My daughter and I put together a series of desktop computers for her over the years, the last of which was a dual-boot Linux/WinXP box. She learned a lot. She also decided, when it came time to get a portable, to get the small Macbook (about $1000) and VMware Fusion to run Windows and Linux as VMs. So she has effectively three computers, portability, plus the high quality and support of an Apple product.
Then by your own account you did not value your time or your daughter's time by deciding to build those desktop computers.
> Then by your own account you did not value your time or your daughter's time by deciding to build those desktop computers.
No, you misunderstand. See my comment in #48:
Note: Sometimes the experience gained in DIY is very valuable -- might be hard to quantify, but it can argue in favor of DIY too, especially when acquiring a new piece of technology.She wanted to learn about multi-boot. Building one was the best way to gain that experience. There was no consideration of "saving money", "getting a computer on the cheap", etc. in that activity.
Remember, my comments about valuing one's time have to do with being honest about adding up the cost of a "cheap" PC. An intentional learning experience is a completely different goal.