What I Use(d): March 1, 2007 (Premium)

Fifteen years ago this week, I wrote my first-ever “What I Use” post, back when I was still running the SuperSite for Windows. Here it is, a blast from the past.

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With the understanding that the reality of my daily computing repertoire changes on a regular basis because of the nature of my day job, I have gotten an unusual number of requests lately about the hardware and software I actually use. So what the heck, here's the list. I'll try to keep this up to date, but again, my testing requirements often cause me to change things up.

Disclosure: One reader pointed out that I didn't mention whether I paid for any of this stuff. That's a valid concern. With the exception of Windows Vista and Office/Outlook 2007, I've paid for all the commercial software I use and mention below. The ThinkPad T60 and Microsoft Zune are loaners, but I paid for all of the other hardware, and I pay for any subscription services discussed here. That said, I would pay for all of this stuff if I had to, and I do pretty much recommend it all unless otherwise noted. This isn't an opportunity for me to sell you on some vendor's products. This is what I really do choose to use every day.
Hardware
While I have a number of PCs and servers dedicated to storage, gaming, and testing, I'll just focus on the machines I sit down in front of regularly and actually use on a daily basis. There are two: A desktop machine that is currently serving as my family's Media Center PC (and thus, the front-end to our TV experience via a networked Xbox 360) and a notebook computer that houses my email and goes with me on trips. There's also a third machine, a Mac, I use for testing and digital media purposes.
Desktop PC: HP Pavilion m7690y Media Center PC
Dating from late 2006, this desktop PC has a 2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo E6600 processor, 2 GB of RAM, a DVD-RW-DL optical drive, and a 400 GB SATA hard drive. I've upgraded the pathetic built-in video card with a mid-line ATI Radeon X1600 with 512 MB of RAM. Thanks to its Media Center duties, I've also added a mainstream Hauppauge TV tuner card, which is connected to an RCN set-top box. The display is a Sony PremierPro SDM-P234, a 23-inch LCD that runs at 1920 x 1200. (The ThinkPad, below, and an Xbox 360 are also connected to this display.)
Notebook: Lenovo ThinkPad T60 2623
Dating from mid-2006, this ThinkPad includes a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo T2500 processor, an ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 video card with 128 MB of RAM, a 100 GB hard drive, and a DVD Multi-Recorder optical drive. I've upgraded the RAM from the stock 1 GB to 2 GB. I've also added a Lenovo Advanced Mini-Dock so I can use the Thinkpad at home with the Sony display (see above).
Notebook: Apple MacBook
Dating from June 2006, this is a white, first-generation Apple MacBook with a 2 GHz Intel Core Duo T2500 processor and a DVD-RW SuperDrive. I've upgraded both the RAM and the hard drive: The machine now includes 2 GB of RAM and a 160 GB SATA hard drive. I use th...