Sounds to me like someone needs a Mac... Not just because I'm a Mac OS X developer, and therefore biased, but overall I think Macs are great machines that have the easiest-to-set-up X11 environment. So, if the rumors I hear are true, and Mr. Brust uses Emacs to write novels, Mac OS X seems like a natural, stable, well-supported computer platform. Though, maybe a touch pricey if you want the biggest & best Mac. But really, for a writer, a $1100 12" sub-notebook might just be usable enough for what you want. Ah, well. Maybe I just want to see Steve in a "switcher" ad*: "My name's Steven Brust, and I play poker and write books." -- Matthew S. Klahn Software Architect, CodeTek Studios, Inc. http://www.codetek.com *Yes, I know they aren't making or airing these anymore. But one can dream, right?!