible. Thanks all!

Luckily when you install Firefox 3.5 you get a warning upfront of which of your installed add-ons aren't yet compatible, like the one I got today, pictured here. (Come on, Auto Copy and Evernote, get with the three-point-five!)

Here are a few others my Twitter followers are missing.

Yesterday I said:

Firefox 3.5 to drop tomorrow, yay! Testers, which of your most beloved add-ons aren't compatible yet?

StephanieBamBam said, "Firebug!!! Everything else I use has been updated, it's wacky to me that firebug still doesn't work." Editor: Firebug got updated!

kerim said, "I use Nightly Tester Tools to get compatibility, but Google Gears won't work even with that hack. Hoping they'll update w/ 3.5."

GuiAmbros said, "CopyAllUrls. Plasser (the author) is working on it, but no ETA yet =("

acidflask said, "google gears!!!"

sastubblefield said, "Aardvark, and Measureit are the only ones I use that aren't compatible."

NguyenNoir said, "aside from the ACE Safari theme, all my addons work just fine (oh yeah)"

billhelm said, "TabMix Plus. I uninstalled the RC yesterday because I can't stand firefox without it!"

MrMileage said, "Better GReader, GoogleAdvCookieOptOut, Drag&Drop.io, Google Gears" Editor: Better GReader is compatible!

tjunkie said, "I have so many useless extensions that works and it has to be google gears that is not compatible"

garygiffordjr said, "the last holdout for me is Verisign Seat Belt."

her_boyscout said, "seriously missing "gears" add-on..."

akumu said, "opendownload. Allows me to open downloads without having to save them first."

failedidealist said, "TabMixPlus "

Rooster212 said, "Smart Bookmarks isn't compatable as far as i know "

stephanpeterson said, "system proxy on the mac hasn't been updated for FF 3.5"

DavidWmBrown said, ""Copy Plain Text" and "Morning Coffee" are not currently working with Firefox 3.5"

melalegre said, "I'd like to have NoScript, AdBlock, GoogleGears, and GreaseMonkey fully running in FF 3.5."

ClintStrong said, "Tab Mix Plus is the main one I'm missing."

SteveFalatko said, "- sage ... yes I still use RSS feeds and sage is my favorite. Not compatible with 3.5"

robmcbell said, "GEARS!!!"

scotmathis said, "Beloved add-on not compatible with FF 3.5: Tab Mix Plus"

Ledlow said, "Automatic Save Folder didn't update after Beta 4, so I'm hoping for an update with the release"

PhYoshi said, "Judging by the fact nothing has broken, 3.5 seems to be pretty awesome compatiibilitywise (TMP, DtA, AioS, stylish, twitterfox)"

forpus said, "no problems with Nightly Tester Tools, http://is.gd/1iPcz"

Thanks to everyone who replied. Here’s more on why and how I’m using Twitter to run surveys like this.

Firefox 3.5 [Mozilla]

Almost 80% of respondents are passing on the 3GS mainly because they don't think the upgrade is worth the money, they're not eligible for the upgrade pricing, they think AT&T blows, they're waiting for next year's model, or they're simply happy with their current phone. The other 20% were thrilled about getting their paws on the 3GS' speed and video camera. Yes-folks said the 3GS finally feels "feature-complete," that the device replaces their GPS, point and shoot camera, and in some cases, their laptop, and others said it was the perfect reason to ditch their current crappy phone.

Out of 175 responses, 138 said they were not getting the 3GS, and 37 said they were. (Since I'm an Android user, I attract non-iPhone types, so these results are skewed by who follows me.) Here are the best replies I got, with the cleverest quips and insights highlighted.

Yes

megnut says, "Yes, iPhone = my computer, and $399 is worth it. Haven't bought new laptop since late 06 and don't plan to for long time."
kyleejohnson says, "getting 1. Have held out for 2 revs, but this one finally seems feature complete. Except for the bug with carrier options. '-)"
laydros says, "Already got my 3GS. I've wanted 32GB for a while, don't need to carry P&S camera (SLR when I can tho), and the speed is nice." Second tweet: "In other words, iPhone is coming closer to leaving my iPod classic, laptop, and P&S camera at home."
gmankono says, "Yes, for the speed, space, & video recording. Now just have to find the $."
ericjlubbers says, "I'm switching from a quickly beloved Palm Pre to the iPhone for non-essential reasons: Music support (podcasts) and the camera"
ryan_price says, "I picked up the 3GS this morning b/c I caved! I couldn't avoid having an iPhone any longer"
allynedmonds says, " I did get a 3Gs , because I'm addicted to this crack phone. I need an intervention!"
KOLLETTcommaN says, "Yes! I've been waiting for this version of the iPhone to work out all the kinks. I never buy generation 1 of anything..."
Ceruleanesk says, "finally decided to jump on the bandwagon. The 32GB was what did it for me, looking for a phone/music player for a long time"
revjim1stUMC says, "I have one pre-ordered. This upgrade is significant enuf for me a 1st gen iphone user"
jmooy says, "yes, verizon has failed to produce anything better over 3 versions of the iphone."
evilIT says, "Getting a 3GS because we've been wanting iphones but we were just waiting for the new ones to come out."

