Rules for Computing Happiness

Self-titled technologist Alex Payne, over at al3x.net, compiled his list of computing happiness.

We all have them -- those rules you typically set up when you buy a new computer to make you feel at home; the software you use, how you use it, how you clutter your desktop. Everyone has their own computing sweet spot.

Payne's list is a tad controversial, especially when it comes to Windows vs. Linux vs. Mac. However, I found myself nodding in agreement to many of them.

Some highlights:

• Pay for software that's worth paying for, but only after evaluating it for no less than two weeks.
• Do not buy a desktop computer unless your daily computing needs include video/audio editing, 3D rendering, or some other hugely processor-intensive computing task. Buy a portable computer instead.
• The only peripheral you absolutely need is a hard disk or network drive to put backups on.
• Buy as large an external display as you can afford if you'll be working on the computer for more than three hours at a time.
• Keep as much as possible in plain text. Not Word or Pages documents, plain text.
• For tasks that plain text doesn't fit, store documents in an open standard file format if possible.

See the entire list for yourself. Then, run through the widget below (don't ignore the 'next' links) and vote for the ones you agree with, vote down those you don't. If you have something to add, contribute your own rule.