Oh, for sure this will be installed on our next Mac. Are you kidding?
Apple - Boot Camp
Boot Camp lets you install Windows XP without moving your Mac data, though you will need to bring your own copy to the table, as Apple Computer does not sell or support Microsoft Windows. Boot Camp will burn a CD of all the required drivers for Windows so you don't have to scrounge around the Internet looking for them.At startup, hold down the option key (alt) to choose between Mac OS X and Windows.
Run XP natively
Once you’ve completed Boot Camp, simply hold down the option key at startup to choose between Mac OS X and Windows. (That’s the “alt” key for you longtime Windows users.) After starting up, your Mac runs Windows completely natively. Simply restart to come back to Mac.
Not sure exactly when a new Intel-Mac machine is budgeted for (haven't finished yearly budget/projections), but at least now there's a reward at the end of that slog.
I like this oh-so-subtle dig at Microsoft:
Macs use an ultra-modern industry standard technology called EFI to handle booting. Sadly, Windows XP, and even the upcoming Vista, are stuck in the 1980s with old-fashioned BIOS. But with Boot Camp, the Mac can operate smoothly in both centuries.
plus this warning that Windows is still much more prone to viruses and the like:
Word to the Wise
Windows running on a Mac is like Windows running on a PC. That means it’ll be subject to the same attacks that plague the Windows world. So be sure to keep it updated with the latest Microsoft Windows security fixes.
Lol, I like the subtle digs, nice way to deflect from the fact that they feel they need to allow users to run XP on Macs!
I have no problem with OS flavours, I run both XP and versions of Linux myself, they all have their strengths and weaknesses. Oh, and when is a standard a standard? When it is called so or when it is the thing the majority use ;)
I never was a member of the Mac as religion cult, to me a computer is simply a tool, functional in as much as it works. In my experience, Windows machines are frequently more trouble to maintain, but because of the business environment, it is necessary to have one around.
I should really learn how to install/run Linux, I see it as an increasingly important OS of the future.
So would you buy an Apple-Intel machine if you could run all three platforms on it? I haven't heard yet if the Boot Camp partitioning/emulator will allow Linux, but plenty of people are asking.
As a long term Windows OS user I have found them to be fairly hit and miss. Win98 and XP stand out as being more stable systems and although I am far from a Microsoft supporter I have to admit XP is a good OS. Linux is really quite easy these days, if you go for one like Suse or Red Hat (both of which I have running) the installation is all GUI based and pretty pain free, if time consuming. I have found it a particularly good OS for a dedicated web/network server machine. Of those two I like the Suse OS most as I found it the easiest of the two to setup and maintain.
I don't think I would switch to an Apple-Intel for one simple reason. I like the plug and play aspect of Intel/AMD based PCs that allows me to pick and choose as well as selectively upgrade individual components and have them be, on the whole, compatible with each other. This competition also seems to help keep the price of system components down and encourage innovation. Added to which I prefer to have a single OS on any one machine for preference.