Hi, Steve,
To answer your main question: It varies a bit. If I'm getting an upgraded (in terms of hardware) workstation for myself or my wife, I will build them from the ground up, from hand-selected (by yours truly) components.
This may cost a bit more, but it has the effect of giving us the longevity (5 years, bare minimum, sometimes 7 or more) that we look for in our systems.
For things like laptops, I've also been known to buy off-lease equipment. In fact, my current laptop (a Dell Latitude C640) is an off-lease unit, bought on Greed-bay from a fellow in Texas who is a Dell reseller, and who takes in off-lease systems for reconditioning and resale.
On the (very) rare occasions when I do buy pre-built systems, I will usually start with Greed-bay, looking for IBM Intellistations that are just a few years old. They're decently inexpensive, exceedingly well-made, and they run just about anything I throw at them like a champ.
Most of the systems I've bought in this manner already come with a license for Windows 2000 Pro, which is fine by me.
Linux has gotten much more publicity than other open-source Unix-type OS's, but this does not mean it's the best idea for every application. I'm uncomfortable with it simply because its code base is still fairly young, especially compared to the BSD family (which has been around since the 70's). That, and I grew up working on BSD-ish systems, which means I already had a good grasp of the command and system structures.
On XP Activation: It's not the fact that it requires it so much as the fact that you have to actually call the manufacturer for "permission" to run it. In other words, it's the principle and precedent of the thing that bothers me far more than the actual implementation.
If I buy software, I expect to be able to install and use it on whatever system of mine will support it. I do NOT agree with having to beg for permission again every time I change out a hard drive, motherboard, video card, or whatever. That's none of the OS manufacturer's business, and NO OTHER OS MANUFACTURER outside of the Redmond Empire does that.
Keep the peace(es).
