My home-built computer was an Apple ][ done in wire-wrap, in 1980 during my first year in university, starting from the schematics of the Apple ][ Red Manual with minor modifications to use EPROMs instead of ROMs (different pinouts and different enable logic). The keyboard was taken from a completely different device and modified to act as an ASCII keyboard with compatible pinout. The Apple ][ BIOS was printed in an appendix of the Apple manual so I programmed a 2716 EPROM (2kB) by hand using a Sinclair ZX80 kit with an EPROM programmer extension board (also wire-wrapped). Incredibly it worked and I still have this Apple ][ in some place. After that big work, I hated wire-wrap: too many loose connections to check over and over.

I suggest an 11.6" or 12.1" display (no less), resolution HD ready (1366x768 - no less), a ION video chip inside (allows you to watch films without slowing down), 2GB RAM and an Atom processor. Windows 7 home premium as O.S. (or latest Ubuntu desktop, if you prefer). Very few models have those features: look for ASUS EEPC 1201N or (better) EEPC 1215N. I own a 1201N and it's always with me. I've bought a 1215N for my daugther to be used at the college. We are very happy with both. I use it for development, too (even if it's not a space rocket, of course)