No

kevinpurdy says, "Not upgrading, because my G1 has a great personality. And GV."
eszter says, "friend of mine said to me recently: figured you wouldn't have an iPhone, you're too independent for that"
justinmwhitaker says, "I think it makes more sense to get the 3G."
jasonfitzpatric says, "because I *heart* my HTC Touch Pro and its physical keyboard."
kevinthompson says, "Nope. It was a toss up between the iPhone 3Gs or a Honeymoon. I decided I'll try and start the marriage off right."
smartgoat says, "Nope, won''t be eligible for the upgrade price till March. At which point I may as well wait for the next version."
TomDavenport says, "I'm not getting an iPhone 3G S, because I don't pour money from my arse."
birdmonster says, "nope, just bought a banana to talk on instead."
evantravers says, "I am not, I have an android phone. "
binarywolf says, "Not today AT&T, I already gave at the Blood Bank."
TheRealEdwin says, "Price if upgrade (eligable in Feb), and laid off so not smart to spend anything at the moment. I'd like one though."
lvdjgarcia says, "Thought about it, but the $$/upgrade cost are too high."
daniellenelson says, "no, because I love my G1. "
metsfan says, "nope, because I just got a Pre "
dmkanter says, "not anytime soon. Have had my 3g for less than 1 year and it's prohibitively too expensive right now."
sstrudeau says, "I am NOT for two reasons: AT&T coverage sucks in NY & has terrible service; & I'm opposed to the App Store gatekeeper model."
K1ngB00 says, "Nope, because my WinMo phone can do everything it can plus more like tethering, MMS, and has a full browser (Skyfire)."
AtmanRising says, "Hi Gina, I am not. I have a G1, which does everything I need and more (incl. video). T-Mobile is also more reliable than AT&T."
thebuma says, "Not until it comes to Verizon."
AndeeD says, "No to iPhone. Can't afford it/monthly service. Work bought my Blackberry what I have/stuck with. I'll live."
brokentv says, "Not getting an iPhone 3GS, because I've used the calculator on my iPod Touch to work out the aggregate cost of one."
RockDoggy says, "Not getting a 3GS. Monthly bill is too much."
rcphq says, "I'm not, im tired of apple restrictions and having to bother fixing my phone. Id still love 3.0 to fix my crappy 2.2.1 wifi"
kekil says, "I wish, but no iPhone mainly b/c of carrier: AT&T is way more costly than my Sprint plan which has unl txt/data/GPS 4 less $$"
jdorfman says, "no. AT&T is horrible (in SoCal). =( http://myloc.me/4v42"
robwar0100 says, "No. Going to wait for 2nd-3rd generation Palm Pre."
ckieffer says, "No 3gs for me. I do a lot with my 3g, but don't need faster processing. Not a gamer or full-time social media addict."
finkeegan says, "I have no money "
dartdog says, "why would I want to go backwards from a G-1 Android to a Iphone 3gs?"
TesTeq says, "I will not buy beautiful #iPhone 3GS because my #Nokia E71 has better functionality and looks very stylishly."
TJrnr says, "No, don't need it that's why I have a blackberry"
medebe says, "Not (getting iphone). Turns out exact same plan with AT&T on BB Bold is cheaper by about $40. I can do something with $480/yr"
eric_adler says, "Nope. No Java support, no buttons. Still not a good phone."
flpatriot says, "nope, stuck on Alltel in N. Dakota. AT&T doesn't even have service up here. *grumble*"
LadyTourmaline says, "I'll get an iPhone as soon as I can get it on Verizon. Until then I'm completely happy with my crackberry."
JoshuaRJones says, "Nope. While the speed boost is nice, I can't justify dropping the money for a digital compass/better camera."
edwilde says, "seems likely there will be something special around this time next year and 18 month (UK) contract means I wont b able 2 get it"
andr says, "No, it still lacks such basic phone feature as sms delivery reports"
dmw7 says, "Bought an iPhone last year & the 3.0 update gets me the new features I care about for free."
melindabyerley says, "no, not worth the money, not enough value added to pay the extra. I don't use video. battery life would have to double."
adam807 says, "AT&T svc sucks, esp in NYC. Lots of Palm Apps (eg Pocket Quicken) not replicated on iPhone yet. Hurts me as Apple nerd but no."
jdonels says, "I can't get the upgrade-from-3G low price till 12/13, and by then I might as well wait till the 4G, so what's the point?"
arbhalerao says, "Not buying because I have a Nokia N82, way better than 3GS (well in most cases)!"
RolfSchewe says, "Not willing to lock in 2 more yrs for a few features. I'd bet next year's will have OLED, HD features, possibly alt carriers."
peekah says, "no. I love iphone, but not for me. My comps are all customized, i need options. Cant do that on iphone. G1 has 4 Home options.."
will_ph says, "nope. Nokia's UI may look ugly, but it does out-of-the-box what an iPhone dreams of doing someday."
tjlytle says, "Staying with the G1. There's not much you can't do once it's rooted."
tanzora says, "I'm not. I don't even use a data plan. My cell phone is for calls and texts, and only when necessary."
TrevorBramble says, "Not. Last Year's Model works for me! (OK, 2 years ago.) And anyway, my upgrade path leads straight to Android."
stompson says, "not a compelling enough upgrade this year. I think of it as 'the credit crunch update' "
txgowan says, "Not. Still w/Verizon. Get new phone in Dec. May get Pre when they become avail on VZ in January."
aergonaut says, "If my 1G weren't already serving me so well and if it didn't cost an arm and a leg, I would consider it."
johnny9k says, "No. Waiting for "One More Thing" and the Verizon dude walks onto the stage."
pluggpro says, "No iphone for me. I can't deal with touch-screen keyboards. I'm perfectly happy with my G1."
rachaelr says, "nope, no 3GS upgrade yet, still got 8 months or so on my current iphone 3G contract, and the upgrade isn't really worth the $"
jim_rubenstein says, "no, im eligible for the best subsidy price but im sick of the high plan prices! im going to kick it with an idiot phone for now"
lmjr says, "No upgrade for me this round. I'm happy with the 3G. Skipping the 3Gs and holding out for 3GSx. #iphone"
tarajo says, "I want one but I just got the 3g last year so I will wait a while I guess..."
katrinaarcher says, "No. My own iPhone is too recent and the 3.0 SW upgrade will tide me over until the budget police loosen their grip on my wallet"
esoneill says, "Too much money for not enough change."
markprestash says, "not getting the iPhone because of AT&T's awful CSR's, bad coverage in my area, and their terrible pricing schemes"
inthemiddle says, "I'm not. My interest is the updated camera, but it's not worth the money when I already carry a Canon PowerShot G9 with me."
lemiffe says, "No. It's compelling, nonetheless rather expensive."
