Desktop or laptop....

I've been thinking about getting another laptop or desktop lately. My goal would be another machine to run virtuals machines on.

Currently I have a macbook pro with a core 2 duo and 4gb and an imac with a core duo and 2gb of ram. Since the imac tops out at 2gb and is 32-bit only it has limited usefulness for what I want to do. I want to be able to run windows 2008 server or solaris 10 to practice and learn with. I can do some of it with my MBP but a 2nd machine to network and cluster with would be ideal.

So this brings me to my choices. I could buy another laptop with 4gb of ram. It has the advantage of coming with a built in monitor, keyboard and mouse. I can stick it in drawer when I'm not using it. I don't have a lot of space so that's a big plus. Its relatively quiet too. It does have less performance and ability though and isn't upgradeable and tops out at 4gb. I think I can work within those limitations. I see geeks.com has a few 17" dual core laptops for around $499. (they go in and out of stock every few weeks) Add about $75 to the price to max out RAM and add an external drive to run the virtual machines on and you're all set.

I could buy a desktop and monitor for about the same price. It would top out at 8gb (or more). It could probably run vmware esx or Sun xVM, which I really want to play with. It could also have more cpu-cores for the same money. Lots of advantages, but I already have the iMac desktop. I'd have to get another monitor and keyboard (not a big deal, but it takes up space). And it'd likely be pretty noisy relative to a laptop. For example, CyberPowerPC has an intel i7 (quad core plus hyperthreading for 8 cores for HT aware OS's) for $789 (as of February 26, these things tend to change a lot). Now I have CPU power, lots of RAM headroom, faster drives. But it's harder to put this thing away and take back out when I want to work with it.

It's a tough choice. I think in the end I'm going to go with the desktop. Although it takes up more space, I can do a lot more with it. It also has a lot more long term life and can be upgraded as technology advances so some of the costs down the road can be avoided. With the laptop, the only step is to buy a new one, but that space savings and the conveniences of being able to take it with me is pretty tempting. I guess the 'left field' choice would be to replace the iMac with a Mac Pro (or a Mac Mini if the upgrade rumors are true and the specs are right). I hate it when choices are never cut and dry like this.

Monster got bit...

Good thing I started job hunting today or I would have never have found this out. Some how I missed this in my downtime between engagements. Looks like Monster.com had a serious security breach. They forced me to change my password and gave other 'just in case' warnings to me.

They say:

As is the case with many companies that maintain large databases of information, Monster is the target of illegal attempts to access and extract information from its database. We recently learned our database was illegally accessed and certain contact and account data were taken, including Monster user IDs and passwords, email addresses, names, phone numbers, and some basic demographic data. The information accessed does not include resumes. Monster does not generally collect – and the accessed information does not include - sensitive data such as social security numbers or personal financial data.

I say: You got hacked.... 'illegally accessed' is like using collateral damage to describe innocent bystanders.

They say:

Are you contacting consumers directly?

Monster elected not to send e-mail notifications to avoid the risk those e-mails would be used as a template for phishing e-mails targeting our job seekers and customers. We believe placing a security notice on our site is the safest and most effective way to reach the broadest audience. As an additional precaution, we will be making mandatory password changes on our site.

I say: "We're hoping people don't notice, but they're going to find out anyway. Oh well!"

I like this one:

What security measures do you have in place?

Monster has made, and will continue to make, a significant investment in enhancing data security, and we believe that Monster’s security measures are as, or more, robust than other sites in our industry.

Monster has a full-time worldwide security team, which constantly monitors for both suspicious behavior on our site and illicit use of information in our database. To maintain the integrity of these security and monitoring systems, we cannot provide further details.

Fat lot of good it did 'em! Ah well, it's not that bad in the end. I mean if you're on Monster.com, you WANT people to find your resume.... Now it just happens faster. Hopefully I'm one of millions of people who were found and I fly below the radar of who ever has the data. Besides, who'd want to be me anyway?