Post your specs!

[Nathan4102]

I haven't seen a thread like this on here, and I think it would be kind of cool to show off your specs, and see what other people are using! If you have multiple computers, you can post them all, or just your favorite, it doesn't matter! :p

I'll start with my crappy old desktop. It's about 3 years old, I'm definitely due to get a new one!

CPU: Pentium Dual-Core 2.6 GHZ
Display: LG 18 inch flatscreen thing, currently using 1360 x 1024 res
RAM 3 GB
Storage: 300GB HD x 2
Others: Nothing much else, boring mouse, boring keyboard, broken speakers.

That's what I'm using, what are you guys using?

[Kyle Biro]

Well your computer is an okay computer.

Mine is...

CPU: Quad Core AMD A8-3820, 2.5 GHz
Display: Sceptre 24 inch monitor
Graphics: AMD Radeon HD 7750, 1GB GDDR5, DX11
RAM: 8GB
HDD: 1.34TB
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit

Basic HP keyboard and mouse, some old speakers.

[randint]

This is a *new* laptop (purchased May 14, 2013):

8GB DDR3 RAM, 128MB video memory
1TB HDD (that is where I put all files, including virtual machines) + 32GB SSD (that is where I install the OS and all programs)
Intel? Core? i7-3632QM CPU @ 2.20GHz ? 8
15.6 inch anti-glare screen, 1366 ? 768
Used to have Windows 7 Home Premium x64, but due to my hatred of paid software, I wiped it and put Ubuntu 13.04 x64 on, and Windows XP Professional SP3 in a virtual machine for mathematical typesetting purposes (I give it 1.5GB RAM when running).

[andrew.]

randint @ Sun Jul 14, 2013 5:21 pm wrote:

for mathematical typesetting purposes (I give it 1.5GB RAM when running).

What kind of typesetting? Why not use LaTeX natively?

[randint]

[quote="andrew. @ 2013-07-15, 07:56]"What kind of typesetting? Why not use LaTeX natively?[/quote]
Hmm...Waterloo Math stuff, 1st year...like, calculus stuff, including integration, or some algebra stuff (NOTATIONS). I do not bother using LaTeX (which I can do using EqualX in Ubuntu). It is a waste of time to typeset stuff when I need to learn other languages, like Scheme.

[Raknarg]

Oh dear lord, you people would cry if you saw my cpu...

[andrew.]

randint @ Mon Jul 15, 2013 8:09 am wrote:

Hmm...Waterloo Math stuff, 1st year...like, calculus stuff, including integration, or some algebra stuff (NOTATIONS). I do not bother using LaTeX (which I can do using EqualX in Ubuntu). It is a waste of time to typeset stuff when I need to learn other languages, like Scheme.

Well the reason I mentioned it is because you said you use Windows for math typesetting, which seems kinda counter-intuitive because you're running a Linux host that can do that.

[randint]

@andrew. which IDE do you suggest that I can use for math typesetting in Linux? I mean, MathType just does everything for you (like there are fraction, integral, and radical buttons, etc...) I think I need to use something similar to it in Linux, or do I need to learn the language for typesetting? Would LaTeX give me extra features? (I have EqualX installed on Ubuntu for the record).

By the way, Windows is useful when you need to file tax returns in April, as there is no tax filing software that runs natively in Linux that is CRA-certified (another virtual machine, this needs to be disconnected from the Internet to ensure security of SINs and other sensitive data).

[andrew.]

I think that you'll find that LaTeX is pretty good for math typesetting. I doubt you'll find something that you can do with MathType, and not LaTeX. In addition to that, LaTeX is not only good for math typesetting, but I think you'll find that it's a great tool for writing papers and reports as well.

[mirhagk]

LaTeX's output is the prettiest thing you'll ever see, just don't look at the source .

Is your typesetting program a visual one? If so you'll be hard pressed to find a replacement in linux, UI's aren't seen as mandatory like they are in windows.

That being said you really should learn LaTeX, it's awesome, and an impressive skill to have.

[DemonWasp]

Actually, LyX is pretty good for LaTeX typesetting. You can have it update the PDF (inside the PDF viewer!) automatically as you type. I've never gotten deeply into typesetting math, but for what little I have done, LyX was reasonably good.

[andrew.]

I second LyX. I use it as much as a can over LaTeX. There have only been a couple times where I wanted to do something that LyX couldn't handle, but luckily LyX allows you to insert LaTeX snippets into the document.