CYMR0 says, "no 3GS for moi. Not paying a premium for this one as they'll only come out with a new one next year!"
brentajones says, "Not until 3G contract's up, maybe not then. Don't need vox ctrl, already have flip cam...killer app is compass (aug. reality)"
heniadis says, "perhaps too late, but I won't be getting a 3GS. I don't like att enough for an iphone. Perhaps if verizon gets it."
michaelwendell says, "- Not getting 3GS, solely due to AT&T's assinine mid-contract upgrade pricing. #iphone"
zanshin says, "I would love to get one, can't justify the data plan cost however. Sigh #iphone"
burakerdem says, "Will not get the new iPhone 3Gs because only video and compass are not enough. I need more to purchase a new toy for myself "
serenium says, "Nope. Not worth the expense to upgrade from the 3G, afaic. I'll wait for the next one."
jonathansheely says, "Don't care about rec video. Speed isn't that much faster. Compass would be nice for Gmaps but not worth 200 dollars."
thomaswilburn says, "Nope: can't afford to let AT&T know I'm using a smartphone on their old medianet plan..."
SidneyClay says, "that is NOT! It's not worth it! Hmm. Maybe, if it's got intention-support. Now that would be worth some of my money!"
racheldonovan says, "nope my 3g does the trick for now"
SidneyClay says, "cause I have an iPhone 3G and the upgrade is definately worth it. My jailbroken phone's already os3 too, so that's moot."
mcduo says, "not getting it. Can't justify 300$ for few features over my 3G 16gb."
VatePowell says, "DIY 3G S = Gluing compass to back of 3G I already have."
hatchethead says, "I have a GoPhone iPhone 1G. If I went for the 3GS, I'd be locked into AT&T. Gonna wait for Verizon."
michaeljones says, "Not getting 3GS. Not eligible for lower price until January 2010."
martlev says, "Because its apple, doesn't do much more than android phones do and is network specific."
noahpurdy says, "No. My 3G does everything I need and will for as long as it doesn't die on me. Plus it has some wicked battle scars. #lastyears"
erikbmi says, "I am not getting an iPhone 3GS yet. The doc says I have to wait a while before donating another kidney,and it may be 'unwise' "
brawr says, "I'm not, compass + camera + faster CPU don't justify breaking my contract in the same way that 3G + GPS + app store did."
madichan says, "No, because I just got my iPhone in August, and I'm trying real hard to not be an Apple whore "
jordo37 says, "speed would be great, but it's not good enough to upgrade and pay for it"
works says, "Not enough of an upgrade over the 3G IMO until AT&T rolls out higher speed network. The video and new camera are tempting tho."
419onscene says, "Nope, Apple doesn't get to decide what I can do with my phone"
Nosgoroth says, "Student here - no monies for the device, much less for the monthly assault."
davidamcclain says, "I would (and I will) but I'm supposed to be saving towards quitting the 9-5. A new iPhone has to take a back-seat for now."
JeremiahFelt says, "AT&T - don't approve of their business practices, lack of support, and their network blows (in my area). Otherwise, I'd have 2."
flamsmark says, "Why get a locked-up, mediocre phone, when I have a gorgeous unlocked Nokia N85 that does everything?"
jbarbel says, "iPhone is more than I need. If Evernote would hurry up with a BB app my Pearl is enough for me and cheaper."
webpoet73 says, "No...i can't bring myself to align with the big blue death star...if the iPhone 3GS (or the iPhone 3G) were on Verizon... SOLD."
altrenda says, "still no iphone, can't find anything I need it to do that my G1 can't, and it still can't do everything I can do with Android"
bithaze says, "No 3GS; staying with my WinMo iPaq. iPhone has some nice features but it's still catching up and simply not for power users."
specialdave197 says, "im not, due to the ridiculous upgrade plan here in the UK"
tenofziger says, "Am not getting 3GS because don't qualify for reduced price with ATT and already have 3G"
mrhaydel says, "I won't be getting a 3GS (and I hope you're aren't either). I'm a super happy Android user who doesn't need Apple's antics."
mcflossy says, "nope...in the middle of a 3G contract...not enough 'newness' in the 3GS...all the goodies are in 3.0...I'll wait till next June"
FriarTech says, "just bought iPhone 3g In may because I actually thought apple wouldn't discount it. My fault to look at history. So no 3gs now!"
daftviking says, "no 3GS for me, no 3G, not even 1G: no GSM coverage anywhere near where I live. Stuck with my prepaid CDMA dumbphone. #whinge"
petty5320 says, "nope, still waiting to get the Pre!"
rangerwinslow says, "No iPhone 3gs here - price would be my top THREE reasons, and AT&T would be the next SEVENTEEN to round out my top 20. "
beeare says, "NOT getting an IPhone in UK - too expensive , too complicated, too Apple. Can you make calls with an Iphone?"
andyburke says, "not for now, too little better than 3G to justify cost. Maybe in 6 months when cheaper if 3G's battery continues to decline "
karelj says, "No multitasking, no physical qwerty, crappy 3mp camera, non swappable battery, better version coming out next year."
egra says, "No. Got a 3G last year. Value of speed + compass + video < price of upgrade."
karelj says, "and the main reason.... every Hipster idiot has one and God knows I want nothing in common with those people."
ickthegeek says, "No 3GS for me. I'm lovin multitasking on the #pre. WebOS looks to be a more open platform IMHO. But Apple app store cant b beat"
bill_clark says, "Not worth $399 to me. 3.0 on my 3G gives me everything but voice dial, video & xtra speed. I'd love v.dial, but not for $399."
GeoAggie says, "Not yet, my 3G is still going good."
ozwash says, "I'm waiting for next year's iPhone, and sticking with the 3G"
Matthew_Adams says, "No 3GS for me... not enough revolution to make it worth switching. Plus the camera resolution is still poor."
stephensauceda says, "nope. I'm happy with my 3g and 3.0. Just hope to jailbreak soon to get back video recording."
johnketner says, "Still can't justify the cost of AT&T plan. My TMobile plan for blackberry is 1/2 the cost."
carmine978 says, "I'm waiting for the iPhone to come to Verizon. Currently, I use my iPod Touch 2G as a phone via Skype. Works great with my MiFi"
barleyguy says, "Nope. I use a lame prepaid phone, because I don't like monthly bills or contracts. Prepaid Iphone I would be all over."
TIMCALLOW says, "because my company has locked out iPhones from the exchange server (not secue enough)."
rerunaround says, "I'm not getting a 3GS. I'm bored of my iphone and turned off by the fascist itunes software. Android, here I come! "
gjacykowski says, "No. 3GS is not a milestep - some basic features still missing. I think Apple should be aware of Android."
falcolas says, "No, no ATT service in Montana. Wish I could, though."

