Computer: MacBook update

In case you are interested in the experiences of a recent convert to the "Cult of Apple", my impressions of the Apple MacBook are still very positive. At this point, I have had far fewer issues with this laptop than with any previous laptop that was 'designed and built for Windows'.  I phrased it that way because, as you might recall, I am running Mac OS-X and Windows XP Pro on this machine.  I've had no significant problems with either one.

As far as tested software packages, I've extended the list of applications I've installed and tested on the Mac OS to include Matlab (a signal processing software environment useful for filtering and plotting data, including audio and video), Octave (a freeware alternative to Matlab), Remote Desktop (for connecting to a networked Windows desktop in the office), QuickSilver (a desktop search application to beat all desktop search applications), and Gimpshop (a freeware alternative to Adobe Photoshop).  I haven't fully tested all of them, but I can say that they all install and run correctly.  Octave did give a bit of trouble during installation, but once I got it to launch the first time, it seems to be behaving properly now.