[PD] (Facts Please !) a mac or pc with Linux for PD

[cgc]

Quoting Jean Jacques <jj at wanadoo.fr>:

 > Thank you Pall, Marc and CK for your answers.
 > I'll get a pc and a install a Debian in it.
 >
 > I'm leaving max Msp for the world of Open Source !!!
 >
 > : )

Wait a second - you already have a Mac then right?  Have you tried Pd 
on it yet?  That seems like a way to avoid buying all new hardware and 
switching to a completely different OS just to try some software out.

PCs are great values these days no question, but in your case you might 
want to consider the time investment involved with switching platforms. 
  I don't know if you've dealt with Debian before, but the installation 
is not a nice straightforward GUI installer, and there are plenty of 
ways to completely ruin the installation compared to a RedHat, Suse or 
Mandrake system.  If you don't have any prior x86 and Linux experience 
then moving from a Mac OS9/OSX to Debian is like falling off a cliff.  
Debian is great for building custom installs if you really know what 
you want - I work with some guys that have it down to a science (after 
years of working with it), but I don't think anyone who has dealt with 
that setup process would recommend it as a migration path for a Mac 
user.  I know several new Linux users that have gone the Red Hat and 
Planet CCRMA route with good success and very few problems with basic 
setup.

cgc