As I said on Friday, I'm not getting the 3GS either. It's tempting, but I'm happy with my G1 running Android. Thanks to everyone who replied! (Here’s more on why and how I’m using Twitter to run surveys like this.)

Click to see the full-sized version of any image in this post.

Before we start A'ing the Q's, know that the best place to see and hear what Wave's all about is in the full demonstration video. Seriously, that's a must-watch. If you don't have an hour+ to spare, check out the highlight reel instead.

Here are some of the questions I got on Twitter, and my responses.

Q: Explain it in 140 characters, please. I'm still a bit in the shadow about what it DOES. —roxaloxa
A: Simplest terms: Google Wave is Gmail on crack. Imagine Gmail, Google Talk, and Google Docs in one big inbox.

Q: Does Wave require a Gmail ID? —Nightwyrm
A: For the dev preview, I got a new Google Apps login at wavesandbox.com; not sure if regular Gmail will work at release. Update, on further thought: While right now a Google account is required for the dev preview, since the protocol is open and can be hosted on other servers, it's possible a Google Account won't be a requirement. I hope that's the case.

Q: Share a cool use case example please! —strawp
A: Personally I'm dying to co-write a Lifehacker post with @adampash on it! That's one cool use case! Also, it's killer group chat.

Q:i wud like to know wht more features r going to b added up into Wave and mostly imp is when can it b made access to evryone —krishnat
A: I don't have a new features crystal ball beyond the ones already demo'ed, but it's supposed to go live later this year.

Q: What is wave like in terms of speed? I wonder about its real world performance (like how gmail is sometimes less than perfect) —graemehunter
A: The dev preview is super snappy, you get character by character live updates as your recipient types, real-time. Clarification, on further thought and usage: The dev preview is still pretty unstable, with regular crashes that require a refresh. We'll only know what its real world performance will be like when it's out there!

Q: Would you consider Google Wave a "Facebook Killer"?? —jmnova
A: IMO Google Wave won't be a Facebook killer, but I can see it subsuming Gmail, GTalk, and to some extent, GDocs.

Q: Will Wave be a Basecamp killer? —suzero
A: IMO not a Basecamp killer (Google Wave isn't a project mgt app), but it will give Campfire a run for its money. Update: And maybe Backpack.

Q: How well does it federate with email? —DenubisX
A: The email federation question is a GREAT one. It doesn't right now, AFAIK, but I can't imagine it won't by release or soon after. Update: Rafe Needleman reported that the makers of Wave are holding off on email integration to keep it as spam-free as possible. Will be interesting to see how the email federation issue plays out.

Q: So is it similar to a whiteboard sharing via WLM and some collaborative doc. editors? what makes GWave unique in that? —Miles312
A: Yes, it feels like screensharing or one of those collaborative text editors. Just, you know, in the browser.

Q: Do you find yourself thinking more carefully before you type since the recipient can see it in real time? —seancron
A: Yes! The checkbox that will let you turn off realtime updates isn't enabled yet!

Update: You can easily create and distribute polls amongst your Wave contacts, as shown here.

Q: Any news on when it will actually be available to the masses? —diptychal
A: If I'm not mistaken, at Google IO they said Wave will be available to the public "later this year."

Q: What's your favorite gWave feature? —Miles312
A: I love the SubEthaEdit-like collaborative editing (chasing cursors is fun!); also, wave playback is fantastic.

Q: 1st of all does wave work seamless between windows & apple and also in secure business architectures, thanx? —alexisvandam
A: Yup, it's a web application so only a browser is required, all operating systems. Your Wave session is encrypted, too (https).

Q: Is it really different from existing wiki or groups? —Hellchico
A: It isn't. The Ah-ha! is the combination of features from wikis, email, IM, VCS, blogs & doc managers into one interface.

Q: Do you think it's going to change everything about how we interact with each other? (Of course!) How soon will the change be? —joannbc
A: I wouldn't say Google Wave is going to "change everything"; but it does take online communication/collaboration to the next level.

Q: Dug Wave real-time blog updates. Might B cool to see your fav bloggers as they work. Might be lil' creepy 4 the blogger though! —VerbalKint
A: It's totally embarrassing to know that your recipient can see all your ugly typos happen live (even when you correct them!) Update, on further usage: Everyone feels this way, and after a few chats you get used to it. It's really fun watching a message come to life as it happens, though it's a little less efficient, too. (If you watch someone type continuously, it's slower than just reading the finished product of that typing.)

Q: Can you peel off a wave into a side convo? —learningashland
A: Yes, you can copy a wave into a new wave and drop other contacts onto it to have a side convo.

Q: Now you mention it, how good is the integration between Wave and the other Google products??? Is it the app to rule them all?? —jmnova
A: Still early, but right now you can embed maps, YouTube videos and Google search results into a Wave. Definitely more to come. Update, on further use: I've also got the blogger integration going. Here's my Wave blog.

Q: Will it help me to move through my daily 2.0 site slog quicker? Too much time in all this, need a centralized tool... —WadeBiery
A: Right now it puts messaging (email & IM) and document collaboration in one place, and more to come with extensions...

Q: How does it work cross browser/platform, memory usage? —farhanlalji
A: so far so good on Safari & Firefox on my Mac. I'll keep an eye on memory usage and report back.

Q: How can Wave help cope with info overload? Do u forsee there being a problem getting 2 Wave Zero like email? Does realtime help —seancron
A: Google Wave has all the info (overload) mechanisms Gmail does: archiving, tagging, advanced search operators. Plus folders!

Q: Is Google Wave close to iPhone/mobile browser friendly? —rossm
A: It's not compatible with the current Android browser (haven't tried iPhone yet) but as the demo vid showed, it will be.

Q: When's it supposed to launch? And is it integrated with reader? —bgribin
A: later this year, & I didn't see Google Reader integration... yet. Since it's extensible, that seems inevitable eventually, though.

