If I had the cash (like $25k budget), I'd go all out on a Talos II (by Raptor Engineering) with maxed out CPU and RAM configuration, and if I couldn't get OpenBSD running on it I would christen it with NetBSD.
I would love a "fully open" hardware platform, which is a non-starter in the Apple and amd64 PC world today. It'll take an act of congress (or a California proposition) to enact a tax high enough to economically make this be fixed, say 100%, on all consumer products containing microprocessors which read software/firmware/microcode from a memory store yet a) prevent the owner, if competent, from modifying the software by means of cryptographic signature or "burn-in," and/or b) do not provide enough documentation on design, where a competent owner could write his own software/firmware/microcode, and write his own drivers. This will apply to cars, microwaves, TVs, Intel/AMD CPUs, GPUs, cellphones both smart and dumb, game consoles, kids' toys, and even greeting cards, etc. To not have a 100% endpoint tax, the device must either be: immediately owner writable, or b) must have a jumper or DIP switch to enable owner write-ability, or c) must include a mechanism to accept owner cryptographic public keys to allow owner to write his own signed image, or d) must have an entry for an OEM-provided code which unlocks owner write (OEM must immediately give this code unconditionally on owner request, and may limit warranty for that particular device), and in all cases where OEM public keys exist, they must be completely purge-able.
In the age of Snowden and IoT rolling in, it's completely unacceptable that we lack Total Owner Control of our microprocessor-bearing devices. If Apple or Intel refuse, they can try to justify $1,600-$2,000 iPhones and $400-$1,000 basic CPUs and GPUs to the consumer. Closed hardware will become a national security risk if it isn't already; it's time to nip it in the bud before so.
Personal goal: gather ~$13,500 and buy the maxed out iMac Pro 2017 -- 4TB SSD, 128GB RAM, Xeon W (18 cores, 2.3Ghz, turbo boost to 4.3GHz, 42.75MB cache), 10Gb ethernet link, 4 USB Type-C ports, 4 Thunderbolt 3 slots, amazing display.
I view it as an at least 7 years of investment, if not 11-12 even.
(Especially now that macOS has a dark theme as well.)
I have a very keen interest in Linux and the people who make it happen... but reality is they are not dedicated teams of people working with high wages on Linux alone so problems with desktop always arise -- also competing standards, but the real problem is that a lot of end-user or specialized work software just can't run on Linux (3D modelling, architecture planning, professional design programs etc.). Truthfully, Linux on PCs is just fine but laptops are a whole different story.
I love Linux but for all its amazing engineering it remains a mostly programmer/sysadmin system and environment and nothing much else beyond that. I need a lot of stuff done outside of that and I have hobbies I wanna work on in the future and Linux just isn't cutting it. I don't want to hand-craft clever command-line configurations until I die.
Windows 10 is... I don't know, feels like it's going downhill overall. Important UX issues aren't being addressed for ages -- like the two sets of configuration UIs (almost everybody I asked says they were confused by that). WSL is good and useful, the cloud offerings look alright but something is just missing. Maybe the fact that after the April 2018 update the Mail program never managed to work with my mail again. Read about a "workaround" which involved resetting your user profile and... yeah, gave up. Who wants to restore their settings for a full workday just so a half-arsed mail program can work again? These things pile up and now I can't even tell you all my complaints nowadays because I never wrote them down -- only my accumulated impression, which is disappointment.
> I view it as an at least 7 years of investment, if not 11-12 even.
Hmm, that's equivalent to spending between $1-2k to get a new computer every single year. That sounds like an awful investment to me, and I don't think most people would consider it a good investment to have to buy a $1-2k computer every single year. How do you see that as a good investment?
I did the math and even if I don't make that much money as the other guy here in this thread, I view it as an investment in terms of a peace of mind and future-proofing.
Computing is plateauing. Provided the machine is durable and doesn't break for at least 10 years, it makes a lot of sense to have something that you won't have to upgrade for a while -- and be very well prepared for everything your work can throw at you.
Plus, I also tried to calculate the price of that iMac Pro if I assemble a similar machine myself. It came out to almost the same price so Apple is not actually charging a lot of premium on that machine in particular. They are more interested in having you as a long-term customer there (and vendor-lock you) and are not charging you exorbitant amounts of money just because -- at least not in that instance.
Not the OP but I bill around that per day, so the investment would only be a days worth of billable time to stay cutting edge, so makes sense in that perspective.
Too much work. Had my fair share of building PCs or flashing ROMs on Android. When I buy an iMac Pro I will be 100% Apple-invested. I got tired of tinkering on minor stuff, I want to build things and have small logistical resistance while doing so.
Truth be told, I don't care much about the aesthetics per se -- with the exception of the dark theme, that has to be the best thing to introduce in a while!
Windows UI has deficiencies, all Linux WMs have some deficiencies (although some are unbelievably customizable and I like them), macOS is no exception as well. I don't care. I want it to work stably, predictably and be somewhat pretty. macOS ticks the boxes. Windows used to but it's very idiosyncratic lately. And the OS is just somewhat slow even on a very beefy PC where games can't go below 120 FPS... and your OS still manages to lag. Not cool.
In any case, I am not under the illusion that the iMac Pro + macOS will be the "perfect" machine and OS. Not at all. But between getting tired of tinkering with minor crap, UX inconsistency, lags and software compatibility to me the Apple ecosystem is the best compromise. Not trying to convince anyone though, simply explaining my thought process that led me to my decision.
Well I don't have the money now so I am sitting and waiting anyway. :D
I will keep watching and observing. Last I read, the latest Mac Pro is noisier than the iMac Pro which you have to fully load all its CPU cores and both videocards to even hear. To me the [lack of] noise is extremely important in a machine. (That's why I spent $400 on a PC box, CPU cooler and the most silent fans I could find, last year.)
That, plus the fact that it's an all-in-one machine. One gets sick of reshuffling their desk periodically, I gotta tell you.
They are building new Mac Pro from the scratch, don't look at latest one, it's considered a failure (overheating GPUs, etc). But well, if you just want monoblock, then iMac Pro is no brainer, of course. I have opposite view and prefer modular components, especially for long-lasting hardware.
If we're talking PCs then I fully agree. Modular beats monoblock all-around.
Apple has a terrible track record on repairs in warranty however (it's basically a 50/50, lot of luck involved). Whatever I end up buying I'll just pray it doesn't break. So modular or not, doesn't make much of a difference. If anything breaks you're likely screwed. That's why I'm most likely buying an iMac Pro.
But since that ain't happening yet, I'll be curiously following what other machines will they come up with in the meantime.
Sorry late reply, I'd have to do more research but if my machine pooped the bed today probably Linux Mint. Maybe wait for Apple's rumored Mac Mini Pro announcement next week to see if it's not the worst?
