Hardware & Software

Hardware...

Dell Vostro 200. Non-Dell 15" TFT and speakers, dual core E2160, gig of memory, 320Gb/500Gb drives, integrated stuff, DVD writer, XP Home.

Thinkpad X23 with dock. 866MHz P3-M, 640Mb, 30Gb, ATI Mobility Radeon, bodged internal 54g wireless, DVD writer, floppy, XP Professional.

Sundries. two 4mpx Canon Powershots (S45/A80), disposable MP3 player, Samsung ML-1210 laser, scanner, assorted flash drives and memory cards, wireless networking setup.

And a large mass of cables, parts and stray USB peripherals that I live in fear of gaining sentience.

Philosophy...

I'm moving away from considering system-building worthwhile for even basic systems, given how much you can get for a couple of hundred quid from a business seller now. It's still useful to know how to fix stuff yourself, though.

Operating systems... 2000 is fine, XP a worthwhile upgrade from that, Vista is a resource hog with myriad disadvantages for users: avoid unless it suits your specific purposes. I sometimes use Linux live CDs, and Ubuntu would probably be my distro of choice if I had reason to investigate further.

React OS deserves watching. It may evolve into OS of choice for productive use of older hardware, allowing free and legal use of legacy apps.