Q: What browser are you waving in? —lnorvig
A: So far I've waved in both Firefox 3.0 and Safari 4.0, it worked well in both (tho I hear it's even faster in the Chrome nightly)

Q: Is receiving and sending single messages quick or are there extra actions required. cheers —light50
A: As quick as sending an email; quicker if your recipient is online (b/c s/he could see the message as you type it).

Q: Tell us if Google Wave is really the future of online communication —jakeaking
A: Haha, I don't have a crystal ball, but it IS very promising!

Q: Do you see yourself using Wave on a daily basis? —mjf
A: Could be my excitement about the novelty talking, but once all my contacts are on Wave, I could see using it instead of Gmail entirely.

Q: Is it as fast as the demo showed? Oh, and can you get every single one of us on Google Wave? No, aww. Please? No? Well, dangit. —RobinRamael
A: Yes, it is as fast as the demo showed. It's truly a WHOAH! moment the first time you watch your contact edit a wave live.

Q: What does the inbox look like? And what does the wave document look like? What's different? (fun! Thanks!) —learningashland
A: Here, have a few screenshots.

Note: Stills don't do Google Wave justice, but until I can rustle up some screencasts, click on any of the images in this post to get a closer look.

If you have more questions about Wave, post 'em in the comments below and I'll do my best to answer. Sadly I don't have invites or any kind of special magic trick that will get you into the preview; but do make sure you put your name in the hat.

(In case you were wondering, I compiled this Q&A using a Twitter app I've got in development.)

I asked my Twitter followers what project management software they use at home and at work, and how they like it on a scale of 1 to 10. I got fewer replies to this question than usual, which makes me think lots of people don't use a PM app to begin with. Out of the 97 replies I did get, 17 said they use 37 Signals' Basecamp (and gave it an 8 out of 10 average rating), 12 said they used Microsoft Project (it averaged a 6.6 out of 10 rating), and, interestingly, 9 people said they like Things (which averaged a 7.7 rating) and OmniFocus (which got a rating of 9), both for Mac OS X.

Of the two leaders, Basecamp and Microsoft Project, the comments were completely opposite: Basecamp is beautiful but in need of more features, and MS Project is ugly but powerful. Several people said they use plain text files, a spreadsheet, or an actual human project manager, and a few (presumably programmer-types) use bug trackers (like FogBugz and Trac) and wikis (like MoinMoin) to do their project management for them.

Here's the full list of responses to the question I posed on Twitter.

What project management software do you use at work or at home? How do you like (scale 1-10)?

