This is the hardware and software I use every day to write and create Web pages. It is not my "dream" system, nor is it a heap of junk. I use it every day, and it currently meets my needs.
Hardware
MacBook Pro 15-inch - This year, I switched to Macintosh 100%. I bought a refurbished model to get a better deal, and I love it. I switched to Mac because the software is generally easier to use and I find the ability to script it in Unix (on the back end) very handy. The only thing I miss is not having two monitors, but since I use Spaces, I have 9 desktops worth of space available with just a keystroke. Compare Prices
My Mac has 4GB of RAM. I would recommend that you max out the RAM if you can. It's inexpensive right now, and can make a big difference in the programs you can run. With that much RAM I can open Photoshop and edit 10+ photos at once while running Dreamweaver and Parallels and Firefox (and iTunes and Thunderbird and Evernote...) all at once. It's all about multi-tasking.
Dell XPS 710 - I still have a Windows PC that I use occasionally. I won this PC in a charity auction, and it meets my needs for a Windows machine. It has a Core 2 Duo E6700 processor, 2GB RAM, 2x160GB HD RAID 0, DVD burner, and a 7800GT video card.
Dell 20inch 2005FPW Widescreen LCD with 1680x1050 resolution. It's a widescreen flat panel monitor. It's really nice, big, but doesn't take up a lot of space on the desk. The bigger the monitor, the easier everything is to see. Compare Prices
I also have a Samsung 19inch 193P flat screen as a second screen on my Windows machine. I like having two monitors because it gives me that much more real estate to put up pages and tools. I always have at least three browsers running at any one time, so the more space I have the better. Compare Prices
Logitech trackball mouse with flywheel because using a regular mouse hurts my hand. I have a wireless version for when I travel. Compare Prices
Microsoft "natural" keyboard - It's bent in the middle to help my hands stay in a more natural position when I type. I write a lot on the computer, so having an ergonomic keyboard was really important to me. When I have to work on a non bent keyboard, my hands start aching by the end of the day. Compare Prices
Konica Minolta Magicolor 2400W - I have been wanting a color laserjet for a while, and the price was right. The biggest drawback to this printer is that it's Windows only. Compare Prices
Canon LiDE 80 Scanner - my HP scanner bit the dust, and when I looked at some reviews, this scanner seemed a better value. Compare Prices
Security - 2 Firewalls - I run on my network behind two firewalls for extra security. Plus I always run Norton AntiVirus across every file I load.
Software
Macintosh OS X - I keep my Mac OS as up-to-date as possible.
Norton AntiVirus - This is crucial. I get thousands of messages a day, and many of them contain malicious code. I run Norton on both my Mac and PC.
Firefox 3 - this is my preferred browser. It is standards compliant and has tabbed browsing which results in fewer windows open. I also use several other browsers:
Dreamweaver - i moved to the Mac, I had to give up Homesite. This was one of the main reasons that I hadn't switched to Mac before now. But Dreamweaver has so many nice features now, that I finally couldn't say no.
Paralells - I use Parallels to do testing in a Windows environment without needing to start up my PC. This is very convenient. For a while I was still writing all my pages in Homesite inside Parallels as well. I love being able to use Windows applications inside my Mac. Remember, you need to get a licensed copy of Windows to run it in Parallels.
Expressions - I have installed Expressions into the Parallels section of my Mac. I use it primarily for testing and writing tutorials.
Filezilla - I use this for all my file transfer needs.
Adobe Photoshop CS3 - It's one of the most powerful graphics programs out there. I use it for creation and editing of graphics.
That's about all the programs I use every day. Of course, I run email, I use programs like Evernote and iTunes, and I love Tweetburner for following Twitter. I also use OpenOffice.org for my spreadsheets and documents.
