I first started watching Linux back when it was just beginning to wear diapers and have watched it grow and yet remain somewhat the same. I have both loved and hated it for that very reason, but ultimately it's what makes Linux special.

To me the ultimate box would be a combination of things around my house put together that actually work and will boot any flavor of Linux. To me an ultimate box is one that works, works well, and will do what I need it to do.

My current box to me is the ultimate because it boots fast, holds everything I need, connects to the Internet, and allows me to receive, correct, and send back my student's papers (not to mention I don't have to worry about the viruses they spread throughout their MS Windows environments.)

My current box is a simple AMD Sempron 64 (yes they did make them so check before you slam me) on an old biostar k8t88 motherboard with onboard networking, sound, etc... and with 1 gig of ram, 2 150 gig hard drives, an old ATI Radeon 9200 (which while not the best on the market, allows me to do everything I need). My monitor is not the best, but it's an 18" widescreen Mag Innovision that I bought new for $127.00 2 years ago. I think my system cost me a whole $340.00 (not including the monitor of course).

Basically my system is an affordable system that anyone can put together and use. To me, that is the description of an ultimate system: simple, cost-effective, reliable, and it works when it's all put together.