• MitchWagner says, "I use Things. Thinking about switching again - i do that when I feel disorganized. Perhaps I should just get organized instead?"
• threew says, "MS Project (6); OpenProject (7)"
• doctorparadox says, "Basecamp which i can only give a 7.5 until they make Writeboards searchable from w/in projects "
• patrickrhone says, "37 Signals Basecamp for work. @dorisapp for home. Rate each a 5 for my uses."
• briandewitt says, "I use Things and The Hit List about a 9 for both"
• rafaelperrone says, "Microsoft Project - 9 (too expensive)"
• codyks says, "basecamp and its a freaking 11. I love functional simplicity and basecamp rewrote the definition. Customer service is a 13"
• mattg says, "Remember the Milk (with Astrid). I rate it at 6. Unfortunately, seems like the best solution for OS X and Android."
• karvetski says, "Basecamp...simple, clean, plays nicely with lots of other stuff. Give it 8 (want ability to view ALL projects across ALL hubs)"
• pfinette says, "Text File. Rates a fat 10. "
• Portakal says, "Trying nowadays "The Hit List". Great interface and GTD methodology"
• craigkirchoff says, "I'm using Evernote for project management + Google/outlook calendars. About a 7 out of 10 but mostly b/c of my shortcomings."
• arthur says, "I've been using ToodleDo. I like it at about a seven. That's project management, not "Project Management"."
• ddelony says, " A local version of MoinMoin, 8 or 9."
• jasonclarke says, "OmniFocus for work and home, 10."
• dainius says, "things.app on iphone and mac. 7/10."
• millerian says, "Basecamp, and only scratching the service so far. Expect 8/10 from what I've seen. Few annoyances but good workflow."
• mygeekdaddy says, "and if anyone says they have the perfect solution for you... they're lying! As a proj mgr, there is never a 100% fit."
• mygeekdaddy says, "that's kind of an open question depending on scale of project. Home - Omnifocus (8/10). Work - MS Project (8/10)."
• JohnZito says, "3x5 note cards (10), Things (7), Evernote (9), OmniPlan (7)"
• corewarrior says, "OpenProj is written in Java and designed to be a drop in replacement for Project. Awesome tool! #oss http://tinyurl.com/2eu3qs"
• halophoenix says, "Since I'm a project mgr by day, I'm relegated to MS Project 07 and Project Srv. I found Proj. Srv really enhances it though."
• talance says, "I use a combo Excel doc and TaskFreak. I'd give the combo an 8."
• tcabeen says, "TFS. HATE IT."
• justyn says, "Probably doesn't count as PM software, but I use Xmind and RTM to keep myself on track w/projects."
• NoahGK says, "for work, I use a basic spreadsheet with date, item, owner, status, due date and notes. Simple to use, very portable. It works."
• roxaloxa says, "post-it notes, rating: 9. i never got anything done before i started sticking post-its all over my apartment."
• joanofdark says, "Just used 37S Backpack to finish last academic papers & organize a trip to Brazil. Sure beats paper calendar+email. Score: 8"
• jheftmann says, "at home: sticky notes on a board that I can move around (10). at work: Trac (1)"
• kristinab says, "http://www.backpackit.com/ - better than most, free of unnec, complex features."
• 6sigma says, "Project Kickstart (9) and AES FastTrack Schedule (also a 9)"
• JoshuaRJones says, "OmniFocus. Greatest application on my Macs."
• joeythespark says, "@37signals Basecamp I give it a 8 and I enjoy using it but I wish my office would adopt it!"
• flpatriot says, "two biggest tools so far are my brain (8/10) and The Hit List (7/10). planning to use Bitbucket if I ever have a team."
• biggsjm says, "things at home and on my iPhone. At work, nothing but a word document to track projects, next actions, and waiting fors."
• webarnold says, "ActiveCollab (still the free version, older, but free!) installed on personal host. I like 8/10."
• vishalbathija says, "I use basecamp and am very satisfied 8/10"
• bloodsugarwilks says, "We use http://www.project.net/ at work and it's fits our style so far. It's a 9 right now, but we have yet to fully test it."
• mandarvaze says, "I user planner. http://live.gnome.org/Planner - 5 out of 10- looking for better alternative on linux (preferably non-java)"
• rzazueta says, "SugarCRM - with plugins, it's about 70-80% there. Needs native Gantt charts and better resource scheduling."
• robalan says, "Basecamp: I'd give it a 7 - it's the best UI I've seen, but not as feature-rich as some managers might need (ex: no Gantt)"
• robalan says, "Oh, and for my own personal task management = Things on the Mac and iPhone, rated 8 (needs synching w/o wireless network)."
• BenjaminBrooks says, "use Basecamp at work, love it. Use Backpack at home and love it."
• tofumatt says, "We use Basecamp, and can't imagine a better working system."
• mattshelton says, "work: atTask - 5/10 for my needs (SDLC, multiple projs), but i've heard it's pretty good for strict single-project management."
• mattshelton says, "home: uhh... a whiteboard. 9/10 in that I can't take it off of my wall and carry it wherever I need to go."
• captainnapalm says, "The project mgmt software we use at work is JIRA (http://bit.ly/GA8eD) and I'd give it a solid 8. Great issue tracker as well."
• IcemanUK says, "MS project at work and I don't like it at all."
• chipwell says, "M$ Project @ work - 8 (POWERFUL but ugly) Backpack for personal/school - 6 (easy but LIMITED) #PMOT @mursh @dinag"
• JamZest says, "I use Trac both at home & work. Rating: 6/10."
• tghw says, "FogBugz. And it's free for up to two users."
• rezzz says, "I'd like to know what u use? I'm looking for one for my company but I use omnifocus which isn't PM"
• _bruceb says, "MS Project at work=3, paper at home=2"
• benfsmith says, "What project management software do I use? OmniPlan. Rated: 8/10"
• plindman says, "Don't use PM software, though I might benefit from it. I just keep a textfile ToDo showing on Samurize desktop with AHK hotkey"
• davejkirk says, "@DeskAway for small and medium projects. 7.5 / 10"
• Grodzman says, "we use Basecamp for project management at work and at Walsh College. I love it! 10/10."
• kennonb says, "Been going between Things, OmniFocus and THL. Things (6), OmniFocus (8) and THL (7). None of them are perfect IMO."
• hamzabhatti says, "Basecamp. I'd give it a 9."
• morningglass says, "Basecamp. Leap (no, really). RTM..."
• tchviolin says, "I use OmniFocus wherever I go - iPhone version - 9, desktop version - 10!"
• shvidky says, " RTM with Gmail. Created a Project folder, Urgency checkmark color codes diff stages. Notes section is useful & it's portable"
• kevlong says, "I use MS Project 2007 supplemented with Word and Excel."
• noahpurdy says, "I use @thehitlist as my simple but incredibly robust to-do list."
• brijacob says, "OmniFocus! I rate it a 9 & would give it a 10 if it let me manage other employees projects as well! Nice iphone integration!"
• manyspears says, "Basecamp 8 out of 10... pricing structure irritates me, but the functionality and ease are excellent"
• alanbush says, "I use @centraldesktop at work. I give it a 9. Not a pure project mgt solution, but highly customizable. A+ cust service, too."
• adang001 says, "I highly recommend 37signals Backpack for personal project management (http://bit.ly/FvcAj) - clean, simple, effective, mobile"
• hatchethead says, "I use OmniFocus (I give it a 10 and my GTD-mojo a 5). I also use OmniPlan, which I give an 8."
• phnandor says, "I've been looking for a good project management sw for years but haven't found one. Now I know what will be my next project "
• robmcbell says, "MS Project (5), Google tasks (7), Outlook public calendars (3)"
• dongola7 says, " We use Mingle ( http://bit.ly/avhF3). I give it an 8 for its flexibility."
• pinpix says, "Excel - 6 / 10"
• botykai_zsolt says, "@work internally developed ASP.NET s**t. That describes how I hate it. @home plaintext all the way. Grep. Vim."
• EuroCrank says, "OmniFocus. Use it for work and home projects. Give it a 9. Disciplined weekly 'reviewing' is the hardest part."
• Roryboryalis says, "I use 37Signals Basecamp for project management. I give it an 8 out of 10 (-2 for smallish usability hiccups)."
• beerdiary says, "Thoughtworks Mingle is brilliant"
• PhYoshi says, "Notepad, 9 "
• JohnnyRocket50 says, "Clarity from CA. 8"
• brettlleonard says, "At work --> MS Project - rating = 7, MS Excel and One Page Project Manager - http://tinyurl.com/ofb38b template - rating =8."
• gniewomir says, "Today's a: GTD Inbox http://www.gtdgmail.com/ 8 "
• thegrayraven says, "We use trac at work, and I give it a 7. I use google docs for personal projects, and give it an 8."
• rendini says, "Basecamp. I'd give it an 8 out of 10. Perspective = I've used many PM tools & I can't think of one other that I'd give a 5 to."
• jutsman says, "things on osx. I rate it an 8."
• cjokrap says, "MS Project, unfortunately. I am not given anything better at work. It works, but not great."
• andylenzini says, "does it count if I use a project manager?"
• zarekthenerd says, "Microsoft project I give it a 7."
• SillyCasper says, "Basecamp 7/10, would use something else but it does seem the best. Not a fan of 37S themselves though."

Thanks to everyone who told me what they're using. Here’s more on why and how I’m using Twitter to run surveys like this.

