need help deciding.... ibook or older powerbook?

New to the forum... hope to be new to mac soon...
I am currently debating on whether i want an apple or PC, right now i have my heart set on apple(from all the good things i've heard and also the badass looks). I need a laptop to help me through college, studying Computer Engineering right now and i would love a computer that will let me do my programming as well as browse the internet/send email... no games on this guy. I have never used an apple laptop, so it is hard to compare to the PC(which is what Im used to). If anyone has used their ibook or powerbook for programming, your opinion would be greatly appreciated. I can't spend too much money though <$900 so if anyone could recommend a system for my needs with a low price (ibook or powerbook only...no clamshell) i would appreciate it.

I'd either get a current iBook, or a rev. B powerbook if you can find one for that price...

Both 12" models run at 1Ghz and are great for college use.

I don't have any programming experience, but I can tell you that Mac OSX is based on Unix, so you should be able to use Unix-like commands on here...

Plus you can always install a PowerPC linux distribution on your book if you want!

Here's a Rev. A PowerBook I found on Amazon, for only $800. And it comes with a SuperDrive and a 40GB hard drive. For that price, you could also probably max out the RAM, too!

Or, if you only want new stuff, you could always go with a 12" iBook, which is a bit more powerful but a few hundred more.

Anyways, good luck!



EDIT: Darn, forgot the link! http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00009APE3/103-9258776-9631808?v=glance