1. Hardware Introduction

There is an opinion held in some places that it is useless to describe one's system configuration. I certainly disagree with this opinion.

I consider it highly desirable to be able to find people that are running specific hardware so that I can determine whether or not I ought to consider the same, and to gain/provide assistance in problem solving. To that end, I am willing to publicize the listing of hardware that I have successfully (and not-so-successfully) used.

An excellent reference on building Linux systems is Building the Perfect Box: How to Design Your Linux Workstation, written by Eric Raymond. While somewhat dated in its specifics, it contains essential design principles that have held true through various generations of improved CPUs.