> I'm looking at the 20" iMac as it has a DVD writer built in.  Is this a
> good model?  I'm basically using it for web surfing, e-mail and making
> DVDs (home movies and the like).

They're all good models. I run Linux on a PC as my primary
workstation, but I also have an iMac (G4, 3++ years old), and a
MacBook Pro that I bought in March. They're pretty similar in some
respects - Mac OS X is Mac OS X.

On the MacBook Pro, with 2GB of memory, I run two versions of Linux
and Windows XP as virtual machines simulataneously under VMware, and
I've never noted the machine even breathing hard.

But you asked about the iMac. Personally, I can hardly see the
advantage of having both the iMac and desktop models, unless you're
really going to hang a lot of stuff off it. When my iMac gives the
ghost (it's really for my wife's use), I'll probably replace it with a
desktop system, but it shows no signs of needing replacement, other
than with both of us logged in and having a bunch of apps running, it
does run a bit slow. Now that I have my MBP, I don't need the iMac for
much, except that it serves my large iTunes library, and I have
superior speakers hanging off the system, so I use it for syncing and
recharging my iPod.

The iMac should be completely adequate for the use you describe.

> Also, does it matter if I buy on-line or go to the store in the
> Biltmore?  On-line I would save about $120 in sales tax, but are there
> any downsides (such as repair)?

Go to www.macintouch.com and searchfor deals on iMacs. They sell
through Amazon. That's how I got my MBP, and saved quite a bit of
money on it.
You have to be willing to deal with the rebate, but I must say that when
I finally got around to doing it, it turned out to be the single
easiest rebate experience I've ever had -- helped considerably, I'm
sure, by being run by the Amazon machinery. They told me to expect to
wait 6-8 weeks for payment, but it arrived in about three.

-- 
Lynn Newton
Phoenix, AZ
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