While many of the 127 responses weren't surprising (like ~$315 Microsoft Office and ~$110 Mac OS X Leopard), some old-school names I haven't heard in years came up (like OS/2), a few people mentioned games (like WoW and ~$30 Half-Life) and speech-to-text apps (like ~$160 MacSpeech Dictate and ~$50 Dragon NaturallySpeaking). By far, the packages people plunked down their hard-earned cash for most are creative tools (like ~$1,300 Final Cut Pro and ~$1,600 Adobe Creative Suite*).

In fact, various versions of Adobe Creative Suite took the prize for the most-paid-for-out-of-pocket application (22 mentions), with Leopard and Microsoft Office not-so-close seconds (14 and 12). Photoshop (which comes with Creative Suite) was third (11 mentions), with Windows Vista and Final Cut (Express, Studio, and Pro versions) bringing up the rear (10 and 9 mentions, respectively).

Here are all the public replies to the question I posed on Twitter.

What's the most expensive software you've paid for out of pocket (not expensed or pirated)? (Me: Vista [hrm] and Leopard.)

• geekgrrl says: Photoshop, many years ago. Was $600 or $700. eek. :X
• OfficeStylist says: creative suite 3
• GWJRabbit says: Adobe CS, followed by Dragon Naturally Speaking I'm guessing.
• designloft says: Adobe CS3.
• doctorparadox says: Pro Tools... although it also included hardware. prefer Tracktion and Ableton Live for sequencing now
• jordoncooper says: I think it may have been OS/2 2.x or WordPerfect.
• brandon_wirtz says: For Personal Use? Inlet Fathom Video Encoder $16k for my business, Zero Knowledge table Cryptography SDK $285k
• woofer_kyyiv says: iWork'09
• soul4real says: Camtasia Studio 5 educational version. Totally worth it for a teacher.
• noahr says: Final Cut pro
• egebhardt says: Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Pro
• Brad_Isaac says: Dragon Naturally Speaking (pro edition). Ouch!
• DaveAndrus says: Student Edition of Borland C++ Builder 6 when I was in college - $130
• steveames says: Some adobe collection which I immediately regretted, then Microsoft Office, which I don't use anymore either...
• dria says: Adobe CS2.
• Yeraze says: iLife/iWork 09
• andreascliment says: Leopard and Final Cut Express, not sure which was more expensive.
• charliepark says: TextMate, I think. If wrapping company-purchased software into the equation, Photoshop / InDesign.
• RahulG86 says: vista upgrade from home basic
• sslyb says: Photoshop CS4
• BonGeek says: Leopard n Vista n Expeession Studio.
• JonGal says: (most expensive purchased sfw) Adobe CS4 and Windows Server. Most expensive in time and effort? Same
• guze says: Adobe Master Collection of their tools, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc etc... roughly $2500.
• wabbit42 says: Adobe Design Suite CS3 Student Edition. £250 (ish) + sending a pic of photo student ID for license!
• ajwms says: Photoshop
• kdern says: Leopard.
• rdyson says: probably Leopard, but there was a Borland C++ program I bought for a HS class that was up there too.
• brendankoerner says: BASIC for my Mac 512e (circa 1986).
• smackaysmith says: Final Cut. $1k, I believe.
• charlesjbarry says: Vista, but I got an OEM Ultimate x64 only version which ran me very little comparatively. It was worth it.
• halophoenix says: Yeah, that would have to be Vista for me, too. Ultimate x64. I don't mind - just that 7 looks good enough to buy, too.
• stevenpaulr says: if you include subscription Fees: WoW.
• tcabeen says: apple box set. (jaguar, iWork, and that other iSomething)
• softservegirl says: most expensive software out of pocket: final cut pro
• bddemir says: mac os x leopard for $99.59 probably that's the highest amount I've paid for software. next is textmate with €39 (~$53) tag.
• vladimircezar says: Leopard
• Theodosia says: -- Adobe Master Collection CS3, but it was with a student discount and for quite a few classes, but still $600+.
• Penguirl says: CS2, with discount for owning Photoshop 7 it was still about $400, no student discount or tax write off.
• thompsonpaul says: Most expensive software paid for out-of-pocket? Adobe Creative Suite
• nirvank says: what's left if not expensed or pirated? MSDN account, count? Though that's for the company. Rosetta Stone, I guess.
• mmcgreger says: Aperture
• gniting says: photoshop
• leonieke says: hmm .. has to be Leopard too.
• shetbomb78 says: Office 2007 $99 with student discount
• jtwilkins says: Leopard + iWork + iLife pack.
• felizcumplevale says: I've actually never payed for software.
• gdarklighter says: Lightroom and Leopard, I think.
• arzan says: autocad... $4k
• davidstamm says: I paid $30 for Scooter Software's Beyond Compare. Best visual diff tool in the universe.
• AmpCoder says: Office Ultimate 2007, from the Ultimate Steal promotion.
• tournevis says: Leopard. I think Filemaker7. Not sure if I actually paid for the latter or was paid for me.
• earth2marsh says: Most expensive out-of-my-pocket software includes Lightroom, MS Office, and XP.
• Falchion says: that's easy. I just bought it yesterday: Ableton Live 8 Suite.
• sunilsebastian says: Adobe Design Premium CS4. Wallet still smarting.
• maryshaw says: Adobe CS4 web premium. Wallet still crying.
• the_billness says: Adobe Creative Suite Premium
• freedom1378 says: iWork '09
• mwrather says: Most expensive software purchase? Final Cut Studio, no question. Even with the academic discount, it easily edged out CS3.
• brentajones says: Adobe Creative Suite, easily.
• TrevorBramble says: I think I paid $50 for Red Hat Linux (v5 or 6) back in the day, just to support the cause.
• jochie says: Tiger/Leopard.
• codeblue315 says: Vista for sure.
• jeruvin says: OS/2 Warp. I think I paid like $250+ for the version with Win 3.x included in it.
• plaas says: Microsoft Office 2007 Home and Student
• suzero says: Final Cut Studio €1500 or so
• super_s says: MacSpeech Dictate (and I rarely use it!)
• bilk says: Adobe Creative Suite CS3 Design Premium. Cost quite a pretty penny, but after 2+ years, I think I've gotten my $ worth
• jimjfletcher says: XP Professional... I was lucky enough to score a copy of Vista Ultimate for free last year.
• Davidd84 says: digital performer 4
• tamarin2087 says: XP Pro. I think its the only ting I've ever paid for with my own $ that wasn't subsidized by a school or an employer.
• rachaelr says: photoshop! ouchy
• cbandes says: Adobe's CS4 Suite, Academic Version, about $600
• wayneNtampa says: Leopard
• rauscha says: Microsoft Office 2007 Student and teacher edition. Wanted it for the OneNote 2007. I get everything else through site licenses.
• christiegrinham says: Tiberian Sun hahaha XD
• fredvolkman says: Macromedia Dreamweaver 4
• miroadamy says: MSDN subscription
• ninjadad says: Adobe CS3 Web Premium Bundle
• zbrando says: Aperture
• martlev says: Vista. Apart from that most programs I buy tend to be cheap
• adurity says: Adobe's Creative Suite
• Cbanach says: definitely has to be Final Cut Studio 2. . .
• norageddon says: Last big software purchase was XP Pro.
• MassiveFailure says: I don't spend much on software but I would have to say the Macheist bundle. Considering what it comes with it was a bargain.
• siancu says: Parallels and Leopard.
• racheldonovan says: in the past 5 years I don't think I have purchased any personal software, although I do have some iphone apps. Answer= mlb2009?
• dyril says: Vista. I boot into it twice a year. Would love to trade my key for a Win7 one.
• rosko says: Does the cumulative monthly for WoW count? I'm sure it's a scary number.
• nnutter says: Leopard or Mathematica
• jonesclp says: spent $60,000 a year for Nielsen survey software MEMRI.
• bithaze says: Adobe CS4. Even with the student discount it was easily my biggest software purchase...
• EricsProjects says: Windows 2000, full edition. Still using it too.
• alanbush says: I don't think I've ever paid (your def.) more than $50 for software, ever. FOSS has served me well, and employers cover rest
• kevinobvious says: Most expensive software? Including subscription: World of Warcraft. Otherwise: Leopard
• brawr says: Half-Life 2. I've bought that game like three times, I've probably spent about $120 on it.
• mthology says: SlickEdit
• serenium says: Leopard for me too, or a boxed copy of SuSE Professional I bought years ago, when my connection was too slow to download it.
• Neil_Hinkle says: Office Professional suite 2003!
• amdz says: Believe me or not, I've never paid for a software! All are cracked and illegal ones. There is no limitation here!
• TechGuyMatt says: Most Expensive Software: Adobe Suite CS3
• Rychdom says: Other than OS's, Photoshop and Office for Mac by a wide margin. Other than that, Things is pretty pricey by my standards...
• ripleybsx says: Logic Studio... I will admit I bought it secondhand, but I still paid over $200 for it. One of the best buys I ever made.
• mchaceortiz says: windows xp by a mile
• tylersfox says: Final Cut Pro and CS4
• dogandmusicluvr says: Leopard.
• asiriusgeek says: Mindjet Mindmanager and worth it! #mindmapping
• botykai_zsolt says: http://www.whereisit-soft.com/ 's catalog manager. And several other in the 30-50 $ range. But it's the best at price/value.
• azizuysal says: Photoshop
• ceplm says: modem driver from http://www.linuxant.com/drivers/ ... $25
• pengmays says: office 2007.. have to buy for school and not big money anway
• avalonhawk says: soundforge ... before it was bought up by Sony...
• jdany says: Apple's Aperture
• GeoAggie says: I paid over $500 once (way too much) for MS Off 2003. I later paid $45 for Off-07 through employee pricing, 2.5 yrs later..
• tmueller73 says: Avid Xpress DV $250 about three years ago... they discontinued the DV version, now you have to pay $2500 for Media Composer
• pirate_prentice says: Likewise on Vista. Not a smart investment, but oh well. Other than that, MediaMonkey or PlayOn, but neither is very pricey
• logicgeek says: Photoshop CS - though upgrade pricing dulls the pain on subsequent versions.
• graphei10 says: microsoft office for mac.
• webbie82 says: bought Nero Burning Rom 8 a few years ago some DVD catalog software
• barleyguy says: Mine was Cool Edit Pro, and then Adobe Audition. They are multitrack audio software. Cool Edit Pro was about $350 at the time.
• johnnyrhea says: Adobe CS3
• bjcott says: Adobe Lightroom
• Stefano_TT says: MS OfficePro Win3.11 & WinXP; current setup of my Acer netbook is all OpenSource Portable SW except genuine WinXP Home.
• bill_clark says: The most expensive software I've paid for is probably Vista as well. Glad I got Office 2007 Enterprise for $25 through SA/HUP.
• jsmorley says: - Photoshop CS4... Most expensive.
• forpus says: Vista Home Premium 64 bit

