Mac vs PC

[Natman791]

Hi everyone

Next year i will be attending university for a computer science degree. I plan to purchase a laptop for it, and have been thinking of getting a macbook. However, i know Mac cannot run all the Apps that windows can and I was wondering if owning a Mac would present any problems for me.

Thanks,
Nathan

[Tony]

Some of the "windows apps" come in a Mac flavour. All others you can run through VM Fusion / Parallels / Boot-Camp -- lots of options there. In contrast a PC can't run any of the Mac apps. You're better off with a MacBook.

[rdrake]

Seriously... for the same price you can get an X series Thinkpad which has essentially identical specs, only half the weight. The only downside is the screen is 12.1" vs. 13". From experience I can say that weight should play a big factor in your decision on a laptop for university -- there's no way you want to be lugging around any extra weight if you don't have to.

You can also upgrade the battery to get much more battery life than a Mac would ever give you, there's even an add-on which will give you up to 12 hours battery life.

Thinkpads are also built like tanks (take it from a guy who dropped his Thinkpad 1 m onto solid concrete before).

Thinkpad, MacBook.

[md]

Thinkpads are generally speaking a better deal then macs. If your dead set on OS X and don't want to worry about getting it illegally and possibly without drivers for all of your hardware then get a Mac, otherwise a Thinkpad is nigh on indestructable and better in just about every measurable way.

[Tony]

Thinkpad's indestructibility comes in handy when someone trips over the power cord and sends your laptop flying across the lecture room. MacBooks' power cords are magnetically attached

[wtd]

How much is it going to cost you when your term paper or final program for a CS class is due, and Vista auto-applies an update that causes your computer to become unusable?

The fees to retake a single class are not insubstantial.

Buy a Mac. You won't regret it.

[Skynet]

wtd @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:47 pm wrote:

How much is it going to cost you when your term paper or final program for a CS class is due, and Vista auto-applies an update that causes your computer to become unusable?

The fees to retake a single class are not insubstantial.

Buy a Mac. You won't regret it.

That is a ridiculous leap of logic.

Besides, if you're doing CS, you'll probably end up installing some flavour of Linux. Personally, I dual boot Ubuntu and XP. Ubuntu is for programming, XP is for MATLAB/Simulink, SolidWorks, and MS Office. (Microsoft Excel is *the* best spreadsheet software in existence) My Dell was half the cost of a comparable Mac when I bought it.

[md]

Tony @ 2008-02-24, 6:47 pm wrote:

Thinkpad's indestructibility comes in handy when someone trips over the power cord and sends your laptop flying across the lecture room. MacBooks' power cords are magnetically attached

Or the cord will just pull out. The magnetic power cord is pretty sweet, but it's not even close to the top of the list of requirements for a laptop. (I've had a prof trip over my power cord; it just pulled apart at the brick; no problem whatsoever)

Quote:

How much is it going to cost you when your term paper or final program for a CS class is due, and Vista auto-applies an update that causes your computer to become unusable?

The fees to retake a single class are not insubstantial.

Buy a Mac. You won't regret it.

What about if your running linux? Or even XP or Vista with updates disabled so they don't auto-magically install? I'd say that would negate your concern entirely. Never mind that very few if any first/second year CS courses (or arts courses you may be required to take) actually have a final paper or final program.

I'm not saying macs aren't nice - they are. I'm just saying that there is are better computers out there for the money. AND you can run OS X in a virtual machine (or even on native hardware - I've done it) if you really want to. Heck; even if you want a laptop that fits in a manila envelope you can get something better and cheaper in a Thinkpad; the X300 beats the Macbook Air hands down in my mind.

Oh, and for the record: linux + Thinkpad == most awesome thing ever.

[Tony]

There are definitely cheaper alternatives to a MacBook, but the bottom line is that those alternatives come with a different feature set. There are things unique to a ThinkPad laptop and others that are unique to a MacBook.

I guess software is mostly aside (because you can run it all through a VM), though I suppose it would be best to run your OS of choice natively.

Between using my MacBook and my girlfriend's ThinkPad, I prefer the feel of a MacBook, by far.

[rdrake]

md @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 7:40 pm wrote:

Oh, and for the record: linux + Thinkpad == most awesome thing ever.

I must second this. I'm using my Thinkpad as a gigantic Wiimote in some games in Linux because of the accelerometer drivers it has. Now how great is that?

Also on the Parallels argument letting you run Windows applications in OS X; forget not that you must also purchase both Parallels and a copy of Windows to run under it. This may be the solution for you, just keep the above in mind.

I still say portability is what you should be looking for. The laptop should:

• Have great battery life.
  
• Not be easily destroyable.
  
• Be extremely light as you may be carrying it around all day in addition to your books.
  

Those are the most important aspects of having a laptop for university to me, your mileage may vary.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

[Tony]

rdrake @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:05 pm wrote:

forget not that you must also purchase both Parallels and a copy of Windows to run under it.

It's a laptop for University, and Universities supply free licenses of Windows to students. VM Fusion (which is an amazing virtualization solution) runs for about $50 now -- and considering that it makes installing Windows easier than installing the same copy of Windows natively... I think that it's totally worth it.

[rdrake]

Tony @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 10:33 pm wrote:

rdrake @ Sun Feb 24, 2008 9:05 pm wrote:

forget not that you must also purchase both Parallels and a copy of Windows to run under it.

It's a laptop for University, and Universities supply free licenses of Windows to students. VM Fusion (which is an amazing virtualization solution) runs for about $50 now -- and considering that it makes installing Windows easier than installing the same copy of Windows natively... I think that it's totally worth it.

Not every university out there provides a license for Windows.

[wtd]

If you run OS X, you'll have your Unix and while you can also install Linux and dual (or triple) boot, you'll have vastly less need to.

I'm a fan of Linux, but if it were something as important as my education on the line, I wouldn't want it riding on a Linux distro on a laptop. Too many things that can get weird and get in the way of getting stuff done. Much the same situation as Windows... just different weird things that go wrong at inopportune times.

[wtd]

Additional note from a guy who gets paid to muck around inside laptops...

Apple's engineering is just on a whole different level than what you'll find in the Wintel world. And yes, that includes the premium Wintel machines (Toughbooks, Toshiba Porteges, HP's business grade notebooks, Sony SZ...).

[asd]

guys are you pro skub or anti skub I'm pro skub and if your anti skub you are a idiot



judging from your original post it might have been better to ask about the software differences (specifically, software that you are using now) between Windows and Mac OSX. Mac vs PC debates come and go but nobody seems to mind giving the same argument every time