Actually, opening the case to replace the hard drive will not void your warranty. We used to do it all the time, at the blessing (and instruction) of our Apple Support reps when I was a network admin.

Same with RAM chips. Where it gets dicy are factory sealed items like iPods and iPhones where the only way to get them open is essentially with machine tools, and getting them back together involves industrial solvents and adhesive.

Depends on your definition of a "good OSS citizen." In the scary government research/mad scientist corporate research market BSD licensed code is ideal. We *can* use it, because releasing our source code would, in fact, violate either DMSO or corporate licensing arrangements.

There's more than one way to skin a cat, and frankly when our company makes something that we see as useful, but not a core product, we do release it and/or submit patches back to whence it came. I just like not having some idiot ramrodding us for not giving proprietary information out to our competitors.

(And why Tcl/Tk is under the hood of many secret squirrel projects.)

Well when you use the adjective "best", you pretty much eliminate a claim to "cheap".

And at $1100, a 13" Macbook has been ideal for my purposes. It's usable on an airplane. Powerful enough to run all of my development kits. I can kick off Linux and Windows XP when I need to target those platforms (especially handy when the boss needs a new build and I'm 3 time zones away at a conference.)

But there is an important caveat. America always catches and releases. We invade, set up a new government, and for the most part *LEAVE*. (An odd air field or fueling spot of the Navy not withstanding.)

Find me an empire in the past that did that?

No, all we are saying is that if you are going to *publish* as an authority on the matter. I.E. *as* a scientist, that you know WTF you are talking about.
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Missing an important underlying correlation, and implying a causation where one does not exist is beyond irresponsible.

Hmm. Well with iron and woods on the moon, throw in a putter...