* I grabbed price info where I could from Amazon, but obviously prices vary depending on when, what version, and with what discount you're purchasing.

Thanks to everyone who offered their input! Here's more on why and how I'm using Twitter to run surveys like this.

After two years and 1,700 updates on Twitter, this insta-Q&A is my favorite use of the service. The only problem is, I always want to archive and share what I learn from my followers on my blog, and it's not easy. My post on what people love and hate about netbooks, sourced entirely from Twitter replies, took me hours to compile manually, because Twitter doesn't easily list replies to a particular "tweet" in a very readable or republishable format. So this weekend I dug into the service's API to make that happen. Using Kevin Makice's new book, Twitter API: Up and Running, after just a day of coding I had my entire Twitter archive plus replies ready for viewing and publishing. While the code itself isn't ready for sharing, a few questions and subsequent replies posted on Twitter and compiled here recently include:

• What info do you wish Twitter gave you about your followers/updates that it doesn’t or that it makes you dig for?
• What are your telltale physical signs of stress?
• What's the most expensive software you’ve ever paid for?
• What’s the best project management software?

Update: I've posted a pre-alpha, nerds-only version on GitHub, tentatively named Twitalytic, called ThinkTank.

Of course, I included only replies from Twitter users whose updates are public, and I didn't include direct messages (because, by nature, they are private). I hope to post more lists of curated public replies going forward; I'll file future posts under "Twitter Q&A." Let me know how I can make posts like these more useful and readable.