Home 'puter is a local shop homebrew based on an ASUS P5 mobo that has served admirably for several years and is not yet creaking at the seams so it's fine...
I have a Samsung Galaxy II phone up at Android 4 so that is fine too
I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab which is also at Android 4 and also fine (I got the tablet because reading pdf's on an ebook reader or smartphone is totally unfeasible in grey-scale and small screen)
I have a Toshiba Satellite laptop (upon which I am typing this) for travel (I work away from home on contract jobs) and so far it is perfect even though it's a couple of years old.
I suspect that Windoze 8 is going to be a massive shot in the foot for M$ as I do not need or want the ability to prod my finger at a screen on my desktop machine... I prefer my main screen to be clear of greasy fingerprints!
The only reason I stay with M$ is because of my collection of much-loved open-source software that it runs (7-zip, FreeClip, FreeFileSync, the truly fantabulous Sketchup from Google...the list is HUGE!). Also I DO actually have paid-for software I quite like (I have been a Serif PagePlus user since version 1.0!)
I would have no qualms about moving to "the Ultimate" which is a port of Ubuntu angled towards user-friendliness though if I could find enough stuff to do what I can do in Windoze without too huge a learning curve.

At the end of the day, my PC is a Swiss penknife electronic tool that helps me do stuff on a daily basis but if I can get a bootleg one made in Japan that does the same then I will go for it!

Quote from: JimboNWUK on October 19, 2012, 09:21 PM

I have a Samsung Galaxy Tab which is also at Android 4 and also fine (I got the tablet because reading pdf's on an ebook reader or smartphone is totally unfeasible in grey-scale and small screen)

Have also had reading PDFs (and other docs) on a tablet working out well here

What are you using for PDFs?

I've been using Aldiko, and while it's ok, I still find that PDFs suck. Quite often I need to read in landscape and zoom on the PDF to read it, which is painful when you want to read/skim quickly - you're always panning and zooming, and the PDF speed there is just poor -- too much rendering and BS.

So to put it briefly, my experience has probably been similar to yours -- unsatisfactory reading experience in an absolute sense.  However, not having to be in front of a pc to read pcs has made it still worthwhile.

Yep. That pretty much sums it up. At least they're available off the desktop/laptop, even if they are sub-optimal. I tried on my phone... pain pain pain...

Probably another Lenovo notebook convertible (Tablet/Laptop mode).

My last workstation and server both lasted around 5 years - server got a couple of new disks, workstation saw some disk changes, got an SSD, a new SSD when the first (X25-E) fried, and had a single GPU upgrade (GT8800 -> GTX460). Upgraded both during the last few months, and these will hopefully last 5+ years as well. I ended up with:

Workstation:
ASUS P8Z77-V PRO
Corsair 16GB DDR3 1600MHz (4x8GB)
Intel Core i7 3770 Ivy Bridge
INTEL SSD 520 Series 120GB, 2012-07-13 efter X24-E fried
(below this line: parts from the old box)
Corsair TX550M
Western Digital 2.5" 300GB VelociRaptor
Gigabyte GeForce GTX460 1024MB @ 2011-02-12

Server:
Corsair 8GB DDR3 1333Mhz (2x4GB) XMS3
ASUS P8Z77-M
RaidSonic Icy Box IB-554SSK
Corsair Obsidian Series 550D
be quiet! Straight Power BQT E9-400W
Intel Core i5-3550 Ivy Bridge

Win7-x64 on the workstation, Debian-x64 on the server.

I would like to know if you can run 32-bit programs now on Windows 7 64-bit? I don't want to have to throw away all my 32-bit programs. The last time I checked you couldn't do that.

I haven't noticed any (many?) things not working here -- I tend to still get 32-bit programs even when using Windows 7 64-bit.

The horse says:

Quote

Can I run 32-bit programs on a 64-bit computer?

Most programs designed for the 32-bit version of Windows will work on the 64-bit version of Windows. Notable exceptions are many antivirus programs.

Device drivers designed for the 32-bit version of Windows don't work on computers running a 64-bit version of Windows. If you're trying to install a printer or other device that only has 32-bit drivers available, it won't work correctly on a 64-bit version of Windows.

via http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/32-bit-and-64-bit-Windows-frequently-asked-questions

May be I misunderstood the question?

Thank you!

Coming late to this thread too, out of necessity... my "next" computer was bought yesterday when my 5 year old (to the day!) dropped dead.  (At least I can salvage some parts...)

I needed one now so all I can say is thanks for Black Friday sales

Ended up with an HP with an AMD A10, 8gb, and usb 3.  Suits my needs and snappier than my old box.

Oh yes, of course it came with Win 8 preinstalled.  With no previous experience I could muddle through most of what I had to have, although some of the decisions really seemed obstructive.   Like no easily discoverable way in Legacy Desktop to find your installed programs ... it may be there, but rather than dig I supported a small software author by springing for Start8 ($4.95).  I will play with not-Metro on and off as I have time and inclination but as long as the desktop works I know I can do what I need done.  So far. 

Missing Noun Alert! Your five year old dropped dead on his/her birthday and you salvaged the parts?!

Oh, did I forget to mention the bathtub of ice water?

Those dratted nouns, people always ask questions when they go missing...